JACKSON, MI – There was the unfriendly alien who detests hugs, the greedy goblin who steals cupcakes from birthday parties, and the "dirty dumper" who spreads ill will with garbage.

A whole host of villains took their turns being terrible, and Zack Eagen of Summit Township defeated them all, using his innate super powers, such as laughter and love, to clean their corroded cores.

He conquered evil, transformed bad to good and ascertained the release of his "kidnapped" baby sister.

The Superhero Training Academy, a Berkley-based nonprofit group, specially put together a series of staged challenges Saturday, Oct. 4, for 5-year-old Zack, a fan of all things superhero, to bring him joy as he battles a real opponent.

Zack has a rare, aggressive and fatal disorder, believed to be genetic, that has taken away his strength and mobility. The community has rallied to support him and his cousin in May took him to the Concord High School prom.

Medical professionals cannot even identify his condition, said his mother, Jessicah Zink. Testing is ongoing and has ruled out what was thought to be the diagnosis, pontocerebeller hypoplasia, which affects brain development

Zink said it might instead be a type of spinocerrebellar ataxia, an inherited disease of the central nervous system causing genetic defects that result in degeneration of the cerebellum, the brain's coordination center.

The type he has might be the first case, Zink said.

Zack's doctor at St. Louis Children's Hospital in Missouri, where Zink has relatives, warned the family to prepare for a rough winter. He has fluid in his lungs and a bout of pneumonia might be fatal, Zink said.

Wearing a purple cape, she was walking Saturday through the playground at Ella Sharp Park, where Zack, with the help of a pack of family and friends, located hidden stuffed animals as part of his given quest to save his sister. A large group of camera-wielding adults served as the audience.

Michael Mallon, the academy founder, had bicycled Zack to the park, pulling him in a trailer, and coordinated this and all the activities.

Zink said an aunt found the superhero academy and encouraged Zink to contact Mallon, a former teacher who wears a blue wig, checkered shorts and a celestial belt buckle as the superhero Laughing Moon.

Zack wanted to have pancakes with Superman and Zink had reached out to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, but did not hear back from them. Without time to wait, she turned to Mallon.

Mallon figured he could give Zack an adventure. He could not possibly say no, he said, brushing off a question about why he organized the event as silly and obvious.

The boy is "full of love," said Mallon, whose organization calls joy, wisdom, compassion and fortitude its core forces and guiding values.

He works with schools, churches and communities to encourage creativity and imagination and honor natural talents as super powers.

Mallon did the event for free and does not market his programs for money, one of his volunteer villains said.

"It's a great cause, but also an opportunity to play, and that's what we are all about," said Pamela Shelby, operations manager for the academy and "Dr. Mind Bender."

She played the main villain for the event, taking Zack's 4-month-old sister, Ainzley. She claimed she was making the girl the general of her "baby army."

In the end, she challenged Zack to a dance-off at his school, Paragon Charter Academy on McCain Road, where Zack reclaimed Ainzley, and "his sweet moves melted my heart," said Shelby, wearing black lipstick, tights and a cape.

Shelby and Mallon surprised Zack at his home Saturday afternoon when he returned from a sporting event.

"He was very excited," said his grandmother, Valerie Cofer. "He got emotional for a minute."

He was a bit startled at first, but the program made him feel special, said Herb Cofer, his grandfather, who commended his daughter for her handling of Zack and his situation. "It's the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with."

As the cold, windy Saturday progressed, Zack seemed tired at times, but there were many smiles and much laughter.

Mallon and Paul "Bubble Man" Najor, wrapped in green packaging wrap, seemed to make sure Zack, wheeled around by his grandmother or mother, was the focus of every activity.

The whole idea was for him to have fun. "And I think we achieved that," Zink said.

She hoped everyone would enjoy it and have an emotional connection.

"(I want) everyone to have something to remember him by," Zink said. They can think back and say "I fought crime with Zacky one time."