BeforeBlack Pantherconquered the box office with a billion+ dollars haul, there was Virgil Ovid Hawkins akaStatic Shock. The character, created by Milestone Comics which was an offshoot of DC Comics, had a successful run in print and had a four-season animated show in the early 2000s. The character’s popularity certainly warranted a movie, and Chris Copeland, the director at Dreamworks Animation, recently took to Twitter to share storyboard art from just such a project that he pitched to Warner Animation.
Wassup guys, happy Friday! Just sharing a #StaticShock mood board I’d done for the pitch to @AnimationWarner. Figured I may as well share some of this stuff with you guys. It was one of a few boards done just to show some mood and moments and FX ideas. #dccomics #animation
The pitch ultimately never got made into an animated feature, but Copeland remains hopeful a newStatic Shockfilm will see the light of day. The CW showBlack Lightning, with the similarities the main character has to Static Shock, has got fans clamoring for a crossover between theelectrically-inclined superheroes. In fact, a recent storyline from the show regarding the ‘Green Light Babies’ shares many similarities to Static’s comic book origins, and is rumored to be setting up the introduction of the character.
With the recent success ofShazam, which appealed to a younger demographic, it would be a sound move byDC Comicsto finally make a live-actionStatic Shockfilm. The character’s personal life is similar to Peter Parker’s, in that they both have to juggle school and family life in addition to their careers as very young superheroes. In the right hands, Static has the potential to be the DCEU’s Spider-Man.
For now, however, fans can pore over the pitch art shared by Copeland and imagine the film that could have been. The panel shows Static rushing headlong into battle, his body sending off waves of electricity. Against Static stands ready and dangerous a foe who also appears to bepowered by electricity. This is in keeping with a long-established tradition in comic book movies to have the superhero battle a nemesis who shares their superpowers but uses them for evil instead.
Theanimated division of DC Comicsis generally considered to be in better shape than their live-action offerings. Long before theAvengersstormed the box office, theJustice League Unlimitedcartoon series was already brining all the DC superheroes together under one banner, which included Static Shock. Many animated movies were later created for the DC Animated Universe, And just likeAvengers: Endgamemarked the culmination of 20 years of stories within the MCU, 2020’sJustice League Dark: Apokolips Warmarked the end of the current iteration of the DCAU.
With the success ofBlack Pantherand the excitement over theupcoming reboot of Blade, DC would do well to dust the cobwebs offStatic Shockand bring him once again into the limelight, whether through animation or live-action films.
