Shark (DC)
The Shark is a male comic supervillain who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Pre-Crisis
The Shark was originally an ordinary terrestrial shark until an explosion of an experimental atomic pile bombarded a prowling tiger shark with radiation. Millions of years of evolution occurred in a matter of minutes. The Shark now possessed incredible mental powers, including matter manipulation and powerful energy bolts. With his mind reading ability he absorbed vast knowledge from the people around him. He found he could project fear in anyone he chose. The Shark was still motivated by one driving force, to seek prey. He used his powers to make himself appear more human, and adopted the name 'T.S. Smith' to stand for 'Tiger Shark'. In a Coast City restaurant, the Shark devoured dozens of bloody steaks to feed his hunger. He started a fight with a local boxing champ, only to have the champ pass out from fear. Shark's killer instincts drive him to seek out prey that he can terrify. Ordinary men would be too easy for the advanced predator, so his mind sought out Hal Jordan, also known as Green Lantern. Seeing his foe was 'without fear', the Shark vowed to inject fear into the test pilot. From his mind-probing, Shark learned that Green Lantern's Power Ring was useless against anything yellow, so he used that in his battle by trapping Hal inside a yellow room at Ferris Aircraft. After defeating Green Lantern, the Shark intended to hunt the rest of Hal Jordan's friends in Coast City. However, Green Lantern defeated him using the vapor in the air against the foe, returning him to his original shark form and sending him to a Coast City aquarium. (Green Lantern v2 #24)
However, this defeat did not stop Shark from hunting Green Lantern again because he always had a way to return to his mutated humanoid form. (Green Lantern v2 #28) On one occasion, he worked alongside some Qwardians who invaded Earth to take revenge on Green Lantern. Still, the Weaponers betrayed their deal and returned the Shark to its original form. (Green Lantern v2 #126) He stayed like that for some years, until some chemical waste dropped by S.T.A.R. Labs on the ocean returned him to his evolved form, resuming his hunt. (Green Lantern v2 #174) In their next confrontation, Shark was able to absorb Green Lantern's mind, leaving the hero comatose. With Carol Ferris' help, who took his battery to the hospital and recharged his ring, Green Lantern escaped from the Shark's mind and defeated him. Afterward, a physical face-off on a boat caused the ship to explode, killing the Shark. (Green Lantern v2 #156)
Shark manages to return to his evolved state many times, and returns to fight the Green Lantern, as well as Superman[1] and Black Condor[2]. In Green Lantern 175-176, the Shark returns surrounded by a yellow force field. During this battle, he uses his ability to absorb (devour) people's minds to temporarily defeat Green Lantern. He is later defeated and Green Lantern's mind restored when Hal Jordan uses his power ring to flood the Shark's mind with green energy.
At one point the Shark is able to evolve into a human form; now using the name "Karshon" he manages to temporarily depose Aquaman as the ruler of Atlantis.[3] Aquaman is able to expose Karshon and forces the Shark to devolve.[4]
During the Crisis, the Shark was revived by Guy Gardner, who warped time around his dispersed atoms to bring him back to life, and recruited him for a suicide mission to the planet Qward in the Anti-Matter Universe. When their mission failed and the group realized that they would have destroyed the universe instead of saving it, all villains split and started hunting Guy for misleading them. (Green Lantern v2 #199)
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Originally, he was an ordinary shark until he was abducted by the extraterrestrial Kroloteans who used the animal in their evolutionary experiments. This was with the intention of creating living weapons to be used in interstellar wars. (Green Lantern v4 #6)
The Shark briefly appears in Animal Man as an animal-themed villain that Buddy Baker could have fought.
Later on, the Shark came to terrorise Coast City once more where at night he targeted a beach and killed a couple that were in the water. (Green Lantern v4 #4) General Stone would contact Green Lantern to help on the matter as the man who had been killed had been in the military. Hal Jordan arrived in the scene as Green Lantern as the authorities examined the remains left behind. Green Lantern went into the ocean to find the culprit where he came to be attacked by the Shark. Their fight caused them to break through into the hull of a docked naval ship where the Shark attempted to eat the crew but was stopped by Jordan. Their fight continued where the Shark nearly overwhelmed Green Lantern until a Krolotean ship arrived to abduct both fighters. (Green Lantern v4 #5)
Shark reappears to menace Coast City and clashes with his old enemy, the newly returned Green Lantern. He acts more like an actual shark, and has been experimented on by the Kroloteans. He now bears webbed fingers, claws, and a large fin on his back.[6]
The Ungaran Amon Sur later broke into Hangar 44 to steal the ship his father Abin Sur had crash landed-on Earth in. Shark and a number of other prisoners watched on as Amon gunned down the air force guards. (Green Lantern v4 #16)
Shark appears in Infinite Crisis, as part of the Secret Society of Super Villains attack on Atlantis. Along with King Shark, he kills Neptune Perkins.[7] The Spectre soon devastates the entire area, seemingly killing everyone in the city and around it.
While his current status remains unknown, Shark is mentioned by Black Hand in The Book of the Black.[8]
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
After a brief battle with the The Flash and Fuerza, he was captured and sent to Belle Reve, where he joined the Suicide Squad. On their first mission, they were sent to battle rebel fighters. The Shark managed to kill one of them, Scale before being punched off the submarine they were on. (Suicide Squad v6 #1) Following his first mission, Shark was sent on another mission in order to protect the president of a country. During this mission, he was assigned to work with Fin, the brother of Scale. Fin betrayed Shark and using his aquatelepahty, commanded the sharks and fish in the water to devour Shark, avenging his brother. (Suicide Squad v6 #3)
Overview
Personality and attributes
It was said that the Shark had no real name. (Green Lantern v4 #5)
He saw other living beings as prey and meat to be consumed. The Shark had a compulsion to feast on brains. (Green Lantern v4 #5)
Powers and abilities
Originally, the Shark was an ordinary shark which was caught in an explosion which transformed his physiology into that of a more humanoid appearance. Along with his new appearance he gained strange new powers and enhanced his regular beastial abilities. (Green Lantern v2 #24)
The Sharkâs super-evolved brain was capable of mind-over-matter feats of manipulation. His new form immediately absorbed collective human knowledge, including language. With enough fear and willpower, The Shark can increase his size to incredible amounts. The Shark was shown the ability to fire an energy blast from his forehead. (Green Lantern v2 #24)
In his evolved state, the Shark possesses advanced mental powers, including telepathy, matter manipulation, and the ability to project bolts of energy. He can use his telepathic abilities to project fear into the minds of others. In his first appearance, he created a forcefield large enough to cover a city. In some cases, the Shark has shown the ability to change his features to resemble a human male. Even in his evolved state, Shark retains some of his primitive shark abilities, including an enhanced sense of smell, and the ability to breathe underwater.
In more recent appearances, the Shark appears to have lost most of his powers (demonstrating just super strength), but retains his natural instincts and enhanced senses. He also displays a more animal-like intelligence and lacks the ability to speak. The cause of this change is unknown.
In fact, he was altered by the evolutionary experiments of the extraterrestrial Kroloteans who looked to evolve a living weapon. (Green Lantern v4 #6)
His evolved electric sensory organs provided him a pseudo-psychic ability. (Green Lantern v4 #5)
With his psychic powers, he was able to trigger fear in his fear to paralyse them. (Green Lantern v4 #5)
The hungrier he got then the larger he grew in size. (Green Lantern v4 #5)
He was strong enough to break through a Green Lantern Power Ring's force field. (Green Lantern v4 #5)
A latent radioactive substance and an extraterrestrial tracker was lodged within his ampullae of lorenzini. (Green Lantern v4 #5)
Notes
- The Shark was created by John Broome and Gil Kane where he made his first appearance in Green Lantern v2 #24 (October, 1963).
Alternate Versions
- In Flashpoint: Hal Jordan v1 #1 (2011), an alternate version of the Shark appeared in the altered reality of the Flashpoint. He attacked two American fighter jets flying over the ocean that were piloted by Hal "Highball" Jordan and Carol "Sapphire" Ferris. Highball, thinking quickly, had Carol and himself eject from their planes as they crashed into each other to kill the beast.
In other media
Television
Appearances
- Green Lantern v2: (1963).
- Green Lantern v4:
External Links
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