Everyone's Obsessed with King Shark Now

He's the undisputed star of 'The Suicide Squad' trailer.

king shark, the suicide squad
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures

The new trailer for James Gunn's The Suicide Squad features a number of big stars. There's Margot Robbie reprising her role as Harley Quinn once again. Oscar-winner Viola Davis is there as the imperious Amanda Waller. Idris Elba and John Cena are new to the franchise but make a big impression. Even Saturday Night Live performer and tabloid staple Pete Davidson is picking toilet paper off of his Croc shoe in this footage. But one creature steals all their thunder: His name is King Shark and he rules. 

Shortly after the trailer's debut, Gunn confirmed that the shark man is being portrayed by the very famous Sylvester Stallone. But even if he wasn't imbued with the soul of Rocky, we would still love him. Here are some things King Shark does in the trailer: He eats a man whole after he says "nom nom." He points out that he has a hand. He rips another dude in half. He stands and has a human skull (!) snack while buildings crumble around him. Basically, he seems like a sweetie with rage issues. He's a celeb. 

King Shark in this trailer has big Groot energy, which makes sense given that James Gunn has spent the last couple of years helming the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise for DC's rival Marvel. But Groot, of course, doesn't have King Shark's chompers. Nom nom, indeed.

Meanwhile, if you're looking for a fix of King Shark while you're waiting for The Suicide Squad to come out on August 6, may we suggest checking out the incredible animated series Harley Quinn. That version of this fishy friend is a lot more verbal and he is voiced by comedian Ron Funches. He's also a computer hacker. After all, he has hands, why not put them to use. 

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Esther Zuckerman is a senior entertainment writer at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @ezwrites.