Emilio Vasquez (Rise)

Emilio Vasquez is a survivor of the outbreak in Rise, and is a main character in the first and second seasons of the series. Emilio is the former mayor of Cheshire, Connecticut before the outbreak, and a former gubernatorial candidate for the Governor of the state of Connecticut at the time of the outbreak. Whilst the outbreak was occurring, his husband Bill Taylor and running mate Franklin Carter were being informed by state-wide officials of the events unfolding, eventually making their way to the hospital in which the initially described outbreak started raising out of control. Eventually finding their way towards a small dentistry office, Emilio as his group manage to stumble across Meghan Chapel and Alicia Haven in desperate need of help before eventually saving John Callis from an oncoming monster horde. After discovering John's intentions of departing to find his wife, Emilio leaves to travel with John before eventually meeting Troy Austin along the way. Alongside John and Troy, Emilio helps the two regroup with Jessica Callis and Katie Dawson before saving Jack O'Rourke and Shauna King from an invading horde of monsters. Arriving at Jessica's original destination of Foxwood Shipping, Emilio is a part of the group that meets Charlotte Walters at the conclusion of season one.
== Representation ==
Emilio is shown to have a strong leadership complex, always aiming to help people, even despite occasions in which the help necessary is impossible or unattainable. This is possibly the reason as to why he connected with John almost instantaneously. As a homosexual Hispanic gubernatorial candidate, Emilio has faced much adversity throughout his life, and the will to fight no matter what odds may be stacked against him is something inspired by his constant fight.
== Appearances ==
* Day Zero - Part One
* Day Zero - Part Two
* Hearts Beat for a Reason
* Novocaine
* Closer to Home
* King of the Clouds
== Trivia ==
* Creator of the series Zachary Serra confirmed that during the writing process for the first season of the series, he modeled Emilio's appearance after Mark Consuelos, known for his roles as Mateo Santos on "All My Children" and Hiram Lodge on "Riverdale."