Ominous Ocean Overlord & Sinister Sea Sleuth

Orm Curry and Phineas Pike were two men fascinated with the world underneath the waves. Both were connected with the Aquaman of their respective worlds, with Orm being the Earth-One Aquaman's half-brother and Phineas being the Earth-Two Aquaman's best friend. Each used their genius intellect to device techniques to master the sea and the lives within it. And yet, tragedy struck, altering the behavior and personality of both Curry and Pike. Mister Marius and Mister Styx were born!

Orm as the Ocean Master and Pike as the Sea Sleuth had repeat encounters with the Kings of the Sea, second only to the Aquamen's arch-enemies, Black Manta and Black Jack. Each aspired to be like these marine marauders, yet didn't possess the necessary physique to match them. While Orm used his scientific acumen to devise specialized devices allowing him to breath underwater and survive its crushing depths, Phineas used his biological knowledge to help him control sea-life.

Due to some type of accident, Orm lost his memory and gained criminal attributes, fed by his jealously for his half-brother Arthur... now unaware of their relationship. Each time they met, Arthur as Aquaman attempted to persuade Orm to seek help which he refused. On one occasion, Orm inflicted amnesia on Arthur, manipulating him into being his minion. As Mister Marius founder of Marius Enterprises, Orm attempted to finance an undersea city, which Batman suspected was a criminal scheme. Together with Aquaman, who regained his memories, the pair of Justice Leaguers exposed Ocean Master's plot, although the villain escaped. He would later return to torment his sibling.

As for Phineas, after having a few adventures alongside Aquaman in 1949, he disappeared for three years. Then in 1952, a mysterious man named Mister Styx appeared with a scheme to hide high-profile criminals within his "Aqua-Lair", a facility undoubtedly inspired by Aquaman himself! Batman and Robin were able to track Styx and his minions back to their base, which was actually in a freighter rather than beneath the seas. 

This Mister Styx looked suspiciously like the Sea Sleuth, although Phineas appeared a bit thinner. Might a similar head trauma, which had been inflicted on his counterpart Ocean Master, have also caused Sea Sleuth to develop an evil persona? The evidence seems clear. Unlike his doppelgänger Orm, Phineas never reappeared… as either Mister Styx nor as the Sea Sleuth.

As for Ocean Master, he would later battle Aquaman and his fellow Justice Leaguers, as a member of the Anti-Justice League, while also dueling with his brother’s sidekick Aqualad and his teammates in the Teen Titans.