Just to make sure we're sure that Holmes won't suddenly revert into a prickly intellectual in a scarf and trenchcoat (The BBC series Sherlock, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Holmes and Watson in contemporary London, is awesome in case you were wondering), these posters have the heroes holding weaponry.  And because this is a blockbuster, The Eiffel Tower and Big Ben appear to be in some peril.

Both of these character posters debuted at Digital Spy.

The marketing bonanza surrounding this sequel hasn't really even started, but I'm surprised that we've yet to see a whole lot of Jared Harris as Professor Moriarty, Holmes' nemesis and the only man, short of his brother Mycroft Holmes, who can match his intellect.  Harris does fantastic, intelligent work as Lane Pryce on AMC's Mad Men, and he should make a good foil for Robert Downey Jr.  Hey, speaking of Mycroft Holmes, he got a quick shout-out in Sherlock Holmes, but in this film, he'll be played by none other than British luminary Stephen Fry.  Noomi Rapace plays the female lead, a gypsy named Sim, but Rachel McAdams briefly reprises her role from the first film, too.  Also returning are Kelly Reilly as Watson's wife-to-be, and Eddie Marsan as Inspector Lestrade.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows arrives on December 16th.