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King Shark is a supervillain and sometimes an antihero appearing in published by DC Comics. The character, also known as Nanaue, was created by writer Karl Kesel and artist Tom Grummett. King Shark's first key appearance was in Superboy (vol. 4) #0 (October 1994) as a cameo before making his first full appearance in Superboy (vol. 4) #9 (November 1994). (2025). 9781465453570, DK mPublishing. ISBN 9781465453570 The character originated as a recurring enemy of Conner Kent (Conner Kent) and later Aquaman. As the character underwent development by later writers, he was featured more prominently as a member of the Secret Six and Suicide Squad anti-hero teams.
The character has been adapted from the comics into various forms of media, including television series, feature films, and video games. King Shark made his live-action debut in the television series The Flash, voiced by David Hayter while Dan Payne portrayed his human form. Sylvester Stallone and Ron Funches voice King Shark in The Suicide Squad and Harley Quinn respectively. The character also prominently features in the video game as one of the main playable characters, voiced by wrestler Samoa Joe.
King Shark was responsible for a number of missing persons several years before Superboy arrived in Hawaii. Sam Makoa was responsible for bringing him in and bore the scars to prove it. King Shark is freed by the Silicon Dragons, who plan on hiring him. Superboy (vol. 4) #0 (October 1994) Nanaue is not interested, and kills his liberators before heading to his mother's house. His mother allows him to bite her right arm off to feed. Superboy managed to take him down with his heat vision. Superboy (vol. 4) #9 (November 1994) When Superboy and Makoa were assigned to the Suicide Squad to destroy the Dragons, Nanaue was forced to help. An explosive belt was strapped to his waist, set to detonate if anything happened to Makoa. Other members of the Squad included Knockout and Squad veterans Deadshot and Captain Boomerang. Superboy (vol. 4) #13-15 (March–May 1995)
Nanaue was a crazed fighting machine, shredding legions of the Dragons (and killing Sidearm too, when he betrays the team). Despite the belt detonating, King Shark survived the blast and the destruction of the lair.
After a research team sent to investigate the lair's remains went missing, King Shark was initially suspected, but it turned out to be Black Manta. Superboy (vol. 4) #20 (October 1995) King Shark fought Superboy, but he was defeated and driven out to sea. Superboy (vol. 4) #32 (October 1996)
King Shark later turned up in the Wild Lands and fought Superboy and his allies. After a fierce battle, he was assumed killed, but no body was ever recovered.
He joined Manchester Black's Legion of Villains in the "Ending Battle". The Adventures of Superman #608 (November 2002) He later turned up in Metropolis and attacked Jimmy Olsen. Superman quickly took him down, knocking most of his teeth out (though they grew back). King Shark also made an appearance during the Joker's Last Laugh riot with Orca.
King Shark is recruited into Alexander Luthor's Secret Society of Super Villains and is one of the many sent to attack Sub Diego. During the battle, he kills Neptune Perkins.
Nanaue reappears one year after the Infinite Crisis, bearing a scar from a previous encounter with Aquaman. He is less violent and more talkative than in previous appearances. His origin has been definitely given as him being the son of the Shark God, due to the new Aquaman book being more magic-based than previous incarnations. Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #40 (May 2006) He is a major character in the series, acting as an unwilling caretaker for . Saved from a gang of marauders by the young man, he brought Curry to the Dweller in the Depths (a mutated Aquaman), who gave him the role of assisting the new Aquaman in filling his role. Albeit feigning disrespect, and often disappearing for a while, King Shark accepted, sharing his knowledge of the way of sea with his young savior. It is later revealed in a flashback sequence that he was asked to do so by his father:
The currents of destiny bend and twist around that young man. For good or ill, he will shape the coming oceanscape. You will protect him. You will be my agent in his camp. Close enough to guard against others who seek to control him. And close enough, when I decide the time is ripe... ... to strike, and kill him without warning.
The following arc tells the first meeting between the original Aquaman and King Shark, which occurred several years ago. It took place in Reef's End, a little border town in the Coral Sea, distant from Atlantis. Orin — who was still the King of Atlantis at this time — fought King Shark because he murdered a priest of the Order of the Thorny Crown. King Shark had previously killed a number of members of this group, obeying his father's will. The Order was associated with an old prophecy:
When thorned crown lies shattered, she comes. Born of coral, of life-in-death, of long prayer. Shake the sea floor with her power, shall she, shake the destiny of all beneath the waves...
The Shark God believed that if the Order was destroyed, that would trigger the prophecy, birthing some great power in the process. However, King Shark was defeated by Aquaman before completing his father's goal. He then was imprisoned by priests of the Thorny Crown for three years before escaping; Nanaue mentions that he was tortured during his captivity.
More recently, King Shark joined the Secret Six as a brawler. Secret Six (vol. 3) #21 (July 2010) His tenure with the Six proves to be short-lived, as the team is soon captured by a large group of superheroes during a failed mission in Gotham City. King Shark manages to briefly overpower his old foe Superboy during the battle, but is ultimately pummeled into unconsciousness by Supergirl. Secret Six (vol. 3) #36 (October 2011)
In September 2011, DC Comics rebooted its fictional continuity in an initiative called "The New 52". In this new timeline, King Shark now resembles a hammerhead shark. He was tortured and forced into the Suicide Squad by Amanda Waller. Suicide Squad (vol. 4) #1 (November 2011) When he came to the Suicide Squad having to comply with Amanda Waller's demands, King Shark ended up eating his teammate Yo-Yo (it is later revealed that Yo-Yo survived). Suicide Squad (vol. 4) #5 (March 2012) During the 2013 "Forever Evil" storyline, King Shark is among the villains that the Crime Syndicate recruited to join the Secret Society of Super Villains. Forever Evil #1 (November 2013)
In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of its books called "DC Rebirth" which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "The New 52". King Shark is back in his great white shark appearance. King Shark began serving N.E.M.O under Black Manta. He began terrorizing San Francisco before being subdued by the Teen Titans. He also appears as one of the many villains attempting to kill Batman to halt Two-Face's data breach, attacking Batman on a train alongside Amygdala and Killer Croc. All-Star Batman #2. DC Comics. After leaving the organization, King Shark attempted to live a more peaceful life, only to be captured by the military of Markovia under allegations of cannibalizing a Markovian general. Wonder Woman soon arrived, doubting that he committed the crime, and used the Lasso of Truth on him to prove his innocence. She then left him in the hands of Aquaman, hoping to start anew in Atlantis. Wonder Woman (vol. 5) Annual #1 (May 2017)
Following Aquaman's usurpation of the throne, King Shark returns as a crime lord of the Ninth Tride with plans to expand his empire to more regions of Atlantis. He has his minions capture Mera to use as a bargaining chip and has a run-in with the still alive Aquaman. He convinces King Shark to work with him at stopping King Rath's murderous ambitions on the condition that the Ninth Tride would receive better treatment by the new monarch. As a show of good faith, King Shark gives Mera back to Arthur. With their combined forces, they free Atlantis from the Crown of Thorns. Aquaman (vol. 8) #33 (February 2018)
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