Ocean Master

Ocean Master (Orm Marius) is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy, the character first appeared in Aquaman #29 (September 1966).[1] He is an enemy of his half-brother Arthur Curry, otherwise known as Aquaman, and is commonly depicted as an adversary of the Justice League, the superhero team of which his brother is a founding member.

Ocean Master
Textless cover of Aquaman #14 (January 2013).
Art by Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, and Rod Reis.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceAquaman #29 (September 1966)
Created byBob Haney
Nick Cardy
In-story information
Alter egoOrm Marius
SpeciesAtlantean
Team affiliationsAnti-Justice League
Injustice Gang
Secret Society of Super Villains
Notable aliasesPrince Orm
King Orm
AbilitiesSkilled military tactician
Magical manipulation
Utilizes mystically-powered trident
Atlantean physiology grants:
  • Superhuman strength, stamina, and endurance
  • Ability to survive in aquatic environment
  • Telepathic mind control over marine life

The character has been substantially adapted from the comics into various forms of media, including the Justice League cartoon television series, the animated movie Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, and several DC-related video games. Ocean Master made his live action debut in the 2018 DC Extended Universe film Aquaman, portrayed by actor Patrick Wilson.

Fictional character biography

Pre-Crisis

Orm Curry was Aquaman's fully human half-brother, the son of Tom Curry (Aquaman's father) and a woman named Mary O'Sullivan.[2] He grew up under the shadow of his heroic half-brother and resented the fact that he had none of Aquaman's powers, being fully human, and he was already a petty criminal when he was stricken with amnesia and forgot all about his former life, disappearing shortly afterwards.

Several years later, the self-named Orm Marius reappeared as the Ocean Master, a high-tech pirate who initially attacked ships but quickly moved on to causing natural disasters in order to hold the world at ransom.[3] Aquaman and Aqualad were captured by Ocean Master but managed to escape. Aquaman was then unable to fight Ocean Master after having seen behind the Ocean Master's mask and realizing that he was his half-brother Orm, although he did stop his plan.

In his subsequent appearances Ocean Master, believing Aquaman was afraid of him, had decided to overthrow Aquaman and usurp his throne. Unable to survive underwater, he made a special costume and helmet to help him breathe while in the ocean and clashed with Aquaman many times.[4] Ocean Master regained his memory when Deadman took possession of his body and unlocked Orm's memories in Aquaman #50 (March–April 1970), but he continued to plot against his half-brother.

Post-Crisis

Ocean Master's origins changed following Peter David's reinvention of Aquaman. He is still Aquaman's half-brother, but since Aquaman is no longer the son of Thomas Curry, Orm is now the son of Atlan the wizard (Aquaman's true father) and an Inupiat woman.

He first appeared in issue #3 of the four-issue miniseries Aquaman: Time and Tide (February 1994), in which Aquaman recorded the story of his life. This told how one of his early encounters with humans was when he rescued a girl named Kako from a polar bear. Her family were all traditionalists, except her cousin Orm, who had no time for the old ways. When Kako and Orin/Arthur (the future Aquaman) began a sexual relationship, Orm attacked her in a jealous rage. Although she survived, she did not recall what had happened to her.

Orm appeared in his Ocean Master costume in the next issue, which is set early in Orin's career as Aquaman and his rule of Atlantis. As in the Pre-Crisis continuity, Ocean Master desires the throne of Atlantis, having learnt his father was an Atlantean wizard. At this time, neither he nor Aquaman knew of their relationship, although Aquaman would make the connection while recording the events.

During the 1995 Underworld Unleashed storyline, Ocean Master later started using mystical powers when he sold his soul to Neron for a powerful trident which gave him great power, but caused extreme agony and hideously scarred his face if he was not holding it. With this, he conquered the Dreaming City, a nation of Atlantean offshoots. He was then found by Aquaman, who was seeking to unite all the tribes of Atlantis. Aquaman convinced Ocean Master that they were half-brothers; however, the pressure of this caused Orm's mind to snap.[5]

Following this, he briefly joined Lex Luthor's Injustice Gang, an "all archenemies" counterpart to the "Big Seven" Justice League. He also attempted to aggravate the tensions between Atlantis and the surface country of Cerdia.

Ocean Master clashed with the JLA again when he attempted to claim the remains of Atlantis following Aquaman's apparent death in the 2001 storyline "Our Worlds At War".

Orm was last seen having used his mystical talents to alter reality so that he was Aquaman and Orin was Ocean Master, using a spell with the bones of Aquaman's lost hand as a focus. As Aquaman, Orm held Sub Diego under his evil rule, restricting the city's growth by claiming that the surface world had been destroyed by the attack that sunk the city.[6] However, Arthur was able to defeat his brother's plot, thanks to Doctor Geist - the scientist who had turned Sub Diego's population into water-breathers, who had studied Aquaman extensively and was unaffected by the spell as Orm did not know he even existed, Geist providing Arthur with enough details of the real world to find the source of Orm's power and destroy it.[7]

The miniseries The Atlantis Chronicles suggests that brothers battling for rulership is a recurring theme in Atlantean history.[8][9]

In the series Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis, Ocean Master enslaves the Atlanteans who survived the Spectre's destruction of Atlantis, and is using them to mine industrial materials for the surface world.

In the 2005 - 2006 storyline "Infinite Crisis", Ocean Master became a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains.

In the 2008 - 2009 storyline "Final Crisis", Ocean Master is placed on the new Society's inner circle by Libra.

The New 52: Aquaman and Justice League (2012–2014)

In The New 52, DC Comics' relaunch of all of its monthly titles and the rebooting of the DC Universe continuity, Ocean Master's origins are once again revised. According to the Atlantean advisor Vulko, the queen of Atlantis, Atlanna, left her first child, Arthur Curry, to live with his father on the surface world, thus protecting him from the effects of Atlantean tyranny. Atlanna is later forced to marry a member of the Atlantean Guard and gives birth to her second child, Orm. Twelve years later, Orm's father is killed and Atlanna dies under unknown circumstances, making Orm the new king. Vulko accuses Orm of killing Atlanna, but fails to produce evidence and flees. When Vulko is later confronted by Arthur (who is searching for Atlantis), he explains his brother's origins and tells him that Arthur is the rightful heir of Atlantis's throne, and therefore, must overthrow Orm.[10]

Aquaman, suspected Orm to be the Atlantean that hired Black Manta to steal Aquaman's scepter, which is an Atlantean relic of great power that was taken from the Dead King's tomb.[11] When the Atlantean retrieves the relic, Aquaman believes Orm is in the Atlantean ship and demands that he reveal himself, but the Atlantean ship escapes.[12] Later, Orm is visited by Aquaman to ask if he took the scepter, but Orm says that he did not, saying that if he wanted the relic scepter he would ask Aquaman for it.[13] It is also revealed that Aquaman allowed Orm to remain the king of Atlantis, on the condition that he would not invade the surface world.

During the 2012 "Throne of Atlantis" storyline, someone sabotages an aircraft carrier and provokes it into attacking Atlantis. Believing to be under attack from the surface, Orm leads Atlantean soldiers to invade the carrier and then wage war on the surface.[14] Orm arrives in Boston, attacking seafarers and asking for his brother, Aquaman. Aquaman confronts Orm and attempts to talk sense to him, but they are interrupted by the Justice League without warning. Aquaman defends his brother, refusing to have him face extradition.[15] Attacked on multiple fronts, Orm electrocutes then imprisons the Justice League within water cocoons. He sends the Justice League to the abyssal plain, while he attempts to sink the city of Boston.[16]

While Orm and his Atlantean soldiers plant bombs in an attempt to sink the city and face off against the superheroes that Cyborg called in as reserves, they are attacked by a race of sea creatures known as the Trench. After the Justice League escape from the abyssal plain, Aquaman realizes Orm is not using the relic scepter to sink the city. Since the Trench can only be commanded with the relic scepter, someone else must be using it to manipulate the Atlantean war. The mastermind is revealed to be Vulko.[17]

The Justice League arrive to battle both the Atlanteans and the Trench, while Aquaman attacks his brother and tries to convince him that Vulko is responsible for the Atlantean war. However, Orm refuses to listen, believing that Aquaman has been corrupted by the surface world. The Justice League manage to dispose of all the bomb detonators in Boston, but Orm tries to use his control helmet to summon a tidal wave. Mera's power turns the wave to hard water to stop it. Orm is defeated by Aquaman, who reclaims the throne and takes command of the deceived Atlantean soldiers. The Trench are returned home and Vulko is taken in for an Atlantean trial. However, Orm is remanded to Belle Reve for his crimes after abdicating the throne and losing political immunity in the process. As he is taken away, Aquaman apologizes to his brother.[18]

Afterwards, the renegade Atlantean, Murk, makes plans to break Orm - now known by the media as the "Ocean Master" (a name he despises) - out of Belle Reve.[19] While in prison, Orm is advised by his lawyer that he must plead guilty to the criminal charges against him.[20] Murk and other Atlanteans arrive to free Orm, but return home when they receive a message that Atlantis is under attack.[21]

During the 2013 "Forever Evil" storyline, Deathstorm and Power Ring invade Belle Reve, killing Orm's lawyer. During Belle Reve's prison break, Orm walks out to reclaim his Atlantean garb when a critically wounded prison officer begs for help; seeing that this officer was the only one who showed him any kindness, Orm kills him to end his suffering. He then runs into fellow escapees who are attacking a small-town diner, and whilst he is initially not bothered about confronting them, once they turn their attentions to him, he takes them out. A diner employee named Erin desperately pleads with Orm to save her young son Tommy, but he refuses, instead heading back to the ocean. However, he changes his mind, going back midway through his path to save him.[22] In the aftermath of the attack, Orm now lives with Erin and Tommy, entertaining the latter with stories of Atlantis. Suddenly, Orm is confronted by King Nereus from Xebel who has found the other four kingdoms. Nereus offers him the opportunity to join him to allow the kings of the Seven Seas to rule Earth once more.[23]

DC Rebirth

Orm returns in the miniseries Mera: Queen of Atlantis. At the star of the series, he is shown to be engaged to Erin and views Tommy as his son, having decided to leave Arthur to rule Atlantis and settle down with his new family. However, when he learns that his brother has been deposed by the usurper Courm Rath and is now presumed dead, Orm silently leaves Erin and Tommy in the middle of the night, feeling duty bound to reassert his claim to the throne. This brings him into conflict with Mera, who the power brokers of Atlantis have selected to replace Rath, and his sister Tula, who is now a close ally of Arthur and Mera. Mera defeats Orm and has him imprisoned.

Mera releases Orm from prison during the Drowned Earth event, when all the inhabitants of Atlantis besides the two of them are transformed into monsters by tainted waters released by a trio of alien sea gods. He leads her to a hidden chamber where an ancient artifact called the Clarion which could repel the invasion is stored, but is himself transformed by the waters.

Orm next appears in a oneshot special as part of the Year of the Villain. Following Drowned Earth, Orm hid as a beggar on the streets of the Ninth Tride, Atlantis' poorest district and closest to the sea floor. Still considered a wanted criminal by Mera's regime, and unable to escape the city due to impenetrable guard patrols which he himself designed, Orm wandered the streets, bitter that despite sacrificing everything for Atlantis, it neither needed nor wanted him. One day, Orm met a beggar who told him the story of Dagon, a surface king who created an amulet that allowed him to control a powerful ocean elemental. Dagon was killed by his followers who threw the amulet in the deepest trench in the ocean, where the elemental supposedly still called people to it. Later that night, a mad beggar named Palkor who could hear the elemental ran past Orm through a secret tunnel out of the city.

Powers and abilities

Ocean Master Pre-Crisis was a high tech sea pirate who utilized many innovative gadgets and weaponry during his early years as a supervillain. He even utilized a special device that enabled him and his men to brave the depths of the sea without fear of the environment or drowning. Eventually he would better arm himself with a mastery of magical powers through Atlantean mystical relics giving him arcane abilities with effects including magical bolts and telepathy.

Post-Crisis, Orm was left a powerless individual with no remarkable abilities. However, after making a deal with the demon Neron, Ocean Master could manipulate magical energy once again, but in greater amounts, through use of the magic trident he was provided as a focus for his power. However, should he be separated from his trident, he would pay the price of a horribly blemished face and excruciating surges of pain. Orm also wore a helmet that let him breathe underwater and special body armor that let him withstand the pressures of the deep and offer some resistance from physical attacks.[5]

In the New 52 reboot, Orm is a full-blooded Atlantean with physiology similar to his half-brother; like Arthur he is capable of breathing under water without difficulty, and able to move and navigate the ocean deep with keen senses adapted to it. Likely due to his royal heritage, Orm is seemingly stronger than other Atlanteans, making him a super-Atlantean like Aquaman, having fought against him on equal footing more than once. His arsenal now consists of a trident (which he refers to as a scepter) and a helmet (which he refers to as the Crown) with oceanic manipulatory effects.

The trident can control lightning (referred to as the storms) and his Crown which allows him to control massive amounts of water from the seas, to the level of tsunamis, water spouts, cyclones and other powerful tidal effects. The Crown was broken by Aquaman punching Orm yet mysteriously reformed itself as he made his escape during forever evil, indicating it may have self recovering properties.

Other versions

In the alternate timeline of the 2011 "Flashpoint" storyline,[24][25] Ocean Master is revealed to have conspired with Artemis and Hippolyta's sister, Penthiselea to start a war between the Atlanteans and the Amazons, during which they would have Aquaman and Wonder Woman killed, in a plot that would eventually see the two conspirators hailed as heroes by the two civilizations for ending the war.[26]

In the comics tie-in to the animated television series Young Justice, Orm's double-life as Ocean-Master was confirmed in issue 14. Ocean Master debriefed his Atlantean Purists into terrorizing the impure Atlanteans while Aquaman is away. Before their attack, Ocean Master allayed their fear of Aqualad and told them to be ready nonetheless. When the Atlantean Purists attacked Atlantis, Ocean-Master had Queen Mera at his mercy.

In other media

Television
  • Lord Orm appears in the episode "The Enemy Below" of the DC animated universe series Justice League, voiced by Richard Green. This version is a member of the Atlantean royal court. Orm encourages his brother to declare war on the surface world, but when Aquaman hesitates, Orm hires the mercenary Deadshot to assassinate him. Aquaman survives the attack and returns to Atlantis, where Orm has assumed the throne and places him under arrest. He takes Aquaman and his infant son and chains them both on a cliff over a vein of molten lava, leaving them to die. In order to save his son, Aquaman must make the terrible sacrifice of severing his own hand. Orm and a rebellious faction of the Atlantean army go to the North Pole to activate an Atlantean "last resort" weapon that will melt the ice caps and submerge the surface world entirely. Assisted by the Justice League, Aquaman confronts his brother. When the ice crumbles under Orm's feet, he begs for mercy, but Aquaman refuses to save him, leaving Orm to fall to his death.
  • Ocean Master appears in the episode "Evil Under the Sea" of the animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced by Wallace Langham. In this series, he is the older brother of Aquaman and hires Black Manta to kill Aquaman, Mera, and his own nephew Arthur Jr., but Black Manta double-crosses him. Batman mentioned facing Orm several times before this episode, once having stopped Orm from hijacking a nuclear sub.
  • Orm, credited as "Ocean-Master", appears in the Young Justice animated series, voiced by Roger Craig Smith. He is a member of The Light. He is featured in the episodes "Downtime", "Revelation", "Auld Acquaintance", and "Alienated". In season two, he was replaced on the Light by Black Manta. He returns in Young Justice: Outsiders with a plot to murder the Justice League's families. It was revealed that Ocean-Master's identity was exposed, which led to him being incarcerated in Atlantis for six years and was why Black Manta replaced him on the Light. Before he can carry out his plan, Lady Shiva stops him and then decapitates him on behalf of the Light, who didn't want a rogue agent ruining their plans.

Live action
Patrick Wilson as King Orm Marius / Ocean Master in Aquaman (2018).
  • Orm Marius / Ocean Master made his live action debut in the 2018 DC Extended Universe film Aquaman, portrayed by actor Patrick Wilson.[27] He is the younger, fully-Atlantean half-brother of Arthur Curry and the second child of Queen Atlanna; Atlanna was thought to have been sacrificed to The Trench years ago for Arthur's illegitimate birth, and Orm blamed Arthur for their mother's alleged death. Orm is introduced in the film as the King of Atlantis (who took the throne after his father Orvax died) who seeks to rule all of the seven undersea kingdoms and declare war on the surface world as retaliation for humanity's centuries-long pollution and exploitation of the ocean.[28] To this end, Orm hires mercenary David Kane to use a nuclear submarine to attack Atlantis, using the attack as a pretext to provoke an all-out war with the surface. Arthur journeys to Atlantis with Mera in an attempt to avert the war, only for Orm to best Arthur during a gladiator match. As Orm prepares to kill Arthur, Mera interferes and helps the latter escape. Orm then conquers four of the seven underwater kingdoms and declares himself the "Ocean Master" after killing the Fisherman King Ricou for declining him and persuading his wife Queen Rina and daughter Princess Scales to side with him. He also relieves Arthur's tutor, Nuidis Vulko, from his position as royal vizier and places him under arrest for treason, instructing his soldiers to make sure Vulko "has a view" (from his cell). When the Atlantean army attempts to conquer the Brine Kingdom, Arthur appears to challenge him with King Atlan's long-lost trident, a weapon that only the true King of Atlantis can wield. The two brothers duel once more, this time on the surface, and Arthur defeats Orm by breaking Orvax's trident with Atlan's trident. Arthur spares Orm's life as Atlanna shows up. While Orm is surprised that his mother is alive, Atlanna states that she loves both her sons, even though Orm was misguided by Orvax's beliefs that the surface world and the undersea world cannot co-exist. Having realized his fault, Orm surrenders and is taken away by Atlantean soldiers under Vulko's instruction, adding to make sure Orm "has a view". As Orm is taken away, Arthur offers to talk with him when he's ready.

Animation

Video games

Merchandise
  • Several collectibles of Orm in his Ocean Master armor were released in 2018 based on his appearance in the Aquaman film, including a 6' DC Multiverse figure by Mattel and a Pop! Vinyl statue by Funko.[31]

References
  1. Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 220. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
  2. Wells, John (2014). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1965-1969. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 121. ISBN 978-1605490557.
  3. Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 251. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.
  4. Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 124. ISBN 978-1-4654-8578-6.
  5. Aquaman (vol. 5) #18-20 (March-May 1996)
  6. Aquaman (vol. 6) #26 (March 2005). DC Comics.
  7. Aquaman (vol. 6) #27 (April 2005). DC Comics.
  8. The Atlantis Chronicles #1-7 (March 1990-September 1990)
  9. Also mentioned in Aquaman: Time and Tide #1-4 (December 1993-March 1994)
  10. Aquaman (vol. 7) #0 (September 2012). DC Comics.
  11. Aquaman (vol. 7) #11 (July 2012). DC Comics.
  12. Aquaman (vol. 7) #13 (October 2012). DC Comics.
  13. Aquaman (vol. 7) #14 (November 2012). DC Comics.
  14. Justice League (vol. 2) #15 (December 2012). DC Comics.
  15. Aquaman (vol. 7) #15 (December 2012). DC Comics.
  16. Justice League (vol. 2) #16 (January 2013). DC Comics.
  17. Aquaman (vol. 7) #16 (January 2013). DC Comics.
  18. Justice League (vol. 2) #17 (February 2013). DC Comics.
  19. Aquaman (vol. 7) #18 (March 2013). DC Comics.
  20. Aquaman (vol. 7) #19 (May 2013). DC Comics.
  21. Aquaman (vol. 7) #23 (August 2013). DC Comics.
  22. Aquaman (vol. 7) #23.2 (September 2013). DC Comics.
  23. Aquaman (vol. 7) #25 (November 2013). DC Comics.
  24. Flashpoint #2 (June 2011). DC Comics.
  25. Flashpoint: Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager #2 (July 2011). DC Comics.
  26. Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman #3 (August 2011). DC Comics.
  27. Fleming, Jr, Mike (December 12, 2016). "Patrick Wilson To Play 'Aquaman's Evil Half-Brother ORM". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  28. Hibberd, James (June 15, 2018). "Aquaman villain has an eco-warrior motive, Patrick Wilson reveals". EntertainmentWeekly. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  29. Siegel, Lucas (May 16, 2014). "AQUAMAN To Get Animated New 52 Origin Film". Newsarama. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  30. https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/dive-into-our-exclusive-lego-dc-super-heroes-aquaman-rage-of-atlantis-trailer-premiere
  31. "'Aquaman' Movie Toys From Mattel Are Available to Pre-Order Now". Comicbook.com. 2018-10-01. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
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