WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for director James Wan's Aquaman, in theaters now.

Aquaman is no Batman. Look all you want, you're not going to find any definitive stories in DC's library of comics. Despite that, director James Wan's film still borrows heavily from the comics. More specifically, it uses key pieces of the 2011 Aquaman series, part of the publisher's New 52 reboot, to create a story that's both new and very familiar.

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In 2011, writer Geoff Johns and artist Ivan Reis reimagineed the world of Aquaman and transform the character from outdated joke to successful intellectual property. Now there's a movie, and you shouldn't be surprised to know that many elements introduced in that comics run also show up on screen.

After all, Johns co-wrote the film's story. We've heard of creators using unproduced scripts to create comics, so why not use comics — both released and unreleased — to create a movie?

The Throne of Atlantis

A recurring theme in Aquaman lore over the past few years is the character's constant battle to maintain control of Atlantis. While he's traditionally depicted as the monarch of the undersea kingdom, the New 52 introduced the idea that maybe he just wasn't that into the idea of ruling a nation.

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In the 2013 comic book crossover "Throne of Atlantis," it's revealed that Arthur gave up being a king in order to live on the surface as a member of the Justice League. Unfortunately, the crown fell to his half-brother Orm, and in the wrong hands, the military might of Atlantis became a danger to humanity. Atlantis attack the surface world, and it comes down to Aquaman to reclaim his throne in order to stop the war.

While the specifics are different, the movie follows the same general chain of events: Orm is king of Atlantis and seeks to wage war against the surface world as retribution for centuries of pollution dumped into the oceans. Aquaman must come to terms with his heritage and claim his birthright. Turn the whole plot into something of an origin story, and you basically have the Aquaman movie.

The Familiar Origins of Evil

When it comes to the villains, everyone wants to know what made them so evil. Daredevil developed a compelling origin story for Wilson Fisk, and Avengers: Infinity War devoted a lot of time to Thanos. In a sense, Aquaman does the same with primary villains Orm and Black Manta, and those origins are strongly tied to the New 52 comics.

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For those unfamiliar with Aquaman continuity, the origin of Ocean Master has never been set. Ocean Master was originally depicted as Aquaman's human half-brother by way of Thomas Curry. Then, after the epic 1985-1986 crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths wiped out swaths of DC continuity, Arthur was revealed instead to be son of King Atlan, Orm and he were given the same father again. Things were changed in the New 52 to make Queen Atlanna their shared mother, and Orvax became Orm's abusive Atlantean father.

Black Manta's origins are equally as confusing, but traditionally far more problematic. First he was kidnapped and abused by pirates, then he was revealed to be autistic and obsessed with the ocean. It wasn't until Johns' run on the title that Aquaman was actually responsible for his father's death, allowing his obsession with Arthur to make a little more sense. Thankfully the movie uses that origin instead of any parts of the others.

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One surprising element that was added into the film, despite their relative newness, was the race known as the Trench. The movie and comic explain these undersea monster to be long lost relatives of Atlanteans who devolved into the Trench. Despite the danger they pose, characters in Aquaman still consider them part of the larger Atlantis kingdom.

Aquaman and the Secret of the Seven Seas

Finally, we arrive at the Holy Grail of unproduced stories. At the tail end of Johns' run on Aquaman, he teased a story called "The Secret of the Seven Seas," which looked to vastly expand the character's mythology. Unfortunately, that was never told because the writer left the comic to take on more responsibilities at DC Entertainment and DC Films. Pieces of that planned story still managed to make it into the film, however.

Don't be fooled: Aquaman is not an adaptation of an unused comic book script, but the world in which the film exists is definitely propped up by whatever Johns had planned. Of the little we know about the Seven Seas, Atlantis was split into seven kingdoms and seven seas, each populated by seven different tribes of people. That's the same backstory Atlantis has in the movie.

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After the fall of Atlantis, the seven kingdoms became separate nations, each growing, and evolving, on its own. By the time of the film, the realms are largely estranged from each other. As in the comics, there's even a secret, ancient monument dedicated to the strength of a united Atlantis.

It's explained that while Atlantis still exists, there are other kingdoms that must be reunited in order to make them strong enough to take over the surface world. That's why Orm must recruit the Xebellians, Fishermen and Brine to his cause. The Trench are dismissed as monsters, while the Deserters are extinct. There is also a Hidden Kingdom that exists in secret.

While it's never made a focal point\, that backstory serves as a great way to strengthen the alien world the film introduces. It has history and secrets, mysteries and tragedies, and in that way it feels more real. Aquaman isn't a perfect adaptation to the New 52 comics, and it shouldn't be, but these stories help push the film in the right direction.

Directed by James Wan, Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Amber Heard as Mera, Patrick Wilson as Ocean Master, Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Temuera Morrison as Thomas Curry, Dolph Lundgren as Nereus and Nicole Kidman as Queen Atlanna.