In the latest episode of Lanterns, Episode 6, "Bad Optics," Aaron Pierre's John Stewart dropped references not only to James Gunn's Superman and the near-destruction of Metropolis, but also to The Suicide Squad and the origin of the kaiju-sized Starro. However, the origin of this classic Justice League foe that Stewart mentions doesn't align with the one established in the Suicide Squad sequel. Due to the season finale of Creature Commandos and a deal made between Idris Elba's Bloodsport and Viola Davis' Amanda Waller, some fans have wondered if this has created a continuity error.
In the opening of "Bad Optics," Stewart pitched to the Midway City council on investing in underground bunkers rather than in military weapons in response to future intergalactic threats, or, as Stewart put it, "...whatever giant starfish comes sliding out of the ocean." But fans should know that Starro didn't come from the bottom of the sea in the DCU, but the stars, covertly captured and cruelly experimented on by the United States government.
A secret that a team of forcibly conscripted supervillains in The Suicide Squad was unknowingly tasked with erasing, but thanks to Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag Jr. saving the data drive instead of destroying it, Bloodsport was able to use it as blackmail against Amanda Waller. The terms of the agreement, as made by Bloodsport, were that, "If we all go free, it never has to see the light of day."
Waller agreed, letting Bloodsport, Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, Daniela Melchior's Ratcatcher II, and Nanaue, aka King Shark, go free. However, a potential continuity error arises when fans saw Nanaue again imprisoned at Belle Reve in the season finale of Creature Commandos.
With Nanaue imprisoned again, it's curious why the cover story for Starro's origin, "sliding out of the ocean," has stuck with the public and why Bloodsport hasn't blown the whistle already and released all the files to every news station on the planet.
Why Is King Shark Still in Belle Reve?
While Robert DuBois, aka Bloodsport, wasn't the biggest fan of King Shark, considering his tendency to eat people, Ratcatcher II quickly became the walking shark's only real friend despite his previous appetite for her.
Since DuBois and Ratcatcher's successor, Cleo Cazo, became far closer by the end of The Suicide Squad, it's unlikely that she would allow Bloodsport to let Nanaue stay imprisoned in Belle Reve and not use the Starro files to free him.
The only question is why they haven't done anything yet for their aquatic friend. It's entirely possible that they don't even know he's been imprisoned at Belle Reve again alongside other villains.
The two won't know until he's deployed in the field with The Bride and the rest of the new and improved Task Force M in Creature Commandos Season 2. The animated series might even go out of its way to explain how Amanda Waller will rationalize utilizing King Shark despite Bloodsport's previous threat at the end of The Suicide Squad.
Bloodsport and Ratcatcher II could even appear in the animated series as wild cards to free their friend. After all, there's quite a bit we haven't learned about Creature Commandos Season 2 yet, including what other characters, like Captain Atom, will get in the way of Task Force M and their undisclosed mission.
However, the most mundane and likely explanation for King Shark being under Waller's thumb again is that he reoffended and was captured, which wouldn't be a surprise for someone as impulsively hungry as Nanaue.
The deal was likely contingent only on their release in The Suicide Squad, not blanket immunity from any crimes committed afterward. After all, there's also DuBois' daughter he has to think about, since Waller could imprison her at any time for her crimes, meaning he has to keep the Starro files as a failsafe to protect her.
Whatever the case might be for why King Shark is imprisoned, and the government secrets have been kept, it's entertaining to see the ways Lanterns has been integrating the rest of the DCU into the series, despite its more serious tone.
