The Origins of Static Shock

By Amir Muhammad | October 3, 2023

Before Miles Morales was the inspiration to trust and believe in yourself in Spider-Verse there was another hero balancing growing up in the city with being a superhero and his name was Static Shock.

Static Shock is an African-American, teenage superhero created by Dwayne McDuffe, Denys Cowan, John Paul Leon, Christopher Priest, Robert L. Washington III and Michael Davis. Static Shock made his first appearance in a comic book titled “Icon #1” as a preview in May 1993 and again as a full feature in “Static #1” in June 1993 for Milestone Comics. The comic imprint was founded by Dwayne McDuffe and Denys Cowan and supported by many Black comic writers and artists as an alternative to the mainstream comics of the 90s that underrepresented minority characters.

Static’s purpose was to fill the void left by Spider-Man since the latter was being depicted as an adult at the time. He would then go on to get his own animated series “Static Shock” which was released on September 23, 2000 and ran for four seasons. 

Static’s real name is Virgil Ovid Hawkins. Virgil is a teenager who is into science, comic books, science-fiction and role playing games growing up in the fictional city of Dakota. Given his interests, he was bullied, usually by Francis Stone, a gang member who attended his high school. The bullying became something that Virgil couldn’t stand any longer.

Virgil went to his friend and got a gun to get revenge on the bully. Virgil was unable to use the gun, but he did find himself in the middle of a gang war. Police released tear gas, which had a chemical, that would allow them to track whoever tried to run. The police, however, didn’t know that the gas was lethal. The 10% who inhaled it and did survive transformed into monsters or superhumans, called Bang Babies.

Virgil found himself able to manipulate electromagnetism and decided to become a superhero, adopting the name ‘Static Shock.’ He had to balance his high school life and the life of being a superhero. He fought those who were also affected by the tear gas like his former bully, Francis Stone, who became a pyrokinetic villain known as Hot Streak. The animated show grew popular because even though it was targeted towards children it tackled difficult issues such as racism, homelessness, gang violence, and drugs.

Static Shock is still an underrated superhero. What makes him so good is how the life of a Black teenager is depicted. His character is relatable. That’s what makes him inspiring. He can be someone that even the youth of today can look up to.