"Kidnapped" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the fourth season of Static Shock. It first aired on May 15, 2004.
Plot[]
During a patrol, Gear's boots malfunction as he's flying in the air, making him crash. He figures out that somehow a computer worm got into his boots. Gear decides to fly back to headquarters to fix this, while Static goes home. Inside, Static takes off his mask. But little does he know; a camera is watching him from outside his window.
At Alva Industries, Dr. Roberts is talking to Alva. To her dismay, Alva is shutting down her "Project Omni", a global information-gathering network intended to find out Static's secret identity, as Alva no longer has a grudge against Static since Static helped him get his son back to human form. Dr. Roberts declares her refusal to work on anything else, prompting Edwin to fire her on the spot. After Edwin leaves the room, the doctor receives a transmission from the earlier camera, showing the footage of Static taking off his mask. With Static's true identity in hand, Dr. Roberts begins concocting a plan to leverage the information.
At the Freeman Community Center, Robert and Sharon are locking up after ending a long day. Sharon goes to get the car, but as she starts it, purple smoke releases from her muffler. Puff emerges, and puffs some smoke on Robert, making him pass out as Onyx pulls up right next to Sharon in a van, blocking Sharon from getting out of the car. Onyx carries Robert to the van and drives off with Puff, Sharon following in hot pursuit. They get to a highway where Puff decides to get rid of Sharon by blowing out her tires, causing Sharon to lose control of the vehicle. Static arrives just in time to get Sharon out safely, while the car veers off the highway and straight into a building's window. To Static's horror, Sharon exclaims to Static that Puff kidnapped her father.
Static goes on a hunt for his father, locating Kangor, Carmen Dillo, and Shiv to intimidate them for information on where Puff and Onyx are hiding, but fails to find a lead. In the distance, Static sees a huge flame go up in the air. It turns out to be a signal from a parking garage where Puff and Onyx are. Static violently confronts the two; realizing that Static is serious, Onyx admits that they were hired to kidnap his dad, and Puff gives him a written address where Robert is being held. When he arrives at an old junkyard, an elevator shaft rises from the ground, bringing Static to a hideout with a big computer screen and all sorts of other electronics. On the screen is his dad in a room surrounded by lasers. Dr. Roberts reveals herself, calling Static by his real name: Virgil Hawkins. Showing the footage she recovered, Dr. Roberts introduces herself as Omnara and explains that she kidnapped Robert to get too Static, so he can help her steal her "Project Omni" back from Alva Industries. Static retorts that she could have used Puff and Onyx, but Omnara adds that they lack the skill or care to get the job down. Also, since she has Static's father captured, he has all the motivation he needs to fulfill her wishes. Static insists on seeing his dad first, which Omnara permits.
Brought to the room where Robert is held, Static tries to reassure his father, but Robert reveals that he has already figured out that he's Virgil, much to Static's surprise. Robert figured that there was no other reason to kidnap him to get too Static and admits that a part of him has somehow always known Virgil and Static were the same person. Virgil swears that he never meant for this to happen; Robert understands and admits that he doesn't blame him for keeping his identity a secret from him but admits that it's still a shock to discover that his own son is a superhero. Robert then asks about Omnara and wants to know what she wants, and Static reveals her plan to him. Robert is shocked that Omnara wants Static to go through with theft, but Static promises him that he'll give up being a superhero once all this is done because he never wants to put his dad in danger again.
Static flies over to Alva Industries, while Alva's security is firing all that they have to keep Static away. Static eventually beats all the security and breaks into Lab 14, where Project Omni is stored in several large crates. Alva runs out and one of the security men tells him what Static broke into. Alva figures out that Dr. Roberts is behind this. After Static successfully brings the crates back to Omnara, she starts to explain her plans with Project Omni to Static. First, she set up a huge global surveillance network, and used it to insert a virus across the globe, causing Static to realize that the same virus caused Gear's boots to malfunction. With her network, Omnara will gain the power to control every digital device on the planet but finds that she's missing one crucial component: a helmet that will allow her to interface with Project Omni. She taps onto her network server and finds that the component is in an Alva Industries' truck convoy on the road, ordering Static to retrieve it. Reluctantly, Static flies over there and opens up the truck, carrying out the last crate of Omnara's project, but Gear shows up and tries to stop Static. Under coercion from Omnara, Static threatens Gear to get him to back down, but Gear refuses, causing them to begin fighting. After blows are exchanged, Static grounds Gear and berates him, calling Gear a "double crossing little worm" and that he should run a diagnostic. As Static flies off, Gear realizes Static's actual message.
With her final component in hand, Omnara connects it to Project Omni and puts it on, granting her full control over the network. Static demands that Omnara free his father, but she hits Static with an energy burst. Gear arrives and pulls Static out of the way, telling him that he got Static's clue and that he wrote up a counter-virus programstop Omnara. Static runs to where his dad is, using his electric powers to levitate Robert and carefully moving Robert between the gap in the lasers. Gear installs the counter-worm into the hard drive just as Omnara finishes uploading her consciousness into the network. She sees him and shoots another energy blast.
Static carries his dad out of the lab, along with Gear, and onto the streets. On the streets, Robert recognizes Richie through his outfit; although Gear tries to avoid the subject to keep his identity safe, Static admits to his father that it's Richie. Omnara then appears to them and reveals that she can now control all devices and decides to launch several nuclear missiles to bomb each and every one of Alva's businesses in revenge. With Robert's permission, Static and Gear fly up to destroy them, but Omnara retaliates by taking control of various vehicles to try and take them out. Robert saves Static from being crushed by a bus, while Gear destroys a garbage truck after it tries to crush him as well. Omnara sends more cars to surround the three, but the counter-virus kicks in, overloading Omnara with information and causing a massive backlash, reducing her to a catatonic state. As Omnara is taken to the hospital, Static is relieved that now she won't be able to reveal his secret identity, but Gear reminds him of his father.
Still in shock over discovering the truth, Robert admits that although they've been doing it for a long time, he doesn't want them to be superheroes anymore, because the fact of their going out and facing danger every day worries him. Virgil and Richie are saddened, but Robert also adds that they were given the powers they have, and they'll have to decide for themselves when and how to use them, and stopping them wouldn't be right, thus allowing them to continue being superheroes. Both Virgil and Richie thank him, but much to their shock and dismay, Robert also says that they'll have to tell Sharon the truth.
Back at the house, Sharon is furious that the insurance company rejected her claims for her damaged car because she wasn't insured for Bang Baby incidents, prompting her to go into a rant about Bang Babies. She eventually calms down and asks her father if there was something he wanted to tell her. Seeing that she isn't ready to know the truth about Static and Gear just yet, Robert decides to hold off from telling Sharon, much to Virgil and Richie's relief.
Continuity[]
- Robert Hawkins finds out about his son's secret life; he uses this knowledge in "Power Outage" to shield Virgil from Sharon.
- Edwin Alva no longer holds a grudge against Static following the events of "No Man's an Island".
Background information[]
Home video releases[]
Production inconsistencies[]
- The police chopper is a reused model from Superman: The Animated Series; it even retains the MPD "M". MPD equipment was also "used" by the Central City Police Department in Justice League Unlimited.
Trivia[]
- The Greek writing on Omnara's screen is actually gibberish; there are no hidden messages in English or Greek.
- This episode marks the final appearance of Puff, Onyx, Edwin Alva, and Carmen Dillo.
- This marks the fourth time a villain has learned Static's secret identity. Omnifarious was the first, Madelyn Spaulding was the second and Speedwarp was the third (see List of people who know Static's secret identity).
Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Phil LaMarr | Static/Virgil Hawkins |
| Jason Marsden | Gear/Richie Foley Carmen Dillo (uncredited) |
| Kevin Michael Richardson | Robert Hawkins Onyx (uncredited) Kangor (uncredited) |
| Michele Morgan | Sharon Hawkins |
| Kerrigan Mahan | Edwin Alva |
| Kimberly Brooks | Puff |
| Wendie Malick | Omnara/Karen Roberts |
Uncredited appearances[]
Quotes[]
Puff: I don't get it. We kidnap some guy, and he acts like it's the crime of the century. |
Static: Mr. Hawkins, I'm glad to see you're OK. |
Robert: (after saving Static from a bus) That's the first time I ever had a bus try to catch me. |
Gear: (as Omnara is loaded into an ambulance) Her mind is totally overloaded. |
Robert: (to Static and Gear) But you were given these powers, and you'll have to decide for yourselves when to use them. For me to stop you just wouldn't be right. |