Since Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League isn’t coming out for some time, there’s a chance to study up and get to know the main characters in the game. You’ve already seen the detailed histories of Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, and Deadshot. So, who is King Shark? He’s made appearances in The Flash, and even more recently the new Harley Quinn animated show. Now let’s take a look into King Shark’s history, and appearances in other media before The Flash.
Origins and First Appearance
Nanaue was born in Hawaii to a Polynesian mother and Shark God father. Yes, King Shark is the son of the Shark God. While he is consistently referred to as the son of a God, initially that origin was shrouded in mystery. Special Agent Sam Makoa thought of him as a “savage mutation” throughout his first appearance.
The first time we see King Shark in print form is during the Superboy comic series in October 1994. Nanaue was responsible for many deaths and disappearances at the time, largely tormenting the population of Hawaii. His mother, adamant that he is the son of a god, was an accomplice to all of his crimes.
Notable Comic Storylines
Since his appearance in the Superboy comic books, King Shark has appeared in many other comics with diverse storylines. While often portrayed as a villain, he was Aquaman’s protector in the Sword of Atlantis arc that ran from 2006 to 2007. This gave Nanaue a redemption arc in the form of protecting Arthur Curry, who was carrying the human portion of Aquaman’s soul. During this series, it was finally established that King Shark is truly the son of the Shark God.
He also made an appearance in the Young Justice comic book series. Here he was portrayed as a student and called King Nanaue Sha’ark. He clashes with the team of young heroes for a while, and by the end of the story threatens to eat an Atlantean Purist and becomes in debt to a squid named Topo.
King Shark has also been recognized often as a member of the Suicide Squad, being a part of the team in various instances. He was initially drafted and allied with Superboy and detective Sam Makoa during his appearances in the Superboy comic series. Later on, he joined the mercenary team Secret Six before their demise and in the New 52 books, was an initiate on the Suicide Squad once more.
Appearances in Other Media
While King Shark’s comic appearances span over the last 30 plus years, he only started appearing in other media within the last 11 years. King Shark’s first animated appearance was in the DC Animated Universe movie, Superman/Batman: Public enemies, where he had a minor cameo in the villainous ambush fight scene. In 2014 he appeared as a Suicide Squad member in the animated feature Batman: Assault on Arkham as one of the main characters.
In live-action, King Shark featured as an opponent in the Flash TV series.
King Shark has appeared in two Lego video games, Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, and Lego DC Super-Villains which was released in 2018. He’s also in the Atlantis chapter for the DC Universe Online game, DC’s MMORPG.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will be the first time he will be getting the primary character treatment in a video game. The game is set to release during 2022.
