Benedict Cumberbatch at an event in Shanghai promoting Doctor Strange, in which he plays the protagonist. [Photo provided to CHINA DAILY]

He then embarks on a journey to Nepal to seek healing, but unexpectedly becomes a fighter with magical powers to beat a dark force from outer space.

"The whole idea (behind the film) was about making a different kind of Marvel movie," says the director, Scott Derrickson, during a recent promotional tour in Shanghai.

Known for Sinister and The Exorcism of Emily Rose, the 49-year-old American director is also a fan of Marvel comics.

To him, the lesser-known Strange is a favorite Marvel superhero.

"Strange, being a skeptic and a materialist and somebody who is very resistant to magic and mysticism, is forced to open up his mind to the possibility that maybe there is more to the world than he thinks," he says.

Unlike most other Marvel superheroes, such as Iron Man who has a powerful suit and Captain America who has an experimental serum－Doctor Strange gains his powers from Oriental-type mysticism.

Chinese audiences may also feel a cultural resonance with the film, which features an ethnic Chinese guard at a library of ancient magic books. Other scenes have Strange achieving a breakthrough on a Himalayan peak and show Hong Kong.

Though comic books featuring Doctor Strange were first published in 1963, China has had a far shorter history with the character. But Cumberbatch is a different story. His portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the series on the detective has won him numerous Chinese fans.