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1 year ago
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A bizarre video of what appeared to be Spider-Man stopping a homeless man from carrying out a robbery has gone viral - but things are not always what they seem.
The clip was simply New York comedian Esteban Romero reviving his character 'Dontarius' - a vagrant he portrays online for views.
In the footage now circulating on social media, Dontarius is seen fighting with 'Kiing Spiider' in a skit.
The video was taken on a Crown Heights-Utica Avenue subway platform near Eastern Parkway Avenue in Brooklyn on November 6, prompting a range of curious reactions.
'I'm convinced New York is a social experiment,' one person shared.
'It's a different universe out there,' another added.
New York comedian Esteban Romero acting as Dontarius stole money at a Brooklyn subway station in a viral video
The robbery gone wrong was part of a skit with social media star Kiing Spiider, who jumped from the top of a subway train to battle Romero's Dontarius
Some Twitter users considered this to be 'a social experiment' and even said that New York was not a real place because of the video
One person shared the footage with a comment reading: 'I'm convinced New York is a social experiment'
While appearing on multiple platforms, X responsibly added useful information as part of 'Context' service, which adds additional details in an attempt to stop misinformation.
'This video is scripted. The "homeless" man often appears in skits with American YouTube personality and comedian Alex Stein, and goes by the name "Dontarius",' it said.
The clarification was necessary as some viewers were duped into thinking the extravagant eyewitness clip was real.
In the video, Romero, in his role as Dontarius, sits on the ground in front of a bag of bottles wearing nothing but ripped up sweatpants.
High-res vision is standing by as he sneaks over and steals money out of the hand of someone walking to the train with a women pushing a baby carriage.
Running with the money, Kiing Spiider jumps off the top of train and chases after Dontarius in an attempt to get the stolen money back.
Dontarius tried to keep Kiing Spiider away from him by waving around a wet mop and managed to make it halfway up the stairs before the superhero caught up to him.
Kiing Spiider grabbed Dontarius pants, and even came close to pulling the bottoms down completely.
'Get the f*** off, get the f*** off,' Dontarius yelled repeatedly.
Dontarius was no match for Kiing Spiider, and by the end of the video, the social media Marvel hero restrained him and pushed him down the stairs.
Dontarius was no match for Kiing Spiider despite attempting to defend himself and keep the money he stole
Kiing Spiider pulled Dontarius' sweatpants almost completely off before he tripped up the stairs. Dontarius was defeated by Kiing Spiider man, and was pushed down the stairs while running away
Users on Twitter were confused both confused and questioning the video that was filmed in Brooklyn.
One person asked: 'What can you even say after seeing something like this?'
Another person asked: 'I'm just wondering how much is this set up and how much is natural?'
'NYC is that city that makes you tall a true story but is so crazy no one believes you,' wrote another Twitter user.
Others on Twitter confirmed that Dontarius was indeed a character portrayed by Romero, and that he's appeared in sketches alongside comedian and YouTube personality Alex Stein.
Stein refers to Dontarius as his 'wife's boyfriend,' and he even posted the video of Dontarius and Kiing Spiider in the subway station on his Twitter.
'My wife's boyfriend Dontarius needs your help...please donate directly to me and I'll make sure he gets the support he needs,' Stein wrote in the post.
An online audience flocked to comment on the photo: 'So good that someone felt the need to tell us this was a skit,' someone else commented.
They added: 'For a second I thought Spider-Man was real!'
English (US)