The man in the Spider-Man costume who became an overnight “hero” after throwing punches at controversial activist Jake Lang outside Minneapolis City Hall has been celebrated across social media, praised in legacy news coverage and showered with more than $120,000 in donations.
But there’s a significant chapter missing from the superhero storyline: the criminal record of the man behind the mask.
The costumed counter-protester is 33-year-old William Nicholas Love — a convicted felon with prior convictions for domestic assault and another domestic violence-related offense. He was later charged in a case in which he was accused of threatening the mother of his child with a gun.
From confrontation to viral sensation
Saturday’s confrontation came after Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey had publicly urged residents not to give Lang and his rally the attention they were seeking. In a social media post ahead of Saturday’s event, Frey encouraged people to stay away rather than engage with Lang.
“Let this lame-ass racist rally fall flat and fade into irrelevance,” Frey posted on X.
A crowd of counter-protesters showed up anyway as Lang arrived outside Minneapolis City Hall Saturday for an event that quickly descended into chaos.
Video of the confrontation went viral, including footage showing Love — dressed as Spider-Man — climbing onto a pickup truck occupied by Lang and striking him as protesters surrounded the vehicle.
WATCH: New video shows the moment "Spiderman" Throws a Punch at Jake Lang during Minneapolis City Hall driven by rally.
Video by Ron Haviv | Licensing @FreedomNTV Qrfx@serrqbzarjf.gi pic.twitter.com/p8DLMZRWW3
— FreedomNews.Tv FNTV (@FreedomNTV) August 23, 2026
Lang and the six people traveling with him in two vehicles were later arrested on probable-cause riot allegations, according to Minneapolis police.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced Tuesday that her office would not pursue felony charges against Lang stemming from Saturday’s confrontation.
Moriarty said prosecutors reviewed extensive evidence of communication and logistical coordination between Minneapolis police and Lang’s security detail and determined there was no path to prove felony charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Love was also arrested Saturday along with three other counter-protesters but was released from the Hennepin County Jail that evening and cited for misdemeanor assault.
It is unclear whom Love is accused of assaulting. Video from the protest shows him striking both Lang and a Minneapolis police officer.
The record behind the mask
Court records reviewed by Alpha News show Love already had two domestic violence-related offenses on his record when he was charged in another felony case in 2021.
According to the complaint, Love was convicted in 2014 of felony aggravated battery of a police officer in Illinois. He was later convicted of a misdemeanor violation of a domestic abuse no-contact order in October 2018 and misdemeanor domestic assault in June 2019, the complaint explains.
Then came the May 2021 incident. Burnsville police were dispatched to Love’s apartment after the mother of his then-2-year-old daughter reported that Love had threatened her with a handgun, the complaint says.
According to the criminal complaint, the woman told police Love grabbed and squeezed her neck during an argument and threatened to kill her. The following day, she alleged, Love tackled her while holding a handgun, pointed the gun at her body, squeezed her neck until she felt she could not breathe and eventually pressed the gun against her head.
“I’ll kill you right here, I don’t give a f—,” Love allegedly told her while holding the gun to her head, according to the complaint.
Their 2-year-old daughter was present during the confrontation and began crying, telling her mother she was scared, prosecutors alleged.
The woman eventually escaped from the apartment carrying the child and began knocking on neighbors’ doors until someone let her inside and called 911, according to the complaint.
Love was charged with five felonies, including possession of a firearm by an ineligible person, possession of ammunition by an ineligible person, second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, felony domestic assault and fourth-degree assault of a peace officer.
Police later recovered a Taurus 9mm handgun with an extended magazine from a vehicle associated with Love, according to the complaint.
Under a plea deal, Love pleaded guilty to the firearm possession charge and the remaining charges were dismissed.
He was sentenced in April 2023 to five years in prison, but the judge stayed the prison sentence for five years and placed him on supervised probation. He was ordered to serve 365 days in the Dakota County jail but received credit for all 365 days already served, according to court records.
From GoFundMe to Spider-Man merchandise
Saturday’s confrontation with Lang would ultimately turn Love — dressed head to toe as Spider-Man — into a viral sensation, complete with merchandise bearing his likeness and more than $100,000 raised in his name within days.
One GoFundMe organizer called him a “Minneapolis antifascist superhero” and urged the people of Minneapolis to “stand up for SPIDER-MAN the way he stood up for us.”
Another fundraiser established on Love’s behalf said he acted because “I felt I had to do whatever I could to protect the people around me.”
Love’s newfound celebrity has already spawned merchandise. The online store Make America Moral Again is selling a $30 “Amazing Spider-Man” mug featuring the costumed counter-protester from the Minneapolis confrontation.
The ‘hero’ narrative
As of publication, Alpha News could find no reporting from major Minnesota outlets detailing Love’s prior convictions.
Instead, much of the attention surrounding Minnesota’s newfound Spider-Man has focused on his sudden celebrity. Some international media coverage described Love as an internet “folk hero,” while supporters on social media declared him a hero.
The Minneapolis Police Department offered a somewhat different assessment, telling Newsweek, “We confirmed who the individual is and that person was arrested for assault, so I don’t know how that’s a hero.”
Alpha News reached out to Love’s attorney for comment but did not immediately receive a response. This story will be updated if a response is received.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
