At the end of 2023, the DC Extended Universe came to a close after Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom only made a little over $439 million globally, a far cry from the first movie, which garnered headlines for hitting the billion dollar club. It's not just box office that was its pitfall, but the overhaul by James Gunn and co. of the entire superhero universe. But if you were to ask one major star, it's OK it's all over now, baby blue.
In the sequel, Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry joined forces with Patrick Wilson’s Orm, a.k.a. Ocean Master, despite the fact that his half-brother spent the last movie trying to kill him. Fortunately, the two ended on much better terms with each other in the last of the DCEU’s DC movies in order, which is why Wilson is OK with the Aquaman franchise ending. When asked if he hoped the Aquaman film series had lasted longer than two movies, he answered:
Was I hoping it would be more? I don’t think so. I mean, I say this as a guy who’s done several “Insidious” movies, several 'Conjurings,' a couple 'Aquaman.' It’s not like there’s a stigma to me against sequels. It’s just when you look at the structure of Orm — bad guy in the first one, basically a good guy in the second one — I don’t know where else he goes. I wasn’t signed on for a third. There was no frustration. I don’t know where the story would go.
The actor shared these thoughts while being interviewed by Variety about his new movie Millers in Marriage, which is now playing on the 2025 release schedule. But in regards to the end of his DC career, he has a point.
Orm starts out in 2018’s Aquaman as a villain, albeit a sympathetic one since he’s angry about how the surface world has polluted the oceans. Then in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, after nearly half a decade of imprisonment, Orm is broken out to help Arthur track down Black Manta and foil his schemes.
There’s a nice evolutionary journey spread across two movies, and the last time we see Patrick Wilson’s character, he’s enjoying a cheeseburger for the first time. What else would there be to do besides just have Orm team up with Arthur again?
Even before it was announced that the DCEU would come to a close and the DC Universe franchise would rise from the ashes, there was never any official indication that Aquaman 3 was in the cards. However, that’s not to say that Patrick Wilson would have turned down appearing in a threequel if it’d come his way. As he put it:
I wouldn’t be opposed to it. We had a great time shooting the second one. I had the best time. I feel really fortunate to have my two forays into superheroes be these bizarre characters of Night Owl Two [in “Watchmen”] and Ocean Master. It’s strange and odd and weird, and I dig that. I’m not going to lie. So, I’m happy with that ship sailing.
Although some elements of the DCEU are being retained for the DCU, the Aquaman corner of the former franchise isn’t one of them. Case in point, Jason Momoa is playing Lobo in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the upcoming DC movie lined up for summer 2026. Maybe an opportunity will come along for Patrick Wilson to play a different role in the DCU, but for now, he’s comfortable with putting Orm behind him.
If you’d like to revisit either of the Aquaman movies, they can both be streamed with a Max subscription. Otherwise, watch the DCU finally take off on the big screen when the James Gunn-helmed Superman opens on July 11.
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