Superman lookalike flies on TikTok
Leonardo Muylaert was just another mild-mannered professional on vacation with his girlfriend when the 36-year-old Brazilian went viral on social media – thanks to an unexpected superpower that has changed his life: his uncanny resemblance to Superman.
Muylaert – a strapping, bespectacled civil rights lawyer from Brasilia – was in line at the 2022 Comic-Con convention in Sao Paulo when a stranger surreptitiously shot a cellphone video of him, amazed at his resemblance to Superman star Christopher Reeve.
“Am I seeing Clark Kent?” asked the star-struck comic book fan, in a clip that soon racked up thousands of views on TikTok – unbeknownst to Muylaert, who did not even have a social media account at the time.
Weeks later, Muylaert learned through friends that he had become an online sensation, dubbed “The Brazilian Superman”.
He told AFP: “It was funny and crazy to read that so many people think I look like Superman.”
He said that’s when an idea took root in the back of his mind: get a Superman suit and try the alter ego on for size. He ordered an old-fashioned costume online, and started travelling around Brazil as Superman.
Muylaert visits hospitals, schools and charities, poses for pictures with commuters on random street corners, and generally tries to be what he calls a symbol of kindness and hope – all free of charge.
He put his new persona on social media and soon became an internet star, his videos reposted by the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker James Gunn, director of the upcoming Superman movie.
To make his magic happen, this Superman relies on his super-organised girlfriend, Helenise Santos, who handles his agenda, shoots videos for his social media accounts and constantly gets the question: are you Lois Lane?
On a recent trip to the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics, a public hospital in Rio de Janeiro, he visited patients and posed for selfies with staff thrilled to see a 2.03m superhero in the office. “His presence puts a smile on everyone’s face, not just patients but also the whole hospital staff,” said the hospital’s research coordinator Rodrigo Cardoso.
“It gives everyone a break, and new energy to deal with our intense routine.”
Muylaert, who studied in the US on a basketball scholarship, handed out presents to toddlers at the hospital and amiably shot videos for elderly patients’ children and grandchildren. –