The artist for Static: Season One, Nikolas Draper-Ivey, has imagined titular superhero Virgil Hawkins in his later college years. Virgil’s future as Static had been teased many times as he finally takes on his persona for the first time in the comics.
In the DC Animated Universe, Virgil’s destiny as a legendary superhero is often referenced. While the Milestone crossover story Milestone Forever explored a future version of Static, the current iteration of the Dakotaverse is still establishing the first phase of heroes. Virgil has only just recently taken on the costume, officially becoming Static half way through Static: Season One. Despite only getting his start at the moment, the Milestone universe is setting a solid foundation for a future Static to earn his status as a legendary hero.
Recently, Static: Season One artist Nikolas Draper-Ivey shared his own concept art for a college-aged Virgil Hawkins in a post on Twitter. In his design, Virgil wears a white long-sleeved shirt with the Static emblem. Draper-Ivey wrote on the design saying, “‘Yeah, I did the whole “superhero” thing when I was a kid… shit ain’t cute.’ -Virgil Hawkins (2027) I don’t know what possessed me to draw an older, worn out, college aged Virgil… but here we are. I imagine that he would start to really take after his father in some ways as he got older, assuming that were following the continuity of the current iteration where he learned how to actually fight and stay in shape…. But then again, he worked out in the OG comics as well.”
Static’s future in comics remains unwritten, but Draper-Ivey’s vision for an adult Virgil Hawkins feels inspired and authentic to the teenage hero he is turning into at the moment. Comparing the older Virgil to his father Robert, the connection makes a lot of sense. Virgil’s character arc in Season One is shaping him into a matured, more fully realized version of himself. It seems like a natural extension for him to resemble his dad in the future.
The older Virgil appears to be more self-reflective, looking back at his past with new perspective. In the context of a timeline, this future iteration would infer that Static comes to his prime nearing the end of high school, which is a few years away in ongoing comics. Static might take a while to get to the point he is in Nikolas Draper-Ivey’s art, but he is certain to get there.
Source: Twitter