BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — He is a man of many characters, who is on a mission to spread smiles to children who are seriously ill, in Western New York.
7 News' Pheben Kassahun had the chance to catch up with him.
On some days, you can find Mark Mendola donning the red shirt and blue overalls of your favorite Italian plumber, who resides in Mushroom Kingdom.
On other days, he is the supervillain from your favorite superhero movie like The Penguin, in Batman.
Mendola said, "Villains appeal more to me. Anyone can be a good guy. Anyone can be superman. Anyone can play Batman and be the righteous superhero, but I find the villains' backstory so much more interesting. As to why they turned to evil or the wrong side of the law."
The cosplayer is the founder and president of WNY Superheroes and Cosplayers (WNYSAC), in the hopes of brightening the darkest days for kids who are seriously ill.
"I want to help entertain children, visit hospitals, doing charity events, doing fundraisers," Mendola said.
It is something that he was inspired by after his late sister, Dawn, was battling cancer in the 1981.
Mendola added, "My sister was at Roswell. We love the Sabres and her favorite was Gilbert Perreault. Gil had just visited her at the hospital. Now, she just came from the hospital and when she saw him, her eyes lit up and she was so happy. He stayed for about two hours and she was in Heaven."
Mendola's sister passed away in 1985, but it was the joy in Dawn's eyes he remembers, because for three days, there was no pain.
"It's a way of paying back the kindness that Gil did. He was phenomenal," he added.
After retiring from the Erie County Sheriff's Office in 2017, the ordained minister and 40-year volunteer firefighter decided this was his new calling.
He assembled a group of other heroes, and their ranks now total over 30 people bringing twice as many characters to life.
These superheroes do not count the cost of spreading joy.
"It's great to see the smiles on kids' faces. Even at Rosewell, we get requests to go to the adult wing. We went and visited the adults. It's all about the smiles, the children and the charities," Mendola said.
