The scene in the first 'Iron Man' movie became extremely famous.
Inspired by the Iron Man superhero character, a man in China used magnets to remove metal shards embedded in his thigh but ended up in a hospital. The daring attempt of the man, surnamed Jiang, amused many social media users in China, as per a report in South China Morning Post (SCMP). The said scene appeared in the first Iron Man movie in which Tony Stark, who later turns into a superhero, is attacked while travelling in a military convoy. Some metal shards are embedded in his chest, which he removes by using an "electromagnet".
A similar thing happened with Jiang, who was injured in an industrial explosion in Wuhan, in Hubei province, as per the SCMP report.
The blast sent shards of metal flying, some of which became embedded in Jiang's thigh. A video posted by him on social media show holes in his flesh where the shrapnel hit.
However, instead of going to the hospital, Jiang followed the superhero and tried extracting the shards with a strong magnet.
What he forgot was the fact that even in the world of fiction, Iron Man ultimately undergoes surgery.
His solution only resulted in more pain, eventually forcing him to seek emergency treatment at Wuhan Puren Hospital.
A team of doctors carried out the microsurgery and successfully removed four metal fragments and repaired the damaged muscles, ligaments and nerves.
Dr Peng Hanshu warned people against copying Jiang.
"In such accidents, do not blindly try to handle it yourself. It is recommended to immediately seek medical attention at a proper healthcare facility," he was quoted as saying by SCMP.
But Chinese social media users were amused by Jiang's daring attempt.
"If this method worked, hospitals would be out of business," said one user.
"The human body is not like cardboard or wood. The flesh closes and heals itself. It's not going to stay open for you to use a magnet. Watching too many TV shows can confuse reality," commented another.