Batman begins again: SC man known for superhero lifestyle and legal woes starting anew

This is the story of how an aspiring actor’s unquenching thirst for justice and long documented trouble with the law ends with a redemption arc straight out of a comic book.

At least that’s how Cleve DuBois would explain it.

“I’m finally starting my acting career and this time I’m going forward with it instead of losing everything and getting in trouble. I’m looking for a lead role and even can be the bad guy. I’d make a good looking bad guy,” DuBois, who is on the long side of 50, said from Myrtle Beach’s Chapin Park.

South Carolina’s city by the sea is where DuBois hopes to wash away a past that includes multiple prison sentences, beatings and habitual drug use — taking inspiration from the legendary superhero he emulated for years as a crime-fighting character on the streets of Charleston.

Homeless for the past seven years, DuBois arrived in Myrtle Beach earlier this month and has been staying at New Directions. He has family in Aynor and fond memories of rolling through the city decades ago for Bike Week.

For years, the heavily tattooed DuBois was the self-styled Palmetto State Batman. It began in the early 2000s when the Charleston native customized a 1978 Mercury Cougar sedan into a Batmobile for his then 9-year-old son, complete with a fire spitting tailpipe.

From there, DuBois leaned into the character, constructing himself a Batsuit complete with a Kevlar vest. He’d navigate Charleston’s dark alleys and backrooms breaking up crimes in progress or halting them before they could begin.

By his estimation, DuBois has intervened to help more than 1,000 people.

“I’m still in the Batman mode. I want to get back on with my life, though. I’ve seen so many people beaten, hurt and so much blood,” DuBois said.

He’s also seen his fair share of the criminal justice system.

Most recently, DuBois beat a 2019 drug charge out of Summerville after Berkeley County police claimed to have discovered 4 1/2 pounds of meth under the hood of a car he owned.

Court records show he faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted, but the case was dropped in August 2021. DuBois says the drugs were planted by enemies he made after renouncing Folk Nation.

In 2017, he was given two years’ probation following a domestic violence case in Spartanburg, according to publicly available court records.

DuBois spent years in top echelons of the violent gang that built a reputation for drug running and assaults, though he said he never had any involvement with dealing illicit substances.

With a young daughter to raise and finally clear of prison and probation, DuBois is aggressively marketing himself and his past, hoping a major film or TV studio takes note of his larger than life story.

“I’m completely free and clear and ready to start over, you know? I’m an older guy, you know, and I got a daughter out there. I want her to be able to look back even though I’m not there anymore and say, ‘there’s my dad on TV,’” DuBois said.

Not ready to hang up his batsuit just yet

Dressed in all black save for the yellow on his Batman T-shirt, DuBois realizes his street look could give passersby the wrong idea, but it’s a signal on the streets.

“It puts fear in the hearts of ones that know I’m coming. When they see me or know I’m on the way, they usually leave whatever they’re doing alone,” DuBois said.

Myrtle Beach spokesman Mark Kruea said self-appointed responses to crime is not advisable within city limits. He said officials aren’t familiar with DuBois.

“I would point out that committing a crime to ‘right’ a crime is not acceptable,” he said. “Two wrongs don’t make a right.”

As he looks for steady employment and a place to live, DuBois also hopes to adopt “Batman” as his legal name.

He’s building a new car and working on an updated suit — one with a bit more room for his larger frame.

A longtime student of kung fu, DuBois acknowledges he’s not the Dark Knight he once was, but isn’t ready to hang up the cowl.

“I mean, if it came to something happening, it’s time. That’s all because I’ve already done what I’m supposed to do, and I’ve done right by everybody,” he said. “I don’t think there’s really anyone that’s been a vigilante like, been in the situations like me, and lived.”