Name: Virgil Hawkins
First Appearance: Static #1 (1993)
History: In Dakota City’s most crime ridden neighborhood all the local gangs, totally in about five hundred members, decide to have one last Winner-Takes-All battle royal in the intersection of their territories. The event would be nicknamed “The Big Bang” (As it's a gang bang, hardy-ha) and it was no secret; indeed the mayor initiated a plan to eradicate the city’s gang problem in one swoop. The police were to tag the various gang members with tear gas laced with a harmless radioactive tracing substance that would allow them to be easily tracked down, thus meaning that most of them would be behind bars by morning. However things went very awry. Virgil Hawkins, a fifteen year old high school student, was present at the site, not because he was in a gang but rather he had been convinced by some gang banger friends to join them in the fight so he could gain final revenge on the bullies who mercilessly tormented him at school. Though he had a change of heart and decided against participating he was still at the sight of ground-zero.
The gas turned out to be less than harmless as it had been spiked with a mutagenic substance; instead of simply tagging it’s victims it killed 90% of those who came in contact with it leaving it’s survivors either horribly mutated or with bizarre super powers (Those who lived through would be referred to as “Bang Babies”). Virgil survived his exposure and soon developed electromagnetic based powers. Being a fan of superhero comics he decides to use his new found powers to fight crime, taking the name “Static.”
Beta Says: It’s very possible that, as opposed to the vast majority of the black heroes mentioned on this blog, you’ve at least heard of Static as he is the only one profiled to star on his own Saturday Morning (Network broadcasted) cartoon. Meaning that an entire generation of kids (Likely now young adults) was exposed to this character for several years. Of course this was twelve years ago so he’s not exactly super pop culture relevant nowadays. Like Mister Terrific Static is a black character that got his own starring role in comic with the Great DC Reboot but, also like Mister Terrific, the book was canceled due to low sales. And again like with Mister Terrific I understand why, but that doesn’t mean I’m not pissed.
More after the jump.