La Ron S. Readus
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How King Shark Became A Queer Icon (VIDEO SCRIPT)
🕑 Added 2023-04-26 20:00:02 +0000 UTCReaders, there’s no denying that King Shark is a shark. But now King Shark is also queer
And before all the homophobes and wanna-be comicsgaters come on here to say that the bit I’m referring to in the DC Animated Universe Movie “Justice League Dark: Apokolips War” was just a joke, or that it doesn’t mean anything, or that I’m reading too hard into it...
/Don’t forget that those same individuals said the same thing regarding the line Pedro said at the end of the first Shazam movie that hinted at him being gay in order to not have to acknowledge it, only for Shazam: Fury of the Gods to confirm the initial read of the situation not once, but twice/
And don’t worry, I will be talking about both Shazam movies soon. Both on this channel and Readus 201, which you should TOTALLY subscribe to, by the way.
But while it’s incredibly easy to say that the decision to explore this aspect of this historic villain-for-hire that bigots didn’t really start caring about until the idea him sleeping with other men of various species popped into their heads started with the reveal that he and disaster bisexual John Constantine used to date...
One can argue that queer readings of Nanaue started at least a year before the movie’s release.
/Specifically with the release of the DC Universe-turned-HBO Max original animated series, Harley Quinn/
Then, when the bit about him and Constantine was revealed on the internet upon the release of Apokolips War a year later, that was pretty much all a group of individuals who crave representation but are denied it in certain forms thanks to heteronormativity’s association with white supremacy needed to seal the deal.
So for today’s lesson, I wanna dive into the aspects that made us as queer fans of DC Comics and other media revolving this universe so quick to claim Nanaue -- aka King Shark -- as one of our own...
/even before the famous wink of confirmation./
And that means exploring the voice he had before the allegations began if you can even call it that, what the Harley Quinn show did to make it extremely hard to beat those allegations, and what the show can do development-wise to help him finally own said allegations and truly live his truth. Let’s begin.
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Hey, Readers. La’Ron here. Offering you analysis and perspective on your favorite bits of geek and pop culture media
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Was King Shark queer before the Apokolips War movie?
No, and that’s because only a select amount of creators did anything PROMINENT with King Shark’s personality before the Apokolips War movie.
So, before this gives peeps the opportunity to say I’m cherry-picking certain stuff like the Snyder Bros did my Krypton video, let’s acknowledge where King Shark originated
Not as a member of Aquaman’s rogues gallery like some would think, but actually a member of Superboy’s. Specifically, THIS Superboy
That’s right, King Shark was originally introduced as a villain for Kon-El-slash-Conner Kent when he moved to Hawaii to try and make it on his own, after finding Metropolis too crowded when Superman came back from the dead.
Ironically enough, ever since Brian Michael Bendis brought back 90’s Conner and aged up Jonathan, he’s doing the same thing now that Metropolis has two Supermen and a Supergirl around.
Because time is a circle when you hire a writer that wants to do nothing but relive nostalgia (pause). I said what I said.
Now while his creator Karl Kesel was inspired by the Hawaiian myth Nanaue the Shark Man, and even both named him and formed his origin around the myth in order to give him the status of a demigod, King Shark wasn’t initially intended to have the same amount of intelligence akin to other humanoid furry DC villains like Gorilla Grodd.
/Instead, according to Kesel, he wrote him to be, and I quote, more animalistic...someone who is a barely functioning human.”/
From then on up until the New 52 reboot of DC Comics, King Shark would go back and forth between being forced to participate in the Suicide Squad, dealing with Aquaman and fighting Superboy.
Then, thanks to her being a fan of his, King Shark was given more intelligence and -- as a result -- more personality, thanks to being placed on the rotation of the Suicide Squad’s cousin team the Secret Six, in a series written by popular DC Comics writer Gail Simone.
Y’know, the one that every comicsgater dudebro challenges her DC comic book knowledge because they don’t know she actually writes DC fucking comics
King Shark’s presence over the course of Secret Six was truly rags-to-riches.
He was initially introduced in the series as early as issue 2 in 2008 as one of a bunch of D-List villains hired to find Tarantula, a villain who would eventually become one of the Secret Six’s regular members, by the arc’s villain Junior for stealing a metal card of his after the team busted her out of Alcatraz.
And while he got his ass handed to him, the fact that he had more intelligence than his previous iterations to now be able to communicate and talk in proper sentences was WAY more than what he got in the past.
/Then 2 years later in 2010, he was hired by Bane -- one of the regular and more prominent members of the team -- as a possible rotator for an upcoming mission in issue 21, a story centering Thomas Blake -- aka Catman -- another founding member of this iteration, and then officially debuted on the team in issue 25/
And in case you were wondering, yes; this run is where the “I’m a shark” song came from
The point is that for the longest time, King Shark, despite having mythical and supernatural origins surrounding deities associated with native Hawaiians, was just a mindless creature villain that wasn’t really given THAT much value outside of being someone violent for 90’s Superboy to fight.
Then a proud feminist known for bringing fun yet compelling stories DC’s way saw enough potential in this character initially destined to be pulled out of a “Villain of the Week” bin whenever someone needs somebody to fight, flesh him out and give him a voice. LITERALLY.
Because outside of his Demigod-hood, King Shark had NOTHING before Gail Simone touched him. And with her touching him, and showing the rest of both DC and their audience how much potential he has as both a villain and an Amanda Waller-related team member, it prompted other writers of various iterations of DC stories to put their own spin on it.
/It just so happens that writers Mairghread Scott and Ernie Altbacker did exactly that with the last installment of DC’s first animated movie universe, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War./
So it’s incredibly important to acknowledge that part of the reason this decision was made by both Scott and Altbacker wasn’t just for laughs.
In the DC Animated Movie Universe -- DCAMU for short -- John Constantine’s main love interest has pretty much been Zatanna, and that’s definitely true in the case of Apokolips War. However, a fact that’s just as true is that despite the heteronormative relationship he’s in that plays an important role to the ending chapter of the DCAMU, Constantine is bisexual and they wanted to find a way to properly do right by that aspect of his identity.
Now, ever since the movie came out and the scene implying that Constantine and King Shark dated, a lot of the usual suspects began to open their mouths.
Who are the usual suspects? The racists and homophobes that love to complain about race-swapping a character that was originally made white or complain that their sexuality is anything other than straight, only to hide under the banner of “respect the character as created and just make your own POC-slash-queer characters” so that they don’t get immediately challenged, and then go on to complain about wokeness taking over when said POC and queer characters DO get created.
It’s almost as if thanks to them hiding behind centrist ideals to promote their bigotry, it’s not worth listening to these guys. At all.
Anyways, their argument was that this was simply a joke that wasn’t meant to be taken seriously; a bit of humor to help make light of a dark situation that is the people of earth’s final stand against Darkseid and Apokolips.
/Especially since this version of King Shark, like Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy, has a limited vocabulary, only capable of saying “King Shark Is A Shark”/
/Y’know, until the last of the Suicide Squad makes THEIR final stand/ (It was an honor fighting beside you)
But then both Scott and Altbacker revealed that thanks to wanting to do right by Constantine’s bisexuality, they planned to actually go in-depth with how the two’s relationship went if they didn’t have to factor in the runtime of the movie.
/Revealing that scenes were cut showing Constantine could actually understand him via magic back when we all thought all he could say was “King Shark Is A Shark,” and reveal that HE was actually the one that got his heart broken after catching feelings because John thought he was too clingy and didn’t wanna be tied down, him being a disaster bisexual and all./
Yep. Because wanting to do what Love & Thunder did when it explained when Thor and Jane broke up is EXACTLY what one does when setting up a simple bit for a joke regarding how much Constantine gets around.
Once again; it’s almost as if we should stop giving these complaining assholes the time of day.
Now while it’s nice to know that this elaboration in their relationship, and King Shark’s newfound queerness as a result, was something that was initially planned in the film...
That one scene that resulted in a sense of awkward comedy was immediately grabbed by DC’s queer cape fanbase and cherished as something that’s now incredibly important to his character once it was released in 2020
Why? Because outside of his initial creation and Gail Simone giving him an actual personality, there’s very little present about King Shark that actually defines him
Also, as I’ve stated in plenty of previous videos on the subject matter, we queer people naturally gravitate toward monsters, due to the relatability of the isolation they endure, we being the “other” regarding the fear of the other, and others who have the nerve to question why someone could ever find love and happiness with us when said individuals could just be “normal” instead.
Also yes, a good amount of us are either furries, monster-fuckers or both, but you know what I mean!
The point is that the combination of this declaration of queerness -- regardless of how small it is -- along with the lack of personal identity that he’s endured for the longest, made readings of King Shark being queer pretty much inevitable. However, I’d argue that they started even before “Apokolips War" even came out.
Because remember; we had ANOTHER version of King Shark available to us an entire YEAR before Apokolips War. And even before THAT movie dropped, there was enough material there to show us the POTENTIAL for King Shark’s queerness...
Thanks to Harley Quinn
One year before his appearance in Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, and 2 years before his theatrical debut in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad...
/In which he’s gone on record to say the resemblance was COMPLETELY coincidental, King Shark was planned to be a regular character in the Harley Quinn animated series as part of her gang./
This would be the first time both comic book fans and casual mainstream audiences would see what’s been deemed his “friend shaped” form...
/Before James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad released either the movie and the promotional material for the movie./ (Hand)
/And comedian Ron Funches, the voice of Harley Quinn’s King Shark, has gone on record to say that they simply asked him to just be himself in order to play the role. Y’know, with the caveat of being able to kill people./
Now, I want to officially state that everything I’m about to say from here on out is strictly aimed at the character of King Shark on the Harley Quinn Animated Series, not Ron Funches himself. I don’t do queer witch-hunts here, and I both acknowledge and respect that everyone’s journey of self-discovery is different if they’re on one.
If it turns out Ron’s queer, then that’s great; I’ll be ready to welcome him into the fold when he tells us he is. But he’ll find that out on his own time and share it with everyone when he’s comfortable doing so... Or not; I won’t be mad at him if it turns out he’s pulling a Luther Vandross in this instance.
And if he’s not, that’s cool too; cisgendered heterosexual men that are either naturally effeminate or are deeply southern also exist and have the right to do so, and he could be one, the other, or both.
So in regards to the characterization of King Shark in Harley Quinn the animated series, we had a lot to work with regarding spotting queer coding even when season one was all we had in 2019.
/We even had a bit of foreshadowing to his relationship with his family that would eventually be character arc points in future seasons./ (I didn’t give up on the shark kingdom, the shark kingdom gave up on me!)
But a lot of the initial points we received in season 1 had a lot to do with the way the show took what Gail Simone did for the character and channeled it to match the overall comedic tone of the show.
/Both his carefree aloof attitude, and his overall aggression/
Then, when you factor in Ron Funches giving a deeper yet still effeminate vocal registry of his own voice for said dialogue...
The same usually found in femme leaning queer black men that has since been stereotyped to death by heteronormativity to the point where avoiding being perceived that way became a very clear sign of internalized homophobia (blink repeatedly)
You can see that King Shark in Harley Quinn wasn’t just queer-coded. He was BLACK queer-coded.
Because as we would see in season 2 when it was released in 2020, and season 3 in 2022, important members of his family were introduced and also voiced by black talent.
/Including voice acting powerhouse Phil LaMarr as his father the Shark God, and Uncle Ruckus himself Gary Anthony Williams voicing his younger brother./
And because season 1 did a good job at showing us that this version of King Shark can be read as a black queer-coded character from dialogue and mannerisms alone, a lot of aspects about his background and backstory as they unfurled properly fed into that.
/The most prominent one being his relationship with the shark kingdom and his father the Shark God./
While it’s true that part of the reason King Shark left is because he feels guilty for killing his younger brother at a young age, he also left the shark kingdom because he didn’t want the responsibilities that came with him being the eldest son of a nation ruled by a monarchy and wants to live his own life.
His father the Shark God, said monarch and a stickler for tradition, is forcing him to go through with an arranged marriage despite it not being what King Shark wants, in order to keep the treaty with the Hammerheads upheld.
/And because King Shark refuses to go through with the marriage at first, he’s labeled as selfish for not prioritizing the kingdom first and foremost over his own desires; a sentiment shared by the Little Mermaid Sebastian parody Lobster that goes to find him in episode 9./ (It’s time to shark up)
As those of us who experienced similar treatment know, acts like this from individuals in our families -- while not completely exclusive to it -- are clear indicators of familial homophobia; family members -- whether blood or found -- that treat other family members shoddily simply, but specifically, because they are queer.
And the displays vary from family member to family member, from quips that can come off as hurtful and varying degrees of exclusion, to brutal attacks -- physically or mentally -- that either directly or indirectly affect the life of the queer family member in question; the worst-case scenario resulting in them ending said life.
Now, I say it’s not completely exclusive to familial homophobia because while the situations can be different, the feeling of rejection, shame and disgust can be felt from the victimized party even if it’s completely unrelated to one’s own sexuality, or how members of the family initially perceive it.
/What makes King Shark’s experience with his father -- and brother in season 3 when we unpack that bit -- more aligned with the relatability of familial homophobia than anything else however, is because of King Shark’s initial rejection and rebellion of his father’s demand for him to participate in a heteronormative marriage./ (No son of mine is going to marry for love)
If King Shark could be seen as queer coded since season 1 and is rejecting a long awaited act of heteronormativity by his father in season 2, it’s made easier to see what Shark God is pushing as homophobia because homophobia as a system does not tolerate opposition.
/And nothing resembled a retaliation to said opposition more than when Shark God said THIS after King Shark told him off/ (Nanaue, if you leave my kingdom again, you can never return)
So why did he agree to marry Tabitha, despite them agreeing to be in an open relationship in order to be with the people they REALLY wanna be with? The same reason why he felt the need to fight his younger brother to keep from selling the kingdom after crowning him King when Shark God died. Guilt. Familial guilt. And familial guilt as a queer person is fucking HEAVY.
That same desire to not want to lose his father, despite truly meaning every word he told him when he confronted Shark God upon his initial summoning, prompted him to talk it out with Tabitha and set some stuff in motion to get them to where they were at the end of season 2.
And while Prince Shark had every right to share how he felt abandoned to deal with their dad when King Shark left the kingdom the first time -- which even King Shark healthily accepted and respected...
/It was the guilt their father embedded in King Shark to make him feel bad about going off to form his own life away from the kingdom that caused him to stop and ultimately KILL his last living sibling in order to keep him from selling it to Ocean Master; the familial homophobic actions of the father, both alive and beyond the grave, brutally directly and indirectly affecting the life of the family member we’re looking at with a queer lens./
And before you ask “well why were y’all even LOOKING at King Shark like that to even make those comparisons?” Remember that the first episode that gave us a deeper dive into his family history, and how much he cherishes the idea of finding true love with someone he considers his soulmate premiered on the DC Universe streaming service May 29 of 2020. 24 days AFTER Justice League Dark: Apokolips War came out.
/The same movie that not only played with the idea of King Shark being queer, but implied that -- to use his speech in episode 9 of Harley Quinn season 2 as evidence -- he thought he found the one with John Constantine thanks to the writers of the film sharing they wanted to explore the relationship more than just a simple awkward moment and a wink./
We had almost an entire month to soak up the idea that King Shark is queer, before only guessing from how he was characterized in season 1 of Harley Quinn a year earlier. And as I’ve recently explained, 2022’s season 3 gave us a deeper look at how the allegorical familial homophobia initially prompted by his father continues to fuel his guilt.
/Not to mention season 3 introduces us to Constantine in the Swamp Thing episode and we get a hilarious easter egg to the moment in Apokolips War that started all of this./
But another thing that Season 3 does, if you pay attention to body language, is ask a very important question. And that question is...
What About Tabitha?
If you paid attention to the episode of season 3 where King Shark crowns his younger brother as king after Shark God passes, then you would’ve noticed that he has a moment to himself where he wonders if he wants to be king or not.
/And its in that moment we see his wife Tabitha get a bit excited at the idea/
Considering now that King Shark is now king because he killed his last remaining sibling, thanks to the guilt bestowed upon him by the familial homophobia of his recently deceased father, and that its been shown throughout their relationship that neither Nanaue or Tabitha are truly interested in each other...
/No that Ghost parody at the beginning of the Valentine's Day special doesn’t count; they would’ve had either a couch confessional or been featured as promptly as Clayface and his lower half if that was the case.../
/That one instance of Tabitha in all of season 3 kinda solidified it for me that she’s more attracted to the idea of becoming queen than she is attracted to him./
So if you’ll allow me, since we’ve gotten confirmation that season 4 is coming and will release sometime in 2023, I’d like to do a bit of predicting, regarding where I think they’re gonna take King Shark’s storyline and how his queerness can still be presented both allegorically and literally.
So let’s address the obvious; I think Tabitha is going to try and kill King Shark and claim the kingdom for the Hammerheads now that she’s INCREDIBLY close to obtaining the throne.
I think that King Shark realizing he’s now in a monarchal invasion of his home simply because he caved into the desires of Shark God in season 2, is what finally tells him that he’s holding on to an institution that he never truly wanted and that he only felt compelled to hold onto because of how his father’s allegorical familial homophobia made him feel guilty for trying to quote-unquote selfishly abandon it.
And because this is still the portion of his arc that’s mostly allegory, he’s gonna realize that even though holding on to it cost him his birth family, King Shark truly needs to let go of the aspects of his life that, while he always wanted their acceptance and respect, he knew he would never receive because of who he is and what he wants.
WHich, just like what he went through with his father and his younger brother to a certain extent, is pretty relatable for a lot of queer peeps that have to make the hard choice -- or not so hard choice depending on your situation -- to no longer feel obligated to the wants, desires and demands of your birth family and embrace the love, acceptance and support of your found family.
Because remember; blood is thicker than water isn’t the actual proverb. It’s “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,” which means the family that you choose to make a bond with is more important than the one you’re birthed into.
/And I can truly see that being where King Shark’s arc in Harley Quinn can go/
Conclusion
Readers, with Season 4 of Harley Quinn approaching, the showrunners and writers have a prime opportunity to let King Shark have a much needed realization about both himself and what he wants in a rather impactful way.
/Especially considering, despite it being a comedy show, how much they displayed the importance of trust, communication and honesty in Harley and Ivy’s arc as a couple over the course of Season 3/
Then, once he makes that realization and truly decides to let go, we can go on and properly solidify the queerness that was implied about the version of his character in Apokolips War and have him meet a guy.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be Constantine, but at this point the queerness that has been added to his character is now just as prominent as everything that has been added to him since Gail Simone decided he was worth fleshing out, and it should be handled with just as much importance.
But I digress, Readers. Your homework assignment for the day:
Write in the comment section below what your favorite D-list DC villain is that you’d love to see fleshed out more.
Or, if you feel like sharing with the rest of the class, a character from DC Comics -- hero or villain -- you think is worth investigating under a queer lens.
Whichever question you decide to answer, I’d love to know your thoughts.
/A HUGE shoutout to my Patrons both big and small for helping make this channel possible.
Make sure you check out the card at the end of the video to join, or click the link to it or any of my affiliates in the description box below.
But until then, this is Readus 101. Class dismissed./
