Aquaman is Fighting His Brother To NOT Be King of Atlantis

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Aquaman #64

In recent issues of Aquaman, Arthur Curry is facing a battle unlike any he’s ever faced before beneath the waves of the Seven Seas. While Ocean Master is once again vying for the throne of Atlantis, this will be the first time Aquaman is meeting him in battle not with the intention to gain or defend his own rule. In the pages of Aquaman #64, Aquaman challenges his step-brother Orm to a duel, one that will change the very fate of the Seven Kingdoms forever in the DC Universe.

It should be noted that Aquaman has not been the king of Atlantis for quite some time. In fact, Mera, his love, has been seated in Atlantis as Queen, even after Arthur’s resurrection. During her rule, Mera has apparently witnessed firsthand the drawbacks and problems with the monarchies that oversee the Seven Kingdoms, coming to the realization that a change needs to be made for the good of all peoples. At the same time, Orm the Ocean Master has been taking advantage of the people’s restlessness, food shortages, and a widespread virus to gain followers, amassing a large army and promising them medicine, supplies, and support. When the royals and their courts are called to Atlantis to attend the wedding of Queen Mera (which she can no longer put off due to Atlantean law), Orm sees the perfect opportunity to gather his forces for a possible coup.

However, things go sideways when Mera revealed her true intentions in gathering the rulers of the seas, and it wasn’t for marriage. Instead, she makes her appeal, declaring her desire for all of the monarchies to end. This sends Atlantis into an uproar, with most of the outrage coming from Orm himself. As a result, he orders his forces to attack and invade, prompting Aquaman to make his presence known in Aquaman #64 from writer Kelly Sue DeConnick with art by Miguel Mendonca. In order to keep the warring to a minimum, Arthur challenges his brother to a duel. If Orm wins, he gets the throne, but if Arthur wins, Mera’s wishes will be honored, and the monarchies will end.

It’s a bold move on Aquaman’s part, but the duel also has a dual purpose. As they fight, Arthur taunts Orm, goading him into getting more and more enraged, showing the people how unfit he is for any kind of rule. Arthur’s gambit is successful, though at a high cost: Orm ends up cheating, ordering his followers to tangle Arthur in the curtain of the palace, and subsequently impales him with his trident. The issue ends with Arthur badly wounded and bleeding out.

Aquaman #64 ends with Orm taking his turn to do the taunting, telling Arthur that he can take everything away from him if he so wishes, asking what the former king of Atlantis is going to do about it: call some fish? If fans know Aquaman, that’s exactly what he’s going to do, as he’s seen calling out to something out in the depths, and it’s probably going to be big and epic to help save the day in spectacular fashion. In a surprising move, Aquaman fought his brother, though not with the intent to rule the kingdom. It’s quite an interesting dynamic, accompanying the equally intriguing possibility of Atlantis and the Seven Kingdoms doing away with the monarchies once and for all in the DC Universe. Fans will have to wait and see if Mera’s vision for the future ends up being met as Aquaman continues.

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Kevin Erdmann
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Kevin Erdmann is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers. With a major in Cinema Studies and a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin is pretty sure he’s writing for the right site. While Kevin is a huge Marvel fan, he also loves Batman because he’s Batman and is a firm believer that Han shot first. Disney also shares a big part of his fan patronage. Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise.

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