Clark Kent lookalike turns accidental superhero in Brazil

BRASILIA - 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 cell phone video of him, amazed at his resemblance to "Superman" film 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."

"It was funny and crazy to read that so many people think I look like Superman," he told AFP.

That's when an idea took root in the back of his mind, he said: 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.

When not wearing his red and blue suit, he returns to his normal life as a lawyer specialising in civil rights who needs reading glasses to work.

Muylaert says he is weighing how big a space in his life to give the superhero role.

The Brazilian Superman has an uncertain future.

"It fills a void in that sometimes very solitary office routine," he said at his law firm in Brasilia, sporting a suit and tie and looking remarkably like Clark Kent sitting at his desk at the Daily Planet.

"Sometimes amid all the long hours and paperwork, you forget how important human interaction is and the care and attention so many people need. Serving the community fills that void. And all the incredible feedback I've gotten from people on social media motivates me to keep going."