During the early 2000s the DC Animated Universe was at its peak. Batman and Superman had completed their animated run and had moved on to Cartoon Network’s Justice League. It was at this time that a show called Static Shock aired on the kids programming block for Warner Brothers’ new CW network. The showed starred an African American lead named Vergil Hawkins. As a teen in the midst of adulthood, Hawkins faced several life altering decisions leading up to his ascension towards becoming a fan favorite superhero. Sadly, those were the only days in which DC truly supported the famed hero known as Static.
For years, fans of DC comics have yearned for the return of Static and during the days in which the New 52 comic run began, it seemed like he had gained a stable foot in the mainstream DC universe once again. Gaining his own comic solo run in conjunction with the other Justice League heroes was surreal. The show had long ended and nothing was ever heard of the character since. Then the comic was canceled after about 15 issues. It would be years until we saw his return in the fan favorite Young Justice DC show. In a new interpretation and origin story, Static returns to the fold with the younger generation of DC characters. And then the show was canceled before actually appearing as something other than a cameo appearance.
After all that turmoil you would think he would catch a break, correct? Well, Injustice 2 has something else to say to the character. Appearing after the anniversary of the Injustice mobile game, Static became a playable character for those on Android and iOS. That appearance gave hope to many that Static may return in the sequel game. Injustice 2 character designer, Marco Nelor, put those hopes to rest. According to Nelor, Static was planned for the game but “…didn’t make the cut.” Check out Nelor’s concept art below from his official Instagram account.
Maybe one day we will see Static return to the mainstream media, but seeing as how Warner Brothers chose to bring to life a Black Lightning TV show instead of making a live action Static Shock series, I wouldn’t hold my breath.
