Local superhero

Spider-Man can be seen saving the day around campus

Known for swinging around between the buildings of New York City, Spider-Man, also known as Peter Parker, now resides in Lynchburg for
the school year..Spider-Man, a new resident of Liberty’s campus since last semster, has been standing guard against super villains that may be seen venturing down University Boulevard. He has also been seen around campus at events such as football games and once at The Amazing Spider Man 2 and Divergent movie night held by Student Activities last semester.

guard — Spider-Man aspires to help the citizens of Lynchburg. Photo credit: Amber Tiller

Guard — Spider-Man aspires to help the citizens of Lynchburg. Photo credit: Amber Tiller

Also, Parker said he is satisfied by the smiles and greeting he encounters from fans are rewarding, but since being Spider-Man does not pay monetarily he has also been known to book birthday parties.

While Spider-Man has a life outside of the suit, he has devoted many days to super hero duties. Parker spent more than 100 hours decorating his spandex-like costume with thousands of tiny red and blue hexagons hand-painted with 3-D puffy paint.

Although Parker said he is dedicated to his life outside of his costume, being Spider-Man is now largely a part of his life, and while being a superhero can also lead to an ego issue, Parker tries to keep himself humble.

“I try to make (God) the reason that I do everything, including (being Spider-Man),” Parker said. “It started out as a hobby and I tried to figure out a lot of ways that I could use it to his glory.”

Parker said he wants to treat this as a ministry opportunity by showing people love, making them smile and ultimately being able to share the gospel with them while still maintaining the personality of Spider-Man.

“One of the coolest things is that Spider-Man never lets something get in his way no matter how big or creepy the villain because people’s lives matter to him,” Parker said. “And people’s lives definitely matter to me. I care about where people go, and I don’t mean where they go to school, or where they go to (get a) job. I mean eternity. And I know that’s such a cliché Christian thing to say, but it’s true, and I try to live that in and out of costume.”

Other ways Parker ministers to people are in his hometown with his church. When Parker went home for Christmas break, he was able to go to a church outing and specifically share the love of Jesus with kids, especially by playing on the inflatables and serving them food.
Spider-Man may be just a hobby close to Parker’s heart, but he said he wants people to understand that being Spider-Man is not for the benefit of his own ego.

“Ultimately (being Spider-Man) is not about me because that’s one of the great things about keeping my secret identity,” Parker said. “It could be anybody in a costume, so why can’t it be somebody who loves Jesus and that’s all
you gotta know.”

For more information about Spider-Man, visit his page at facebook.com/luspidey.

Editor’s Note: The Liberty Spider-Man wished to stay anonymous, so for this article, he was cited as Peter Parker.

TILLER is the feature editor.

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