In 2018’s Aquaman, audiences the world over were introduced to the hero’s two major archenemies: Ocean Master, Arthur Curry’s half-brother on his Atlantean side, and Black Manta, the vengeful undersea pirate. While many viewers may have been familiar with Black Manta from his appearances in shows like Super Friends, much of the conflict depicted in the film was between brothers, with Aquaman and Ocean Master battling it out for supremacy of the Kingdom of Atlantis. In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the two villains are set to reappear, reaffirming their spots as Arthur’s biggest foes. But of course, this leaves us with one question: which of them is Aquaman’s number one arch-nemesis?
Being King of the Seven Seas makes one attractive to a whole host of enemies, but none come close to igniting Aquaman’s fury and anguish more than Orm Marius and David Hyde. Both have heavy notches on their belts when it comes to causing Aquaman grief, so let’s put them together to discover who takes the top spot once and for all!
Their Convictions
The best villains see themselves as heroes in their own stories, and throughout his battles with Aquaman, Ocean Master has only grown more entrenched in seeking honor for his birthright. Although continuity has shifted details throughout the years, one thing has remained true from the start: Ocean Master is Aquaman’s younger brother by blood and sees himself better fit to rule Atlantis.
In his first appearance in Aquaman #29, we’re introduced to the villain as he attacks the Navy. When Aquaman and Aqualad are called into action, the Arthur seems to be already familiar with his new adversary and is reluctant to hurt him. Once the crisis is averted, Aquaman confides in Aqualad that the man they just fought is his young half-brother Orm, who grew up with a sense of inadequacy and jealousy, fueled by a bout of amnesia.
Another early encounter can be found in Aquaman: Time and Tide #4. After the birth of Arthur and Mera’s son Arthur Jr., Orm arrives at the celebration to openly challenge his brother to a fight for the throne. Aquaman quickly disarms and defeats him, remarking that Ocean Master’s knowledge of the planet’s ocean life is lacking and that he hasn’t gained the trust of his subjects, who would likely revolt if he became their king. Not one to give up easily, Orm manages to capture Aquaman and Aqualad, but is quickly attacked and defeated by Mera. Beaten by not just the king but the entire royal family, Ocean Master slinks away.
Black Manta’s convictions are less concrete and more spiritual. One of the villain’s origin stories is that he was a young boy captured by pirates and forced into menial labor, often tortured for days without food or water. This life of servitude out at sea birthed a fiery resentment in him of the ocean and the Kingdom of Atlantis, with Aquaman as its figurehead. A more recent origin has Manta as the son of a pirate captain who was responsible for an assault that led to the death of Arthur’s father Tom. In anger, the young Arthur attacked and unintentionally killed Manta’s father in front of him. This set Black Manta on a course of hatred that sustained him throughout the rest of his life. It’s this second, more recent origin that’s closer to what we see in the film.
The Winner: Ocean Master
While revenge for his slain father is a refreshingly simple motivation for a super-villain, it’s easy to understand why Orm would have such a chip on his shoulder toward Arthur. After all, he genuinely believes he’s the rightful King of Atlantis and that he’s acting in the best interest of his people.
Underwater Warfare
Forget all the jokes, Aquaman is one of DC’s most formidable heroes. His mastery of underwater movement allows him to swim at high speeds, about as fast as Superman can fly in the air. A lifetime below the sea has toughened his skin and muscles to where he’s virtually bulletproof, and his aquatic telepathy can be deadly and used in surprising ways—like when it’s applied to minute traces of evolutionary sea life found in modern humans. In other words, for Aquaman to have consistent trouble besting two of his enemies means they must be especially deadly.
In the case of Ocean Master, his fighting style is similar to Aquaman’s, which makes sense considering his shared lineage and upbringing. Also, there’s the simple fact that Aquaman is battling another Atlantean in Ocean Master—one who does not share the same reluctance to hurt or even kill that Arthur has. Often, Aquaman’s success against Ocean Master comes down to Arthur’s ability to outthink Orm’s reliance on his deadly magic staff, which was gifted to him by Neron in exchange for his soul.
Black Manta is a comparatively shrewder foe. Knowing full well he stands little chance in a straight-up brawl, the villain often resorts to technology and trickery whenever he engages Aquaman, relying upon distraction and compromises to gain the upper hand. Many times, Manta has pulled our hero in separate directions, having his Manta-Men separately attack Atlantis while he charges in a direct assault. In Aquaman #42, Manta appears in the guise of a deity to an old Aquatic tribe, weaponizing them to wear Aquaman down before he takes him on himself, all the while taunting him with the suggestion that he’s kidnapped Mera. And of course, there’s the two men’s most notable encounter—and the death of both of their fathers—which would define their relationship forever!
The Winner: Black Manta
It’s a tough call, but the fact that Manta has proved to be such a successful adversary without the benefit of Atlantean abilities or magic means one thing: the dude is an absolute beast.
Their Greatest Battles
In the iconic “Death of Aquababy” storyline, Black Manta engineers the capture of Aquaman, Arthur Jr. and Aqualad. Forcing the two aquatic heroes into a duel to the death while filling Arthur’s son’s water tank with suffocating air, the unfortunate result is our hero is too late to save his son.
This event marked a turning point in not just Aquaman’s life, but DC’s. Years before fans would voluntarily vote to kill off Jason Todd, the death of Arthur Jr. marked a rare time when one of DC’s biggest heroes failed when it counted most.
It's pretty hard to top killing your enemy’s child, but Ocean Master has done his best to match it. The death of Arthur Jr. cast a pall over the kingdom of Atlantis, but it seemed to be lifted with the news that the former Aqualad—now going by the moniker Tempest—was starting his own family with his wife Dolphin, who was now pregnant. However, just as Dolphin goes into labor, Atlantis is attacked by the offshoot Atlantean nation of Cerdia. In the confusion, Dolphin gives birth, but her son is quickly kidnapped by Ocean Master, the puppet master behind what would become a war between Cerdia and Atlantis.
While Orm taunted the adult Aqualad, Aquaman helped Tempest get back his infant son safe and sound…much to Ocean Master’s fury. Orm would next be seen changing all of reality itself. In 2002’s Aquaman #27, Orm used his magic to trade lives with Arthur, literally becoming him and ruining much of the good work he had been doing as king. Upon learning the truth, Arthur subdues and defeats Ocean Master yet again, righting everything that had gone wrong with reality.
The Winner: Black Manta
It’s horrific and definitely not something to be celebrated, but we’re talking about evil men here and it’s hard to think of anything eviler than deliberately killing an innocent child to hurt his parents. “Death of Aquababy” turned a villain that looked somewhat goofy into someone that Aquaman and his fans now take deathly seriously.
Family Ties
Being a super-villain doesn’t mean you can’t have a family. Far from it, as one of the villains in this piece is the father to a Teen Titan!
Years ago, a treasure hunter and his wife were abducted and experimented on by the rogue Atlantean Kingdom of Xebel. The wife was pregnant when they conducted the experiments, and when she gave birth to a boy, the Xebel princess hid him away on Earth to be raised by an adopted couple. The wife died, leaving behind the treasure hunter, who would later become Black Manta.
When Manta attacks Aquaman and his allies, the boy—now fully grown and named Jackson Hyde—stands against him, first as the second Aqualad and most recently as the newest Aquaman. Having learned of his heritage, he’s rejected his father, who claims that he never cared about his wife or child and lives only for revenge.
By comparison, Ocean Master is actually a decent father, or a surrogate one, at least. Despondent after his latest failure to defeat Aquaman, Orm is freed from Belle Reve prison following a break-out in a 2013 one-shot focusing on Ocean Master. Ending up at a diner just in time to witness some of the escapees about to kill an innocent woman, Orm quickly dispatches them and later saves the woman and her young son when more escapees make it into the suburbs.
Over time, Orm becomes close with the mother and son, moving in with them and regaling them with stories about Atlantis. It’s a nice existence and a promise of a humbler, but perhaps better life. Sadly, though, it was not to be. Eventually Orm is found by Nereus, king of Xebel, who recruits him to wage war on Atlantis and Aquaman. Eager to get back to the world he knows, Ocean Master leaves the mother and child, ominously promising that when the boy grows older, he’ll be drafted into Orm’s Royal Kingdom whether he wants it or not.
The Winner: Ocean Master
It’s easy to turn your back on a family you don’t care about, but one you do? That’s hardcore, and in this case, that’s Ocean Master.
So…a Draw?
Over the years these two Aquatic menaces have caused Aquaman no end of trouble, ruining his life on several occasions. So, which one is his worst enemy? We’ve got the powers, the histories of battle, the convictions and the role that family plays in it all—and a tie score. Which means that now it’s up to you to decide which villain is the King of the Seven Seas’ greatest enemy! Let us know over in the DC Community whether you’d give the edge to Black Manta or Ocean Master, and be sure to catch Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom to see both of them in action.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, featuring Patrick Wilson as Ocean Master and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, hits theaters December 22nd! For news, trailers and other features on the King of Atlantis, visit our official Aquaman hub page.
Donovan Morgan Grant writes about comics, graphic novels and superhero history for DC.com. Follow him on Twitter at @donoDMG1.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Donovan Morgan Grant and do not necessarily reflect those of DC Entertainment or Warner Bros., nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
