The first trailer for The Witcher Netflix series was shown off at San Diego Comic-Con today. There's plenty to recognize in the trailer: monsters, sword fights, Geralt without his shirt on. We do love Geralt without his shirt on.

The trailer makes everything seem quite serious, so we're hoping that Geralt gets to crack a few wry and dry jokes at some point. To the question, "So that's all life is to you? Monsters and money?" Geralt responds with the very, very dramatic: "It's all it needs to be." He also gets very dirty at some point, so hopefully there's a tub nearby:

(Image credit: Netflix)

The trailer hints at a few different storylines: the cultural clash between humans and elves, the political feuds with Nilfgaard, and the connections between our three protagonists. And of course there are monsters, because hunting them is what Witchers do. The trailer, though, focuses more on the humans, who as we know in the world of The Witcher are often the real monsters.

We see both Ciri and Yennefer undergoing separate trials. Ciri appears in a dark landscape with a magical tree while we hear that she is the reason Nilfgaard is invading. We see the Nilfgaardian army coursing over a hilltop in the style of epic Lord of the Rings cinematic battles. Yennefer, after undergoing a fiery transformation, lays bedridden and begs Ciri to go and find Geralt.

(Image credit: Netflix)

The first season seems like it will revolve around the dangers and temptations of magic as we see Ciri surrounded by elves, out beneath that magical purple tree, and throwing a room full of courtiers to their feet in a fit of rage. "Without control, chaos will kill you," one character says of the underlying magical force. It may be that the premier season of The Witcher on Netflix will revolve around Geralt and Yennefer mentoring Ciri through her discovery of her own abilities.

The Witcher series will come out later this year, and until then we can pick apart this trailer for more info.