Ocean Master has often received the short end of the stick when it comes to fulfilling his villainous plans. He’s made repeated attempts to take the throne of Atlantis, only to be disregarded by his brother Aquaman and Mera, Queen of Atlantis. His efforts lead him to become a prisoner within the walls of the city he dreams of the ruling. Ocean Master’s latest conquests prove to be more successful as he’s slowly re-emerging as one of DC’s most dangerous villains.
Orm isn’t in a position to negotiate for his freedom. He’s stuck in the outskirts of Atlantis, not allowed to leave despite a desire to return to the surface world to see his former fiancee Erin and her son Tommy. It’s in the slums Ocean Master hears the legend of Dagon and its incredible power.
In Year of the Villain: Ocean Master #1 by Dan Watters, Miguel Mendonca, and Franceso Mattina, Orms tells Erin about his journey in breaking free from Atlantis. In the slums, he learns the tale of Dagon while talking to a shanty-dweller named Palkor. The former mad king shackled an ocean elemental with an amulet forged by demons of the deep. Before Dagon used his power to overthrow society, he was killed by those he ruled. His amulet was thrown into deepest ocean trench where the elemental was hidden for years.
Palkor is captured by the Marine Marauder, who’s been granted the dark gift of being able to manipulate marine flesh as well as their minds from a superpowered Lex Luthor. Orm confronts her on a rig filled with experimented-on Atlanteans and escapes with a dying Palkor. Before he dies, Palkor leads Ocean Master to the storied trench. He goes down despite being crushed by the water the deeper he ventured down. It’s there he finds the young goddess, Lernaea. She offers him the amulet and helps Orm defeat Marine Marauder by becoming a water giant and freeing the experiments.
With Lernaea under his control, Ocean Master is visited by Lex. Luthor tells him he didn’t offer him power because he previously saw Orm as a coward, but now is ready to offer him a gift. Ocean Master declines, showing him the amulet he has obtained. He destroys it, freeing Lernaea from its grasp. Despite that, the elemental remains loyal to Ocean Master, following his orders by destroying the rig. Orm rules those captured on the rig in the city Dagon alongside Lernaea.
Ocean Master took a sizable risk in destroying the amulet and giving Lernaea freedom. However, the liberation shows Lernaea he could be trusted and didn’t need the amulet to follow him. Instead of forced devotion, Ocean Master gave her the choice to be free and make her own decision. She chose to stay by his side as he ruled Dagon. In doing so, Ocean Master just became one of the most dangerous, unpredictable villains in the DC universe. With an elemental by his side, Orm’s quest to rule is reborn.
