Superman lives in Brasilia. But he himself might have ignored it if he hadn't visited São Paulo one day. Social networks did the rest.
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In 2022, Brazilian lawyer Leonardo Muillard, 36, was visiting Comic Con in Sao Paulo (Southeast), dedicated to comics culture, when another visitor took a picture of him on his phone.
AFP
“Is this the Clark Kent I see here?” asked the latter in his video, which quickly reached thousands of views on TikTok.
Leonardo Muellert didn't even have an account on social networks, and he never imagined himself as a bespectacled journalist who could turn into Superman.
AFP
A few weeks later, he understood that he had become the “Brazilian Superman” because of his striking resemblance to the most famous actor in cinema, the American Christopher Reeve.
“It was crazy and funny to see that so many people thought I looked like Superman,” he told AFP.
AFP
He quickly got into the game: He ordered a blue suit with a red cape online and began traveling around Brazil as Superman – careful to remove his glasses.
From a height of 2.03 m, this smiling colossus visits hospitals or schools and tries to bring a message of hope by posing for photos with interested people on the streets. All without asking a cent.
AFP
He no longer hesitates to appear on the networks: his profile on Instagram with the title “Dall Clerk” (Big Clerk) is followed by more than 115,000 people. James Gunn, the director of “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014) and the next film in the Superman story, shared one of his videos on the social network X.
AFP
A Lois to Clark
Leonardo Muellert can count on his partner Helenis Santos, who manages his schedule, shoots his videos and asks “Are you Luis Lena?” The question must be answered continuously.
AFP
During a recent visit to Rio de Janeiro (Southeast), he entertained patients and the medical team at the Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics (Indo), a general hospital.
“His presence brings a smile to everyone's face. It gives us new energy to face our hectic daily lives,” says INTO Research Coordinator Rodrigo Cardoso.
AFP
The lawyer, who studied in the US on a scholarship to play basketball, gave gifts to hospitalized children and posed for dozens of selfies.
But the future of the Brazilian superman remains uncertain due to the highly skilled professional commitments. When he's not donning his blue and red suit, he returns to his career as a lawyer specializing in civil law.
AFP
He admits that his role as a superhero “fills a void in the regular office life, which can be very lonely at times”.
Dressed in a suit and tie and wearing glasses in his office in the capital Brasilia, the Daily Planet's editorial staff looks a lot like Clark Kent at his workplace in the city.
AFP
“Sometimes, immersed in paperwork for hours, we forget the importance of human relationships (…). I started helping people and the feedback has been incredible, so it motivates me to continue.
“Pop culture practitioner. Award-winning tv junkie. Creator. Devoted food geek. Twitter lover. Beer enthusiast.”
