Jimmy Fallon has set a new record in a field that, until Thursday night, may not have existed.
To mark the theatrical release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Tonight Show gathered 52 costumed Spider-Men for what it billed as the largest-ever recreation of the Spider-Man pointing meme—in Times Square.
“The big movie opening this weekend is Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” Fallon announced from his desk Thursday night. “And we wanted to do something fun.”
He went on to remind viewers of the popular meme showing two (and, in some cases, three) identical Spider-Men pointing at each other.
“Well, we found a fun way to celebrate Spider-Man: Brand New Day using that meme,” he said.
In a pretaped segment, Fallon emerged outside 30 Rock wearing a full Spider-Man costume and announced his mission.
“In honor of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, we’re going to set the record for most Spider-Mans pointing at each other in Times Square,” Fallon said before pulling his mask over his face. “Let’s do this. My spidey senses are tingling.”
He then made his way to Times Square, where dozens of additional Spider-Men gradually joined him. By the end of the minute-long segment, a total 52 costumed participants had assembled, all pointing at one another in an increasingly crowded recreation of the meme.
The Tonight Show declared the gathering a new record, though it wasn’t immediately clear whether anyone had ever attempted to claim the title.
Either way, Fallon now has the number to beat.
The original Spider-Man pointing image comes from “Double Identity,” a 1967 episode of the animated Spider-Man series. Multiple Spider-Man films have referenced the meme since it first rose to prominence in the mid-2010s, including Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Fallon’s recreation required no multiverse travel—just 52 costumes and a very specific world record.
Watch video of the stunt at the top of this post.
