Character: Virgil Hawkins AKA Static
Age: 15
Appearance: Powers/Abilities:
Bang Baby: Virgil’s physiology was altered by a mutant-genetc explosion which resulted in his body adapting unusual powers. His body was able to generate raw electromagnetic energy which he is still just tapping the surface of what he can do.
Super-Conductive Electromagnetism: Virgil can sense sources of electromagnetic energy or objects that can be affected by it such as underground water pipes. He can magnetize and demagnetize metals.
Electromagnetic Fields: Just like the earth and sun do their own, Virgil can also generate his own electromagnetic fields. Currently he can extend it to moderately-powered barriers that enable him to repel and hold back attacks during battle.
Electromagnetic Levitation: Currently something of an experimental/in the works feat of power, Virgil is testing out how he is able to use objects to float on. He found that metal objects are easier, which he is able to use with ease. He’s trying to figure out wood and other materials, but to no avail. At least, as it stands now.
Wavelength Tuning: Virgil is able to hear radio waves which enables him to listen to listen to the Police Radio anywhere he is or even the music stations. He can also tap into phone lines so that he is able to make phone calls at any given moment he feels the need to, provided that he’s near a phone line.
Electrokinesis: Virgil can discharge electricity from his body and administer it in a range of variety of attacks and uses. He can also charge and drain devices as well as project his electricity in a variety of controlled ways.
Electrical Displays: Electromagnetic Light Displays that Static can shoot into the sky in the forms of pictures and words. With more power behind it, Static can make these into Electromagnetic Nets and/or Cage.
Electromagnetic Force Bolts: Static can fire Bursts of electromagnetic energy from his hands for uses like electrifying objects, administering large scale "Static Clings", generating shields and barriers.
Ball Lightning: Named after Ball Lightning, the weather phenomenon. Electromagnetic Energy compressed into a large ball and thrown at targets; an offensive maneuver in a combat situation.
Static Cling: Static can adhere most objects or people to surfaces and other objects, plus Static can magnetize surfaces.
Science: Virgil is a very gifted young man with a brillant mind who has a particular interest in maths and sciences. He also has a fan boyish attitude and knowledge of role-playing games, science fiction, and comic books.
Tactical Analysis: Virgil is able to apply his scientific knowledge to battle and real life situations and do so intuitively. This allows him a certain advantage over less-clever opponents.
Multilingualism: Virgil has learned to speak German for unknown reasons and is fluent enough to carry a simply conversation in the language with ease.
Strength Level: Even though he has powers over electromageticism, Virgil is still a human and a teenager at that. As such it is, his physical strength level without any augmentations are limited to human level.
Vulnerability to Bang Babies: For completely unknown reasons, Virgil can be harmed by electrical attacks done so by metahumans whose powers originate from the Quantum Juice.
Water: Because of his unique powers, Virgil is prone to have his electricity reserves depleted by water. Now, while small doses don't affect him because he is, after all, still human. However, if he is exposed to large doses of water at once, it will render him virtually powerless for a unspecified amount of time. It could last one minute or one hour. At times, it could even go for a full day. It just depends on how big of a dose of water he is exposed to and how soon he would be able to bounce back from its effects.
Virgil grew up in the city of Dakota. Much like any other city with urban youth, Dakota City has been ridden with the plague of gangs and the violence that follows them. Virgil lost his mother,
Jean Hawkins, to that very violence. Because of that, he harbors a deep hate for anyone even remotely involved with any of the three main gangs that make up the majority of Dakota's gang violence or anyone who has an intention to involve themselves with guns.
If there was one place that was considered the center of all of Dakota's gang turf wars and the violence that follows is a place within the Paris Island district that locals and authorities have rightly titled
"Ground Zero." It is, by all accounts, the one place where all three main gangs go to settle their "beef" with each other, be it temporary or permanent. All other times were the former, but one night, they decided to end it once and for all. The hype leading up to this massive gathering was called by Gangsters and reporters
"The Great Gathering."In the day of
The Great Gathering, Virgil unwillingly found himself getting involved in the gang life. About two days before The Great Gathering, Virgil was just going to High School, hanging out with his best friend
Ritchy Foley, and he saw the school bully,
Francis "F-Stop" Stone, harassing his good friend,
Frieda Green. Virgil demanded he stop. While he did,
F-Stop didn't appreciate Virgil interfering, so he got confrontational with Virg. If it hadn't been for rival gang member,
Wade, coming to his rescue, Virgil would have been looking completely different that morning. Of course,
F-Stop would see
Wade — and Virgil — that very same night.
After Virgil and
Frieda thanked
Wade, he would pull Virgil aside and tell him to meet him in the abandoned shack underneath the highway at 6'0clock. He stressed that Virgil must not be late. Even though he would protest, he ended up losing to
Wade's assertiveness. So, when six o-clock rolled around, Virgil met Wade and to his surprise, he wasn't alone. Wade had his entire crew with him. When Virgil questioned what was going on, Wade explained that tonight was the night that all three gangs were going to face off for the last time and
Wade pretty much told Virgil — not asked, but told him — that he was going to help him. Virgil protested against that. Things got heated as one of
Wade's men stepped forward as if disrespected, but
Wade waved his hand. Wade would then remind Virgil that if he didn't roll with his crew, then he would most likely get targeted by
F-Stop and his crew. Virgil didn't say anything. He just nodded as if he admitted defeat on the subject.
As the planning began,
Wade would present Virgil with a gun. Of course as one could imagine, Virgil was beside himself. If he were to take the gun, he would be betraying everything that he stood for and as an extension, would betray his own mother, but he was afraid to say no to
Wade. So, in that being so, Virgil took the gun.
After an hour of planning, the time came for the plan to spring up into action.
Wade's crew — and Virgil — left their hideout and went to the docks where over one-thousand gang members had gathered. This is the event that has been cemented into Dakota City's history as
The Great Gathering. Just as it got started,
F-Stop saw
Wade and his crew, but his attention was fixated on Virgil. Instantly after noticing Virg, he would go after him with a steel pipe in his hand. Virgil ran away from him.
F-Stop pursued Virgil, but then a surprise attack came from all fronts: it was the police force.
The Great Gathering had been a ruse set up by the Dakota City Police Department. Immediately, hundreds of canisters filled with green-colored gas filled Ground Zero. All of the gang members as well as Virgil ran away in terror. However, what happened next was something that none of them, including Virgil, saw coming.
Suddenly, the canisters acted funny. All of the green-colored gas started to ignite in such a way that it would create a literal green gas cloud that encompassed the entire area of the docks. It was a horrible sight to behold. The gas was toxic. It had strange effects on the gang members instantanously. Some of them exploded upon contact from what Virgil could assume was Tear Gas. Virgil, in fear that it would happen to him too, ran for the water, but as he was running, he tripped over one of the ledges on the docks, and he fell into the water. Little did he know that portions of the Tear Gas got him.
As the next morning came rolling around as quickly as the night ended for Virgil, he welcomed it like he would any other morning. He treated it like he did all mornings — waking up, stretching his arms, and inhaling the cool winds of Dakota's six-thirty air. Once he finishes, he touches his blanket and grips it. He wants to remove the blanket from his body so that he can start getting dressed, but on that very instant that he does, Virgil feels what could only be described as a
shock of static electricity. It came to him as a surprise, but it didn't stop there. Suddenly, Virgil found himself being the conduit of static electricity. First it was paper and his blanket sticking to him, but then he began to lure in his bed and eventually his computer screen. This caused Virgil to panic, which came at the worst of times. His sister Sharon knocked on the door to alert him that breakfast was ready. He didn't say anything cause his hands were tied up, which caused her to knock again, but this time a little more aggressively. He responded and that made her leave, but of course she was rather annoyed.
Virgil didn't know what was going on with him and when he went down for breakfast, he tried to conceal it for as long as he could. He was going a good job too because he was able to keep his family from finding out. He ate his breakfast and went to school. On his way to school, he ran into his best friend in the entire world, Ritchie Foley. He confided in his friend told him everything right down to what happened at the docks to what had just happened to him before leaving his house. Ritchie told Virgil that it wasn't just happening to him, but other people around town -- specifically the ones who were at the docks the night before -- were exhibiting weird powers similar to how Virgil was.
Later that day after having some encounters with these people, specifically F-Bomb, who had fire powers and was using it to his advantage to the displeasure of those weaker to him, Virgil and Ritchie went to Virg's house and went to his room almost instantly. Ritchie was estatic for some reason and Virgil asked why. Ritchie responded by saying that he could totally do the whole superhero thing. Virgil looked at him as if he were high, but Ritchie was dead serious. Virgil took the bait and asked what he meant and Ritchie would explain that with his powers, he could be the hero that no one has. He would further explain that with the new rising of metahumans(that's what he called them), it would only be a matter of time before the town becomes worse off than what it was. Virgil agreed, but he didn't have much of a costume selection aside from some of his actual clothes and Ritchie said that would work.
So, after they went through several clothing combinations, Virgil and Ritchie agreed on one. However, there was still the fact that he still didn't have an alias. Every great superhero has one, even the lame ones. After spending almost a whole hour on it, they arrived at the very core of his powers: static electricity. So, it became from that day on, Virgil Ovid Hawkins would be known as the teen superhero Static.
1.) "The Truth Will Set You Free"After establishing himself as a local hero to Dakota, Virgil has garnered a rather positive reputation. He put away crooks who were later labeled "Bang Babies", as they were born from the event known as "The Big Bang". Virgil as Static and Ritchie as Gear took it upon themselves to get to the bottom of what really caused normal people to become Bang Babies. What they uncover may change the foundation of Dakota City forever.
2.) "I Need Help"Four months after he uncovered the dark, dark truth about the Big Bang and even worse, who was involved in it, Virgil continued his duties of being Static and protecting Dakota City from its criminals. All was going well until they started to organize themselves, specifically Ebon and the Meta-Gang started to think instead of being stupid villains. Because of this, Virgil was ambushed more than once and it became a bother. This made him reach out to a few friends of his who were in the process of establishing their own group known as the Teen Titans.
3.) "I am Static No More"The death of his best friend Ritchie and his father was too much. Virgil couldn't do it anymore. He gave up the mantel of Static Shock, even with the rising crime rate, he pays no mind. Virgil just can do it anymore. It's going to take someone unexpected to lift his spirits and revive that spark in him that wanted to do the superhero gig in the first place.