Newest superhero named after a breakfast wrap

Dong Chengpeng, director of Jianbing Man, attends a Beijing event. Photo provided to China Daily

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a ... breakfast wrap.

Seriously.

Yep, China's newest silver-screen superhero takes his moniker "Jianbing" from a first-meal-of-the-day staple beloved by northerners.

Chew on that for a moment.

Jianbing Man's yellow costume evokes the omelet. His red cloak symbolizes the chili sauce. And his green eye shadow harks to the green onion.

The public was taken aback when online entertainment program host Dong Chengpeng announced last November that he was preparing his big-screen debut with a film about the superhero.

He raised even more eyebrows when he invited Belgian action-flick superstar Jean-Claude Van Damme to join the cast.

It's worth noting the country has put very few superheroes on the silver screen. Dong believes that makes this a golden opportunity.

He announced last week that shooting has finished. The movie Jianbing Man will be screened nationwide on July 17.