Benedict Cumberbatch mocks relentless superhero films with Star Trek salute at Marvel Doctor Strange convention

Marvel said the film will 'push boundaries'

As if weary of all the relentless junkets and conventions and panels he has to do for various sci-fi movies, Benedict Cumberbatch jokingly greeted the crowd with a Vulcan salute at Disney’s D23 expo at the weekend, where he was promoting Doctor Strange via video message.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige introduced the Star Trek Into Darkness actor, who is the latest major actor to partner with the lucrative studio.

"I'm very, very, very lucky and very excited to be taking on Doctor Strange for Marvel," Cumberbatch said. "He's an extraordinary character who brings in a whole other dimension - multiple dimensions - to the Marvel universe.”

The ever-burgeoning genre of comic book movies has been changing a lot of late, becoming less serious and more self-referential, with Feige suggesting that Doctor Strange will see a new shift.

"Doctor Strange is a project we've been working on since before the inception of the MCU," he said. "The goal of these films is always to continue to expand what a comic book film is, what a Marvel Cinematic Universe film is.

"And starting a couple of years ago with Guardians of the Galaxy, this year with Ant-Man, next year with Doctor Strange, continuing to push the boundaries of that cinematic universe."

Doctor Strange opens in cinemas on 28 October in the UK and 4 November in the US.