Jeff the Land Shark

Comic books #7 (January 2019) by writer Kelly Thompson and artist Daniele di Nicuolo Following a universally positive internet reception, Jeff consequently appeared in the rest of the run of West Coast Avengers''. Thompson wrote in a post on her Substack that Jeff's original design included side flippers, however, they were removed early on. He was also featured in the one-page story "Monsters" by writer Thompson and artist Pepe Larraz which was printed in Marvel's 80th Anniversary project Marvel #1000 (2019). written by Thompson and drawn by Gurihiru. A second season of ''It's Jeff! returned in September 2022, running until January 2023, a third season launched in October 2023, running until March 2024, and a fourth season launched with issue #37 in November 2024, running until May 2025. It's Jeff: The Jeff-Verse #1 was released in November 2023; this print issue collects issues #13-24 of the Infinity Comic''. Jeff has also appeared in the Marvel Meow Infinity Comic (2022) and in the Marvel Unlimited crossover Infinity Paws, written by Jason Loo and drawn by Nao Fuji, which released in spring 2024. Jeff was "venomized" as part of Marvel's 2023 Summer of Symbiotes event in the short story "The Rhythm of the Night," written by Thompson and drawn by Gurihiru. This story was printed in Extreme Venomverse #5 (July 2023). As part of the 2024 Venom War event, Jeff was featured in the one-shot ''Venom War: It's Jeff'' #1 (November 2024), by the same creative team. Jeff appears in Jeff Week Infinity Comic (2024), a five-issue limited series written and drawn by Gustavo Duarte. He also appeared in Marvel Rivals Infinity Comic (2024), a six-issue limited series by writer Paul Allor and artist Luca Claretti. Jeff and Kate Bishop guest-star in the limited series Gwenpool (2025), by writer Cavan Scott and artist Stefano Nesi, which focuses on Gwen Poole and Peter Parker confronting the resurrected Gwen Stacy. Jeff headlines in the five-issue limited series Jeff The Land Shark (vol. 1), written by Thompson and illustrated by Tokitokoro, with the first issue released in June 2025. Regarding the series, Thompson stated, "I'm thrilled that the slow burn success of Jeff in comics and the wildfire success of Jeff in Marvel Rivals can work together to bring us the opportunity for not only more Jeff stories, but more complex Jeff stories". Between the release of DC's Superman/Spider-Man #1 and Marvel's Spider-Man/Superman #1, a digital one-shot featuring Jeff and Aquaman was released in April 2026. This crossover issue, ''It's Jeff/Aquaman'' #1, was written by Thompson and drawn by Andres Genolet. Thompson and Tokitokoro will reunite as creators for the upcoming five-issue limited series Jeff the Land Shark: Superstar, with the first issue set to release in July 2026. Covers Jeff, with Carol Danvers, was featured on the variant cover of Captain Marvel #39 with art by Gurihiru; this version was exclusive to Marvel Unlimited Annual Plus subscribers who attended San Diego Comic-Con in July 2022. Two more variant covers featuring Jeff were then produced, also by Gurihuru, in October 2022: Captain Marvel #42 and Captain America: Symbol of Truth #6. Nao Fuji (artist of Marvel Meow) also produced a variant cover, for Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings #4 (October 2022), featuring Jeff. The "venomized" version of Jeff was featured on two of the Extreme Venomverse #5 (July 2023) covers: the standard cover by Leinil Francis Yu and a variant cover by Peach Momoko. ==Fictional character biography==

The land sharks are an amphibious four-legged shark species that were created by MODOK Superior as part of a plan to attack Santa Monica. When the West Coast Avengers led by Kate Bishop defeated the West Coast version of the Masters of Evil, of which MODOK Superior was a part, MODOK Superior's former employee and nemesis Gwen Poole found and adopted a baby land-shark. Gwen named the creature Jeff after a kitten of the same name she had adopted earlier in the series but whom she had to give up. Gwen was also motivated to adopt him by previously having had a shark-theme herself, including a shark backpack, a Blåhaj, a shark phone case, and a sharklike Venom form. Jeff became part of the West Coast Avengers. In an attempt to secure a better future for Jeff, she entrusts him to Wade Wilson, only for his title to be promptly cancelled as well. In the series, "Jeff has been the darling of a superhero pool party; stolen Captain America's shield to sled with the Young Avengers; eaten the Infinity Gauntlet; and swiped a superhero gathering's Thanksgiving turkey". In the 2022 second season, Gwen returns and continues to care for Jeff along with Kate, having been absent for the first season. Jeff was with Kate Bishop and Gwenpool when they encountered X-31, a reconstructed version of the Gwen Stacy clone created by New U Technologies and later modified by a branch of the Weapon X Project led by the Grand Architect. Jeff later helps fight the Weapon X soldiers as Spider-Man unmasks the Grand Architect who Gwenpool reveals to be a counterpart of Marvel Comics writer Cavan Scott. ==Powers and abilities==

Jeff is a quadruped land shark with a prodigious appetite. He possesses the normal attributes of an Earth shark except that he is able to breathe out of water, has legs, and possesses enhanced intelligence. His main attack is biting. To blend in when out in public, Jeff uses an assortment of animal costumes. In the game Marvel Rivals, Jeff is able to produce healing bubbles, as well as shoot jets and bursts of water. In the lore of Marvel Rivals, it is stated that Jeff ate Pym Particles while fleeing from the Collector. Because of this, as well as some other magical artifacts that Jeff had eaten, such as the Infinity Stones, he is able to transform into a giant version of himself for a short period in order to eat his enemies. ==Reception==

Critical response Chris Arrant of Newsarama called Jeff the Land Shark a "fan-favorite," writing, "Jeff the Land Shark slowly became a low-key cult-favorite character for some comics fans." Samantha King of Screen Rant referred to Jeff as "Marvel's cutest character," stating, "The little shark has quickly become a fan-favorite in both the real world and Marvel's universe." Nicholas Howe of CBR ranked Jeff the Land Shark 1st in their "10 Cutest Marvel Heroes" list, saying, "Jeff has become one of the most beloved figures of the last few years," while Darby Harn ranked him 6th in their "10 Most Iconic Pets In Marvel Comics" list. On Jeff's debut in West Coast Avengers, Robbie Pleasant of Multiversity Comics commented that, "it was clear from the get-go that Jeff was the next big thing in comics, an absolute superstar that would dominate the industry, or at least our hearts. Here at Multiversity, it quickly became a running gag in the pages of Saturday Morning Panels just how much we all love that little land shark". In April 2025, Jonathan Jones of AIPT commented that "the lovable land shark's star has remained on a steady rise ever since" his appearance in West Coast Avengers. She explained that the platform's required account registration, even for free comics, is a barrier to entry so "Infinity Comics are unlikely to be seen by the sort of casual reader who frequents the other webtoon platforms". It was nominated for Best Digital Comic at the 2022 Eisner Awards. Following the print release in 2023, Avery Kaplan, for The Beat, called the collected issue a "must-read… or a must re-read". Joshua Kazemi, in a review of ''Venom War: It's Jeff #1 for CBR'', wrote that the one-shot is "incredibly satisfying thanks to Jeff himself" and while it is not very "substantive" and lacks "meaningful character arcs", the issue "is very fun and very cute". Kazemi commented that due to the issue's "great panels, there's never a moment where a reader is questioning what's happening or how Jeff is feeling". ComicHub, a point of sale tracking system which provides a "non-random sample" from "stores selling American comics around the world", listed the print one-shot collection ''It's Jeff: Jeff Week #1 in May 2025 as #40 on "Top 50 Graphic Novels by Units" and #33 on "Top 50 Graphic Novels by Dollars". It's Jeff: Jeff-Verse was also #6 on "ICv2 chart of the Top 10 webtoon franchises in comic stores" for "Spring 2025". Brigid Alverson of ICv2 noted that "Jeff makes the Top 10 on the strength of a single graphic novel" which she attributed to the series "getting a boost from the fact that Jeff is a playable character in Marvel Rivals". Cass Marshall of Polygon'' commented that they were "delighted to discover" the character through the video game and that they were "not alone" in becoming "obsessed with Jeff". Marshall wrote that in play they enjoy Jeff's "toe beans, the way he hums menacingly when he submerges beneath the ground, his reload animation that has him flip on his back and snack on a tasty fish". Rich Johnston of Bleeding Cool noted that the resale value of West Coast Avengers (vol. 3) #7 on eBay increased following a spike in Jeff's popularity, which he attributed to Jeff's appearance in the game. ==Titles==

Television Jeff the Land Shark appears in Spidey and His Amazing Friends, with vocal effects provided by Rama Vallury. This version is a long-time friend of the pirate Web-Beard and resident of Spider-Island. Film • Jeff the Land Shark appears in Lego Marvel Avengers: Mission Demolition. • Brad Winderbaum, the head of television, streaming, and animation at Marvel Studios, confirmed in December 2024 that Jeff will appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tabletop games • Jeff the Land Shark appears in Marvel United: X-Men (2021) board game via Gwenpool's Kickstarter exclusive miniature. • Jeff the Land Shark appears in Marvel: Crisis Protocol (2019) board game via the "Gwenpool Character Pack" released in 2023. • Jeff the Land Shark appears in Marvel United: Multiverse (2024) board game via the Pet Companions expansion which was released as a Kickstarter stretch goal. • Jeff the Land Shark is scheduled to appear in the expansion Marvel Rivals: Timestream Adventure (2026) for the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game (2023). The adventure will be written by Paul Allor and Matt Forbeck and will also include a prequel comic by Allor with art by Ig Guara. Video games • Jeff the Land Shark appears as a playable character in Marvel Puzzle Quest. • Jeff the Land Shark appears as a card in Marvel Snap. • Jeff the Land Shark appears as a playable character in Marvel Rivals, voiced by Jon Bailey. • Jeff the Land Shark appears as a playable character in Marvel: Future Fight since April 2026. Miscellaneous Jeff the Land Shark received an action figure in Hasbro's Marvel Legends line in 2020. The figure was bundled with a figure of the villain Shiklah. This action figure, Jeff's first, includes the side flippers which were subsequently removed from the character's design. ==References==