r/mera

Aquaman The becoming issue 2

Wonder Woman 2024 issue 18 Variant cover by Nicola scott

The New Gods 2025 issue 2

From 2019 to 2020, DC launched an event called Year of the Villain, in which several DC villains would receive dedicated stories and power buffs.

Among these villains, we had a one-shot dedicated to Ocean Master. In the story, Orm is fleeing the authorities of Atlantis, living in the slums. There, he discovers and begins to seek an ancestral power of a mad king, which turns out to be an elemental. Using its power, Orm decides to found a new nation, the city of Dagon, where the rejects and aberrations of Atlantis would be welcome if they swore loyalty to Orm as king.

Since the New 52, Ocean Master has become a much more complex character, and has had a whole journey involving his desire for power, his loyalty to Atlantis, and falling in love with a human.

And I think the reign of Dagon is the culmination of everything; this new status quo had a lot of potential for interesting plots.

But unfortunately, this didn't last long. In the final arc of the Rebirth run, Orm immediately becomes power-mad, tries to conquer Atlantis, and his subjects abandon him.

So much potential was wasted. Ocean Master could basically have been a marine Black Adam, a ruthless ruler who genuinely cares for his nation. Imagine the different political conflicts that could arise? Orm allying with other marine kingdoms not so happy with Atlantis, perhaps even forming an alliance with the aforementioned Black Adam himself?

Imagine how he would react to the current phase of seeing Atlantis becoming a special empire? Would Orm also try to ensure that Dagon wasn't left behind?

And there would be such an interesting symbolism between Arthur, the pariah brother, ruling the "pure" Atlantean society, while Orm, the "pure" brother, rules the pariahs.

Does anyone else share my opinion?