DC Comics has had a long history of great animated shows, but their secretly best one is making a surprise comeback with a special free release coming later this May. It’s been a great year to be a Warner Bros. Animation fan as while the studio itself has been going through some notable changes, their various classic franchises have been able to find new homes. Previously being wiped from streaming platforms like HBO Max, many of their classics have made a big move to get in front of more fans than ever.

Videos by ComicBook.com

Tubi and Warner Bros. surprised fans earlier this year when the platform revealed a major deal to license a ton of classic animated shows from the Warner Bros. library, and the first wave of special streaming releases hit earlier this Spring. This resulted in the return of many Cartoon Network classics that had been previously lost and not available for streaming elsewhere, and the next wave of returns is going to feature Static Shock as one of its main pillars on May 1st (as spotted by @JasonSt77097165 on X).

Static Shock Is Coming to Tubi May 2026

According to the spotted listing, Static Shock will be making its debut on Tubi on May 1st, over a year after it was originally removed from HBO Max (and thus had no streaming home outside of digital purchase). Static Shock was touted as one of the many classic animated shows that Tubi had licensed as part of its new deal with Warner Bros., and is one of the many former Kids WB! hits that are likely going to get much more attention from fans when it finally makes its debut. And that’s totally deserved considering its place in DC Comics’ animated legacy.

Static Shock first made its debut on the Kids WB! block in 2000, and ran for four full seasons before finally coming to an end. Inspired by the Milestone Comics’ character Static, and even bringing in creators Dwayne McDuffie and Denys Cowan as part of the development team, Static Shock was a groundbreaking addition to the DC Animated Universe canon. Even going as far as having full crossovers with the Justice League animated series that went both ways over the course of its run. But ultimately it was cancelled due to a mix of waning popularity and lower merchandise sales.

Why You Need to Watch Static Shock

With Static Shock returning with a new free streaming release on Tubi, there is going to be no excuse holding you back from the series. It’s technically an off-shoot of the DC Animated Universe, but it’s one of the best ones that you likely might not have paid much attention to. Not only was it the only one to stay on Kids WB! (rather than make the jump to Cartoon Network), but the incorporation of those wider universe elements didn’t happen until the second season.

The first season was built much more with a Saturday morning cartoon schedule in mind. Virgil Hawkins was secretly hit with a mysterious gas, and it gave him the power to control static electricity. Episodes saw him facing off against other kids who had been transformed in the same way, and dealt with all kinds of notable issues such as bullying, drug use, gun violence and more that you might not have seen elsewhere. Make sure to check it out.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

HT – @JasonSt77097165 on X