Brian Dawkins does pregame dance for Eagles before getting No. 20 jersey retired (VIDEO)

Brian Dawkins shed the civilian attire for his superhero garb Sunday night, much to the delight of Philadelphia Eagles players and fans.

Dawkins, who retired in the offseason, is one of the most beloved athletes ever in the City of Brotherly Love, which is notoriously tough on its stars. But not Dawkins, who forged his reputation as a probable Hall of Famer during his 13-year tenure as a hard-hitting safety and emotional engine for the club.

The team celebrated him by retiring his No. 20 jersey, only the eighth player so honored by a franchise that entered the league in 1933. The Dawkins fete included the usual pre-game ceremony complete with adulation from the team and crowd and a speech from Dawkins, who sported a nifty pinstriped suit as he addressed the faithful at Lincoln Financial Field.

But he more than topped the speech with a surprise appearance during pregame introductions, emerging from the smoke-filled tunnel in his green Eagles jersey, biceps flaring, gyrating in a frenzied state comparable to Dawkins' preferred comic book avatar, Wolverine of the X-Men. He ran to midfield to greet his psyched-up former mates at the end of his routine.

It was a display the grateful stadium hadn't witnessed since 2008 -- Dawkins spent his final three seasons with the Denver Broncos after the Eagles infamously opted not to re-sign him -- but served as a fitting encore for a fantastic career.