Static (Virgil Hawkins) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is a superhero originally published by Milestone Media. The character was created by Dwayne McDuffie, Derek T. Dingle, Denys Cowan and Michael Davis, and first appeared in Static #1 (1993).
He has met and teamed up with numerous other Milestone heroes, and even occasionally participated on teams such as the Shadow Cabinet. He was absorbed into Mainstream Continuity after Infinite Crisis. He first appeared as a contestant in the Dark Side Club, and later became a member of the Teen Titans.
He is a member of a fictional subspecies of humans with superhuman abilities known as metahumans. Not born with his powers, Hawkins' abilities develop after an incident exposes him to a radioactive chemical called "Quantum Juice", turning him into a "Bang Baby" (a sub-category of metahuman).
Static's powers allow him to control electromagnetic phenomena, in particular allowing him to manifest and manipulate both electrical and magnetic energy—Static's powers could be best described as superconductor electromagnetism; the latter is one of the four fundamental forces of the universe.
Static has made numerous appearances in other forms of media. The character has been featured in various animated series, including Static Shock, a version of the storyline made slightly more suitable for a younger audience, as well as animated films and video games.