4 minute read
Swinging with Ada’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
By Sunnie Dawn Smith
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It all began in the fall of 2017. Aaron Branson’s daughter, Allie, who was age three at the time, decided she wanted her dad to dress up with her for Halloween. She was going to go as the Flash, and she wanted her dad to be Spider-Man. They were going to go trick-or-treating and keep a close eye out for supervillains. How could her dad say no? He had always been into comics and when his daughter requested he dress up as Spider-Man he did so with glee. This is how Ada Spidey was born. Branson found a cheap Spider-Man suit on Amazon and donned it with pride. His daughter and he went out dressed as their respective heroes, and both of them had a great time. However, he was surprised at how much joy he brought to others, just being a grown man in a Spider-Man suit. They had so much fun that he thought he would probably do it again the next year. However, things took an unexpected turn. One of his Facebook friends told him about a group out of Oklahoma City called “The League,” which is a DC and Marvel costume charity. Essentially, it is a group of people with good quality costumes who get into character and help benefit children’s charities and other forms of charitable outreach. Branson and his daughter went up to Oklahoma City to check it out, and they both fell in love with the idea. He joined the organization and began his transformation. The other people in the group were incredibly helpful to Branson. Other people who would play Spider-Man, as well as other characters, gave him advice on where to find good quality suits – he now has four – and also how to do the upkeep on them. He also started working on himself as a person. Even though he was already pretty healthy and in good shape, Branson started paying
more attention to what he ate and started working out more. If he was going to be Spider-Man, he really needed to do it right. While he could do some basic tricks before, like cartwheels, he started learning more in order to make his portrayal more realistic. He can now kick up from the ground using his feet, do somersaults and is working on a backflip. The act of becoming Ada Spidey has touched Branson’s life and the lives of those he helps. One of the things Branson loves most about being Ada Spidey is the chance to show kids that it is OK to be themselves, even if that means dressing up like a superhero. In the beginning it took some bravery to don the suit in public, but that is also part of the lesson he imparts to kids. “Starting off, the biggest challenge was being brave enough to go out into public and do it,” Branson said. “When people see someone in a Spider-Man suit, they may be happy, but some will be judgmental and think you are just a weirdo in a Spider-Man suit. But overcoming what other people think is one of the messages I want to send to kids. If you love it, do it. It doesn’t matter what people think. If I can put a smile on someone's face, that makes it all worth it.” It absolutely made Branson’s day when after putting his SpiderMan suit away after a long day at AdaFest, he went out to the evening concerts and saw a teenage boy in a Spider-Man suit. He approached the young man and was told that the kid had been wanting to go out in his suit to bring smiles to others, but he had been scared to do so until he saw Branson dressed up like that
Though he might be known by another name in New York, Ada’s Spidey’s alter ego Aaron Branson turned some Halloween fun with his daughter into a way to help benefit children’s charities and boost people’s spirits.
PHOTO BY NICHOLAS GEISLER
earlier in the day. While Branson has done many charity events in Ada and the surrounding communities, the one that stands out to him the most was a blood drive for a little boy named Jojo. Jojo is a four-year-old boy from Calvin who loves Spider-Man and also happens to have neuroblastoma – a form of cancer. He was in treatment in Houston while his friends and family rallied together to hold a blood drive for him in Calvin. Ada Spidey came to the event for several reasons. He was going to play with the kids who were there and also give blood himself. They were taking pics of Spider-Man donating blood to Jojo to help give the little boy even more strength and courage. Then, at the end, he was going to video chat with him at the hospital in Houston. However, Branson did not know that the hospital had let Jojo out for a small leave, and just as he was about to call Jojo, the young boy walked in the door. The little boy’s absolute joy at seeing his favorite superhero was overwhelming. Spidey got to play with the kid on the playground, hang upside down and even show him some tricks. It was one of those moments that will be burned into Branson’s mind for the rest of his life. For more information about Ada’s Friendly Neighborhood SpiderMan, check out his Facebook page, Ada Spidey. This is the best way to contact him if anyone is in need of his charitable and joyful services. Also, it is a good way to follow the exploits of a local superhero.
