Warner Bros. kicked off San Diego Comic-Con's all-important Saturday spectacular with a series of big bangs, but perhaps the biggest of the lot was the first footage of David Ayer's DC villains mash-up Suicide Squad, with the audience getting the very first look at the likes of Jared Leto (as The Joker), Margot Robbie (as Harley Quinn) and Will Smith (as Deadshot) in action.
Leto and Robbie were the stand-outs, with both nailing their characters' difficult voices. The former's delivery of the line "I'm not going to kill you, I'm just going to hurt you really, really bad" will send chills down your spine when the trailer is eventually unveiled online. Then there's Robbie in prison, hanging from the bars of a free-standing metal cage using strips of fabric before the trailer cuts to her popping bubblegum. No sign of the words "Puddin'" or "Mr J", but know this: it's a safe bet they'll crop up in the movie proper.
The overall tone of the footage is what you'd expect from both the comic-book run and the director of End Of Watch: dark and gritty with an emphasis on the "reality" of putting together a team which includes a half-man-half-crocodile. Will Smith's Deadshot seems to be the leader of the ragtag group, but with these guys, nothing is guaranteed.
The complete cast list includes Will Smith as Deadshot, Jared Leto as The Joker, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Cara Delevingne as Enchantress, Viola Davis as the government bod who puts the team together, Amanda Waller, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Killer Croc, Karen Fukuhara as Katana, Adam Beach as Slipknot, Jay Hernandez as El Diablo.
Many of the actors listed were in the room to say hello to the fans, but there was no actual question and answer session for the audience, which might have upset everyone if it weren't for the quick cut to the Batman V Superman footage (which you can read about here).
The Warner Bros.' panel also featured a concept art showreel that blew away the assembled audience with a list of all the planned DC titles on the way, including Wonder Woman, the Justice League movies, The Flash and Cyborg.
Of course, Suicide Squad is the group of Batman’s rogues gallery and other villains (plus some antiheroes) wrangled together by the government and coerced into executing near impossible missions with the promise of reduced sentences.
Suicide Squad is ready to trouble UK cinemas on August 5. Read our exhaustive Suicide Squad guide here.