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Asidekick is a slang expression for a close companion or colleague who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to those whom they accompany.
The first recorded use of the term dates from 1896.[1] It is believed to have originated inpickpocket slang of the late 19th century. The "kick" was the front pocket of a pair of trousers, believed to be the pocket safest from theft. Thus, by analogy, a "side-kick" was a person's closest companion.[2][3]
One of the earliest recorded examples of a sidekick may beEnkidu, who played a sidekick role toGilgamesh after they became allies in theEpic of Gilgamesh. Other early examples areAchilles andPatroclus in theIliad andMoses andAaron in theOld Testament.[4]
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Sidekicks can fulfill one or multiple functions in fiction, such as a counterpoint to the hero,[5] an alternate point of view, or knowledge, skills, or anything else the hero does not have. They often function ascomic relief,[5] and/or thestraight man to the hero's comedic actions. A sidekick can also be acharacter to whom the audience can more easily relate than the hero, or whom the audience can imagine themselves as being (such as teen sidekicks).[4] And by asking questions of the hero, or giving the hero someone to talk to, the sidekick provides an opportunity for the author to provideexposition, thereby filling the same role as aGreek chorus.
Sidekicks frequently serve as an emotional connection, especially when the hero is depicted as detached and distant, traits which might make it difficult to like the hero.[4] The sidekick is often the confidant who knows the main character better than anyone else, and gives a convincing reason to like the hero. AlthoughSherlock Holmes was portrayed as a difficult man to know, his friendship withDr. Watson convinces the reader that Holmes is a good person. TheLeft Hand ofVampire Hunter D, being mentally linked to the reticent protagonist, often reveals thoughts, feelings, and the physical condition of his host, as well as background elements of the story.
The apparent stupidity of some comedy sidekicks is often used to make a non-intellectual hero look intelligent. Similarly, a flamboyant or effeminate sidekick may make an otherwise unimposing hero look more masculine. And a strong, silent and modest hero may have his fighting qualities revealed to the other characters and the audience by a talkative sidekick.
While many sidekicks are used for comic relief, there are other sidekicks who are less outrageous than the heroes they pledge themselves to, and comedy derived from the hero can often be amplified by the presence or reaction of the sidekick. Examples includePorky Pig, who is more sensible and calmer thanDaffy Duck in later short films; similarly,Sancho Panza is more rational thanDon Quixote.
It is typical for the character and sidekick to be of the same gender — otherwise the term "sidekick" is replaced with "partner" or "companion". Whenever there is a team of more than two characters, the term sidekick is generally reserved for another team member of the same sex. It is rare for the relationship between a character and an opposite-sex sidekick to lack romantic or sexual overtones of any kind — though there are examples, likeModesty Blaise andWillie Garvin, The originalDoctor Who series intentionally avoided any explicit onscreen indications of romantic or sexual attraction betweenThe Doctor and his female companions. (See the discussion of comic books' teenage sidekicks below.)
While unusual, it is not unheard of for a sidekick to be moreattractive, charismatic, or physically capable than the supposed hero. This is most typically encountered when the hero's appeal is more intellectual rather than sexual. Such heroes (usually fictional sleuths and scientists) are often middle-aged or older and tend towards eccentricity. Such protagonists may, due to either age or physical unsuitability, be limited to cerebral conflicts, while leaving the physical action to a younger or more physically capable sidekick. This type of sidekick is rarely encountered in fiction, because the hero runs the risk of being upstaged by them. However, examples of successful such pairings include Detective Monk and his sidekick Sharona,Inspector Morse and his sidekickDetective SergeantRobbie Lewis,Nero Wolfe and his sidekickArchie Goodwin,Hiro Nakamura and his sidekickAndo Masahashi, andMiles Vorkosigan and his sidekick cousin Ivan Vorpatril. In other media,The Green Hornet's sidekick,Kato, has (especially since the 1960s television series withBruce Lee) been depicted as a capable man of action, for instance inmartial arts. The earliestDoctor Who serials, particularly during theFirst Doctor era, had young male companions who were capable of the physical action that the elderlyWilliam Hartnell was not. This became more important as Hartnell's health declined during his tenure as The Doctor. This was not an issue with the following Doctors as they were cast with significantly younger actors.
It is also not unusual, especially in more recent TV programs such asBones andNCIS, for there to be ateam of sidekicks. InBones, for example, FBI Special AgentSeeley Booth often fulfills one of the traditional roles of a sidekick by providing translations for the brilliant but socially incapable Dr.Temperance Brennan. Both Brennan and Booth, however, are heroes in their own right. The sidekicks in this case are the team of "squints" back in the Jeffersonian Institution's Medico-Legal Lab, each with their own scientific specialty, all of whom are usually needed to break the case.
In certain cases, a sidekick can grow out of their role of second fiddle to the hero and become a hero in their own right.Dick Grayson is one such example, having outgrown the mantle of Robin when he was underBatman and taken up the new identity ofNightwing. Grayson for awhile succeeded his mentor and took on the costumed identity of Batman himself. Another example is the popular comic-strip soldier of fortuneCaptain Easy, who started as the two-fisted sidekick of the scrawny eponymous hero of the stripWash Tubbs.
Frodo Baggins'sSamwise Gamgee, andHarry Potter'sRon Weasley, as well as the afore-mentioned Sancho Panza and Doctor Watson, are notable sidekicks from fiction.
In fiction, the term "sidekick" commonly refers to assistants to crime-fighting heroes. However, sidekicks do not necessarily accompany a crime-fighter, such as Leporello,Don Giovanni's servant in the 1787 opera. Villains can also have sidekicks, who are usually portrayed as less brilliant or lacking cunning. The sidekick has the literary function of playing against the hero, often contrasting in skill, or performing functions not suited to the hero.
The sidekick was a regular presence inwesterns, whereFuzzy Knight,Al "Fuzzy" St. John,Smiley Burnette, andAndy Devine had longer careers than some of the heroic singing cowboys for whom they took pratfalls.
In science fiction the sub-type of thealien sidekick has been established. Examples of alien sidekicks areMr. Spock (sidekick ofCaptain James T. Kirk) onStar Trek andChewbacca (sidekick ofHan Solo) in the originalStar Wars trilogy. One of the roles of the alien sidekick is to act as a mouthpiece for social commentary on the human condition from an outsider's point of view.
Heroic sidekicks such asStreaky the Supercat ofKrypto the Superdog, Festus Haggen ofGunsmoke'sMatt Dillon, orGabrielle ofXena: Warrior Princess not only provide comic relief, but can occasionally be brave and/or resourceful and rescue the hero from a dire fate.Kalimán, a heroic character depicted on movies, radio theatre and comic books, mentors a young lad named Solín.
Avillain's supporters are normally calledhenchmen, minions, orlackeys, not sidekicks. While this is partially a convention in terminology, it also reflects that few villains are capable of bonds of friendship and loyalty, which are normal in the relationship between a hero and sidekick. This may also be due to the different roles in fiction of theprotagonist and theantagonist: whereas a sidekick is a relatively important character due to his or her proximity to the protagonist, and so will likely be a developed character, the role of a henchman is to act ascannon-fodder for the hero andhis sidekick. As a result, henchmen tend to be anonymous, disposable characters, existing for the sole purpose of illustrating the protagonists' prowess as they defeat them.
Nevertheless, some villains do have sidekicks, includingLex Luthor'sMercy Graves, theJoker'sHarley Quinn,Jigsaw'sAmanda,Shao Kahn'sShang Tsung,Shinnok'sQuan Chi, Ben Wade's Charlie Prince (fromThree-Ten to Yuma),Light Yagami'sMisa Amane andRyuk,Wario'sWaluigi,Dr. Eggman's Orbot and Cubot, andMagneto'sMystique (albeit only in theX-Men live action films).
Some well-known fictional sidekicks areDon Quixote'sSancho Panza,Sherlock Holmes'Doctor Watson,The Lone Ranger'sTonto,The Green Hornet'sKato,Shrek'sDonkey andPuss in Boots,Aquaman'sAqualad,Mickey Mouse'sDonald Duck andGoofy,Mario'sLuigi andYoshi,Sonic'sTails andKnuckles,Donkey Kong'sDiddy Kong,Bugs Bunny'sDaffy Duck andPorky Pig,Captain America'sBucky,Batman'sRobin, andSpongeBob SquarePants'sPatrick Star.
TV sidekicks usually play a supporting pivotal role to the star. Examples includeEthel Mertz toLucy Ricardo (I Love Lucy),Ed Norton toRalph Kramden (The Honeymooners),Screech Powers toZack Morris (Saved by the Bell),Major Roger Healey toMajor Anthony "Tony" Nelson (I Dream of Jeannie), or even a group of people such as theSweathogs toMr. Kotter (Welcome Back, Kotter). Duos of equal importance on TV such asKate McArdle andAllie Lowell (Kate & Allie),Oscar Madison andFelix Unger (The Odd Couple),Bret Maverick andBart Maverick (Maverick), orLaverne De Fazio andShirley Feeney (Laverne & Shirley), are sometimes both called sidekicks to each other, although the usual sense of the term denotes inequality.
Many television talk shows make use of a sidekick as a co-host who anchors a show with the main star.Ed McMahon played this role famously toJohnny Carson on theTonight Show, as didAndy Richter toConan O'Brien on theLate Night with Conan O'Brien,Tonight Show, andConan.The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson employed a mechanical robot sidekick namedGeoff Peterson (voiced byJosh Robert Thompson).
Clarence Gilyard informed viewers on a television commercial forWalker Texas Ranger that he wasnotChuck Norris's sidekick, instead humorously saying "This is Chuck Norris's sidekick" over footage of Norris kicking a villain.
Inanimation, some popular examples areBoo-Boo Bear beingYogi Bear's sidekick,Barney Rubble beingFred Flintstone's sidekick,Waylon Smithers being the sidekick ofMr. Burns onThe Simpsons,Baba Looey being the sidekick ofQuick Draw McGraw, andStimpy being the sidekick ofRen Höek onThe Ren and Stimpy Show.
In the seventh episode of the 1994 animated seriesThe Tick, the heroes take a night to relax at a local superhero nightclub. When they arrive, however, Arthur is promptly escorted to the Sidekick Lounge, a small shack behind the club, where he meets several other sidekicks who spend the night lamenting their second-fiddle lot in life.
Some video games have sidekicks who provide assistance to players during their adventures. An early example was Floyd inPlanetfall, whomComputer Gaming World in April 1984 described as "unique".[6] A potential example of this is found in the case of the Mario Bros., withLuigi serving in a supporting role to his brotherMario.Sonic the Hedgehog is often accompanied by his sidekickTails, and his would-be girlfriend Amy Rose also has a hero-sidekick relationship with Cream the Rabbit. Diddy Kong is often seen as the sidekick toDonkey Kong, whileMega Man is aided by his robotic dog Rush.
Comic book sidekicks have a long and popular history, dating back to the beginnings of the form. Examples include theCrimson Avenger's sidekickWing, andMister America's sidekickFatman, both of whom debuted in the late 1930s. Other notable comics sidekicks includeEbony White,[a]Jughead,Etta Candy,Captain Haddock, andObelix.
In 1940DC Comics introduced comics' first teenage sidekick,Robin, created to soften the dark tone of theBatman comics and make the Dark Knight more attractive to younger readers.[8] Robin's instant popularity spawned a host of imitations, including such iconic characters asBucky,Toro,Sandy the Golden Boy, andSpeedy.Stripesy was the exception to the rule: an adult sidekick to a teen hero, theStar-Spangled Kid. Another unusual sidekick pairing was the Blonde Bomber (Honey Blake), a newsreel camerawoman, chemist, and crime-fighter with a male sidekick named Jimmy Slapso.[9]
The prevalence of adult superheroes and their teenage "wards" caused some observers to look askance at the trend. PsychologistFredric Wertham decided that the phenomenon was a landmine of hiddenFreudian issues, and that a sidekick's participation in violent encounters alongside his hero masked a sexual subtext.[8] In 1954, Wertham's bookSeduction of the Innocent coincided withcongressional hearings on the negative influence of comic books, among other topics. For a time, superhero comics lost their popularity, and many teenage sidekicks faded into obscurity.Rick Veitch's graphic novelBrat Pack, and issues ofAlan Moore'sTop 10, address the seamy, exploitative, and potentiallypedophilia-related aspects of the adult hero-teen sidekick relationship.
In the early 1960s, at the advent of theSilver Age, a new round of superhero sidekicks made their debuts, includingRick Jones,Aqualad,Snapper Carr,Kid Flash, andWonder Girl.Marvel Comics mostly got around the teen sidekick quandary by creating a selection of super-powered teenagers — heroes in their own right, such asSpider-Man, theHuman Torch, and theX-Men.[8]
Most of theGolden Age and Silver Age sidekicks have evolved into independent heroes or been killed off. Certain heroes seem to attract serial sidekicks, notablyBatman,Captain America, andThe Flash. There have been at least five iterations of Robin; while Captain America has had a diverse array of sidekick successors to Bucky, including theFalcon,Demolition Man, Free Spirit, andJack Flag.
