King Shark Mirrors Hulk’s Avengers Moment (To Prove They’re Not Monsters)

Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Suicide Squad

In James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, King Shark’s major “nom-nom” moment mirrors the Incredible Hulk’s “smash” moment in the MCU’s first Avengers film. While both scenes are pretty fun, they also exist to make the same point: Hulk and Nanaue aren’t the mindless monsters they’re perceived to be. Sharing very similar roles on their respective teams as the primary muscle and powerhouse, the Hulk and King Shark are definitely viewed in a certain light at the onset of their films. However, as the narratives progress new value is placed upon each of them as they’re both given chances to prove that they can be more and become forces for good as heroes.

In The Suicide Squad, King Shark (also named Nanaue) is introduced as a large and dimwitted shark demigod, initially struggling to fight his more animalistic and predator instincts to view everyone else as food (which he adorably refers to as “nom-noms“). However, King Shark eventually learns how to distinguish friends from food, with a little help from Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior). Furthermore, in Task Force X’s final battle with the giant cosmic starfish Starro, the team’s leader Bloodsport (Idris Elba) was giving directions to his teammates and he was able to point King Shark in the right direction by telling him that Starro was “nom-nom,” prompting Nanaue to leap into action and rip chunks off of the massive starfish.

Likewise, this mirrors a similar arc for the Incredible Hulk in the first Avengers film. While initial perceptions saw the Hulk as a mindless rage monster that needed to be contained, it was revealed by the film’s final battle that Bruce Banner had a level of control over his greener half. Additionally, Captain America was giving directives to his teammates when he told Hulk to “smash,” allowing Hulk to do what he does best to help save New York City. Clearly, King Shark’s moment with Bloodsport is meant to evoke the same feelings and meaning of Hulk’s scene with Captain America, as both moments prove that they can be guided and directed to be heroes rather than the monsters they were initially perceived to be.

Just like the Incredible Hulk and Bruce Banner were able to figure out how to differentiate friends from foe, King Shark learned with help from his teammates who was a friend and who could be food. While Hulk’s rage and King Shark’s predator instincts aren’t inherently bad, they are what made others see them as monsters. It was only after enough time had passed where they were able to prove themselves as valuable assets and seen as being just as effective as anyone else on their teams. Rather than being uncontrollable, King Shark’s “nom-nom” moment and the comparable Hulk “smash” scene it was most likely inspired by both show that they can use their powers and rage for good.

In any case, it’s a pretty fun moment overall for Nanaue as his feeding frenzy on the giant “nom-nom” that was Starro is one of his shining action moments in The Suicide Squad. Being one of the few members of Task Force X who actually survived, it’s as of yet unclear what’s next for King Shark, though it would certainly be interesting if he were to develop and evolve further as a character just like Hulk did in later Avengers films and MCU appearances.