Toronto Spider-Man foils shoplifter, returns to quiet life of street performing

Looks like Toronto has a superhero that will be sticking around.

Having foiled a shoplifting incident at a costume store in downtown Toronto on Halloween, Peter Parkour, who’s real-life identity is Mark Zilio, told Yahoo Canada News that being a full-time street performer satisfies him more than any office work — or crime fighting — would. It also benefits his spiritual and physical well being, he says.

“I need to create impact on a social level and work one on one with people,” Zilio said in an email.

Although social media was buzzing about Peter Parkour’s heroic feat, in an interview with CTV News Toronto Zilio said he doesn’t want to be involved in these situations since he’s not professionally trained. He’s also worried about losing his busking license.

Ryan Rubin works at Longboard Living in Kensington Market where Zilio is often seen spewing webs. He says Zilio is locked into character all the time by the way he commands himself.

“In a quirky world of real life superheroes, I’m not surprised he took down a shoplifter,” Rubin said. “And I’m not surprised the Internet is now praising him for it.”

As a professional busker, Zilio feels that the busking community is shrinking and that it’s becoming a difficult place for street performers. Although his siblings understand his profession, Zilio says the elders in his family don’t see a future for him wearing a spandex spidey suit. Zilio’s dream job is to do stunts in the film industry.

A former dance instructor from Guelph, Ont. who has auditioned several times for the reality dance competition show So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Zilio has been performing in Toronto as a licensed busker for four years. Currently, Zilio only purchases Spiderman comics so he can delve deeper into character study by picking up any spidey puns and quips for his performances.

But it’s not always easy as a street performer, since online comments about Peter Parkour can become very unpleasant at times. Zilio says it’s the everyday adventures that continue to inspire him to be the city’s wall crawler.

“It’s all the small stuff,” Zilio said. “The smiles I bring to the faces of other people, the new friends I make, places I go, and kids who believe.”