When Aquaman returns for another round on the big screen, his half-brother Orm may not be around to challenge him.
On Saturday, Aquaman star Patrick Wilson appeared for a Q&A event held at Word, an independent bookstore in Jersey City, New Jersey to promote the launch of the new coffee table book, The Art and Making of Aquaman. When the conversation turned to the future of Wilson’s character, Orm, Wilson theorized that Orm will be back, but perhaps not as the main villain.
“He’s not gonna be a main villain in another movie,” Wilson said.
Proving that he has legit comic book knowledge, Wilson contextualized Orm’s position at the end of James Wan’s Aquaman movie — under arrest by Atlantis for igniting a war — with that of Orm in the comic books.
“I don’t think Orm ends up in Belle Reve like he does in the New 52,” Wilson said, referring to Belle Reve Penitentiary, the fictional Louisiana prison where DC villains are detained before they inevitably break out. The prison was also prominently featured in the 2016 film Suicide Squad. “I assume they’re gonna keep him in some kind of jail below the surface.”
Of course, Wilson is also just speculating what Warner Bros., DC, and James Wan might have in mind for the future of the Aquaman film series. “I don’t know what the future holds for Orm,” Wilson said. “You can’t kill him. He’s too important to [Arthur’s] journey … he’s a foil to [his character].”
The actor added, “If [James] wants me back, I’m certainly happy to come back.”
Patrick Wilson as "Orm" in 'Aquaman.'
After Aquaman became a bonafide box office hit that grossed a $1 billion worldwide at the end of 2018, its future as a cinematic franchise became assured.
Aquaman 2 is set for a distant release in 2022, but with so much time between now and production commencing, it’s anyone’s guess who will return and what story they will tell. At least with Wilson’s comments, we can rule out a major return for Orm, a character so darn cool it was never lame when he said the words “Ocean Master” out loud.
Wilson is also right in that Orm/Ocean Master is “too important” to be done away with entirely. As one of Aquaman’s biggest villains next to Black Manta, who also appeared in the film, it’s possible that Orm can still play a supporting or minor role; I imagine the sequel could have Arthur and Orm having a serious, Silence of the Lambs-style scene with Orm behind bars but still getting his half-brother to shake in his fish boots.
The real villain of Aquaman 2 will likely be Black Manta, who showed up in the film’s post-credits scene to reveal that he’s not only alive, but really, really pissed off at Aquaman.
Aquaman is available now on Digital HD. It will be released on Blu-ray on March 26.
