Yes, that viral image of a person dressed as Spider-Man winding up to throw a punch at Jake Lang is completely authentic. Captured on August 22, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by photojournalist Chris Juhn, the image was shared alongside a series of other photos documenting the chaotic event on Juhn’s social media accounts.
Sharing the image on Bluesky on August 24, 2026, Juhn wrote: “I witnessed Spider-Man going into action yesterday in Minneapolis. He rode in on the back of a muscle car. Then leaped onto the pickup, right before unleashing a hail of fists onto his nemesis, Jake Lang, Jayden Scott, and their minions.”
The bizarre real-life showdown unfolded during a planned demonstration and counter-protest outside Minneapolis City Hall that ultimately turned violent. According to an official Minneapolis Police Department bulletin released on August 22, 11 individuals were arrested in connection with the unrest, including Jake Lang and William Nicholas Love. The police department later confirmed to Newsweek that William Nicholas Love was the individual dressed in the Spider-Man costume during the altercation.
Juhn also published additional photographs from the scene on his Facebook page. While the web-slinging brawl captured in Juhn’s photographs actually happened, investigators and fact-checkers note that other separate images related to the same Minneapolis incident circulating online are AI-generated fakes.