James Gunn Explains Why Adding Static Shock And Other DC Characters To The New Shared Universe Is Tricky

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The DC Universe isn’t even a year old yet, and we’ve already met a wide range of characters, including Superman, Hawkgirl, Guy Gardner, Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho, Eric Frankenstein, The Bride and Doctor Phosphorous, to name just a few. There’s a lot more where that came from as one will see when looking over the slate of upcoming DC movies and upcoming DC TV shows, but there are certain characters who are trickier to fit into the DCU. Virgil Hawkins, a.k.a. Static, or Static Shock, falls into that category, as DC Studios co-head James Gunn shared.

You may recall that at the end of June, Gunn said there were “a bunch of complexities” behind Static right now regarding if he can be used the DCU. When The New Blerd Order asked for clarification when speaking with the executive at the red carpet premiere for Peacemaker Season 2, which is now airing on the 2025 TV schedule, Gunn said this:

It’s all about integrating him with the DC Universe because he’s not a character that’s traditionally part of the DC Universe.

For those who don’t know, Static was originally part of the Milestone Comics line alongside characters like Icon, Rocket and Hardware. Although these stories were published and distributed by DC Comics, the Milestone heroes and villains were kept in their own continuity, dubbed the Dakotaverse, during the imprint’s heyday in the 1990s. It wasn’t until the Final Crisis event that Static was incorporated into the main DC Universe, and though more recently, he was one of the leading protagonists in the Milestone Returns publishing line.

Ultimately the issue is that in James Gunn’s mind, Static is more of a Milestone character than DC character. As such, he feels it’s more challenging to incorporate him into the DCU than heroes and villains that originated straight from DC Comics. He also feels that way about The Authority, the superhero team that was originally contained to DC’s Wildstorm imprint. Gunn continued:

The Authority’s been a little bit of a challenge simply because integrating [them] with the DCU has been a difficult thing to do, and the same thing is true of the Static Shock. Hopefully, we’ll figure out a way to do that.

Although The Engineer, a member of The Authority in the comics, was included in Superman, nothing was mentioned about her ties to the team, as she was depicted as one of Lex Luthor’s minions. James Gunn has said before about how difficult it’s been to get The Authority movie off the ground, and including Static in the DCU would be complicated for the same reason. Here’s what I’ll say to that: the Static Shock animated series did a great job at bringing Virgil Hawkins into the DC Animated Universe, where he crossed paths with Batman, Superman, John Stewart and even Terry McGinnis, among others. There’s no reason why the DCU couldn’t take a similar approach with the character.

For now, don’t expect to see Static electrifying the DCU, and it’s unclear when or even if The Authority will move forward. What fans of the franchise can do, however, is watch new episodes of Peacemaker Season 2 with their HBO Max subscription on Thursdays, and check out Superman on digital as its theatrical run winds down. Looking ahead, Lanterns debuts on HBO in early 2026, and Supergirl will fly into theaters on June 26 of the same year.