King Shark and his child-like wonder were some of the best things to come out of The Suicide Squad, but now it turns out he might be an actual child. James Gunn’s Suicide Squad reboot seemingly did everything to separate itself from the previous 2016 film. Gunn’s film was gory, violent, and had an R-rating, unlike the previous Suicide Squad film, which was PG-13. The movie also regularly killed off cast members, which the 2016 film shied away from. Among the most notable casualties were Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag and Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang, some of the only characters returning from the original film.

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Though Gunn’s film killed off some of the originals, it also introduced new fan favorites. Ratcatcher II (Daniela Melchior) was the film’s heart, giving the movie hope and pointing out the best in others when the world had given up on them. The character also brought humor, grace, and the rats that helped the Suicide Squad finally take down the infamous Project Starfish. King Shark/Nanaue (voiced by Sylvester Stallone) also quickly became another beloved character. Though he has an uncertain origin story, King Shark is believed to be a descendant of an ancient shark god. Nanaue is incredibly strong and spends most of the film focused on two things: eating and friendship.

A new theory says there may be a reason for King Shark’s sweet nature in the film. Throughout the movie, King Shark doesn’t appear to have many complex thoughts. In the film, he reads a book upside down, he’s incredibly proud that he recognizes he has a hand, and he’s primarily focused on an insatiable hunger for people which doesn’t come from a place of malice. Given all the examples of his child-like behavior and his uncertain origins, one theory (via Reddit) proposes that King Shark is an actual child. And the idea has a lot of evidence.

Because King Shark is part shark, it makes sense that he’d age differently. In Suicide Squad, Gunn based King Shark on a great white shark, a species that can be around 5 feet when born but can take decades to reach full maturity. The biggest great white sharks can reach around 20 feet in length when fully grown. While already tall, it seems King Shark and his insatiable appetite could have room to grow even more. Without considering King Shark’s hulking appearance, his demeanor is that of a child. He doesn’t understand complex ideas, and he’s proudest when identifying simple things like birds. With all of this in mind, it’s possible King Shark has the brain of a child and is still maturing.

Despite the possibility, King Shark’s comic book history may work against the theory. Throughout DC’s comics, King Shark has had varying forms of speech, so the fact that he doesn’t have an extensive grasp of the concept doesn’t necessarily indicate that this version of King Shark is a child. Given that he’s a shark, perhaps King Shark’s rudimentary form of speech even suggests the creature is supremely intelligent. After all, most sharks would only worry about eating, not making human friends. Yes, his behavior is fishy in The Suicide Squad, but that doesn’t mean King Shark is necessarily a kid.

Key Release Dates
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  • The Batman (2022)Release date: Mar 04, 2022
  • DC League of Super-Pets (2022)Release date: Jul 29, 2022
  • The Flash (2023)Release date: Jun 23, 2023
  • Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)Release date: Mar 17, 2023
  • Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2022)Release date: Dec 16, 2022
  • Black Adam (2022)Release date: Oct 21, 2022
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About The Author


Bill Bradley
(524 Articles Published)

Bill is an experienced reporter who’s covered entertainment and fandom since 2014. He’s done everything from unearthing the discarded Game of Thrones pilot script in a library in Texas to finding out why Steve left Blue’s Clues. He also enjoys eating Taco Bell and drinking chocolate milk.

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