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Batman hits the road to lift spirits during COVID-19 pandemic

Costumed crusader brings joy to San Diego
Posted at 11:46 AM, Apr 06, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-06 12:46:35-04

VALLEY CENTER, Calif. -- By day, Chris Banner runs a lawn service, helping people by cutting weeds and clearing fire lines on their property.

But when duty calls, the San Diego man helps people in an entirely different way.

"It brings a lot of joy to people," he said. "Everybody loves Batman."

Yes, Banner is Batman. He has a full costume and a replica of the 1989 Batmobile that he and a friend built from scratch.

Usually, Banner makes appearances at birthday parties and other special occasions. But while the coronavirus pandemic forces everyone to stay at home, he decided to hit the road.

"It's a bad time right now, and we're going to get through this and if I could bring joy to people, that's great. It makes me feel good," he said.

Banner drives around, waving to people on the street. If he hears of someone celebrating their birthday, he'll swing by their house. He says it's his small way of making people smile during a tough time.

"(People) love it. They all line up on the street wave. I just cruise by and open the roof and wave back," says Banner.

It's not exactly battling the Joker. But Banner says it's his way to help fight Coronavirus, the supervillain of 2020.

"It's what I love doing. I love being Batman and bringing joy to everybody. Everybody digs it. It's cool."

This story was originally published by Jared Aarons at KGTV.