In a Tweet sent on August 4, 2022, comics editor Heather Antos drew attention to a real-life evolutionary development in a species of shark calling to mind a Marvel Comics character introduced during her tenure at the publisher: Jeff the Land Shark! What’s next? A real-world Alligator Loki? Oh, wait, that already happened!

The adorable four-legged shark Jeff was first introduced in West Coast Avengers (2019) #7 by Kelly Thompson, Daniele Di Nicuolo, Tríona Tree Farrell, and Joe Caramagna, but he went on to appear in Gwenpool Strikes Back and multiple issues of Deadpool. The walking shark is popular enough with comic book readers that he even starred in his own solo Infinity Comics series on Marvel Unlimited, It’s Jeff! Infinity Comic, written by Thompson and illustrated by legendary Gwenpool duo Gurihiru.

Antos Tweeted in reaction to a nonfiction story that was revealed during Shark Week on Discovery. In addition to footage of a Great White Shark attacking an underwater cage and video recording of the interior of a Tiger Shark’s mouth, there was a special hosted by Forrest Galante, Island of the Walking Sharks, featuring a species called the Papuan epaulette shark. The species uses its fins to drag itself out of the water and travel across a short distance of land, as seen in a video recorded by Galante.

“This is the first time in history one of the Papuan species of epaulets has been documented walking,” Galante stated in the footage. “How amazing is that, to see a shark leave the water and come onto land. The only known shark in the world that will walk out of the water and over land.”

Who is Jeff the Land Shark?

     Marvel Comics

In the panels of Marvel Comics, however, Jeff the Land Shark has a somewhat different origin story. In a plotline that began in West Coast Avengers (2019) #1 by Thompson, Stefano Caselli, Farrell, and Caramagna, Santa Monica is ravaged by a herd of full-grown Land Sharks that are later revealed to have been created by B.R.O.D.O.K. (Bio-Robotic Organism Designed Overwhelmingly for Kissing).

As you might have gleaned from the name, B.R.O.D.O.K. is later revealed to actually be M.O.D.O.K. (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing). However, in spite of the overwhelming likelihood that he is the creation of such a malignant (and oversized) mind, Jeff has an adorable personality to match his cute, diminutive appearance.

While the Jeff the Land Shark doppelgänger stole the show, Shark Week did have some representation from the Distinguished Competition, as well. Serving as “Master of Ceremonies” for the proceedings this year was Dwayne Johnson, who is set to appear in the DC Comics movie Black Adam when it premieres in October 2022 (always assuming the project isn’t canceled before its release).