- "Today we will unite our kingdoms, tomorrow we will burn the surface... RISE ATLANTIS!"
- ―Orm Marius[src]
The War for Atlantis, also known as Orvax's War,[1] was an attempted attack initiated by King Orm Marius of Atlantis to exterminate and eliminate the surface world due to the pollution and mistreatment of the seas, in an attempt to take control of the remaining Seven Kingdoms of Atlantis.
To prevent a global catastrophe and massacre, Arthur Curry and Mera embarked on an extensive search for the Trident of Atlan with the help of Nuidis Vulko. After claiming the legendary weapon and finding Queen Atlanna alive in the Hidden Sea, the two faced Orm's army, who was eventually dethroned by Arthur.
Background[]
Splintering of Atlantis[]
- "We became too ambitious; too hungry for power. The ocean swallowed us, and Atlantis sank. But the very power that collapsed our civilization also paved our way to our future. It gave us the ability to breathe underwater. And so, we evolved; others regressed, became savage."
- ―Nuidis Vulko to Arthur Curry[src]
During a test performed on the Trident of Atlan, the Kingdom of Atlantis sank into the ocean and gave the Atlanteans the ability to breathe underwater. As a consequence, Atlantis was divided into seven kingdoms of its own, of which two, the Deserter Kingdom and the Lost Kingdom, disappeared over time, while the remaining five evolved into different cultures, governments, and ways of life.
Atlan remains in the Hidden Sea until eventually dying in exile.
Filled with guilt for what he had caused, King Atlan imposed a self-imposed exile on an island in the Hidden Sea, where he hid with his trident until he eventually died. The legend of King Atlan and his trident survived among the Atlanteans throughout the years, proclaiming that only the "one true king" of Atlantis could wield it and one day reunite the Seven Kingdoms.[2]
Queen Atlanna's Decision[]
- "My father was a lighthouse keeper. My mother was a queen. They come from two different worlds, but life, like the sea, has a way of bringing people together. She had fled an arranged marriage. Left her whole world behind. But in my father's lighthouse, she found something unexpected. And my father found the love of his life."
- ―Arthur Curry[src]
Atlanna decides to return to Atlantis and says goodbye to Arthur and Thomas.
In 1985, Queen Atlanna fled an arranged marriage to Orvax Marius and ended up stranding herself on the shore near a lighthouse in Maine, where she was rescued by lighthouse keeper Thomas Curry. When they fell in love, they both conceived a son named Arthur Curry. However, years later, after an attack on their home orchestrated by Orvax, Atlanna was forced to return to Atlantis to protect her family and marry Orvax.[2][3]
Eventually, Atlanna had a son with him, Orm Marius. However, when her husband discovered Arthur's existence, he ordered her wife's execution by exiling her to The Trench, where she was supposedly killed by the creatures. Atlanna, however, managed to survive the creatures and ended up on Atlan's island in the Hidden Sea.[2]
Orm Marius' Ambitions[]
- "A war is coming to the surface wheter you like it or not. And I am bringing the wrath of the seven seas with me."
- ―Orm Marius to Arthur Curry[src]
Raised most of his life by his father Orvax Marius, Orm Marius grew up with an immense hatred towards his half-brother, considering him guilty of his mother's execution, as well as a hatred towards the surface population for their crimes against the sea. Upon assuming the throne of Atlantis following the death of his father, Orm began his plans to launch an attack on the surface world and take power over the planet.[2]
War[]
Attack on the Stalnoivolk[]
- "I've waited a long time for this."
"Am I supposed to know who you are?"
"I scavenge the high seas. You're the Aquaman. We were bound to meet at some point." - ―Aquaman and David Kane[src]
Aquaman stops the pirates' assault on the Stalnoivolk.
In 2018, one year after Steppenwolf's attempted invasion of Earth, Arthur Curry was known around the world as the oceanic superhero Aquaman. Deep in the seas, hired by Orm Marius, mercenary Jesse Kane and his son David Kane, along with their team of pirates, led an attack on a French naval submarine and murdered several sailors, including the captain. Not long after, Arthur Curry arrived and confronted David, leading to Jesse being injured and trapped. Wanting his son to leave before the submarine flooded, Jesse activated a hand grenade and committed suicide while his son escaped with a desire for revenge.[2]
Attack on the Council of Kings[]
- "I'm not trying to start a war. The war has already begun."
"Then it's time we send them a message they'll hear." - ―Vulko to attendees[src]
The Council of Kings is attacked by a submarine.
In order to wage war against the surface world and obtain the title of "Ocean Master", Orm Marius needed the support of four of the Seven Kingdoms of Atlantis, so he invited King Nereus of Xebel to the Council of Kings to join their war. During the meeting, the submarine controlled by David Kane began firing missiles at the congregation under orders from Orm himself. Orm quickly disabled the submarine in a supposed rescue, convincing Nereus to support Orm in his war against the surface.[2]
Attack on the Surface World[]
- "Unprecedent sights from all over the world today. We are seeing massive warships and trash washed up by massive waves. These extraordinary scenes of coastlines deluged with waste and garbage are taking place all over the world. Decades of pollution has been thrown back onto land. Many are asking the question: Was this a natural disaster, or something else?"
- ―Reporters[src]
A giant tsunami send by Orm Marius hits the surface coasts.
In alliance with King Nereus, Orm Marius retaliated by sending massive tsunamis to coasts around the world. At the same time, Arthur Curry was driving along a coastal road with his father when the two became trapped in the wall of water that hit the coast. Thanks to Mera's hydrokinetic powers, Arthur managed to rescue his father and extract the water from his lungs, saving his life. The attack pushed years of trash onto beaches and stranded at least one U.S. Navy ship.[2]
Arrest of Arthur Curry[]
- "Border Defense. You are under arrest for illegal entry"
- ―Atlantean Soldier to Arthur Curry[src]
Arthur Curry confronts the Men-of-War before being arrested.
Although Arthur Curry initially refused Mera's pleas to accompany him to Atlantis to take his rightful place on the throne, after seeing the consequences of the attack on his home and the rest of the world, he eventually accepted the proposal and traveled to Atlantis with Mera to meet Nuidis Vulko at an old shipwreck. There, Vulko explained that he would need the Trident of Atlan to dethrone Orm. However, a squad of Men-of-War attacked the place and arrested Arthur for illegal entry into Atlantis.[2]
Duel in the Ring of Fire[]
- "My brother has come from the surface to challenge me for the throne. Let us settle his claim in the ancient way. By bloodsheed do the gods known their will!"
- ―Orm to Atlanteans[src]
Orm and Arthur fighting in the Ring of Fire
Chained, Arthur Curry was brought before his half-brother Orm Marius, whom he unknowingly challenged to the Battle of the Kings. Seeing it as an opportunity to prove his right to the throne, Orm accepted the challenge and faced his half-brother in the Ring of Fire. After an even matchup, Orm managed to launch an aggressive attack on Arthur, which broke his mother's trident in two.
Arthur and Mera project a hologram of King Atlan.
Before Orm murdered Arthur, Mera used her hydrokinetic powers to stun Orm with a water vortex and rescue Arthur in her ship, fleeing with him from the arena and Atlantis until faking her death by hiding inside a whale. Both traveled to the Kingdom of the Deserters in the Sahara Desert, where thanks to an artifact given by Nuidis Vulko, they projected a hologram of King Atlan indicating their next clue towards Sicily.[2]
Assassination of King Ricou[]
- "I admire your lofty aspirations, King Ricou. But I suspect they are but clouds of ink hiding the heart of a coward."
- ―Orm Marius to Ricou[src]
Orm murders King Ricou with his trident.
Wishing to form an alliance with the Kingdom of the Fishermen and thus have a powerful military army on their side, Orm Marius, Nereus and Nuidis Vulko appeared before King Ricou in his palace, requesting the alliance to attack the surface world. Ricou, however, refused to cooperate with Atlantis and its attempted attacks, leading Orm to assassinate him and force his heir, Princess Scales, to join him in his war.[2]
Attack on Sicily[]
- "Loathsomeness waits and dreams in the deep, and decay spreads over the tottering cities of men."
- ―David Kane to Arthur Curry[src]
A battle ensues between Arthur and Black Manta
Upon learning of the survival of his half-brother and Mera, Orm Marius rehired David Kane and provided him with Atlantean weaponry, as well as a squad of elite soldiers. David subsequently implemented Atlantean technology into his suit and attacked Arthur and Mera as they tracked down the trident's location in Sicily. While Arthur threw chained bollards at Black Manta that imploded his helmet and caused him to fall into an abyss, Mera defeated her pursuers with her hydrokinetic powers in wine.[2]
Escape from the Trench[]
- "They're from the depth - they're scared of the light!"
- ―Arthur Curry to Mera[src]
The creatures from the Trench chasing Arthur and Mera
Wounded by his combat, Arthur Curry was taken to a ship by Mera and sailed out to sea until discovering that the map had led them to the location of the Kingdom of the Trench. In the midst of a storm, creatures from The Trench began to invade their ship, forcing Arthur and Mera to dive into the sea and navigate the crowd of monsters. Being sucked into an unstable vortex that not even the creatures would approach, they both ended up in the Hidden Sea at the center of the Earth.
Arthur reclaims the Trident of Atlan.
To their surprise, Arthur and Mera encountered a surviving Atlanna, who showed them how she had been stranded since she was apparently sacrificed and revealed that the Trident of Atlan was located there. Believing himself worthy of leading Atlantis, Arthur entered the cave and confronted the Karathen. There, Arthur managed to maintain communication with the creature and upon proving himself worthy of the trident, he managed to claim the weapon and with it, Atlan's golden armor.[2]
Battle of the Brine[]
- "Join me or die."
"You expect me to adress you as 'Your Highness'?"
"Call me... The Ocean Master." - ―Orm Marius and Brine King[src]
The Karathen stops the battle at the Kingdom of the Brine.
With the support of the Kingdom of the Fishermen, Orm Marius led a direct attack on the Kingdom of the Brine to force them to support him and become the Ocean Master. Following this, Orm and the Brine King faced each other on the battlefield, with Orm commanding the forces of Atlantis, Xebel, and the Fishermen's Kingdom against those of the Brine. Before slaying the Brine King, Orm was stopped by the emergence of the Karathen and Arthur Curry, now wielding the Trident of Atlan.[2]
Coronation of Arthur Curry[]
- "People of Atlantis, today began in bloodsheed, but let in end in joy. I give you King Arthur of Atlantis."
- ―Mera[src]
After defeating Orm, Arthur becomes the king of Atlantis
As such, Arthur Curry dispersed Orm Marius' forces and effectively stopped the full-scale battle, resuming his duel with his half-brother on an Atlantean platform on the surface, an environment Orm was unaccustomed to. In front of all the armies, Arthur defeated his half-brother, becoming the new King of Atlantis and thus stopping the war proposed by Orm on the surface.[2]
Aftermath[]
- "My father was a lighthouse keeper. My mother was a queen. They were never meant to meet... but their love saved the world. They made me what I am. A son of the land, and a king of the seas. I am the protector of the deep. I am... Aquaman."
- ―Aquaman[src]
Arthur finally accepts his role as Aquaman.
Now the new King of Atlantis, Arthur Curry, through his connection to the Trident of Atlan, reunited the four separate kingdoms of Atlantis, as legend predicted. Additionally, he assumed his role as a bridge between the land and the sea, accepting his role as "Aquaman." On her side, Queen Atlanna was restored to the throne and returned from exile with her lover Thomas Curry.
However, not everything was over, and it was that Black Manta had managed to survive his battle against Arthur and was rescued from the sea by Dr. Stephen Shin. With a new ally and having the advantage of being left for dead by his enemy, David began a new campaign of revenge against Aquaman.[2]