King Shark

Superherobox|

caption=King Shark
Art by Butch Guice
comic_color=background:#8080ff
character_name=King Shark
real_name=Nanaue
publisher=DC Comics
debut="Superboy" vol.3, #0, October 1994
creators=Karl Kesel
alliance_color=background:#cccccc
alliances=Secret Society of Super Villains
Suicide Squad
aliases=
powers=Super-strength, powerful teeth and claws, undersea adaptation|

King Shark is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain owned by DC Comics and existing in that company's fictional DC Universe. The character was introduced in "Superboy" vol.3, #0 in October 1994.

Fictional character biography

Origin

Born in Hawaii, Nanaue is a humanoid shark, his father is "The King of all Sharks" — also known as the Shark God. Other characters, such as special agent Sam Makoa, have dismissed this as superstition and referred to Nanaue as a "savage mutation" with no mystical nature. Given the reality of magic within the DC Universe, either origin is equally likely. It has also been implied he was one of the "Wild Men", evolved animals based on those in "Kamandi". The now-ended new Aquaman series, however, seems to have put an end to the controversy by firmly establishing him as the shark god's son.

uperboy

King Shark was responsible for several missing persons several years before Superboy arrived in Hawaii. Sam Makoa was responsible for bringing him in and bore the scars forever after. In "Superboy" #0, King Shark is freed by the Silicon Dragons who plan on hiring him. Nanaue is not interested, however, and kills his liberators before heading to his mother's house. His mother allows him to bite her arm off to feed. Superboy managed to take him down by firing a point blank blast of heat vision from his "X-Ray specs." When Superboy and Makoa were assigned to the Suicide Squad to destroy the Silicon Dragons, King Shark 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.

Nanuae was a crazed fighting machine, shredding legions of the Dragons (and killing Sidearm too, when he betrayes 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. King Shark appeared again in "Superboy" #31 duking it out with the Kid, but he was defeated again and driven out to sea.

King Shark later turned up in the Wild Lands (where the implication that he was really a Wild Man was made) and fought Superboy and his allies. After a fierce battle, he was defeated, but no body was recovered.

King Shark also appeared in The Adventures of "Superman" #608 as a member of the legion of villains prompted by Manchester Black in the "Ending Battle" storyline. In this case, he turned up in Metropolis and attacked Jimmy Olsen. Superman quickly took him down, knocking most of his teeth out (although apparently they grew back later). Whereas in all of his previous appearances he had only two lines of dialogue, in this issue he was quite chatty (although that may have simply been because of Black's influence). He also was smaller and a long way from the water.

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 Supervillains and is one of the many sent to attack Atlantis. During the battle he kills Neptune Perkins.

One year later

Nanaue has since reappeared in Aquaman, one year after "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 son of the Shark God, due to the new Aquaman book being more magic-based than previous incarnations. It also appears that he will be a major character from now on: in fact he has currently started acting as an unwilling caretaker for . Saved from a gang of marauders by the young man, he brought him to the mysterious Dweller in the Depths (the mutated, for unknown reasons, 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 belonging to the Order of the Thorny Crown. In the last six months, King Shark had killed a lot of other members of this group, obeying to his father's will. Indeed, 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 reaching his father's goal. He then was imprisoned by priests of the Thorny Crown during three years, before achieving to escape; Nanaue mentions that he was tortured during his captivity.

Powers and abilities

King Shark's augmented flesh provides protection against the pressures of the deep and physical attacks, has shark like teeth and can use them as a weapon and has gills and can breathe in water as well as on land. He can swim at great speeds in water, is resistant to cold which is an adaptation to undersea life. He has had his Strength and Endurance enhanced.