Just because you dress like a superhero doesn’t make you a good person. There have been plenty of instances in the comics and other media where a bad guy has masqueraded as a hero to pull off their heists and make the public defender look bad. Obviously in real life this isn’t possible, but that doesn’t stop certain criminals from turning to certain heroes to keep their faces hidden.
Case in point, this past Tuesday, a man disguised as Spider-Man robbed a bank in Northern Georgia. On December 22 at around 12:30 p.m., the masked man came into the Traditions Bank in Cornelia, Georgia holding some kind of device and claiming he had a bomb. Rather than fully garb himself in the Wall-Crawler’s classic outfit, the suspect wore a cheap Spider-Man mask, which didn’t match at all with his green hoodie and wide brimmed hat. After making off with an undisclosed amount of money, he escaped in his hatchback car, but fortunately there were no injuries reported after the robbery. According to AJC, the Cornelia police and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are now working together with the Gwinett police to compare the heist in Cornelia to one that happened in Gwinett on November 16.
While likely not deliberate, comic book fans will see that this robber pulled a page right out of long time Spidey nemesis The Chameleon’s book. As his name suggests, Chameleon is the master of disguise, but in his first appearance back in 1963, he impersonated Spider-Man during his first New York City crime wave, but was exposed shortly after. If Chameleon ever gets adapted for live action, it’s a good bet they would incorporate that into the plot of the movie. While stealing money and all sorts of valuables, he gets to discredit the Web-Slinger with the public… well, those who aren’t already fans of the Daily Bugle, anyway. Of course, Chameleon would have better luck staying hidden than this Georgia robber will.
This isn’t the first time over the last 12 months that someone has dressed like Spider-Man while committing a crime. Last year, a man in Lewiston-Auburn, Maine kept his identity hidden using the Wall-Crawler’s visage to rob a Big Apple store. There have also been other instances of criminals dressing like characters from geek culture to pull off crimes over the last 12 months. Around this time last December, a man in a Batman mask stole quarters from a laundry room in Bloomington, Indiana, while back in April, an armed man wearing a Darth Vader mask robbed a bank in Pineville, North Carolina.
While the actual Spider-Man has a lot to look forward to over the next couple years with Captain America: Civil War and his new solo movie, this criminal is doing a disservice to the character and general decency. If you live in the Cornelia, Georgia area, make sure to contact the authorities if you have any information about this suspect.
