The University of Connecticut was forever changed the day that the UConn Spider-Man first set foot on campus. Some people hate him, and some people love him, but no matter your opinion of him, you cannot deny his impact. His arrival gave UConn students a glimmer of positivity, a spark of excitement, and one of the greatest mysteries in our campus’s history: who is the UConn Spider-Man?
I had the opportunity to sit down with our favorite wall crawler to get a sense of who he is and why he’s here. The following is a result of a long conversation, most of which was spent geeking out over the latest Marvel and DC projects (especially Willem Dafoe). However, I was able to dig deep into the purpose of the UConn Spider-Man and learn a little bit about the man inside. But for the sake of his secret identity, hopefully not too much…
(This interview was conducted back in May of 2022. Some of the information provided may have changed as Spider-Man has been more active on campus.)
What is your motivation for putting on the suit and walking around campus?
That’s an interesting question. It fizzled out for a while because I kinda got too nervous. The real answer is I have a lot of social anxiety, which you don’t have when no one can see your face. So, I figured, what’s a way to get out there? Because I wanted to do a whole bunch of party and frat stuff. That just wasn’t for me because I was just too nervous. So then I figured it would just be really funny if I went around as Spider-Man.
So I debuted at Huskython (2022), which, I had a whole twenty-minute conversation with myself in the bathroom preparing myself to leave with the suit on. And then once you walk out there and then you realize suddenly no one can see your face. So, you’re terrified on the inside but no one can see behind the lenses and that gives you so much freedom. I think it would be really fun to be Jonathan, but that’s a whole different conversation. So, I guess the motivation is that it helped me a lot build up some self-confidence, which is kinda funny. But it became more so that people seem to love it more than I do, which is really funny. So, I saw on the @uconnyak Instagram, someone posted “Thankful for UConn Spider-Man” and I was like okay, I’m putting on the suit and walking around for them today. So, to answer your question it’s more so a self-confidence thing, people like it, and I’m just messing around for fun. It’s really sweet and wholesome. I’ve never felt so loved.
Can you speak to what you get out of being Spider-Man, as well as what you think other people get out of it?
Yeah, what I get out of it is exercise. That’s for sure. It’s fun walking around for five hours a day. But it gives me a sense of what people are really like. Because you see so much, people are this way and are this way and are this way, right? But if you just kind of go out and you just watch people just be themselves, you realize that everyone’s just a kind person and it’s really fun to interact with people just walking, to high-five them. Some people are not afraid to tell me that they hate me. Some people see me and they’ll just completely disregard me, give me the cold shoulder, or something of that nature. But so many people, their inner kid comes out, and my inner child is out at the same time, and it’s just this beautiful moment of humanity, in a Spider-Man suit. That’s what I get out of it. And I think a lot of people just get a small distraction from how harsh the world is today. So much pressure and so much anxiety. During finals for example. There’s so much stress and for what? A piece of paper! And so, to see Spider-Man high-five you in the library, I mean, I would like that a lot. So I think other people would like that too.
Do you think that you would have connected with as many people if they knew any more information about you, or do you think that the anonymity makes it easier for people to connect with you?
No, the anonymity makes it a lot easier, for sure. And don’t get me wrong, there are so many times I put on the suit and I think maybe today is the day I take off the mask. But there was one conversation I had with someone. She and I were talking, and at some point, she interrupts the conversation and she goes “Just so you know, I normally wouldn’t do this kind of thing with people. Not being able to see your face gives me so much more freedom to say how I feel because I’m just talking to Spider-Man, not a person.” And I feel that way talking to people because no one can see my face. No one knows who I am. So I am just who they want me to be in their eyes and there’s something beautiful in that.
From the first time we interacted, I keep asking myself “Do I know that voice? Is this someone I know?”
I don’t know. Maybe! It’s funny because people have said that. They ask “Do I know you?” and I’m like maybe.
There is something about the familiarity of the character and the fact that you could be literally anyone that makes it so easy for people to talk to you!
Yeah, that’s one thing I’ve noticed. People are just very comfortable talking in a mask. And I think people need that nowadays. Because therapy’s expensive and sometimes people just want to get something off their chest. And I’ll listen. I’ll be the person you need me to be.
We saw your collaboration with @harriesforuconn and I think a lot of the mutual fans got really excited, so did you get anything out of connecting with another UConn social media personality?
Yeah! I’ve talked to two people like that. I’ve talked to one of the women’s basketball meme pages and I’ve talked to @harriesforuconn and it’s really interesting talking to these people who are also anonymous. But I didn’t get anything too deep out of it. I’d say @harriesforuconn and I are friends, but I’m just kinda figuring this out as I go along. It’s really interesting having people like me and not know who I am, which is not a bad thing, it’s just funny.
Have you ever met Jonathan, Tildy, or Carson while wearing the Spider-Man suit?
No, I haven’t met them in the Spider-Man suit, but I met them as me. I would love to have a collab with Tildy and Jonathan. That would be great! I met the inflatable shark a while ago. The amount of panic that I had when I thought that it was one of my friends who actually knew me. I was like, oh no! Thankfully it wasn’t.
Do you feel that because of what you’re doing you’ve inspired people to dress up more on campus?
Yeah, maybe. I mean, it’s speculation, you know? But, maybe in their heads, they saw the Spider-Man and they think Hey that would be fun! I want to do something similar. I went up to the shark and asked “Hey, do you have an Instagram account?” and they said, “No, but you have one so I might make one.” And I was like “Sure! I’ll follow you!”
You’ve inspired more characters! UConn is going to have its own fictional universe developing.
That would be so funny!
(Side note: I was totally right! I predicted it on May 2nd, 2022. We now have characters like UConn Ned, Spider-Gwen, Captain America, Batman, and even a Joker! The UConn universe is growing!!!)
Was there a particular reason that you chose a Spider-Man suit? Did you just have one or do you resonate with the character in some way?
I resonate with the character, but I’m being totally honest when I tell you, it was just a Saturday night at my house at three in the morning, I called up my girlfriend and was like “Hey hon, guess what? This is a great idea,” and she was like “Sure!” And I said “But you can’t tell anyone. I’m just telling you now so I don’t have a big secret that you find out about a year from now.” And she was like “Okay.” So then I got it (the suit), and I was so nervous to do it for so long. I kept chickening out. Then Huskython rolled around and I thought tonight’s the night! And ever since then, I’m like this is fun.
I’m glad you had the confidence to do it because I’m sure it’s terrifying!
Yeah, I have a whole routine before I put on the suit in the bathroom, hiding away. I have to blast some song and look in the mirror like “You got this, you can do this!” And then I walk out.
Can you talk about which Peter Parker you resonate most with and why?
They’re all different. I grew up watching Tobey. I don’t know if I resonate the most with him. I think objectively, he’s probably the best of the three. But, probably Andrew. As a result of not having the self-confidence to be myself, I became someone I didn’t want to be. It was somewhat self-destructive tendencies. It was kinda asshole-ish behavior. It wasn’t intentional, it was just how I came off. I’ve dealt with loss before. I’ve spiraled into a lot of depressive states, so with him, just to kinda see that bounce back. Recently I’m going through my own personal hard time, so to see that @uconnyaks post, I don’t know if you want to stretch it to this point, but it’s very reminiscent of the scene where Andrew is going through whatever loss he has and some kid on the news is like “I love Spider-Man” and then he shows up and saved the day. But, I’d say Andrew probably.
What parts of your identity are Peter Parker-ish?
I’d say a good chunk of it. I like programming a lot. I like building things a lot. I like a lot of science stuff. So, I guess that’s the Peter Parker stuff. I’ve also just been told throughout my entire life, as a kid, that I have Peter Parker energy, which I never saw, and I still don’t. But people say that apparently, so I guess that stuff, all the nerdy stuff that I do behind the mask.
What is your girlfriend’s reaction to what you’re doing?
She’s my biggest fan actually. She’s very supportive. She’s very sweet about it. She’ll always ask me “How was Spider-Manning?” and I’ll be like “Great!” She’s like “Give me the photos,” basically demanding them and so I’ll send her all the photos and she’ll pick out her favorites. She’s a very “Actions speak louder than words” type of person. So, I’ll send her those pictures, not knowing she’ll save them or favorite them or something, and then one day down the line I’ll see them as she’s going through her camera roll. I love her very much.
I know you’ve gone to random classes as Spider-Man. What are the reactions from professors when you do that?
It’s a variety. There was one professor who, the first one I walked into, I walked in and just said “Sorry I’m late!” and just sat down. And then she looked at me and then scanned the room, and then just carried on as I sat down. And she kept with the lecture for three more seconds and she was asked “Did you guys plan this?” And everyone was like “No, not at all.” It was the same classroom that was on @uconnbarstool. So, then she said “Okay, what’s happening? What’s going on?” and she just said “Whatever.” Then she continued on with the lecture but she stuttered over the same sentence “Now we’re going to- Now we’re going to- who are you?” and I said, “I’m Spider-Man.” And she was like “Um, okay.” And she continued on with the lecture and I got up and walked out thirty seconds later.
So, I was in there for a total of one-minute maximum, but I really felt like it was thirty hours, just because time slowed down. Later I ran into someone [from that class] and they said “It was so great. She gave us a five-minute break just to laugh about it. So that made me feel good. And then I walked into a different one where someone really did not appreciate my presence. They were like “Who are you?” and I just said, “I’m Spider-Man.” And they asked “Are you gonna take off the mask?” and I said “No, that defeats the point,” and they were like “Alright, get out.” So I walked out.
And there was another one where I got really mixed reviews. It was a big lecture. So, I walked in and I saw on YikYak that some people loved it and some people lost respect for me. In their defense, I wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place. And then I walked into one where the professor didn’t care. I walked into french cinema in McHugh and the guy just continued. It’s very mixed reactions. It depends on how much the professor cares, how serious they are, and what their degree is. Because if they have a doctorate in something and Spider-Man walks in, they’re gonna get pissed, and rightfully so. It’s up to me to figure out the best class to go into.
Is there anything that you would like people to know about you, or just a message that you have for people who read this article?
A lot of people, I see what they’re going through, and I have a lot of respect for the people who are nervous to say hello to me but go out of their way to. I see them struggling and I appreciate their effort. And I admire their courage to step out of their comfort zone. For those who don’t like it, it’s not that serious. It’s just for fun. But I am who they want me to be, so if they need a reason to dislike something, I don’t care. I’m just thankful that I have the support that I have and all the people that like it. I did not expect it to get this much traction. I’m just thankful that people like it more than I do.