Norfolk, Virginia found itself in a sticky situation this past month. There was a giant black widow spider found, but not the one you might expect. Wearing a red and black homemade spandex costume, The Black Widow is a real-life superhero patrolling the streets of his hometown. He models himself after the Marvel superhero Spiderman, tackling the malevolent. He goes by the alias Matsuda Yuuma, and his identity is unknown except for a few police officers. Similar to Spiderman’s story, The Black Widow was born after a spider bit Yuuma two years ago.

But what does he actually do? Well he has stopped fights in local bars, carjacking, and even assault. The reason for his actions? The Black Widow was bullied while growing up. He carries a first aid kit, a pepper spray, multi tools, and a baton, but because of his impressive black belt in martial arts, he has not used any of them. Similar to most superheroes, the twenty year old does not refer to himself as a vigilante or a hero, but more as a ‘provider’ of the community, there to help the homeless, to make sure nobody is doing anything illegal, and teaching others to “be free and be themselves”. The Black Widow enjoys spending time talking to people one on one, which he calls “counseling”. When Yuuma is not modestly saving the streets of Norfolk, he is working in a restaurant and as a DJ.