‘The right man for the job’: Glen Ellyn’s Superman to lead the Fourth of July parade

Jonathan Charbonneau has auditioned for his latest role nearly all his adult life.

Wearing the Superman outfit that has endeared him to his own metropolis, the Glen Ellyn man has walked the village’s Independence Day parade route annually since 1992 — waving, elbow-bumping spectators, picking up a head of steam before launching into Man of Steel-style flying takeoffs.

“It’s a lot of fun participating in the parade,” Charbonneau said during a recent conversation at Gather & Collect, the Glen Ellyn gift shop owned by his friend, Julie Spiller.

“There are even a number of people in Glen Ellyn who feel that the Fourth of July is not the Fourth of July without me.”

“He has a lot of admirers,” Spiller added.

They include members of the Glen Ellyn Independence Day Foundation, which selected Charbonneau as the grand marshal of the 2026 parade through downtown streets on Saturday, July 4.

“The committee voted on it, and it was pretty resounding that Jonathan was the right man for the job,” said Dan Miekina, foundation chair.

The honor comes on the heels of “Saving Superman,” a 2024 documentary short featuring Charbonneau that was executive produced by actor Brendan Fraser.

The documentary chronicled how Charbonneau, who has autism, received an outpouring of support from the community when he learned the rent on his longtime apartment would nearly double.

“Saving Superman” has won eight film festival awards and a Critics’ Choice award.

In Miekina’s eyes, Charbonneau, 59, checks the right boxes to lead the July 4 parade.

“It’s somebody who cares deeply about his community and somebody that the community cares deeply about,” Miekina said.

“When you think about a grand marshal going up and down a parade route, for me, not only as a member of the foundation but as a dad, this is somebody that I would want my children to look up to.”

Miekina announced Charbonneau’s selection at the April 13 Glen Ellyn Village Board meeting, where Charbonneau drew a standing ovation.

Miekina said there’s a car available to Charbonneau for the parade, but the plan is whatever makes him happy and comfortable, whether that’s walking or riding.

Superman will have plenty of backup. Grant Paplauskas, Glen Ellyn’s communications coordinator, is also the regional director and vice president for the League of Enchantment, a group of superhero cosplayers who visit children in hospitals and work with charity organizations. About a dozen of those folks will follow the grand marshal.

“Jonathan reminds us why we put on the costumes in the first place,” said Paplauskas, whose alter ego is Thor. “It's never about the cape — it's about the smiles, the hope and the connections we make with people. That's what he has been doing in this community for decades.”

Charbonneau was a boy when he became enamored of Superman after watching lessons on the letter “S” on the PBS television series, “Sesame Street.”

Playing Superman, however, is a hobby. Charbonneau works in billing for a healthcare company in Downers Grove.

He is also advancing toward a fifth-degree black belt in karate and is a member of the National Association of Rocketry and its northern Illinois chapter. A collector of model rockets, he can explain all you’d want to know about their operation.

He embraces Superman as a model of personal behavior.

“I believe in the ideals that he represents and upholds,” said Charbonneau, who abhors discrimination, bullying and foul language. As to the latter, by citing some spicy movie dialogue, it’s clear he’s even cleaner than Superman.

He’s also made some superhero moves of his own. With a flash of red cape and merely a pressure-point pinch, Charbonneau once subdued a man attempting to steal a chair Spiller was selling in a sidewalk sale.

“That was where we forged our friendship,” said Spiller, who serves as Charbonneau’s “navigator,” whether giving him occasional rides or in situations such as doctor’s visits where societal or interpersonal nuances may be challenging.

Her support is hardly isolated. When Charbonneau’s rent doubled, Spiller started a GoFundMe account that, within a day, raised nearly 10 times the requested amount.

Shortly afterward, Charbonneau moved to a new apartment on Main Street, directly on the route where he’ll lead the parade this Fourth of July. It’s one of his favorite days of the year.

“It’s in the summer, my favorite season,” Charbonneau said, “and the things that I like most for celebrating in general are the very things that fit that holiday the best. Rockets, for one. Flags. And, especially, Superman.”

If you go

What: Glen Ellyn Independence Day parade

When: Noon Saturday, July 4

Where: Starts at Glenbard West High School in downtown Glen Ellyn and proceeds west on Crescent Boulevard. The procession will then go north on Main Street and east on Linden Street to Lake Ellyn Park.

For information: glenellyn4thofjuly.org