Patrick Wilson says King Orm will be framed as a “eco-warrior” in Aquaman

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

According to Patrick Wilson, it sounds like James Wan's AQUAMAN will present moviegoers with a rather timely villain in King Orm. I say timely because, as you know, there is a lot of huff and puff going around related to how humankind can bring attention to the damage our everyday habits pose to the environment. Now, while the character isn't netting trash out of our oceans, Wilson says that fans can expect him to have a "kind of eco-warrior" motive associated with his particular brand of villainy.

“He’s got a very clear gripe with the surface world, which has been polluting his oceans for centuries. And that’s something for me — I’m sure for you too — that’s very easy to understand. If somebody was just constantly polluting our air and ruining how we lived,” Wilson said when participating in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

As EW notes in their report, the timing of Orm's arrival is notable as it comes shortly after UN chief António Guterres at the G7 summit last week warning of a “global emergency” due to oceanic pollution, noting, “Unless we change course, plastic waste could soon outweigh all the fish in the oceans … It kills marine life and is doing major harm to communities that depend on fishing and tourism.”

As Arthur Curry's Atlantean half-brother, Orm strives to unite the seven underwater kingdoms with the interest of creating an army capable of waging war on the surface world. Obviously, Aquaman ain't having none of that noise, and will do everything in his power to stop him.

Also while speaking with EW, Wan explained to the outlet that he hopes to have created a villain that audiences can relate to, much like they've latched onto recent Marvel villains like Erik Killmonger of BLACK PANTHER and Thanos of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR. He also confessed that he simply loves working with Wilson, and thought that he'd be the perfect actor to bring gravitas and nuance to Orm's character.

“Patrick is such a talented actor and a chameleon as well, he can disappear into any role,” Wan tells us. “Orm’s got a soft spot for his brother who lives on the surface world and if anything just wants him to rule Atlantis and the world together, but his brother doesn’t see it that way. A lot of the clashes they have stem from their different upbringings. So I didn’t want to cast a typical villain actor,” Wan said.

AQUAMAN stars Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry a.k.a. Aquaman, Amber Heard as Mera, Nicole Kidman as Queen Atlanna, Patrick Wilson as King Orm/Ocean Master, Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus, Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko and Temuera Morrison as Thomas Curry. DC Entertainment's latest superhero blockbuster will swim into theaters on December 21st.

Be sure to stay close to JoBlo.com as we have lots of AQUAMAN coverage on the way, including a visit to the set of the film as well as interviews with the cast and crew!