October 12, 2021, 11:33 AM
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Spider-Man was recently seen cycling along Upper Serangoon Road, far from his home in Queens, New York City.
Image courtesy of @heyheyheygerry/Instagram.
Spider-Man... but in Singapore
It turns out that the man beneath the red-black-and-blue spandex Spider-Man suit is one Glen Liang, whose online moniker is the Lean Mean Spidey Machine.
Liang, who is currently in his 30s, is a part-time tutor and a part-time student at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.
Speaking to Mothership, Liang said that he was en route to delivering Children's Day gifts to some kids whom he's tutoring.
Image from Lean Mean Spidey Machine/Facebook.
Image from Lean Mean Spidey Machine/Facebook.
Image from Lean Mean Spidey Machine/Facebook.
Image from Lean Mean Spidey Machine/Facebook.
In fact, it was on this very occasion some eight years ago when Liang first slipped into the Spider-Man suit in 2013.
What started out as a means to entertain and amuse the young ones during Children's Day somehow stuck.
Save for the few occasions, where he has been erroneously called "Super Man" by a few seniors, it turns out that almost everybody, be it young or old, knows and loves the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, said Liang.
Why Spider-Man?
During his free time, Liang also freelances as a cameo for parties and photoshoots, where he plays the Spider-Man character.
Image from Lean Mean Spidey Machine/Facebook.
But why the red-black-and-blue web shooting bug-eyed superhero specifically?
Well, two reasons; cosplaying as Spider-Man is "much easier and cheaper", as compared to other superheroes, and being Spider-Man suits him to a tee, where the character's physique and costume of choice is "just the right fit".
Just like Spider-Man, who is 1.78m and not as lanky as the other Avengers, Liang too claims he is not very tall. He also insists that he "looks better with a mask" as he is "not good looking", and the superhero's choice of apparel means he does not have to reveal his face.
But that doesn't mean Liang ignores what goes on beneath the suit.
In an Instagram post, he revealed the work that he's putting in to train for an "upcoming cameo".
Alas, with great power comes great responsibility.
It is unsurprising to hear that Spider-Man was Liang's childhood superhero.
True to his role as the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, Liang said he is "quite approachable as a person" and even tries to be "friendlier" while in costume.
He shared that he tends to be "more daring in doing silly things" when donning the suit: "I reckon that it would be boring and unfitting of Spiderman if he comes across as aloof."
Image from Lean Mean Spidey Machine/Facebook.
While Liang might not be scaling walls or shooting web shooters from his arms anytime soon, he is more than happy to agree to requests for selfies from the public.
Ride for Rainbows
Apart from parties and photoshoots, Liang can be commonly seen pedalling on his trusty bicycle on the roads while donning his Spider-Man suit.
Taking anywhere between 15 to 30 minutes to shimmy into the tight fitting suit, Liang revealed that the Spider-Man suit is rather difficult to put on.
For convenience's sake, Liang prefers donning his superhero suit at home and cycling in it when travelling to and fro his events and engagements.
Image from Lean Mean Spidey Machine/Facebook.
He also said that the suit helps to streamline his body and make him feel more aero-dynamic while on the roads, where he receives "mostly friendly horns" from cars that go past him.
Liang is part of the 2021 edition of Ride for Rainbows, a long distance night cycling fundraising event that raises awareness and funds for children who suffer from major chronic illnesses that are potentially life-threatening.
This initiative is organised by Club Rainbow, a non-profit charity that aims to support and empower children with chronic diseases.
Liang said that he and his Dynamix Drafters team mates each have to cycle over 14km as part of their efforts. Like many of his team mates, Liang has since completed, and surpassed, this distance with a whopping distance of 182.56km.
Unlike his team mates, however, Liang is participating as his alter-ego – the Lean Mean Spidey Machine.
This will definitely not be the last that you will see of Singapore's very own friendly neighbourhood Spider-Glen.
Other Spider-Man sightings:
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Top image from @heyheyheygerry/Instagram and @ocbccycle/Instagram
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