EW spoke with creators behind some of the key King Shark iterations to see how the character has evolved.
“Nom nom.”
The shark man is everywhere.
From L to R: King Shark, King Shark, King Shark, King Shark, King Shark, and King Shark.The CW; Warner Bros. Pictures; Everett Collection; DC Entertainment; Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment; Rocksteady Studios
Gail Simone, who penned a prominent King Shark story in herSecret Sixcomics, tells EW.
“His dad is the god of sharks.
And now, he’s made it to the big screen withSylvester Stallonevoicing the aquatic royalty.
King Shark in Karl Kesel’s ‘Superboy’ comic.DC Comics
Additional reporting by Clark Collis.
He researched local mythologies of the islands and came across various shark gods.
“Somewhere in there I decided one of the shark gods has a child with a human.
King Shark in ‘Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis’.DC Comics
It’s a demigod character except as a shark.
And that’s how King Shark really started.”
Finding a name for this villain was an equally easy process.
King Shark in ‘Secret Six’.DC Comics
“Above all, I loved the visual just this hulking shark creature with massive jaws.”
Though, he finds the character’s current pop culture prominence astounding.
Special agent Sam Makoa would posit he’s the result of a savage mutation in a separate comic.
King Shark in ‘The Suicide Squad’ New 52 run.DC Comics
ButAquaman: Sword of Atlantisfirmly established the ocean brute’s godly origins.
Thus began this new iteration ofSecret Six.
He’s not just hungry, he wants to eateverything,” she says.
King Shark in ‘Batman: Assault on Arkham’.DC Entertainment
“He gets his feelings hurt a bit when people are afraid of him.
And of course, he loves telling people he’s a shark.”
One of her inspirations?
King Shark in ‘Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham’.Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
I just think it’s funny."
“We all have a fear of sharks.
Imagine if it had legs and could move on land,” Glass remarks.
King Shark in the 2019 episode of ‘The Flash’ titled ‘King Shark vs. Gorilla Grodd’.The CW
King Shark became Glass' version of the Hulk in his run ofSuicide Squadin DC’s New 52 era.
He was the muscle.
Among the revamps was a makeover of the character as a hammerhead shark-man.
King Shark in Rebirth’s ‘All-Star Batman’.DC Comics
“To me it’s always, what’s the familiar but fresh thing?”
One was the leader, one was the femme fatale/comic relief, and one was the muscle.
On top of that, Harley became the run’s breakthrough star.
King Shark in ‘Harley Quinn’.Everett Collection
Fans then took to her in a big way that the focus ofSuicide Squadshifted to Harley.
“Basically, it was that he was not stupid, he was not simple.
“It was almost like Alzheimer’s because he was scared to let anybody know what was happening.”
King Shark in ‘Justice League Dark: Apokolips War.DC Entertainment
That, too, goes back to the Hulk comparison.
“Beneath the monster is humanity.”
Voiced by John DiMaggio, he sported a metal mask that made anything and everything easier to digest.
Warner Bros. Pictures/™© DC Comics
He just had one rule: “No heights!”
The king didn’t like heights.
“That’s when I thought, ‘Oh my god!
‘Suicide Squad: King Shark’.DC Comics
This guy’s got legs!"’
That game wasLego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham.
Kesel, meanwhile, is still waiting for LEGO to send him a King Shark figurine.
King Shark in ‘Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’.Rocksteady Studios
“I would love a little LEGO King Shark,” he says.
Unfortunately, he was no match for shark repellent.
Funches called this one of his favorite jobs in an interview withBleeding Cool.
“They just came in and said, ‘He’s you… Be you.
And then when you gotta murder people… just be aggressive.'”
But he seems more worried about running into his ex than he is saving the day.
When we finally meet his former lover, everyone thinks it must be Harley Quinn.
When we were going to have the Suicide Squad, it just was the perfect opportunity.”
The joke wrote itself.
“Oh God, no.
No one wants to date Harley.
Harley’s a mess,” Scott remembers of the evolution of this scene.
“I don’t touch crazy.
I slept with King Shark.”
(“I am King Shark!")
But it was all cut for time.
As for Stallone, Gunn also wrote the King Shark role with theRockyactor in mind.
The filmmaker had gotten close with Stallone, having worked together onGuardians of the Galaxy, Vol.
It just never filled out the character.”
“That’s always the danger with these things.
If you get a big star, what if they don’t work?”
“But by this time, we had lost our way and they agreed to it.
So, I called up Sly.
He didn’t take much direction.
He got it pretty quick.
We went in there and he did the thing.
The comic arrives this Sept. 21, not too long afterThe Suicide Squadmovie’s premiere in theaters.
Seeley acknowledges himself as being almost like the James Gunn of DC comics.
For instance, Gunn was writing the screenplay for 1997’sTromeo and Julietwhile Seeley was working on a Troma comic.
“I think our influences are the same,” he says.
And so I got the call.”
The game is currently expected for a release in 2022.
