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Static

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Real Identity: Virgil Ovid Hawkins
Affiliation(s): Justice League Unlimited (Beyond)
Appearances (SS): All 52 episodes
Appearances (JLU): The Once and Future Thing Part One and Part Two
Powers: Electromagnetism, Electric Manipulation, and Magnetism
Voiced By: Phil LaMarr

Virgil Hawkins is a 14 year old resident of Sadler, Dakota City, Michigan and son of Robert and Jean Hawkins, of Ghanan ancestry. He lives with his family at 18404 Roeper Street. About three years prior, Hawkins lost his mother, a paramedic, during the Dakota City Gang Riots. As the youngest in the family, he struggled to get over her death and agonized over his mounting inability to remember her. At a height of 5 feet 7 inches and weight of 140 pounds, Hawkins attended Dakota Union High School with his best friend, Richie Foley, and circle of friends that included Frieda Goren and Omar Harmozi. He was assigned the student identification number 457778-445609. Hawkins excelled in academics and made honor roll. In particular, he was interested in the field of science. Outside of school, Hawkins' hobbies include comic books, video games, sci-fi, hip-hop music, bowling, basketball, and football. Along with Foley, Hawkins even created a video game they named "Attack of the Blood-Hungry Gutsuckers." An avid reader of Plant Man and other comics, Hawkins and Foley make weekly visits to their three favorite stores, including Dakota Comics and Collectibles and Off Your Rocket.

During Homecoming season, Hawkins planned to use his wit and offbeat charm to ask Frieda Goren to the dance. His plan was interrupted by F-Stop, a local gang leader. Hawkins was defended by a rival gang leader, Wade, and became briefly associated with his gang for protection. When Dakota's gangs faced off in the harbor district at Gate 10, the police department launched several cannisters of tear gas. Unfortunately, several hazmat barrels of Alva Industries' Quantum Vapor were set off. The Vapor was released and infected the youth in the area. Soon after, the incident became known as the Big Bang. The Vapor turned out to be an experimental mutagene that mutated genes and gifted them with superpowers. In other words, it could create metahumans in those that don't even have the potential for superpowers. Hawkins managed to escape before inhaling a dangerous amount. He awoke with the power of electromagnetism and immediately confided in Foley.

Hawkins was one of the lucky few, instead of becoming physically transformed, Hawkins retained his normal appearance. At Foley's behest, Hawkins decided to become a superhero to protect his home city as Static from the other metahumans who had turned to crime, dubbed the Bang Babies. Along the way, Hawkins learned how to utilize his powers offensively and defensively. The Taser Punch and Taser Noogie are physical attacks with the power of a stun gun. The Nova Ball and Nova Burst are highly concentrated electromagnetic energy that have maximum impact but tend to drain Static immensely. A close second, he can also generate an electromagnetic pulse capable of inducing a city-wide blackout. Defensively, he can generate a force field or personal shield. Using magnetic induction, Static enforces his Static Cling to immobilize criminals until the police arrive from seeing a giant light display he can send off into the sky. He can also levitate mostly anything, tap into phone lines to make a call, ground anything, play CD's without a device, super charge the atmosphere, illuminate bio-auras, and charge a Green Lantern power ring. An added benefit is a natural resistance to mind control. Static's bio-electromagnetic field creates enough feedback to resist it.

Given his vast amount of abilities, Static also has his share of weaknesses. Exposure to water will short him out indefinitely. Static's electromagnetism isn't unlimited and he requires periodic recharges from power sources such as fuse boxes. From an elemental standpoint, he can't use his power directly on objects composed of wood or plastic. Static's most dangerous weakness is related to the solar event known as sunspots which interfere with his powers, often shifting them from too powerful to complete neutralization. Static's powers are also known to adversely impact certain other super powers. While fighting Replay, a Bang Baby with the power of cloning, a clone of Static was generated by accident when the two were in contact using their powers at the same time. In another instance, his feedback altered Madelyn Spaulding's telepathy into telekinesis. As a freshman hero, Static suffered various ego trips and bouts of arrogance until one stunt nearly killed one of his friends, Daisy Watkins.

Aside from his powers, Static was initially aided by Richie Foley and his periodic inventions. His main mode of transportation became the Static Saucer, replacing sewer manhole covers and spare metal sheets, communication was conducted on Shock Boxes, espionage with tracers he could follow with his power, and methods of last resort called Zap Caps, which later became Foley's weapon of choice when he became the hero, Gear.

Even before Hawkins became a superhero, he regarded Green Lantern as his favorite and emulated him. In the first two years of his career, Static has teamed up with and proved his valor to Batman, Robin, Anansi the Spider, The Flash, J'onn Jonzz, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern John Stewart, Soul Power, Sparky, Superman, the second Batman, and the Hoop Squad. Likewise, he fought against infamous super villains such as the Joker, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Brainiac, Toyman, Kobra, Jokerz, and Sinestro. After meeting Anansi for the first time, during a family trip to Africa, Static admitted working with another black superhero validated him on some level. Anansi returned the sentiment. For the most part, he operated in Dakota City alongside Rubberband Man, Gear, and She-Bang.

While keeping his identity a secret from his family, Hawkins was often confronted by them and accused of becoming irresponsible and neglecting his duties. However, his identity was discovered by villains, such as Omnifarious, Madelyn Spaulding, Speedwarp, and Omnara, heroes, such as Batman, She-Bang, the second Batman, Anansi the Spider, Soul Power, Hoop Squad, and people, such as Shaquille O'Neal, Jean Hawkins, and Robert Hawkins. Batman entrusted his secret identity to Static and he kept it such even from his best friend, Foley. Static's primary enemy, the Meta-Breed once suspected he was Virgil Hawkins but Gear managed to trick them into dismissing the revelation with a false video feed. Static's older sister, Sharon Hawkins, also suspected the same thing. During an encounter with two Bang Babies, Static convinced Mirage to generate an illusion of Static following her while Hawkins returned to his sister's side.

Hawkins has managed to prove his own merit. Practically raised at his father's place of employment, the Freeman Community Center, Hawkins volunteers his spare time to the Center, retirement home, and various extracurricular activies coordinated by Goren. For his academic achievement, Hawkins was invited to a discovery session at the private school, the Vanmoor Institue, where he met Daisy Watkins, a new friend and romantic interest. He also had a short-lived career at a Burger Fool establishment. Hawkins' most commendable act was helping to evacuate Dakota Union when vials of Quantum Vapor stolen by two students, Royce Axelrod and Freddie D'Amico, became dangerously unstable on campus. Police Chief Barnsdale awarded Hawkins at a public ceremony after the crisis was averted. Likewise, Static took part of many adventures but more notably was asked by the Justice League to recharge their Watchtower's central power core, starred in his own Heroes reality television show, saved the lives of celebrities such as Shaq, A.J. McLean, and Lil' Romeo, went on at least two time travel missions, and transfused his energy to save the life of Omnifarious.

In the 2050's, Hawkins still operates as Static but he is now a veteran super hero looked up to by many including Terry McGinnis, the second Batman, and is considered one of the greatest. He has long mastered his powers and is renowned for using it to help change the world. The Abandoned Gas Station of Solitude is now the front for an underground base equipped with advanced technology. At the time, Static concluded his greatest power was that of believing in himself. Along with working with Gear and the Justice League Unlimited as a member, Static also has an ally in his son, Larry, who inherited his electrical powers and became a hero, too. Static's second child, Sadie became a human rights activist. In his civilian life, Static is married to Frieda Goren and is a doctor.

At age 65 and sometime in the early 2050's, Static was one of a few heroes to survive a slaughter initiated by Chronos and his army of upgraded Jokerz. He, Batman, Bruce Wayne, and Warhawk set up a ragtag base in the abandoned Hamilton Hill High School in Neo Gotham. They learned of a timed event in which the first Batman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman would arrive. They intercepted the trio before the Jokerz could assassinate them. In the final confrontation with Chronos, Static fell victim to the degradation of space-time. However, once Batman reset the timeline on Chronos' belt, this event became hypertime and was erased.

Years later, when most the of League was away on a mission in the Alpha Centauri star system, Static was led into a trap by the Dakota cell of Kobra. After placing him in a stasis field, Kobra demanded an exchange for their imprisoned leader. The switch never happened and the leader returned to his cell on Dakota Platform 247. Batman mounted a rescue operation but found himself teamed up with a younger version of Static sent to the future by a faulty time machine. He observed in awe how the future was so different than his time. The greatest shock was watching his future self in action against Kobra after reviving him. The two Static's briefly met each other before the younger one was summoned back to his rightful time. Static decided to keep his adventure in the future a secret, most in part to Batman's request, but advised Gear on modifying his diet.