Rocksteady's Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League is coming out in the future, and the game will offer a completely different take on King Shark than the one seen in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad movie. Throughout the years, there have been several different DC villains that have been members of the notorious Task Force X, with King Shark being among them. The walking, talking shark is one of the stranger members of the Suicide Squad, and has seen many different variations of the character during his existence.
Sometimes known as Nanaue, King Shark was first introduced into the DC Universe in the Superboy comics in 1994. His nature as a humanoid shark stems from his father's identity as the Shark God, who conceived Nanaue with his human mother in Hawaii. King Shark has a wide range of abilities, including increased strength and durability, regenerative healing, the ability to survive underwater and sharp claws/teeth for attacking. These abilities have allowed him to serve as a villain to DC heroes like The Flash, Aquaman and Batman.
King Shark's popularity seems to have seen a surge in recent years, with the character making appearances in other mediums like The Flash and Harley Quinn TV shows. His most recent appearance is in The Suicide Squad movie that came out last week, and he will also be featured in the upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League game when it releases. However, the two versions of King Shark in the movie and upcoming game are completely different takes on the iconic character.
Two Unique Takes On King Shark
The design of King Shark in The Suicide Squad seems to draw influence from the character's appearance in the Harley Quinn TV series, with a husky body type, goofy facial expressions and only wearing a pair of jean shorts. The first area where the new Suicide Squad game will differ with King Shark's portrayal from the movie is in this established character design. Rocksteady's take on the character falls more in line with the comics, with King Shark looking like a Great White/human hybrid. He also looks tougher in nature, with tribal tattoos along his arms and blood smeared on his clothes and face.
The personality and attitude of King Shark in the Suicide Squad game also seems be different from the movie. Sylvester Stallone's portrayal of King Shark is strictly played for laughs throughout the movie, with moments like the character interrupting team communications by pointing out a bird and constantly saying "nom nom" prior to eating his enemies. King Shark in Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League seems to have a personality that, again, has more in common with the comic book portrayal, with WWE star Samoa Joe being humorous while also seeming to retain a respectable level of intelligence and wit.
While all the details of the exact portrayal won't be known until the game releases, King Shark seems, at least for now, to be headed in a different direction from his movie depiction. This could be a good thing, with fans getting a more comic-accurate version in the game and a funnier, Groot-like version in the film, each enjoyable in their own ways. Ultimately, how faithful Rocksteady is to the comic version of King Shark in Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League will depend on what the game itself needs, and it will be interesting to see the eventual end result - especially if Rocksteady has any surprise twists on the character in store.