Nanaue: King Shark’s Real Name Meaning Explained

James Gunn’s Suicide Squad features the brutal yet lovable King Shark, whose real name is Nanaue. Is there a meaning behind the great white’s name?

You Are Reading :Nanaue King Shark’s Real Name Meaning Explained

Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Suicide Squad

While one of The Suicide Squad’s breakout members is the brutal and lovable King Shark, his real name, Nanaue, is mentioned much more often, and its meaning has roots in Hawaiian myth It’s fairly common for superheroes and DC characters to have dual names such as their aliases and their real identities, but King Shark’s runs a little deeper than just a secret identity. Here’s the background on the name Nanaue and what it means for King Shark’s origins before he was recruited into Amanda Waller’s Task Force X.

In The Suicide Squad, directed by James Gunn, King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone) is a part of Waller’s second team of operatives, as the first was simply used to distract the bulk of the Corto Maltesean forces while Bloodsport’s team snuck onto the island nation to dismantle Project Starfish. However, it quickly becomes apparent that King Shark doesn’t have the strongest mental capacity, despite Waller identifying him as “the descendant of an ancient shark god” and so effectively classifying him as a demigod. She also referred to him by his real name Nanaue, a name of significance in Hawaiian mythology that potentially reveals his origins prior to being under Waller’s command.

In Hawaiian mythology, Nanaue was the son of the King of Sharks, much like The Suicide Squad describes him. Having transformed himself into a man, the King of Sharks fell in love and married a beautiful woman who soon gave birth to Nanaue. However, before he was born his father left to return to the sea, never to be seen again. While he had instructed Nanaue’s mother to never let him eat animal flesh, Nanaue eventually grew to have an insatiable hunger. Not only that, but he soon discovered that he was able to shape-shift into a shark just like his father, ripping his fellow villagers apart. However, Nanaue’s true nature as the next King of Sharks was soon discovered over time, and the islands banded together to end his terror once and for all. Evidently, this Hawaiian myth appears to serve as the foundation for the vicious and hungry Nanaue/King Shark seen in The Suicide Squad.

Click here to watch The Suicide Squad’s King Shark Origins Explained on YouTube.

The hunger King Shark shows in The Suicide Squad is particularly apt, as some versions of the myth have Nanaue being nicknamed “Manohae,” meaning “ravenous shark,” which very much fits with the depiction of him in the movie. While King Shark’s real name is also Nanaue in DC Comics, there have been other explanations provided beyond the Hawaiian myth, such as scientists believing he’s the result of a savage genetic experiment and mutation gone wrong, or that he one of “The Wild Men,” evolved animals seen in Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth. However, King Shark being the same Nanaue from myth and legend has been the dominant origin in recent years. It was likewise hilariously adopted for the much more articulate version of King Shark seen in the animated Harley Quinn series, and it seems to also be the case for the Nanaue seen in The Suicide Squad’s Task Force X.

Regardless, King Shark would have to be a demigod considering all of the insane beatings he takes in Gunn’s movie, as well as his impressive strength and savage brutality. However, despite his limited intellect and massive hunger, King Shark does express an adorable kindness towards his teammates once it’s established that they’re all friends (and not for eating). In any case, the Hawaiian demigod and legend that is Nanaue is a wonderful addition to The Suicide Squad in more ways than one.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/suicide-squad-king-shark-nanaue-name-meaning-explained/