Static Shock Wiki

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Static Shock Wiki
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Note: Trope names are adopted from TVTropes.org

  • Adaptation Name Change: Richie Foley is based on Rick Stone from the comics.
  • Armored Closet Gay: According to Word of God he is gay and ridiculously overcompensating. This is a loose reference to the comic character he was based on, who is confirmed to be gay outright.
  • Big Eater: This ends up catching up to him. The Batman Beyond crossover shows that he eventually becomes overweight, though given Static's comment, this might not be the case.
  • Clark Kenting: His helmet has a translucent visor that we can see right though, yet no one recognizes him.
  • Composite Character: He's the result of taking aspects of Rick Stone and Frieda Goren from the comics and combining them. Gear is also a loose adaptation from of Hardware, another Milestone superhero.
  • Contagious Powers: Possibly due to Virgil not changing his clothes from the previous night and being hit by the Bang Baby gas, Richie, who came into close contact with him the very next day likely inhaled the residue of the gas from Virgil's clothing and slowly developed powers of his own.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Engages in witty banter with Virgil a lot.
  • Distressed Dude: Prone to getting kidnapped a lot, even after becoming Gear.
  • Food as Bribe: Accidentally revealed AJ's whereabouts once when bribed with a burger with grilled onions.
  • Gadgeteer Genius: Even before he develops his powers, he's pretty handy with the tech, inventing Static's flying disk, his Zap Caps, and a bunch of other tools. When he gets his powers, he goes from mechanical whizz to full blown Super Genius. He initially thought his power was rather lame: "How am I supposed to fight supervillains, think them into submission? All I can be is your Mega-Mechanic." Turns out it's a great way to fight supervillains.
  • Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today?: Downplayed. This was the creators' way of implying he was gay but it wasn't very heavy-handed.
  • I Just Want to Be Special: A couple of early episodes focus on his jealousy towards Static and his powers. By the time he gets over it, he's got powers of his own.
  • Late-Arrival Spoiler: Anyone familiar with the series by now knows that he eventually becomes a Bang Baby and becomes Static's sidekick. The 3rd opening even has scenes of him as Gear, even though it doesn't actually happen until 2-3 episodes into the season.
  • Mr. Fixit: In the later seasons, the plot often requires him to operate or tamper with some sort of machinery that he only has a short time (often seconds) to acquaint himself with. He always manages to pull through thanks to his smarts.
  • Nerd: Like Virgil, he's also a fanboy of comics, superheroes, zombie movies, and video games, and heavily interested in the sciences.
  • Ordinary High-School Student: Unlike Virgil, he stays this way until the 3rd Season, where he develops a delayed mutation and becomes Gear.
  • Rollerblade Good: Downplayed. Gear's rollerblades also have built-in rockets so he spends more time flying than skating.
  • Secret-Keeper: He's the only person Virgil tells about his powers when they manifest. He serves as Static's only confidant for the first most of the series.
  • Straight Gay: Let's face it. Unless you're familiar with his comic counterpart, you wouldn't guess he was gay without Word of God confirming it. That is, unless you're wearing Shipping Goggles when viewing his relationship with Virgil, in which case you're not alone.
  • Super Intelligence: Got this power, manifesting as Gadgeteer Genius.
  • Technopath: As Gear, he employed a variety of high-tech devices and weapons, including:
    • Back-Pack, a robot unit usable as a probe and portable computer assistance system.
    • Jet-Blades, vectored thruster-equipped jet boots, from modified roller blades.
    • Jet-Board, a hoverboard.
    • A sensor and neural interface control helmet.
    • Zap Caps, Mark I, grenade-like explosive balls
    • Zap Caps, Mark II, grenade-like balls with metal bands for restraining purposes.
  • Token White: The only white member of the principal cast.
  • What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?: Richie felt this way when he realized his superpower was super intelligence. However, he soon embraced his power and, when briefly losing his gift in the series finale, was utterly despairing at being without it. He even has a Big "NO!" moment upon discovery of the news.
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