Ocean Master

Ocean Master in Aquaman v7 #14.

Ocean Master is a male comic supervillain who features in DC.

Biography

Pre-crisis

Aquaman battles the Ocean Master in Aquaman v1 #29.

Orm

According to one account, he was the half-brother of Aquaman whose father re-married and from his second wife he had a son named Orm. As a result, he did not inherit undersea brothers like his older half-brother Arthur Curry with Orm coming to hate his sibling for being older, bigger and stronger. Whilst growing up, Orm would regularly get into trouble with the authorities often necessitating his brother Arthur to get him free. One day, Orm suffered a fall where he banged his head on a rock where he came to recover from the injury but suffered amnesia as a result. This saw him forgetting he ever had a brother though he never lost his mean nature. Upon seeing Arthur Curry, he rejected knowing the man and vowed to make his life on the sea where he vanished from society. In reality, he started a life as a criminal he operated in the sea where he became known as the Ocean Master. In time, he gained a reputation as an international marine criminal where one of his major activities was poaching on whale herds in restricted waters. In addition, he hijacked ships and their cargos during raids on the isolated coastal settlements. Over time, every navy in the world started to hunt him but he managed to evade them each time. He came to use a whale where he had a molecular remote delocator to cause catastrophes around the world whilst a brain-wave scrambler prevented the likes of Aquaman from using his telepathy whereby he used the whale to escape capture. With these, he blackmailed the world and demanded that they stop hunting him otherwise he would cause more disasters around the world. (Aquaman v1 #29)

Orm later came to his mother Atlanna's side after she had fallen mad where she wanted to destroy both Atlantis and the surface world after both had nearly killed her in the past. The only person standing in her way as her son Aquaman and thus she had the Ocean Master dispatched to eliminate his half-brother. (Action Comics v1 #519) He failed but was teleported away by Amphitrite's equipment that brought him to her lair underneath the domed city of Atlantis. She was not angry at him for the failure in his mission and instead decided to send Poseidon on the task of eliminating Aquaman. (Action Comics v1 #518) However, the Poseidon android instead met with Aquaman secretly and appealed to him to stop his mother's mad scheme. (Action Comics v1 #519)

Adopting the identity of human businessman Orm Marius, Ocean Master built a private fleet and attempted to plunder New Marine City that was a construction project on the Gotham City waterfront using his half-brother Aquaman, whom he had hypnotized as muscle. Aquaman was freed from Orm's influence by Batman and driven from Gotham who prevented Commissioner Gordon from killing Orm because he desired to bring his brother to justice himself. (The Brave and the Bold v1 #82)

Post-Crisis

Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality as created with a different history of events.

Weeks ago, he came to kill Whynt and started to using illusion magic to disguise himself as the man and serve as Queen Charlandas chief advisor. (Aquaman v5 #67)

Ocean Master later came to be recruited to join the ranks of Lex Luthor's Injustice Gang. (JLA v1 #11)

Orm came to use his mystical talents to alter reality so that he was Aquaman and Orin was Ocean Master. This was achieved by 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. (Aquaman v6 #26) 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. (Aquaman v6 #27)

He later allied himself with Black Manta where he claimed the ruined remains of Atlantis with his magical powers enhanced as he sought to banish all surface people from the area. This led to a confrontation with the Justice League who defeated the pair with Superman's evaporating the waters that Orm was manipulating with his magic. (JLA v1 #68)

Post-Flashpoint

Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Orm was the son of Atlanna after she was forced to marry the Captain of the Atlantean Guard. He was as a result the younger half-brother to Arthur Curry who was born from Atlanna's love of the surface dweller Thomas Curry. On Orm's 12th birthday, his father was killed with his mother attempting to flee Atlantis with her son but she was believed killed in the attempt. (Aquaman v5 #0)

After the apparent death of his mother, Orm became the new king of Atlantis with it said that his rule was harsh and violent. (Aquaman v5 #0)

Eventually Arthur travelled with Vulko to Atlantis, and Orm happily stepped down as King so his brother could take the throne, having built up the military for a campaign to find Arthur and return him to his rightful home. (Justice League v2 #17) The brothers would have a healthy relationship, and Orm would tell Arthur cautionary tales about why the surface people should not be trusted. Eventually Arthur saw the surface folk in the same way as Orm and the brothers planned contingencies should the surface attack their home. (Justice League v2 #15) However, in the end Arthur stepped down as King, allowing Orm to take the throne once more. Orm travelled to Arthur's surface home in an attempt to get him to take his throne once again, however he failed to convince him. (Aquaman v7 #14)

Some time into his reign, Orm had to deal with a young man named Garth. This boy had purple eyes which meant within Atlantean tradition he should be cast out of the kingdom, however Orm allowed Garth to stay with his mother in Atlantis as he believed no citizen should be shunned for being different. While conversing with Tula about this boy the pair noticed that the fish around them were all staring at him. Orm recognized that this meant Arthur wished to contact him, and so travelled to a ship wreck where he met with his half-brother. Aquaman told Orm that two weeks ago a group of Atlanteans attacked a U.S. military base to retrieve an Atlantean artifact, and that one week ago a surface villain named Black Manta attacked and killed some of Arthur's friends in order to retrieve the relics of Atlan they were coveting. Arthur told Orm that someone from Atlantis had hired Manta and that he believed this someone was behind both incidents. Aquaman said he believed Orm was the one behind these attacks and that he was planning to attack the surface world, which Orm denied. (Aquaman v7 #14)

Weeks later, he found himself in mandatory therapy sessions when the roof of Belle Reve had collapsed. This occurred when the world was under attack from the Crime Syndicate of America who had seemingly killed the Justice League. The team of villains then broke all criminals out of prisons to recruit them into their ranks whilst Orm went to retrieve his armour and equipment. He then fled into the sea in order to return home and reclaim his throne but came to stop a gas station to ask for directions. He then found two escaped prisoners harassing a woman where they insulted Orm who proceeded to kill them. The woman then revealed her name to be Erin Shaw who asked his help in protecting her son Tommy Shaw. At first, Orm refused as he believed that an 8-year old should be able to protect themselves from rioters but came to change his mind as he had taken pity on the woman and her son. (Aquaman v7 #23.2)

As a courtesy, he decided to first meet with Mera before going to Atlantis where he learnt of the state of the kingdom. This led to Orm being resolved to retaking the throne but was opposed by Mera who declared that she had been crowned Queen. This angered Orm who attacked her and with his powers managed to overcome a weakened Mera where he was prepared to kill her for daring to taking the throne. (Mera: Queen of Atlantis v1 #2)

Thus, the two fought in the arena in the Xebellian Trial by Combat where initially Orm overpowered his foe until Mera steeled herself and controlled the water going into his body thus forcing his surrender. He then asked to return to the surface to be with Erin and Tommy but Mera decided to have him imprisoned for his actions. Tula later informed Erin and Tommy that Orm was not returning as he remained trapped whilst Mera commanded the forces of Xebel to free Atlantis from Coram Rath. (Mera: Queen of Atlantis v1 #6)

He was freed from his prison when the Earth came under attack from the Ocean Lords that were a trio of alien deities seeking to conquer the planet. They had unleashed a flood that was transforming anyone into monsters under their command with Atlantis succumbing to the attack. Mera freed Orm from his imprisonment where he revealed a secret of Arion who had used the Tear of Extinction of the invading pantheon. He also revealed that within his brother Arthur Curry that there resided a primordial Life Energy that was a cosmic force in the world. During this time, he aided in repelling the invaders but the shield given to him by Mera began to fail where he urged her to save Atlantis whilst he delayed the attackers after which he was transformed by the corrupted mystical waters. (Justice League/Aquaman: Drowned Earth v1 #1)

In the aftermath, Atlantis was saved though this was despite Orm's efforts and he remained trapped in the city that was now under Queen Mera's rule. Unable to leave, he was forced to stay among the beggars and the poor where he heard talk from one Atlantean about a figure called Dagon. One night, he witnessed the man go through a secret tunnel beneath the city that led to the outside ocean and went in pursuit as he sensed a means of escape. He emerged then by an abandoned oil rig and found it filled with mutated monsters and the Atlantean was similarly transformed. It was there that he discovered that the site was a laboratory for the Marine Marauder with Orm managing to free some of the captives. Unable to save the Atlantean, he decided to grant the man's wish by taking him to the trench where he believed Dagon resided and went to the bottom. The pressure was so intense that it caused Ocean Master pain but his royal status meant he could survive whereas most others perished when they reached this far. Once there, he found a water elemental named Lernaea who was trapped there until someone found her where she offered her amulet to Orm and offered to serve the king. With her power, he returned to the oil rig and killed the Marine Marauder whereupon he fed her body to her creations. Orm then decided to form a new city for the outcasts such as them which he named Dagon and assumed the position as ruler. He then briefly visited Erin and Tommy but his former love rejected him though Orm stated that he would return as he still lived them. The Ocean Master then returned to his new city and vowed to protect it from the surface with him warning Lex Luthor to leave the ocean out of his conflict. (Ocean Master: Year of the Villain v1 #1)

As a ruler, Orm attended the gathering held at Atlantis for the heads of each of the different kingdoms. Initially, it was believed that this would be that Queen Mera would take a husband but instead it was a platform for her to declare an end to monarchies and instead that each kingdom should instead have a democratically elected leader. This caused havoc among the attendees with Ocean Master using this as an opportunity to claim the throne. This saw him attack Mera claiming she as a traitor and that he would become Atlantis's new leader. This saw Lernaea restraining Mera in place with Aquaman arriving at the scene to challenge his brother to a duel. Though initially winning, treachery from Orm's followers from Dagon allowed him to score a trident strike against Arthur who was left badly wounded as a result. (Aquaman v8 #64)

Overview

Personality and attributes

At one point, he masqueraded on the surface as Mr. Orm Marius who was a mysterious millionaire. (Brave and the Bold v1 #82) At one point, he came to murder Whynt of Cerdia and took his place as the Queen's advisor whilst using illusion magic to disguise himself. (Aquaman v5 #67)

It was said that Orm was as smart and charismatic as his mother Atlanna yet he had the cruelty and viciousness of his father. (Aquaman v5 #0)

As a child, he came to believe that the surface was like a Hell. (Justice League v2 #17) He claimed that he cared little for the people of the surface and that his duty was ultimately to Atlantis. As such, he was perfectly willing to abandon the love he found among Erin and her son Tommy. (Mera: Queen of Atlantis v1 #6)

The Atlantis he intended to rule was one made in his own image. (Aquaman v5 #67)

In fact, as a child he was said to had begged the Atlantean guard to journey to the surface and 'rescue' his half-brother Arthur, but they refused to make the dangerous expedition. (Justice League v2 #17)

Powers and abilities

A later trick he learnt using magic was unleashing a neural attack to render his opponents falling helplessly on the floor. Orm was able to use his newly learnt magical abilities to also craft illusions to disguise himself as other people. He also came to learn a spell of teleportation able to transport himself and others to another location. (Aquaman v5 #67)

He came to save a water elemental Lernaea who had abandoned in the deepest parts of the ocean until Orm rescued her where she came to be his companion. Initially, she was forced to serve whoever wielded her amulet but Ocean Master destroyed it and allowed her to make her own choices with her siding with King Orm. (Ocean Master: Year of the Villain v1 #1)

At one point, he operated a front company on the surface known as Marius Enterprises that ran a fleet of ocean ships. (Brave and the Bold v1 #82)

Notes

• Ocean Master was created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy where he made his first appearance in Aquaman v1 #29 (September, 1966).

Alternate Versions

• In Superman v1 #657 (2006), Ocean Master was shown in a potential future glimpsed by Arion which saw the world devastated by the machinations of Khyber. For his aid, Khyber grants Ocean Master control over the North Atlantic where he warred against all others beneath the seas.
• In Justice League of America v2 #26 (2008), the Trickster god created an alternate timeline that had Ocean Master as a member of the Justice League to replace Aquaman.
• In Flashpoint v2 #2 (2011), the Ocean Master was shown in the alternate timeline created as a result of the Flashpoint event. In this world, the Ocean Master served his brother Emperor Aquaman during his war against Wonder Woman and the Amazons in a conflict that ravaged the Earth.

In other media

Television

• In Justice League, the character made an appearance in the DC Animated Universe series two part episode "The Enemy Below" where he was referred to as Orm and was voiced by actor Richard Green. He was shown as being a full Atlantean and a member of the royal court that advised Aquaman who ruled as king. Secretly, Orm planned to eliminate Arthur and hired the assassin Deadshot to kill him so that he could claim the throne for himself whilst using the death as his reason to attack the surface by melting the polar ice caps. He would battle Aquaman and was presumed dead after falling down a volcanic ledge on the oceans floor. In the season 1 DVD box set, Bruce Timm considered bringing the character back and in his supervillain identity but decided against it as he believed that the name Ocean Master was too corny.
• In Young Justice, the Ocean Master was the secret supervillain identity of Prince Orm of Atlantis in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Roger Craig Smith. As Ocean Master, he at some point fought against Aquaman with the supervillain being defeated when Arthur was aided by Kaldur'rahm and Garth. He operated in his civilian identity of Prince Orm where he aided in the management of Atlantis with none aware of his true identity. At an unknown point, he had joined the Light and was designated as L-5 among their number. In "Alienated", the Light mentioned that he was removed from their ranks from an unspecified disgrace and he was replaced by Black Manta. It was revealed that he had been arrested and kept in an Atlantean jail for six years. Orm managed to flee to the surface where he plotted his revenge against his brother and the Justice League by planning to murder their spouses and children during a gathering. However, this went against the policies of the Light who felt that this could cause events to spiral out of control thus they sent Lady Shiva to stop him. When he refused, she eliminated him by cutting off his head and removed the body leaving no trace of his remains behind to be caught.

Films

Ocean Master from Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox.

Ocean Master from Justice League: Throne of Atlantis.

• In Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, the character made an appearance in the animated adaptation of the comic storyline where he was voiced in an uncredited role by James Patrick Stuart. He was shown as a loyal aim to his brother Aquaman who was leading the Atlanteans in their war against the Amazons led by Wonder Woman. Ocean Master was part of the Atlantean forces that encountered a ship led by Deathstroke and Lex Luthor were that were seeking to stop the war from destroying Earth. The pirate crew of the ship put some resistance against the Atlanteans but were overwhelmed until Clayface emerged though he was destroyed by Ocean Master through the use of the power of his staff. He later shielded his forces from Deathstroke whilst Garth and Aqualad battled him whereupon he informed Aquaman that they had encountered only surface dwellers instead of Amazons. Afterwards, he would participate in the battle against the Amazons in London but was killed during the struggle.
• In Justice League: War, the character made a minor appearance in the post-credit sequence where he was by Steven Blum in an uncredited role. He appeared following the defeat of Darskseid where he emerged from an Atlantean ship holding the body of the dead ruler of Atlantis. Ocean Master would vow revenge against the surface world as he believed they had made an unprovoked attack that led to the death of the king along with many marine life whilst being unaware that this was the result of the invasion by Apokolips.
• In Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, the character made an appearance as the primary antagonist where he was voiced by Sam Witwer. Orm was shown as the second born dark haired son of Atlanna following her promised marriage to the king of Atlantis. It was said that he was coddled by his father and agreed with his more militant view against the surface. Following his fathers demise, he would urge his mother Atlanna to conquer mankind for their encroachments into their realm but she would refuse. This would see Orm plotting with his lieutenant Black Manta in bringing war so that the Atlanteans would conquer humanity. His plan was uncovered by Atlanna who managed to defeat Black Manta but she was stabbed from behind by Orm who murdered his own mother in order to claim the throne. Orm claimed that a surface dweller was responsible for Queen Atlanna's death and took the throne where he garbed himself as the Ocean Master. He would be responsible for defeating the Justice League had sending their cocooned bodies as offerings to the dark trench after which he assembled his army to invade Metropolis where he created tidal wave to herald the invasion. In the battle at Metropolis, he would manage to stave off the Justice League who ultimately replayed his confession earlier of killing the queen. Ocean Master was ultimately defeated when his half-brother Aquaman fought him in single combat and claimed the royal trident after the Atlanteans abandoned King Orm. Afterwards in Belle Reve, he was incarcerated when he was approached by Lex Luthor with an offer.
• In Aquaman, Orm appeared in the 2018 live-action film set in the DC Extended Universe where he was portrayed by actor Patrick Wilson. He was shown as being the son of King Orvax and second child of Queen Atlanna who had been forced to marry his father even though she did not love him. Orm came to admire his father and somewhat resent his mother after learning that she had another child who was his half-brother named Arthur Curry who resided among the surface dwellers. After his mother was seemingly sacrificed to the Trench, Orm came to grow up as a skilled warriors who inherited the throne of Atlantis. He came to see the surface as a threat to Atlanteans and worked towards uniting the seven kingdoms so that they could wage war against humanity. To achieve that end, he sought to convince four of the reigning kings to follow him so that he could be crowned as Ocean Master to lead their forces. Around this time, he came to be betrothed to Mera who was a princess of Xebel and the daughter of his ally King Nereus.

Video games

• In Injustice: Gods Among Us, Orm does not make an appearance but was referenced by Aquaman when he travelled to the One Earth Regime world where he went to its Atlantis. Upon confronting the One Earth Aquaman, Arthur asked if he was in league with Ocean Master or Black Manta.
• In DC: Unchained, the Ocean Master appeared as a playable character in the setting of the mobile video game.

Appearances

• Aquaman v1: (1966)
• Action Comics v1:
• JLA v1:
• Aquaman v5:
• Justice League v2:
• Mera: Queen of Atlantis v1:
• Ocean Master: Year of the Villain v1:

External Links

• DC Database Entry
• Comicvine Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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