By day they are a mild-mannered group of students, but by night they masquerade in Spider-Man costumes, patrolling the campus for danger while stopping for the occasional photo op.
“We’re here to protect people and let them know that this a safe place to learn” said Toby-Spidey, the leader and creator of the Spidey Bunch. “Our mission is to patrol the entire campus, and you know stop for one or two photo ops along the way.”
The group started with just Toby, after spotting a Spider-Man suit at a Spirit Halloween with a friend he called ‘Tony Stark.’
“Me and Tony Stark went to a store, and we saw a ‘prototype,’ if you will, of a suit, and I said to Tony that this would be a great thing to wear around campus and just protect the campus,” he said.
But it was a big job protecting the campus by himself, said Toby-Spidey, and he soon enlisted his friends to join him in keeping Belmont safe.
“I was hanging out with some friends someday and they were like ‘Hey, why not form a group so there can be more protection and more notoriety to ensure the people that they are in good hands, and out came the Spidey Bunch,” said Toby-Spidey.
The group consists of Toby and three other spidermen, respectively known as Symbiote-Spidey, Tom Holland-Spidey and PS4-Spidey.
Soon the group started the Instagram page @thebelmontspideybunch, which chronicles their night’s patrolling campus.
“It’s nice to put smiles on people’s faces. You know people like to see a neighborhood hero here, and we don’t mind taking pictures,” said Symbiote-Spidey. “It is a little annoying though, because everybody tells us ‘Do a flip, do a flip’ and I’m like ‘no’.”
And those who have passed by the Spidey Bunch said they enjoy seeing the superhero squad.
“I think it's pretty funny to be honest, and Lord knows we can all use a good laugh,” said junior Hayden Thomas.
The chance of seeing the masked vigilantes has provided some much-needed comedic relief to students.
“I don’t feel protected as much as I feel entertained,” said sophomore Mia Jay.
The group warned of a possible group of Belmont supervillains on the rise and swore to defend campus from any possible danger.
“We have heard rumors of a possible Sinister Six starting up that plan to wreak havoc around campus,” said Toby. “If they do that then they’ll have to deal with the consequences.”
The Belmont Spidey Bunch will continue to both protect and entertain students with their patrols, with one message in mind for the public:
“Keep it webby.”
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PHOTO: The Spidey Bunch.
This article was written by Ansley Letsinger