Walking around the campus of William Paterson University, students usually notice the typical sights of college life, the Student Center, classroom buildings, the David and Lorraine Cheng Library and the often-crowded parking situation in Lot 5.

But every now and then, students may look up and see something a little less ordinary: a red-and-blue figure moving through campus, posing for photos and keeping an eye out for trouble.

It’s the campus’s own friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Known on Instagram as @wpu_spidey, the masked hero has quietly built a following of more than 200 followers while making appearances across campus. From fraternity and sorority events to residence life programs, the campus Spider-Man has become a familiar, and sometimes surprising, presence at student gatherings.

He has even been spotted off campus, including visits to Zapp Comics in Wayne, N.J., further spreading his superhero presence in the local community.

Behind the mask, however, is simply a student who says his goal is to brighten people’s days.

“Oh, the attention doesn’t hurt, but I’m doing this for the people,” Spider-Man said. “Especially at this school… it’s all too easy to fall into this mindset that everything here sucks. But seeing people have a big goofy smile when they see me, it’s easy to fall out of that too.”

Sticking closely to the classic comic-book lore, he jokingly claims his origin story is the same as the superhero he portrays.

“I want to say when I was like 15, I got bitten by a radioactive spider. I feel like most people know that,” he said with a laugh.

Spider-Man says he decided to adopt the persona after noticing that other costumed characters had already appeared around campus.

“There was Batman and the Riddler and Daredevil and Ghostface and Flash,” he said. “So at that point, why not have Spidey? I feel like it’s almost obligatory.”

Still, he believes Spider-Man stands apart from the darker heroes often seen in comics and pop culture.

“Daredevil and Batman, they’re a little off-putting. They’re more like creatures of the night,” he said. “I’m the friendly neighborhood hero. I’m a hero of the people.”

For him, the role is less about costumes and more about the message behind it. Spider-Man says the character’s most famous principle, “with great power comes great responsibility”  applies far beyond superheroes.

“If you are in a position of power and you can help someone, you should,” he said. “It’s something I live by, with or without the mask on.”

Students across campus have mixed reactions to the unexpected hero.

Ramiah Palmer, a freshman business management major, was thrilled by the sight.

“Spider-Man is my favorite Marvel character, and I just can’t believe that he’s here on campus,” Palmer said. “It’s amazing.”

Others are less enthusiastic.

“Yeah, I don’t really care about Spider-Man anymore,” said Laura Gruener, a junior public relations major. “He doesn’t really interest me. It’s just not that big of a deal these days.”

Some students say the presence adds a sense of fun, and even security, to campus life.

“I think campus Spider-Man is keeping this campus safe, not letting these hooligans run around,” said Tai Burns, a sophomore business management major.

For Seth Burke, a junior jazz performance major, the feeling is simple.

“I think that Spider-Man really makes me feel safe on campus,” Burke said.

Even residence life staff have noticed the masked hero’s visits. Angie Ortega, a sophomore biology major and resident assistant at Skyline Hall, said seeing Spider-Man around the building is reassuring.

“I feel safe. I feel protected knowing that Spider-Man’s here, my friendly neighborhood Spider-Man,” Ortega said.

As for how long he plans to keep swinging around campus, Spider-Man says the answer is simple.

“That is the plan,” he said. “I don’t see myself growing out of this anytime soon. The suit already costs a lot of money, I might as well get my use out of it.”

For now, students walking across campus might want to keep an eye on the rooftops.

After all, at William Paterson, you never know when your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man might swing by.