Behind the mask: Wausau’s unofficial superhero speaks

WAUSAU – It’s a sweltering hot, sluggish July morning in Wausau. With weather in the high 80s and humid, it’s the type of day that should either be spent inside in the comfort of air conditioning or in a bathing suit near a pool of cool water.

Despite the sweat-inducing temperatures, one man seems immune to scorching heat.

Clad in a black full-body Spiderman suit, Aaron Vangarde dances in the sun on the side of the road in the 1800 block of Stewart Avenue. As the clock ticks closer to noon, it gets hotter, but he doesn’t care — he’s exhilarated. He exudes an energy that seems impossible to muster on such a warm day; he makes Spiderman movements and he poses like a superhero.

Vangarde, 27, is wearing the black Spiderman costume on Stewart Avenue partly because it is his job. He’s a shaker boarder at the Little Caesars Pizza on Stewart Avenue, and it’s his responsibility to attract cars on the street to the fast food chain by holding advertising signs and enthralling passersby.

And it seems like he’s doing a good job. He’s received intrigued stares, and his Spiderman moves are definitely drawing attention from drivers.

You might think that when Vangarde retires after a day’s work — or when he takes a day off — he probably removes the costume.

But you would be wrong.

Most of the time, Vangarde stays in character as a superhero. In total, he has more than 20 costumes that range from some of the more traditional, valiant superheros, like Superman and Captain America, to those characters like Catwoman whose allegiance to the greater good is a little more gray, to villains such as Darth Vader.

“I love dressing up, I always have loved dressing up,” Vangarde said.

Vangarde’s fascination with cosplay subculture — a community of people who dress up as fictional characters — has been a steadfast passion that has existed for the past four years. He said he has always dressed up in costumes for conventions and on Halloween, of course. But recently, Vangarde decided to start adorning the superhero attire more permanently.

Vangarde’s account of how he became what some may call Wausau’s unofficial superhero is undoubtedly an interesting one. Every superhero has an origin story, after all.

Vangarde spoke candidly about the struggles in his life that led him to want to adopt his costume alter-egos. He told Daily Herald Media that he is autistic and that, roughly one year ago, he became entangled in a Wausau Police Department sting. Police say he responded to ads soliciting a prostitute and although Vangarde was never charged, the incident was enough, he said, to set his life on a different course.

And with this life-altering event, he decided to morph into a superhero and­ wear the costumes every day.

For Vangarde, dressing up as superheroes is a sort-of penance for what happened when he “got nailed a long time ago for doing bad things,” he said. He used to be bad, but now, when he puts on the masks of superheroes — who are symbols of righteousness — he’s good.

“It just keeps me alive,” he said. “It makes me feel good.”

So, Vangarde wears the superhero gear out and about — and people have definitely noticed. During the summer, you can catch him at The 400 Block for Concerts on the Square, where he’ll most likely be dancing and jiving in one of his many costumes. Other times, you may see him as Captain America, riding the streets of Wausau on his bicycle — all while meticulously balancing the iconic star shield on his bicycle’s handlebars.

His costumed appearances have sparked interest among the Wausau community about who this masked figure really is. In the popular Facebook group, “You Know You’re From WAUSAU, WI if...” some of the group’s 11,000 members have pondered the identity of the superhero they have seen around town. And to add to the enigma, several videos of Vangarde bicycling in his superhero attire have been uploaded to YouTube, stoking the flames of this great mystery even further.

Unlike some of the superhero characters he portrays, Vangarde doesn’t take the law into his own hands. Instead, he says he wears the costumes because he’s inspired — because he wants to pose for what is good, for what is moral and for what is virtuous.

“I want to be entertainment to the people who need good out there, who need to see hope,” Vangarde said.

But besides just being a symbol of the good, the superheroes Vangarde imitates through costume also resonate with him on a much more personal level. Each character Vangarde portrays possesses some type of trait that he also has, he says.

“Each hero represents a personality that I am,” Vangarde said. “My metabolism is Captain America, my anger is the Hulk. ... Batman’s my dark side; Superman is my bright side. ... Thor is just an average hero I like and Wolverine is my tough side.”

And two months ago, he landed a job at Little Caesars Pizza. Nate Grulkoski, the manager, hired Vangarde almost immediately after seeing him in his superhero attire.

He can attest that Vangarde fully immerses himself in the character.

“He’ll do the Thor hammer smash and he’ll do the Spidey movements,” Grulkoski explained..

And of course, the reaction from customers and passersby is an added bonus. After all, there is a small amount of celebrity that comes with the Captain America garb.

“He gets a lot of smiles,” Grulkoski said. “Kids want to take pictures with him, adults want to take pictures with him (and) everyone wants to shake his hand."

“A lot of people notice (him),” said Skye Frank, a former neighbor of Vangarde. “People don’t walk around in costumes every day.”

And besides just the attention that his costumes attract, there’s also a certain level of respect that Vangarde’s role as Wausau’s unofficial superhero commands. It takes courage to wear something completely different from everybody else — and to be totally comfortable with the stares his costumes elicit.

“It’s a little admirable to just walk around and not care what people think,” Frank said. “I wish I had that. I think a lot of people do.”

And although Vangarde’s superhero effect may be just presently limited to the Wausau community, he said he wants to extend his influence to a much larger audience.

“I want to reach the world.”

Vangarde’s many superhero personas*

Vangarde possesses roughly 20 costumes, so if you see a person in Wausau dressed up as the following superheros, it is likely Vangarde.

1. Captain America
2. Pink Power Ranger
3. Ninja Turtles
4. Batman
5. Superman
6. Catwoman
7. Supergirl
8. Darth Vader
9. Green Lantern
10. Hulk
11. Wolverine
12. Spiderman
13. Stretch Armstrong
14. Thor
15. Clark Kent
16. Iron Man

*Vangarde has several variations of the same superhero costume.

Going Out Reporter Melanie Lawder can be reached at mlawder@gannett.com or 715-845-0607. Find her on Twitter as @mel_lawder.