Meet…Spiderman? (he/him), yes you read that right, “518 Spidey” to be exact. He is your friendly neighborhood Spiderman, but he doesn’t fight crime in the Capital District, he spreads positivity and and gives people a smile in these times where we need it most.
Whether it’s a childhood nostalgia, or seeing the faces of kids and adults alike light up, this Spiderman travels around the Capital District a few times a week. Ben Bohl is a 20 year old from Schenectady, and now better known as “Albany’s Spiderman” who’s impressive acrobatic climbing skills leave citizens wondering if what they actually saw was a real superhero.
We all have it in us to be real life super heroes in the aspect of looking for positivity and helping those in need. I had the opportunity to meet up with Spidey himself at the Empire State Plaza, where we discussed what moved him to don the costume. “ I’ve been a Spiderman fan forever, to the point where I don’t remember where I even heard of him first, he was just always there. I wanted to grow up to be Spiderman, so this has been a dream come true.” Bohl tells us that the first Spidey suit he had gotten was nearly four years ago for fun, and for a while, he had appeared at birthday parties. “I haven’t done a birthday party in a long time, the suit was just there. One day, I was waiting for my friend to get out of work and put on the suit. I wasn’t trying to do anything but make people smile and laugh. As time went on, the more I thought about it, I figured that during this crazy time in the world - I’m an able bodied, healthy human being, why am I not doing something to help my community?” That’s just what he did. He created an Instagram account, and in less than 3 weeks he has nearly a thousand followers from all over the Capital Region, and receives messages daily on how he’s been seen climbing around the city and has made people’s day. “Not to sound cliche, but it has become a responsibility to do my part in my community.” Here Bohl is referencing the iconic Spiderman quote “With great power, comes great responsibility” told to the fictional Peter Parker by his Uncle Ben.
Out of all the things Bohl could be doing, I asked why Spiderman? His response struck something in me, that I immediately related to.
“When you look at Spiderman and all he’s gone through, you can relate to just about anything. He’s lost loved ones, friends, families, battles, fights, failed school, fired from jobs, eviction - everything, but he still chooses to do the right thing.”
In todays world, between social injustices, corruption, Coronavirus, it’s reassuring to know that there are people out there who genuinely want to do the right thing. People genuinely want to make these human connections, and make positive change.
It’s no secret that these past four months, and the present we are living in is a challenging time. For adults, and children the world has been twisted upside down, and to snap a photo or talk to someone that makes you forget all of the negative even for a second, is a beautiful thing. Additionally, Bohl is just 20 years old - this is definitely a positive sign for future generations of change makers.
Our entire interview, we were getting stopped for photos, and car horns were going wild. The amount of positive reaction in the mere 30 minutes we spend together was frankly beautiful. All over social media you can see the stories and messages Bohl will post that he’s gotten from people of all ages.
Bohl has been interviewed by multiple news sources in the area to spread the smiles, but fame and money was never in his mind - he has another motive behind publicity. On the 518 Spidey Instagram bio is the quote “you can be a hero”, and it links to a GoFundMe Bohl has set up on behalf of the Child Rescue Coalition Inc. The mission of the CRC is to protect all children from sexual exploitation through our innovative technology and partnerships with organizations to prevent children's contact with and law enforcement's apprehension of sexual predators. There is a one thousand dollar goal set, and he is only a tenth of the way to reaching that goal - $150 raised at the time of this interview.
During these unprecedented times, there are so many challenges and troubles in our world, don’t have tunnel vision. Look up, you never know if you’ll see Albany’s own web slinging, friendly neighborhood Spiderman.
To support the GoFundMe, please visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/a783k5-be-a-hero?utm_source=instagram&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1&utm_medium=social
To follow Bohl, what’s going on, and where he may be next, we highly recommend his Instagram account, @518spidey.
// Please note all quoted statements above are those of Mr. Bohl and not reflective Faiella Studios.