diff --git a/cmd/podman/exists.go b/cmd/podman/exists.go
index a957e1ef7e..a7601aaa27 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/exists.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/exists.go
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ func imageExistsCmd(c *cli.Context) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrapf(err, "could not get runtime")
 	}
-	defer runtime.Runtime.Shutdown(false)
+	defer runtime.Shutdown(false)
 	if _, err := runtime.NewImageFromLocal(args[0]); err != nil {
 		//TODO we need to ask about having varlink defined errors exposed
 		//so we can reuse them
@@ -92,8 +92,8 @@ func containerExistsCmd(c *cli.Context) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrapf(err, "could not get runtime")
 	}
-	defer runtime.Runtime.Shutdown(false)
-	if _, err := runtime.Runtime.LookupContainer(args[0]); err != nil {
+	defer runtime.Shutdown(false)
+	if _, err := runtime.LookupContainer(args[0]); err != nil {
 		if errors.Cause(err) == libpod.ErrNoSuchCtr || err.Error() == "io.podman.ContainerNotFound" {
 			os.Exit(1)
 		}
diff --git a/cmd/podman/history.go b/cmd/podman/history.go
index 8020470713..8a9b6cd946 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/history.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/history.go
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 package main
 
 import (
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/libpod/adapter"
 	"reflect"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/formats"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/libpod/adapter"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/libpod/image"
 	"github.com/docker/go-units"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ func historyCmd(c *cli.Context) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrapf(err, "could not get runtime")
 	}
-	defer runtime.Runtime.Shutdown(false)
+	defer runtime.Shutdown(false)
 
 	format := genHistoryFormat(c.String("format"), c.Bool("quiet"))
 
diff --git a/cmd/podman/images.go b/cmd/podman/images.go
index 7f2fb7ae07..031f06618e 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/images.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/images.go
@@ -8,10 +8,9 @@ import (
 	"time"
 	"unicode"
 
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/formats"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/imagefilters"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/libpod/adapter"
-
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/formats"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/libpod/image"
 	"github.com/docker/go-units"
 	"github.com/opencontainers/go-digest"
@@ -157,7 +156,7 @@ func imagesCmd(c *cli.Context) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrapf(err, "Could not get runtime")
 	}
-	defer runtime.Runtime.Shutdown(false)
+	defer runtime.Shutdown(false)
 	if len(c.Args()) == 1 {
 		newImage, err = runtime.NewImageFromLocal(c.Args().Get(0))
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/info.go b/cmd/podman/info.go
index 1ec4011da7..c33ede5481 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/info.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/info.go
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 package main
 
 import (
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/libpod/adapter"
 	"runtime"
 
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/formats"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/libpod"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/libpod/adapter"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli"
 )
@@ -43,9 +43,9 @@ func infoCmd(c *cli.Context) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrapf(err, "could not get runtime")
 	}
-	defer runtime.Runtime.Shutdown(false)
+	defer runtime.Shutdown(false)
 
-	infoArr, err := runtime.Runtime.Info()
+	infoArr, err := runtime.Info()
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrapf(err, "error getting info")
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/podman/pull.go b/cmd/podman/pull.go
index d81457c677..2a78d0c54b 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/pull.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/pull.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package main
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/libpod/adapter"
 	"io"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
@@ -10,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	dockerarchive "github.com/containers/image/docker/archive"
 	"github.com/containers/image/transports/alltransports"
 	"github.com/containers/image/types"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/libpod/adapter"
 	image2 "github.com/containers/libpod/libpod/image"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/util"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ func pullCmd(c *cli.Context) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrapf(err, "could not get runtime")
 	}
-	defer runtime.Runtime.Shutdown(false)
+	defer runtime.Shutdown(false)
 
 	args := c.Args()
 	if len(args) == 0 {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/rmi.go b/cmd/podman/rmi.go
index 58a78a924e..fbf860eb28 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/rmi.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/rmi.go
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ func rmiCmd(c *cli.Context) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrapf(err, "could not get runtime")
 	}
-	defer runtime.Runtime.Shutdown(false)
+	defer runtime.Shutdown(false)
 
 	args := c.Args()
 	if len(args) == 0 && !removeAll {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/tag.go b/cmd/podman/tag.go
index 8e92ca2fa3..d19cf69a21 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/tag.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/tag.go
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ func tagCmd(c *cli.Context) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrapf(err, "could not create runtime")
 	}
-	defer runtime.Runtime.Shutdown(false)
+	defer runtime.Shutdown(false)
 
 	newImage, err := runtime.NewImageFromLocal(args[0])
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/libpod/adapter/runtime.go b/libpod/adapter/runtime.go
index b49c914035..1f3599082b 100644
--- a/libpod/adapter/runtime.go
+++ b/libpod/adapter/runtime.go
@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@ import (
 
 // LocalRuntime describes a typical libpod runtime
 type LocalRuntime struct {
-	Runtime *libpod.Runtime
-	Remote  bool
+	*libpod.Runtime
+	Remote bool
 }
 
 // ContainerImage ...
diff --git a/libpod/adapter/runtime_remote.go b/libpod/adapter/runtime_remote.go
index 48dcf76a90..8ef8fe1676 100644
--- a/libpod/adapter/runtime_remote.go
+++ b/libpod/adapter/runtime_remote.go
@@ -22,17 +22,13 @@ type RemoteImageRuntime struct{}
 
 // RemoteRuntime describes a wrapper runtime struct
 type RemoteRuntime struct {
-	Conn *varlink.Connection
+	Conn   *varlink.Connection
+	Remote bool
 }
 
-//func (r *LocalRuntime) LookupContainer(idOrName string) (*Container, error) {
-// if _, err := runtime.Runtime.LookupContainer(args[0]); err != nil {
-
 // LocalRuntime describes a typical libpod runtime
 type LocalRuntime struct {
-	Runtime *RemoteRuntime
-	Remote  bool
-	Conn    *varlink.Connection
+	*RemoteRuntime
 }
 
 // GetRuntime returns a LocalRuntime struct with the actual runtime embedded in it
@@ -42,12 +38,14 @@ func GetRuntime(c *cli.Context) (*LocalRuntime, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	runtime.Conn = conn
-	return &LocalRuntime{
-		Runtime: &runtime,
-		Remote:  true,
-		Conn:    conn,
-	}, nil
+	rr := RemoteRuntime{
+		Conn:   conn,
+		Remote: true,
+	}
+	foo := LocalRuntime{
+		&rr,
+	}
+	return &foo, nil
 }
 
 // Shutdown is a bogus wrapper for compat with the libpod runtime
@@ -272,18 +270,14 @@ func (ci *ContainerImage) History(ctx context.Context) ([]*image.History, error)
 	return imageHistories, nil
 }
 
-// LookupContainer ...
+// LookupContainer gets basic information about container over a varlink
+// connection and then translates it to a *Container
 func (r *RemoteRuntime) LookupContainer(idOrName string) (*Container, error) {
 	container, err := iopodman.GetContainer().Call(r.Conn, idOrName)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-
-	ctr, err := listContainerDataToContainer(container)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	return ctr, nil
+	return listContainerDataToContainer(container)
 }
 
 // listContainerDataToContainer takes a varlink listcontainerData struct and makes
@@ -294,6 +288,8 @@ func listContainerDataToContainer(listData iopodman.ListContainerData) (*Contain
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	rc := remoteContainer{
+		// TODO commented out attributes will be populated when podman-remote ps
+		// is implemented.   They are not needed yet for basic container operations.
 		ID:         listData.Id,
 		Image:      listData.Image,
 		ImageID:    listData.Imageid,
@@ -301,13 +297,13 @@ func listContainerDataToContainer(listData iopodman.ListContainerData) (*Contain
 		Created:    created,
 		RunningFor: listData.Runningfor,
 		Status:     listData.Status,
-		//ports: //map[ocicni.portmapping]
+		//ports:
 		RootFsSize: listData.Rootfssize,
 		RWSize:     listData.Rwsize,
 		Names:      listData.Names,
 		//Labels:
 		//Mounts
-		//ContainerRunning: listData.r
+		//ContainerRunning:
 		//namespaces:
 	}
 	return &Container{rc}, nil