That time Benedict Cumberbatch waltzed into a comics shop as Doctor Strange

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- There is video of this, but it's not likely that we'll ever see it.

It was late in the Doctor Strange shoot, and Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor were running up New York's 5th Avenue in the direction of the Empire State Building. Cumberbatch, who'd already spent weeks wrapped in Stephen Strange's heavy wool smock and luxurious cape, had one of those realizations.

"It was a moment of magic to just think that some of the people who first crafted some of these comics did it on one of the floors of that building," said Cumberbatch, who admits he wasn't much of a comics guy until he got the part.

And it wouldn't be the last bit of Marvel magic that would descend on the Doctor Strange set.

On the very last day of shooting, still in full costume, Cumberbatch and director Scott Derrickson spotted one of New York's many street-level comics shops.

They had to. How could they not?

The two told the story Thursday at the junket press conference for Doctor Strange at the Montage Beverly Hills ballroom:

Derrickson: "I have video of it on my phone! And I've never sent it to anyone but Benedict. It was this spontaneous thing. He said, 'There's a comic book store right there! And he's in full [regalia]. And I go, 'We have to go in!' And he goes 'We should, shouldn't we?' I said, 'I'll film it, it'll just be us.' So I put my camera on and he introduced himself and said, 'Hey, I'm about to go into this comicbook store,' and I followed him in, and the people in there couldn't believe it -- it was Doctor Strange! And he walked right up to the Doctor Strange comics ... "

Cumberbatch: "I didn't have any money! But I offered my services, said if the film doesn't work out, I can stack the shelves ..."

Derrickson: "The comicbook store owner said that'd be fine, but you'd have to use your American accent."

Cumberbatch: "It was a magic, magic moment. What can I tell you? It was very specially, utterly -- these moments, we didn't search for them, they came about. It really was [right after] the last shot."

Moderator: "I just want to speak for everyone in this room: Will you please post that?"

Derrickson (to Cumberbatch): Can I post it? Am I supposed to ... [hesitates, looks at Cumberbatch] ... no? That's a no. That's Benedict for 'No.'"

Cumberbatch: "I was just looking at you!"

Uh huh. We're never seeing that video. But it's still fun to imagine.

Doctor Strange opens nationwide in theaters Nov. 4.