Ben Affleck didn’t let Lego Batman steal his thunder at Comic-Con – he dropped in for a surprise appearance.

The Hollywood heartthrob played the superhero in Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice and will be back in the batsuit in Justice League. He is also set to both direct and star in a standalone Batman movie.

The thousands of fans at the event in San Diego were stunned when Ben appeared at Warner Bros’ star-studded panel, alongside fellow directors including David Ayer and Zack Snyder.

Ben Affleck at Comic-Con
Ben Affleck (Chris Pizzello/AP/PA)

The actor seemed to be overcome as he snapped a few pictures of the crowd for himself and told the audience: “This is kind of nerdy, but this is a big deal in my life. This is never going to happen again.”

Host Conan O’Brien joked: “I think this may happen for you again.”

Ben later returned to the stage in his actor role, alongside his Justice League co-stars.

Director Zack Snyder, from left, and actors Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, and Henry Cavill attend the "Justice League" panel on day 3 of Comic-Con International on Saturday, July 23, 2016, in San Diego. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Ben Affleck (Chris Pizzello/AP/PA)

The Lego Batman movie, featuring Will Arnett as the Caped Crusader, was among the other films to make a big splash at Comic-Con.