After months of anticipation, fans were gifted with their first look at “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” when the film’s initial teaser trailer dropped a few days early. Although the trailer was supposed to premiere at an IMAX event Monday, movie director Zack Snyder was forced to upload an high-definition version to Twitter Friday.

Snyder’s Twitter account has been a hotbed of teaser images, special announcements and more for the past year or so. The director made headlines this week when he posted a few brief clips from the below trailer. Later, he revealed the trailer would drop Monday. Unfortunately, a bootleg copy, apparently captured on a mobile phone, leaked online Thursday night, as Entertainment Weekly reported. Following in the footsteps of the first trailer for “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the Portuguese-subtitled version was dark, grainy and unlikely to be the way Snyder wanted fans to see the characters for the first time.

To combat diminished expectations, the trailer was released online early. To help ensure fans are able to digest every big moment in this dense sneak peek, here is a breakdown of its most important shots.

The Return

Despite the film’s title, as well as the rest of this trailer, giving Batman (Ben Affleck) top billing, it’s worth keeping in mind that this flick is a follow-up to the 2013 hit “Man of Steel.” That movie saw Henry Cavill suit up as Superman for the first time. In 2016, he’ll reprise his role alongside Amy Adams as Lois Lane to take on the Dark Knight, while they begin to shape DC Comics’ cinematic universe. Here, fans were treated to their first noncharacter portrait image of the hero in action.

The Aftermath

To save Earth and its seven billion inhabitants, Superman was forced to aid in the destruction of the major city of Metropolis in “Man of Steel.” In the sequel, it appears the world isn’t going to excuse it by saying, “All is well that ends well.”

The brief teaser is packed with ominous voiceovers by people debating whether Superman is a friend or foe to humanity, with one of them featuring Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg). This will likely be Batman’s motivation for going toe-to-toe with the superhero. The real question: What makes them stop fighting?

The New Guy

With Cavill’s return and a bit of plot detail out of the way, the trailer spent the rest of its time giving fans exactly what they wanted to see -- Batman, Batman and more Batman. Here, they were treated to their first look at Affleck as a salt-and-pepper-haired Bruce Wayne. He’s getting a grim pep talk from Alfred (Jeremy Irons), who does not appear on screen. It was previously reported Affleck would play an older and more seasoned Wayne in this film, and it seems the director has made good on that promise.

The Batmobile

Although it was one of the first film images teased, it doesn’t make it any less exciting to see the iconic vehicle in action. The trailer shows an explosion caused by some kind of high-tech plane (possibly a Wayne gadget). It then cuts to the above image of the Batmobile racing through danger. It’s always great to see one of the most legendary vehicles in movie history, and the 2016 version of the car didn’t disappoint.

The New Hero

While seeing Affleck as Bruce Wayne was important, what fans really wanted to see was the new Batman in action. Unfortunately, the teaser didn’t have any footage of the hero giving a criminal the beatdown, but it did give them a look at the hero’s costume. While it also was teased several months ago, it’s nice to see an image that’s actually well lit.

The Showdown

“Tell me, do you plead?” a fully armored Batman asks Superman. “You will.”

It looks like neither hero will be pulling any punches, as whatever rift there is between them intensifies in an inevitable fisticuffs showdown. Many have been wondering how a superhero, who spent most of his 2013 origin story being billed as indestructible, could be foiled by a mere mortal. Well, a full suit of armor doesn’t exactly tip the scale in Batman’s favor, but it certainly helps even things out a bit. And, after all, the Dark Knight is known for having a bevy of tricks up his sleeve before each fight.

Fans will just have to wait until the film hits theaters May 25, 2016, to see how this showdown plays out. Meanwhile, they can check out the trailer below.

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