Orka is a fictional character appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. The character was created by

Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor. He was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics and possibly bes ...

and Marie Severin, and has a

killer whale The orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'', it is recognizable by its black-and-white-patterned body. A cosmopolit ...

theme. Orka primarily appears as a villain fighting the Avengers, the

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...

She-Hulk She-Hulk (Jennifer Susan Walters) is a Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she First appearance, first appeared in ''The Savage She-Hulk ...

, and the

Defenders Defender(s) or The Defender(s) may refer to: * Defense (military) * Defense (sports) ** Defender (association football) Arts and entertainment Film, television, and theatre Film * ''The Defender'' (1989 film), a Canadian documentary * ''The D ...

, and also appears as a member of

Heroes for Hire Heroes for Hire are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in ''Power Man and Iron Fist'' #54 (December 1978), and was created by Ed Hannigan and Lee Elias. The team continued to appe ...

Publication history

Orka first appears in '' Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner'' #23 (March 1970) and was created by

and Marie Severin.

Fictional character biography

Orka is an Atlantean soldier who serves

Krang Krang (also spelled Kraang) is a supervillain appearing in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''-related media, most frequently in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series), 1987 animated series and its associated merchandise, such as the ''Te ...

and aids him in an attempt to usurp the Atlantean throne from

Namor Namor McKenzie (), also known as the Sub-Mariner, is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Bill Everett for comic book packager Funnies Inc., the character first appeared in '' Moti ...

. When this attempt fails, Orka goes into exile and is given

orca The orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'', it is recognizable by its black-and-white-patterned body. A cosmopol ...

-based abilities by scientist

Lemuel Dorcas Lemuel Dorcas is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is notable for playing a part in the origins of Namor villains Tiger Shark, Orka, and Piranha. Publication history Lemuel Dorcas first appe ...

. However, he battles Dorcas' other creation

Tiger Shark The tiger shark (''Galeocerdo cuvier'') is a species of ground shark, and the only extant member of the genus '' Galeocerdo'' and family Galeocerdonidae. It is a large apex predator, with females capable of attaining a length of over . Popula ...

, causing an undersea avalanche that buries them for several months. Orka eventually escapes and allies with the other-dimensional Virago, and after battling Namor twice is defeated. The Brand Corporation (a subsidiary of Roxxon Energy Corporation) summon Orka with the aid of the Serpent Crown and augment his abilities. Orka is sent on a mission that brings him into conflict with superhero team the Avengers, with

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

knocking him unconscious. When the Atlantean

barbarian A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...

Attuma takes over Atlantis, Orka is pardoned from his exile and joins the Imperial Army. Part of an invasion force that attacks the surface world, Orka battles the Avengers and the

, but is defeated by heroine

and the

Black Panther A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...

and imprisoned. Orka escapes imprisonment and joins marine team Deep Six (also consisting of Attuma, Nagala,

Piranha A piranha (, or ; ) is any of a number of freshwater fish species in the subfamily Serrasalminae, of the family Serrasalmidae, in the order Characiformes. These fish inhabit South American rivers, floodplains, lakes and reservoirs. Although ...

Sea Urchin Sea urchins or urchins () are echinoderms in the class (biology), class Echinoidea. About 950 species live on the seabed, inhabiting all oceans and depth zones from the intertidal zone to deep seas of . They typically have a globular body cove ...

and Tiger Shark). The group attack the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and battles the Avengers and the People's Protectorate and are eventually defeated. Orka features in several other Marvel titles such as ''Fantastic Four'', ''

'' and the

. After the events of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, Orka features in the title ''

'' and joins the team before being killed by a Doombot. During the " Dark Reign" storyline, Orka appears in Erebus gambling to be resurrected. He is later seen on

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of Trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Su ...

's jury during

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

' trial. Orka turns up alive and is imprisoned in the Cellar by soldiers working for

Regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

's company Empire Unlimited. Orka later appears as a member of Namor's Defenders of the Deep.''Avengers'' Vol. 8 #11. Marvel Comics.

Powers and abilities

Orka possesses superhuman physical abilities, and wields a belt that allows him to remain on land indefinitely. He can communicate with and summon orcas through high-pitched whistles, and gains further strength in their presence.

In other media

Orka appears in the '' Avengers Assemble'' episode "King Breaker", voiced by

Roger Craig Smith Roger Craig Smith is an American voice actor. He is known for his voice roles in video games such as Chris Redfield in the ''Resident Evil'' series (2009–2017), Ezio Auditore da Firenze in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series (2009–2011), Kyle C ...

. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.

References

External links

* *
''The Grand Comics Database'' entry for the comic containing Orka's debut
{{New Warriors Characters created by Marie Severin Characters created by Roy Thomas Comics characters introduced in 1970 Marvel Comics Atlanteans (Homo mermanus) Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds Marvel Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics supervillains