San Diego Comic-Con 2019 delivered a number of huge movie & TV show trailers as expected, but which ones were the best? Although a number of the biggest studios decided to skip SDCC this year, and the only footage Marvel revealed as part of their epic panel was kept exclusive to Hall H, there was still a lot for those who couldn't make it to San Diego to get excited about.

Comic-Con is always a treasure trove of trailers, and this year proved no different. There were some that were expected well ahead of time, such as a new look at The Walking Dead season 10; a few big surprises, like a teaser for Top Gun: Maverick; and some that simply defied both expectations and explanations.

Related: Watch Every Trailer From SDCC 2019 Right Here

Even though not every trailer brings with it the same level of excitement, the fact that there are so many from such a wide range of movies and TV shows makes it harder to narrow down the very best, so some of Screen Rant's editors and writers have made their picks for the best trailers from SDCC 2019.

Watchmen

HBO's Watchmen is one of the most anticipated TV shows of 2019, and also one of the most mysterious. The full-length Watchmen trailer released at Comic-Con does nothing to dampen the hype, while clueing us in a little more as to what we can expect. That includes some slight plot hints for Damon Lindelof's take on Watchmen, which sees Regina King's Angela, a police officer, start wearing a mask when the Rorschach cult begins attacking law-enforcement. It further suggests that Ozymandias is dead, while it ends with a big reveal of Dr. Manhattan on Mars. Slated as an original story set in the present of the Watchmen universe, it's a world away from Zack Snyder's Watchmen film, and the trailer promises it'll arrive on HBO in October.

"HBO’s Watchmen has been an enigma for much of its development, and while I parsed from Damon Lindelof’s cryptic clarifications that it was a TV sequel to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ graphic novel, I wasn’t prepared for how tightly wound it is. Laurie Blake, American Hero Story, raining squid and the return of Dr. Manhattan: the Watchmen trailer drops surprises in every form, which is exactly what you want from an SDCC trailer. Also, major props to the use of David Bowie’s “Life On Mars”, a cliche choice made brilliant by how it clues you into the Manhattan reveal." - Alex Leadbeater.

Related: Every Watchmen Comic Character Returning In The HBO Series

IT Chapter Two

The first chapter in this remake of Stephen King's IT was very well-received, so there's a lot of anticipation about the sequel, IT Chapter 2, which puts the focus on the Losers Club as adults. Once again directed by Andy Muschietti, the cast this time around includes James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, and Bill Hader, while Bill Skarsård is back as Pennywise. The IT Chapter 2 Comic-Con trailer promises an even bigger, weirder, and gorier clash between Pennywise and the Losers, with plenty of scares on offer too and some scenes ripped straight from the pages of King's book. This is the final trailer for IT Chapter 2, which arrives September 6, 2019.

"The IT Chapter Two SDCC trailer did a very good job of running down everything that's exciting about the sequel, from its story about The Losers returning to face their childhood demon(s) in Derry to the weirder (and trippier) aspects of Pennywise's history in the town. It also suggests that IT director Andy Muschietti's approach will be even bolder and overall more confident this time around, especially when it comes to the film's most visually interesting set pieces (like the brand-new carnival funhouse sequence glimpsed here)." - Sandy Schaefer.

Related: IT Chapter 2 Using Original Movie's Deleted Pennywise Origin Scene?

His Dark Materials

HBO & BBC have teamed-up for this take on Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, which was infamously made into a movie with 2007's The Golden Compass. Although that was a disaster, this looks to be a much stronger - and more faithful - take on the novels. This full His Dark Materials Comic-Con trailer, which follows the previous teasers, gives fans their best look yet at what to expect from the series, showing the breadth of Lyra (Dafne Keen)'s journey, as well as showcasing the impressive special effects and starry cast, which includes James McAvoy, Ruth Wilson, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. No premiere date was revealed, with the trailer only promising that His Dark Materials is coming to HBO this fall.

"I didn't really need any further reassurances that HBO & BBC's adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials was going to nail the source material, but if you did then the SDCC trailer should be just the thing. From the stunning effects work on the daemons and Iorek to the machine of intercision and the gloriously wicked Mrs Coulter (Ruth Wilson), this looks like a magical, note-perfect take on the first book, and good enough to erase all memories of 2007's The Golden Compass." - James Hunt.

Related: How HBO’s His Dark Materials Can Avoid The Golden Compass’ Mistakes

Top Gun: Maverick

The teaser trailer for Top Gun: Maverick was a surprise release during SDCC, with Tom Cruise emerging at the end of the Terminator: Dark Fate panel to deliver the footage. Top Gun 2 doesn't release until July 2020, so there's still a lot of work to be done, but the Top Gun 2 SDCC trailer showed off some very impressive flying sequences - with Tom Cruise doing all of his own stunts - alongside the story hints, which sees Cruise's Pete Mitchell serving as an instructor to a new generation of fighter pilots and struggling to find his place in a changing world.

"I'm not the biggest fan of the original Top Gun, but I do love Tom Cruise and his insane commitment to his craft. That's why I took an interest in the Top Gun: Maverick trailer at Comic-Con. I think it's crazy Cruise is in his late 50s and continues to make movies like this, doing all his own stunts no matter how dangerous. I'm sure the flying sequences in Top Gun 2 will be worth the price of admission alone next summer." - Chris Agar

Next: Top Gun 2 Trailer Breakdown: 13 Character & Story Reveals

Key Release Dates