KLANG: On weekends, it isn’t surprising for AEON Mall Bukit Tinggi to be packed to the brim with people. But yesterday afternoon, a curious throng braved the sweltering heat to form a sea of red and blue – and occasionally black – in the mall’s Centre Court.
From the floors above, curious shoppers looked on incredulously as people of all ages, backgrounds, shapes and sizes gathered below, boys, girls, men and women alike, most of them garbed in a similar fashion.
It seems like Spider-Man has come swinging out of his native New York and into Klang. Perhaps he’s here to deal with the local gangsters!
As it turns out, the reason for this gathering is far more innocuous. To celebrate the cinematic release of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”, film distributor Sony Pictures and AEON attempted to get Malaysia into the Guinness World Records.
With enough luck, this gathering of individuals in Spider-Man outfits would be the largest in the world, meriting an entry in the record books.
While some participants belonged to Spider-Man fan clubs, others were ordinary members of the public who were more than eager to be part of this unconventional convention.
Present were entire families, with both parents and kids dressed in tights and throwing up iconic poses associated with the friendly neighbourhood superhero.
Other groups consisted of friends raring to spend the afternoon together with some silliness and costumed fun.
It certainly helped that participation came with its own rewards, including a goody bag as well as an entry into a lucky draw that would be held at the end of the evening.
Many brought their own costumes, some of which were elaborate and likely cost a pretty penny. For those who could not afford this, the registration counter provided an array of Spider-Man outfits for everyone to join in the fun.
Although the standard red-and-blue costume was most numerous, there was a substantial diversity donned by the participants. With the boom of Spider-Man media released in recent decades, it’s little wonder that fans had many options to choose from.
Sure enough, there was eye-grabbing attire sprinkled amidst in the crowd. Much to the delight of many, one participant came dressed as the monochromatic Spider-Man Noir, top hat and all. Noir’s voice actor Nicolas Cage would surely have been impressed.
Another attendee named Wan wore a particularly amusing but certainly unique outfit, blending the Spidey costume with a formal baju Melayu, complete with a tengkolok crowning his head.
“I’ve got to say Tom Holland,” he replied when asked who his favourite Spider-Man actor was. Apparently the Malaysianised outfit was inspired by his love for the black-and-gold outfit the British actor wore in “Spider-Man: No Way Home”.
FMT also spoke with Spider-Woman cosplayer Zarith, 16, who had put a spin on her costume by adding a short black skirt.
“I love all of the Spider-Man actors but my favourite has to be Holland and maybe Andrew Garfield,” she said.
Drum roll, please…
At 3pm, under the watchful eyes of a Guinness World Records representative, the Spider-People began to properly assemble, each participant bringing the official number higher and higher.
This isn’t the first such record-breaking attempt to be made in recent years: a similar gathering had taken place in Mumbai, India in 2021, with the final number of participants being 601.
Well, guess what? Yesterday ended with thrilling news, as it was officially declared that Malaysia has broken the Mumbai record, thanks to the final grand total of 685 participants.
It truly was an event for the books – an achievement that goes to show just how beloved the Masked Menace is among Malaysians! Syabas!