Ocean Master is a DC villain who takes sibling rivalry to the next level. He is the half-brother of Aquaman, and though his continuity has changed several times, he always feels animosity toward Arthur Curry. In his 60 years in comics, Ocean Master has been one of Aquaman’s most determined foes.

First Origin Story

Bob Haney and Nick Cardy introduced him as Aquaman’s fully human half-brother Orm Curry in Aquaman #29 (September 1966). The son of Thomas Curry and Mary O’Sullivan, Orm grew up as a normal kid while his half-brother displayed extraordinary powers. His constant jealousy made Orm bitter, and he turned to a life of crime. During one such illegal activity, he was injured and struck with amnesia and forgot his old life.

He returned several years later as Orm Marius, aka the Ocean Master, a pirate who used technology to attack and pillage ships. But soon, he escalated to causing natural disasters to ransom money from world governments. Ocean Master captured Aquaman and Aqualad when they tried to stop him, and Arthur discovered that the villain was his half-brother. Though Aquaman didn’t want to fight him, he still stopped Orm’s plans before he could do further harm.

Post-Crisis Continuity

When the dust settled after Crisis on Infinite Earths, Ocean Master went through a major continuity change. He was now a half-Atlantean (the ancient homo magi) and half-human (of Inuit heritage) with mystical abilities. In this version, Orm and Arthur are half-brothers via their Atlantean father, Altan.

Arthur and Orm met when Aquaman saved an Inupiat woman from a polar bear and she introduced him to her family. Orm was among her relatives, and he didn’t get along with the rest of the family. When they quickly accepted Aquaman, Orm was jealous of him. They met again sometime later when Ocean Master tried to assassinate Aquaman, but the hero easily defeated his half-brother. On his next attempt, Ocean Master’s forces attacked Atlantis and he set a trap for Aquaman and Aqualad. Ocean Master and Aquaman fought, and the former escaped when the ship they were on was destroyed.

During the “To Serve and Protect” storyline in Aquaman Vol. 6 #23-29 (December 2004-June 2005), Orm used his mystical abilities and Arthur’s severed hand to change reality. Orm turned himself into Aquaman and Arther became Ocean Master. He became the ruler of Sub Diego, strictly enforcing his will and convincing the citizens that the surface world had been destroyed. Doctor Geist, who had studied Aquaman, was not tricked by Orm’s spell and knew that he wasn’t the real hero. Geist worked with Arthur to find the source of Orm’s power and destroy it, turning the two back into themselves.

Ocean Master’s New 52 Origin

Ocean Master’s backstory was revised again when DC rebooted during The New 52 relaunch. In this version, Orm was a full-blooded Atlantean who hated surface dwellers for polluting the ocean. Orm is Queen Atlanna’s second son, born after she had Arthur with the human Tom Curry. Atlanna was forced to go back to Atlantis to marry a member of her royal guard, and Orm was born. He inherited the throne of Atlantis after his parents died just days apart, causing royal advisor Vulko to suspect Orm of murder. Vulko found Arthur, told him that he was the rightful heir to Atlanna’s throne and took him to Atlantis. Aquaman assumed the throne, but soon abdicated to Orm if his brother promised not to attack the surface. It was not a promise that the Ocean Master would keep.