As the 50th San Diego Comic Con International rolled out its sense of history, Hollywood brought trailers to the five-day event that pulled in viewers with their own sense of nostalgia.
"Star Trek's" leader Picard returns decades later, as does another long-toothed flyboy, Tom Cruise's Maverick. Meanwhile, another mid-'80s touchstone, the epic graphic novel "Watchmen," gets a fresh adaptation.
Smirking graphic teasers for an animated "Harley Quinn" and a rebooted "Jay and Silent Bob" turned heads, as did footage of Henry Cavill's latest hair transformation for "The Witcher."
Here are the five trailers that rose as favorites:
5. "Rick and Morty"
Die-hard fans of Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland's brand of comedy genius have to wait long, parched stretches between seasons, so this short teaser scene to preview the Adult Swim show's fourth season is a welcome sip of goodness.
Here, Taika Waititi - also a smash at Comic Con when announced as the returning director for "Thor: Love and Thunder" - spins sly lines like "That's not how apps work" as Glootie, the pink-and-purple alien. (Coming November 2019)
4. "Top Gun: Maverick"
We see Goose and the original '80s gang in flashbacks, but Tom Cruise and his spit-shine grin soldier on more than 30 years later, as Maverick now answers to Ed Harris' grizzled leader. Times and technology change, but the hard-charging Maverick, like Cruise, refuses to be eased toward irrelevance any day soon. (June 2020)
3. "Watchmen"
undefinedIn the same week that Alan Moore announced his retirement from comics, HBO rolled out its teaser Saturday for the series that adapts characters from Moore and Dave Gibbons's graphic novel masterpiece. It's been a decade since Zack Snyder hewed close to the book for the feature film.
Stars Regina King, Jeremy Irons and Don Johnson will surely operate under much looser reins for the Damon Lindelof series as they venture beyond the "lollipops and rainbows." (Late 2019)
2. "Star Trek: Picard"
Like in "Logan," Sir Patrick Stewart encounters a powerful female warrior who could be the future. In this case, CBS All Access is extending its Star Trek line with the stand-alone "Picard," and little more than hearing Stewart delivers his resonant lines is needed to pique the interest of many "Trek" fans. (2020)
1. "It: Chapter Two"
Twenty years later, the return of Pennywise is reuniting of the old gang - now grown but terrified anew. We hear the Losers' Club oath: "If it isn't dead, if it comes back, we'll come back, too." Soon the jump-scares are back in Derry, Maine - "I've craved you," we hear Pennywise intone - as Bill Hader (as grown-up Richie), Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy join the hit franchise, with Andy Muschietti returning to the director's chair and Bill Skarsgard back as the killer clown. (September 2019)