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King Shark’s new partner is almost the exact opposite of Ratcatcher in the comics, giving new context to The Suicide Squad’s sweetest friendship.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Suicide Squad: King Shark #1-2, on sale now from DC Comics.
One of the more tender elements of 2021’s The Suicide Squad is the surprising and touching relationship that blossoms between Ratcatcher II and King Shark. The heartfelt bond of friendship that develops between the animal-themed supervillains is the crucial first step on the emotional journey that sees Task Force X transform from a barely functional pack of misfits into a true team of friends. There’s a sense of camaraderie that ultimately paves the way for the group’s triumph over Starro the Conquerer.
Unfortunately, Suicide Squad: King Shark #2 by Tim Seely, Scott Kolins and John Kalisz shows that not everyone can appreciate King Shark’s capacity for kindness. While Ratcatcher II’s relationship with King Shark is defined by her ability to recognize and relieve the villain’s loneliness, his newfound “friendship” with the political activist-turned supervillain Defacer is a toxic connection that brings out the animal in both of them.
King Shark’s relationship with Defacer begins in Suicide Squad: King Shark #1 after she is sent to Belle Reeve for defacing a statue of her ex-boyfriend Nightwing erected by the city of Bludhaven. After witnessing Defacer’s emotional outburst during a group therapy session, King Shark notes the similarities between her temper and his own “frenzies” and offers to teach her how to control it. King Shark even goes so far as to kill the fiery supervillainess Hot Take when she attacks a helpless Defacer in the bathroom, proving how far he’s willing to go to protect his potential new friend.
Taking note of King Shark’s unusual affection for Defacer, Amanda Waller forces her to accompany King Shark to Hawaii while he visits his father Kamo, the god of sharks. King Shark’s physiology prevents Waller from implanting him with the explosive devices she uses to keep the prisoners of Bele Reve in line, so Waller plans on using Defacer as a hostage to ensure that the Suicide Squad’s heaviest hitter returns to her custody without a fight. However, Kamo himself has different plans in mind for his son.
After forcing King Shark to battle against the mutated marine biologist Orca, Kamo reveals that he has chosen his son to represent him and their people in the Wild Games; a tournament that will pit champions from various animal species against one another in order to decide which species will dominate Earth for the next ten millennia. As Kamo opens a portal into the elemental plane that will host the tournament, a terrified and teary-eyed Defacer reminds King Shark that Waller will blow her head off if he doesn’t return to Belle Reve. Unable to deny his destiny but unwilling to let Defacer die, King Shark defies his father and takes her with him through the portal, which puts her far out of the explosive’s remote detonation range.
Despite everything he does for her, however, Defacer makes it very clear that she doesn’t share King Shark’s feelings of kinship. Out of her depth in the hellish halls of Belle Reve, Defacer refuses to think about anything other than surviving until she’s served her sentence. This selfish mindset is reflected in Defacer’s unkempt appearance and hostile demeanor, which ironically leaves her looking more like an animal than King Shark.
Defacer shows how little she cares about King Shark’s feelings during the fight with Orca when she uses the same words of encouragement he’d given her at Belle Reve to manipulate him into sparing Orca’s life, as Defacer had befriended her when the two were attending a supervillain support group together. Worse still, after King Shark saves Defacer from Waller’s explosives by dragging her to the Wild Realms she furiously berates him for leaving a bleeding Orca to die and not thinking about her feelings, a display of ingratitude that understandably leaves King Shark upset and angry.
While there is still time for Defacer to change her mind on King Shark’s offer of friendship, their willingness to sabotage King Shark paints a grim picture going forward. By exploiting King Shark’s animal instincts, Defacer is setting herself up as the exact opposite of Ratcatcher II.
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