From the depths…
Patrick Wilson has been cast as Orm Marius/Ocean Master in Warner Brothers’ upcoming Aquaman. Wilson previously donned spandex to portray Nite Owl II in Zack Snyder’s Watchmen and was set to have a role in Marvel Studios Ant-Man until Edgar Wright‘s departure. It won’t be the actor’s first foray into the DC Extended Universe either, having provided the voice of the US President in Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. Though Wilson’s two roles in the DCEU are definitely not connected, it would be a ‘sh*t hit the fan’ twist to reveal POTUS as an Atlantean supervillain.
Aquaman is set to be the seventh entry in the ever-growing DCEU, unless it’s pushed back to make way for a movie audiences are actually excited about. Plot details are being kept tightly under wraps but the feature is rumoured to be a ‘swashbuckling action adventure’ quest (yay!). Joining Aquaman will be his future wife Mera, with the pair initially having a love/hate relationship, as dictated by every previous film romance (yawn). Still, through much creative turbulence developing the DCEU, Aquaman has managed to keep hold of its director unlike The Flash.
Debuting in ‘Aquaman #29’, Ocean Master has long been one of the undersea hero’s most dangerous and persistent foes. Starting out as a high-tech pirate attacking ships before going on to bigger schemes, like holding the world to ransom by causing natural disasters; Ocean Master transformed from evil minnow to evil shark. Depending on continuity at the time, Orm is Aquaman’s half-brother but his parentage is oft reputed; thus, he often sought to steal the throne of Atlantis from his estranged sibling. More recently, Ocean Master sat on the throne himself and acted as a statesman rather than envious brothjob until he was manipulated into leading Atlantis to war with the surface world. After that, he returned to giving his superhero brother the silent treatment and plotting his downfall, because: villain.
Unlike Aquaman, Ocean Master has avoided becoming a laughing stock to almost everyone; thanks to never wearing an awful orange and green two-piece swimsuit, telepathically communicating with fish, or riding a giant seahorse. He plots and plans to make sure he’s always on the Injustice Gang’s lineup and invited to supervillain parties. So, even though he’ll never be POTUS, there’s always a chance Ocean Master could land a position in the current President Elect’s top team, alongside: Voldemort, Cruella De Ville, Mr Burns, and the Green Goblin.
AQUAMAN directed by James Wan and starring: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, and Willem Dafoe will dive into cinemas in 2018.
