Aquaman is making his theatrical debut next year in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and teaming up with other DC heroes after that in Justice League Part One, but it’s in his 2018 solo movie that he’ll really get to shine. Directed by James Wan and written by David Leslie Johnson, few details have emerged about what to expect from the movie, but we may have an idea who the King of Atlantis will do battle with, and it’s someone literally close to home.
The underwater hero’s conflict will reportedly be kept in the family, as JoBlo has heard that Aquaman, a.k.a. Arthur Curry, will fight his younger half-brother, Orm, better known as Ocean Master. The movie will draw primarily from their battle for the Atlantan throne that has been seen many times in the comics. With the Aquaman screenplay still in the early stages, it’s hard to say whether Ocean Master will remain the primary antagonist or if they might switch him out for someone like Black Manta in the near future. However, considering that much of the movie will likely take place in Atlantis, it makes sense for this sibling conflict to unfold on the big screen.
In the comics, Aquaman and Ocean Master share the same mother, but while Arthur is half-human, Orm is a full Atlantean. In the current continuity, after his father is killed and his mother, Atlanna, seemingly dies, Orm becomes Atlantis’ king, but when Arthur came home upon reaching adulthood, he was deemed the rightful heir and succeeded Orm as the underwater nation’s monarch. This kicked off their feud, and while Orm’s main goal is to rule Atlantis again, he occasionally hatches more traditional supervillain schemes. Orm was recently seen battling Arthur and the Justice League in the 2013 storyline Throne of Atlantis, which was later adapted into an animated movie.
This isn’t the first time that Ocean Master has been mentioned in regards to Aquaman. It was rumored last year that he will be one of the movie’s lead characters, and it was later reported that Dredd star Karl Urban was being looked at to play him. In addition to nearly all the same powers as Aquaman, Orm also arms himself with a trident that can control lightning and wears a helmet that allows him to manipulate water. In many ways, their battle in the movie would play out similarly to Superman and Zod’s in Man of Steel, but assuming Aquaman doesn’t impale Orm with his own trident, he would likely keep his half-brother alive so he can face Atlantean justice for his crimes.
Aquaman swims into theaters on July 27, 2018.
