This Man Has Had 23 Surgeries To Look Like Superman And Then Was Forced To Stop

Our parents let us dress up like our favorite superheroes weeks after Halloween, because they tell themselves "It's just a phase."

But the longer it goes on, the nervousness starts building up. Eventually it drags into an epic game of chicken where neither dressed-up kid can blink without losing dominance of the house. What a flashback... Anyway!

InCalamba City in the Philippines, there's a 29-year-old man named Herbert Chavez who never stopped wearing the costume. He calls himself the biggest Superman fan and is essentially surgically engineered to be a carbon copy of Superman. He's blown through the equivalent of two years' salary since 1998 just purely devoted to is superhero nip/tuck. He's had nose jobs, skin whitening, lip liposuction, jaw realignment, butt, hips and peck implants to become a real-life Clarke Kent.


But then doctors in the U.S. refused to do anymore because it turns out one thing he's doing is illegal and extremely unsafe.

SHAREthis with anyone who loves Superman! At least they didn't go this far.

This is Herbert when he was a teenager before any surgeries when he was just a giant nerd who "loved superheroes."

"Superman has always been my obsession since I saw one of his movies at the age of four," Chavez tells EFE, surrounded by life-sized statues of one of the most popular superheroes in history.

This is Herbert in 1997 before any of the surgeries. He liked using blue contacts that he was given from a friend and dabbled in makeup that made him look whiter. 

In a year, he would get a nose job and it wouldn't be his last.

By the time he was 22, he was making a small fortune as a dress designer for royalty in Saudi Arabia for three years, and even built his own shop catering to local films and celebs.

That's how he could afford his decade-long transformation.

This was in 2011 when he was halfway done his transformation...

Now he had the cash to do what he always wanted, getting many surgeries over the next decade.

He started having surgeries to begin cutting away the fat, had his nose thinned out multiple times and got a cleft chin, whitened his darker Filipino skin, had silicone injected for fuller lips, liposuction in his belly, realigned his jaw, and implants to bulk up his pecs, butt and hips.

He guesses he's spent around $6000 even though some surgeries were free.

But when attempted surgery #24 he found a villain he couldn't beat.

Plus there was the time he was asked if he really was Superman and said... 

He's called the "Pinoy Superman" in the Philippines, and actually says straight-faced that he might actually be Superman...

"I want to spread the message that we can all be superheroes, that all of us have that potential within," says Chavez.

"There have been certain incidents in my life which have made me realize that I'm a real Superman. For example, I'm almost 40 years old and I still have no wrinkles. Isn't it too much of a coincidence?"

Last year, he really wanted six pack abs... but he didn't want to exercise because that would be stupid. So he injected his belly with a filler called MesoLipo...

Doctors fromE!'s Botched were horrified to find that Mr Chavez had been injecting his abs and chest with this chemical.

The chemical is illegal in the US and gave Chavez spots and bumps all over. They refused to operate because the "poison" he'd injected made the procedure way too risky.

"‘This Superman needs to get into the gym,’ said Dr Dubrow. "Abs of steel should be gained by exercising and eating right." Chavez  admitted he loves his chocolate but said he was disappointed.

In June 2013, Guinness World Records recognized him but not for his surgeries...

Guinness World Records said that he owned the largest collection of Superman memorabilia in the world with 1253 certified items. Although that's a superhuman feat in itself, Chavez says number is closer to 5000.

He makes his own clothing and adds to the collection. He says he his main goal in life is to show Filipinos the true meaning of being a superhero.

This video shows the life that he lives. But evenafter being denied surgery in this episode, he's reportedly undergone at least at least six more operations...

How did he find a doctor to do them?

Rumor has it he wants to permanently change his eye color and even surgically lengthen his legs with metal splints.

"When my body says it cannot endure it anymore or when my doctor says that my body cannot handle it because of age, then I will stop."

So what do you think? Does he look like Henry Cavill's Man of Steel?

SHAREif you think he's gone way too far or if he is in need of psychological help!

Main and collage image via Stuff