diff --git a/pytest_container/container.py b/pytest_container/container.py
index 4cf7aec..0102ad4 100644
--- a/pytest_container/container.py
+++ b/pytest_container/container.py
@@ -526,20 +526,38 @@ def get_launch_cmd(
         self,
         container_runtime: OciRuntimeBase,
         extra_run_args: Optional[List[str]] = None,
+        in_background: bool = True,
+        interactive_tty: bool = True,
+        remove: bool = False,
     ) -> List[str]:
         """Returns the command to launch this container image.
 
         Args:
+            container_runtime: The container runtime to be used to launch this
+                container
+
             extra_run_args: optional list of arguments that are added to the
                 launch command directly after the ``run -d``.
 
+            in_background: flag whether to launch the container with ``-d``
+                (i.e. in the background). Defaults to ``True``.
+
+            interactive: flag whether to launch the container with ``--it``
+                (i.e. in interactive mode and attach a pseudo TTY). Defaults to
+                ``True``.
+
+            remove: flag whether to launch the container with the ``--rm`` flag
+                (i.e. it will be auto-removed on after stopping)
+
         Returns:
             The command to launch the container image described by this class
             instance as a list of strings that can be fed directly to
             :py:class:`subprocess.Popen` as the ``args`` parameter.
         """
         cmd = (
-            [container_runtime.runner_binary, "run", "-d"]
+            [container_runtime.runner_binary, "run"]
+            + (["-d"] if in_background else [])
+            + (["--rm"] if remove else [])
             + (extra_run_args or [])
             + self.extra_launch_args
             + (
@@ -558,7 +576,9 @@ def get_launch_cmd(
         )
 
         id_or_url = self.container_id or self.url
-        container_launch = ("-it", id_or_url)
+        container_launch: Tuple[str, ...] = (
+            ("-it", id_or_url) if interactive_tty else (id_or_url,)
+        )
         bash_launch_end = (
             *_CONTAINER_STOPSIGNAL,
             *container_launch,
@@ -994,7 +1014,29 @@ def prepare_container(
 
 
 @dataclass(frozen=True)
-class ContainerData:
+class ContainerImageData:
+    #: the container data class that has been used in this test
+    container: Union[Container, DerivedContainer, MultiStageContainer]
+
+    _container_runtime: OciRuntimeBase
+
+    @property
+    def run_command_list(self) -> List[str]:
+        return self.container.get_launch_cmd(
+            self._container_runtime,
+            in_background=False,
+            remove=True,
+            # -it breaks testinfra.host.check_output() with docker
+            interactive_tty=self._container_runtime.runner_binary == "podman",
+        )
+
+    @property
+    def run_command(self) -> str:
+        return " ".join(self.run_command_list)
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class ContainerData(ContainerImageData):
     """Class returned by the ``*container*`` fixtures to the test function. It
     contains information about the launched container and the testinfra
     :py:attr:`connection` to the running container.
@@ -1008,13 +1050,9 @@ class ContainerData:
     container_id: str
     #: the testinfra connection to the running container
     connection: Any
-    #: the container data class that has been used in this test
-    container: Union[Container, DerivedContainer, MultiStageContainer]
     #: any ports that are exposed by this container
     forwarded_ports: List[PortForwarding]
 
-    _container_runtime: OciRuntimeBase
-
     @property
     def inspect(self) -> ContainerInspect:
         """Inspect the launched container and return the result of
@@ -1205,11 +1243,7 @@ def from_pytestconfig(
     def __enter__(self) -> "ContainerLauncher":
         return self
 
-    def launch_container(self) -> None:
-        """This function performs the actual heavy lifting of launching the
-        container, creating all the volumes, port bindings, etc.pp.
-
-        """
+    def prepare_container(self) -> None:
         # Lock guarding the container preparation, so that only one process
         # tries to pull/build it at the same time.
         # If this container is a singleton, then we use it as a lock until
@@ -1251,6 +1285,13 @@ def release_lock() -> None:
                 get_volume_creator(cont_vol, self.container_runtime)
             )
 
+    def launch_container(self) -> None:
+        """This function performs the actual heavy lifting of launching the
+        container, creating all the volumes, port bindings, etc.pp.
+
+        """
+        self.prepare_container()
+
         forwarded_ports = self.container.forwarded_ports
 
         extra_run_args = self.extra_run_args
@@ -1290,6 +1331,13 @@ def release_lock() -> None:
 
         self._wait_for_container_to_become_healthy()
 
+    @property
+    def container_image_data(self) -> ContainerImageData:
+        # FIXME: check if container is prepared
+        return ContainerImageData(
+            container=self.container, _container_runtime=self.container_runtime
+        )
+
     @property
     def container_data(self) -> ContainerData:
         """The :py:class:`ContainerData` instance corresponding to the running
diff --git a/pytest_container/plugin.py b/pytest_container/plugin.py
index 186597c..13a89c7 100644
--- a/pytest_container/plugin.py
+++ b/pytest_container/plugin.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 
 from pytest_container.container import container_and_marks_from_pytest_param
 from pytest_container.container import ContainerData
+from pytest_container.container import ContainerImageData
 from pytest_container.container import ContainerLauncher
 from pytest_container.logging import _logger
 from pytest_container.pod import pod_from_pytest_param
@@ -173,3 +174,20 @@ def fixture_funct(
 
 #: Same as :py:func:`pod`, except that it creates a pod for each test function.
 pod_per_test = _create_auto_pod_fixture("function")
+
+
+@fixture(scope="session")
+def container_image(
+    request: SubRequest,
+    # we must call this parameter container runtime, so that pytest will
+    # treat it as a fixture, but that causes pylint to complain…
+    # pylint: disable=redefined-outer-name
+    container_runtime: OciRuntimeBase,
+    pytestconfig: Config,
+) -> Generator[ContainerImageData, None, None]:
+    container, _ = container_and_marks_from_pytest_param(request.param)
+    with ContainerLauncher.from_pytestconfig(
+        container, container_runtime, pytestconfig
+    ) as launcher:
+        launcher.prepare_container()
+        yield launcher.container_image_data
diff --git a/tests/test_container_run.py b/tests/test_container_run.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..afa0884
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_container_run.py
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+import pytest
+from pytest_container.container import ContainerImageData
+from pytest_container.container import DerivedContainer
+
+from tests.images import LEAP
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("container_image", [LEAP], indirect=True)
+def test_run_leap(container_image: ContainerImageData, host) -> None:
+    assert 'NAME="openSUSE Leap"' in host.check_output(
+        f"{container_image.run_command} cat /etc/os-release"
+    )
+
+
+CTR_WITH_ENTRYPOINT_ADDING_PATH = DerivedContainer(
+    base=LEAP,
+    containerfile="""RUN mkdir -p /usr/test/; echo 'echo "foobar"' > /usr/test/foobar; chmod +x /usr/test/foobar
+RUN echo '#!/bin/sh' > /entrypoint.sh; \
+    echo "export PATH=/usr/test/:$PATH" >> /entrypoint.sh; \
+    echo 'exec "$@"' >> /entrypoint.sh; \
+    chmod +x /entrypoint.sh
+
+ENTRYPOINT ["/entrypoint.sh"]
+""",
+)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "container_image", [CTR_WITH_ENTRYPOINT_ADDING_PATH], indirect=True
+)
+def test_entrypoint_respected_in_run(
+    container_image: ContainerImageData, host
+) -> None:
+    assert "foobar" in host.check_output(
+        f"{container_image.run_command} foobar"
+    )