History WesternAnimation / StaticShock

* ActionGirl: She-Bang as she has helped Static and Gear a couple of times..

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Francis, the CanonForeigner substitute for Biz Money, is not a hardcore racist, just a {{Jerkass}}.

* SparedByTheAdaptation: Edwin Alva, Sr. remains alive by his final appearance, when his comics counterpart was killed off in the 31st issue of ''ComicBook/Hardware1993''.

*** Also running from police under suspicion will only make things worse for yourself, and they are trained to sometimes use lethal force if you are deemed even the slightest threat. Virgil is lucky that him getting grounded infidelity by his father was the least he got out of it.

* WelcomeToTheCaribbeanMon: The animated show remembers that Virgil is Jamaican, so he has a slight patois to his voice.

--> '''Gear:''' (activates Backpack) I've got Backpack scanning for any pressure changes, temperature spikes, high-frequency sounds...
--> '''Static:''' (sees tornado caused by Ebon) ... Or we could just use our eyes.
--> '''Gear:''' Er... yes, but that would've been too easy.

--> '''Static:''' "Computer. Engage. Autopilot. Find Batman and. Robin."

-->'''Virgil:''' Quick! Hit him with a [[ComicBook/SpiderMan web blast!]] ''(does the thwip gesture)''
-->'''Anansi:''' I am not that kind of spider.

-->'''Gear:''' You're the Spider guy? I was expecting you to [[ComicBook/SpiderMan swing around on a web!]]
-->'''Anansi:''' I get that a lot.
* SidekickGlassCeiling: Richie, played straight and then subverted. When he first gained the GreenLanternRing style powers and lost them, and later when he gained super intelligence.

** In "Hard as Nails", when Virgil discovers has classmate Allie has been exchanging e-mails with two web hosts [[spoiler:(who turn out to be Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn)]] who claim that they have a cure for her powers and she plans to met them in person to get the cure, Virgil correctfully believes something is wrong as he knows the dangers of anyone asking a child to meet them over the internet.

** This series' depiction of bullying is far more extreme than that of any other animated series at the time. In "Jimmy", the titular character is harassed so much he is driven to steal his father's gun and go after his tormenters with the full intent of killing them. By the end of the episode, he is commited to a mental institution to receive psychological treatment, and we see yet another student at the school being bullied, implying that his breakdown had zero impact on the school grounds to keep the bullies in check.

-->'''[[spoiler:Ebon:]]''' Blood is thicker than water!\\

-->'''Marcus:''' "I'm gonna knock you into a whole new ZIP code."

** A lesser one in “Gear”:
-->'''Richie:''' I’m having some kind of strain-on-the-brain breakdown! I could be going crazy!\\

-->[[spoiler:'''Robert:''']] "You can drop the act, [[spoiler:Virgil]]."

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* GreenLanternRing: Both literally and as a trope for several characters.

* MagnetismManipulation: Static has this as a secondary superpower that comes with his [[ShockAndAwe electricity powers]]. He can use electricity to magnetize metal objects and attract them to him like keys and change, as seen in the show's intro. And he uses his electric powers on a metal disc so he can levitate on top of it in the air via diamagnetism. This extends to his appearance in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice''.

Early seasons were notable for focusing not only on the usual superhero adventures, but the day-to-day struggles of inner-city life. Between the impressive super-brawls, episodes covered subjects such as gang violence, racism, bullying, gun control, and familial conflict, among others. Later seasons were more {{Bowdlerise}}d, dropping the more 'adult' themes and focusing more heavily on [[CelebrityStar celebrity guest stars]] and [[CrossOver crossovers]] with other DCAU shows.[[note]]The decision to make ''Static Shock'' a DCAU show came late in production; [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness earlier seasons imply that DC characters are fictional]][[/note]]

** Word of God states that Richie overplaying his attraction to girls was to hide his homosexuality, yet he has shown to fluster when She-Bang kissed him on the cheek and casually stated he was looking forward to seeing girls in swim suits.

* SecretKeeper: Richie, before becoming Gear. [[spoiler:Virgil's dad]] at the end of the series, [[SecretSecretKeeper though deep down he always knew]].

* ArtEvolution: The first two seasons featured almost-painfully bright, solid colors and fairly traditional character designs. Starting with the third season, the artwork became more angular and the colors were toned down. Of course, this was prevalent in all of the [=DCAU=] as the styles converged.

* AdultFear:
** The pilot is rife with this. First, Virgil's beaten up at school by Francis, and a local gang offers him protection. Virgil wants to refuse because his dad made him promise not to join a gang, but the gang leader asks, "Can your father protect you?" Virgil has to think about it for a while and doesn't give a definite refusal.
** To cap that off, Virgil reluctantly goes to a gang showdown, and is ''handed a gun''. [[DoesNotLikeGuns Virgil]] quickly disposes of it, but he doesn't avoid the Big Bang that ensues.
** The Big Bang itself: an accident that releases mutagen to a bunch of children rioting in the streets. Quite a few get BlessedWithSuck, like Time Zone and Talon, others get used for their powers like Dwayne, and still others - like Ebon - become superpowered criminals. It's a small wonder that Alva Industries tried to cover up their involvement, since it would be a PR nightmare.
** Alva's son Edwin Jr., in an attempt to be a WellDoneSonGuy that diverges into CallingTheOldManOut, gets turned into a statue while using Alva Industry products. Alva Sr. is wracked with guilt over this and stops focusing on Static to try and bring his son to normal.
** Virgil's father, after discovering Virgil and Richie's secret identities, and realizing that they've been fighting dangerous superpowered criminals since the Big Bang incident. He manages to get over it, if only slightly.
** The series finale, when the "Big Bang Cure" takes away people's powers... including the protagonists. While it's bad enough for Static, Gear's power is super-intelligence. He can literally feel his mind slowing down, he can't control his equipment, he can't even read his data... early-onset dementia, anyone?

** TerribleTrio: [[SuperSpeed Run]], [[TeleportersAndTransporters Jump]], and (very briefly) Richie as [[BarrierWarrior Push]].

** Thomas Kim, Tantrum, is one of Bruce Banner, the Franchise/IncredibleHulk, as both of their metahuman forms are triggered by anger. The only difference is that Tantrum is purple, as opposed to Hulk's green.

* WrongGenreSavvy: "The Usual Suspect" introduces Marcus, a former schoolmate of Virgil and Richie who went to juvenile hall because of his temper. Due to a large bang baby attacking places where Marcus lost his temper, they believe he's a metahuman who transforms into a monster [[YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry when angry]] like [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk the Hulk]]. However, when Virgil pisses him off, he learns too late that Marcus was in therapy during a recent attack. The real metahuman was his ex-girlfriend. She was making it look like he was the monster because she blames him for her transformation.

* RippleEffectProofMemory: In "Flashback", Static, Gear, and Timezone travels back in time to save Static's mom. While Static does meet her, he ultimately fails to save her. When Static returns to the present, he learns from his father that on that fateful night, [[spoiler:all his mom talked about to her coworkers was how proud she was of her son because he was a superhero. Meanwhile, Timezone returns to the night of the Big Bang to ensure that she never received her powers due to the fact that it was too dangerous.]]

** When brainstorming nicknames for Richie's tech-suit identity: "How 'bout Comicbook/{{Hardware}}?" "I think it's taken."

* IdiotBall: Static during "Bent Out of Shape", while he does get suspicious of it, does not instantly recognize the obviously purple and rubbery trash can as Rubberband Man, despite being on the lookout for him and knowing he can do stuff like this, until he starts talking after a dog starts biting him.

** Speedwarp's name is Eddie Felson - ''"[[Film/TheHustler Fast]]"'' Eddie Felson.

Definitely not to be confused with ''VideoGame/SystemShock''.

''Static Shock'' is an animated series in the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse based on the Creator/MilestoneComics series ''ComicBook/{{Static}}'' (albeit with several deviations). Created by Creator/DwayneMcDuffie, it is one of the rare instances where a comic book's creator was also the main creative force behind the animated adaptation.

*** Also running from police under suspicion will only make things worse for yourself, and they are trained to sometimes use lethal force if you are deemed even the slightest threat. Virgil is lucky that him getting grounded infidelity by his father was the least he got out it.