WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Suicide Squad: King Shark #7, on sale now from DC Comics.
In his new series, the origin of King Shark has been revealed, introducing his father, Chondrahka, God of All Sharks in the process. Suicide Squad: King Shark #7 (by Tim Seeley, Scott Kolins, John Kalisz, and Wes Abbott) details how the powerful villain came to join the Suicide Squad at a very young age. As it turned out, the impending Wild Games, heavily factored into why Chondrahka allowed his son to be taken by Amanda Waller to become a part of her covert ops team. The end goal was to turn King Shark into the killer he needed to be to win the Games, and although the methods Chondrahka employed to do so were cruel, they were ultimately a success.
Up until now, it was assumed that King Shark had been taken against his father's will. But now it is clear that Chondrahka willingly gave up his son to the cynical government agent. He had sired a child with a human woman specifically for the purpose of creating a champion strong enough to win the Games. He would have done so himself, but as a member of the Parliament of Limbs Chondrahka was forbidden to participate leading him to the task of creating a champion worthy of fighting in his place.
But Nanaue was not the killer his father wanted. The young Shark had a softer disposition than his father desired. Despite his status as the demigod child of a monstrous shark god, Nanaue was a rather happy go lucky kid, even managing to befriend a dog that adored him. His mother saw nothing wrong with this, viewing him as a normal child, but Chondrahka knew that if Nanaue was to have any chance at winning the Wild Games he would have to become tougher.
This is where Amanda Waller, the handler of the Suicide Squad, came in. Knowing the potential power Nanaue could have, Chondrahka gave him to Waller willingly, trusting that she would transform him into what the Shark God needed. And so Nanaue was literally carried away while his parents watched, all the while crying for his parents not to give him up. Chondrahka then cruelly killed Nanaue's dog as his son's first lesson on weakness.
As a direct result of his father's actions, Nanaue became one of the most powerful members of Amanda Waller's team. Whether he realizes it or not, King Shark owes his existence and the suffering he's endured not only to Waller and his father, but also to the Wild Games.
Ultimately, King Shark's horrible experience did what it was intended to do and turned him into the lethal fighter that he has become. Shark now stands poised to win the Wild Games and finally fulfill his purpose for existing, tapping into an even greater level of ferocity centered around both his anger towards his father and his desire to please him.
In essence, Shark's entire life has been building up to this moment. However, King Shark runs the risk of being without a purpose once the games end. He will now be faced with the choice of following in the footsteps his father would have him take, returning to work for Waller's Task Force, or actually thinking for himself and walking a path of his own design.