What makes a superhero?
Is it a cape? Laser beams that shoot from the eyes? And incredible strength that stops evil in its tracks?
After almost a full year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the word superhero may be redefined.
Is it the doctor that has worked 200 consecutive days? The woman who wore her mask? The parents who buried their daughter? The restaurant owner that has changed their business model? The teacher who met a virtual need?
When COVID-19 gripped the United States, Joe Dodge, the man who hand made over 20 comic book superheroes for a Christmas display in Mahomet, recognized that superheroes come in all shapes and sizes.
In April he decorated his lawn with everyone from Captain America to the Black Widow with the message, “Superheroes can be healing to all, and there are many REAL superheroes out there who are keeping our community safe and healthy at this time.”
The simple act to bring families together, and to give a little hope and wonder is back again as the world continues to live with the reality that COVID-19 is prevalent and as the Christmas season approaches.
Located at 206 N. Spruce Dr. in Mahomet, the display that began in 2016 gets an update each holiday season. This year, the Dodges give a nod to Chadwick Boseman, an actor who played the part of the “Black Panther.” Boseman died of colon cancer at the age of 43 in 2020.
As if life-sized superhero figures were not enough, Dodge also made the display more dynamic by lights to superhero music.
The first 22 characters were crafted in 2016 in between days off and evenings in the garage. The self-proclaimed perfectionist spent at least a week making each character, although the 10-foot Hulk took a little longer.
He also has made sure that both Marvel, his favorite universe, and DC characters are equally represented in the display that spans the width and depth of the front of the house.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of them, and to see them come to life, it’s like being a kid again,” Dodge said.
