China has indisputably become a global superpower, wielding impressive economic and military might. But one thing has been missing. Unlike the US, Beijing has so far lacked its own superhero. Luckily, as of 2014, the world will be a safer place thanks to the arrival of the Annihilator, China’s first comic-book-style crusader against evil.

It is about time. For years, the US has had to do all the heavy lifting. Every time the Joker, Lex Luthor or Venom threatened the planet, it was America’s Batman, Superman or Spider-Man who came to the rescue. A multi-hero defence strategy is essential for a multipolar world.

Jokes aside, there is a serious point to be made. Beijing hopes that the new hero will be an ambassador to enhance its “soft power” around the world. For Wang Guowei, president of the state-backed film fund that is financing the movie The Annihilator, he will help to counter the idea that China can only be a threat to the rest of the world.