sidekick

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Don Quixote and Sancho Panza unsuccessfully confront windmills. By Gustave Doré

A sidekick is a stock character, a close companion who assists a partner in a superior position. Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, and Batman's companion Robin are some well-known sidekicks in fiction.

Origins

The origin of the term comes from pickpocket slang of the late 19th and early 20th century. The "kick" is the front side pocket of a pair of trousers, and was found to be the pocket safest from theft. Thus the "side-kick" became an inseparable companion. As well the companion also helps the main character whenever they need it.^{[1] [2] [3]} A humorous folk origin for the term refers to their accomplishments being 'kicked to the side' or otherwise ignored in favor of the more charismatic lead hero.

Use in fiction

Batman with his sidekick Robin. Painting by Alex Ross.

In fiction, the term sidekick most commonly refers to assistants to heroes, usually in a crime-fighting capacity. The sidekick has the literary function of playing against the hero, often contrasting in skill, or performing functions not suited to the hero. By asking questions of the hero, or giving the hero someone to talk to, the sidekick provides an opportunity for the author to provide exposition.^{[citation needed]}

Function of the sidekick

Those functions may include comic relief. The sidekick was a in westerns, where Fuzzy Knight, Al "Fuzzy" St. John, Smiley Burnette and Andy Devine had longer careers than some of the heroic singing cowboys for whom they took pratfalls. In science fiction a subtype of sidekick has been established—namely, the alien sidekick.

It may also be argued that the comedy sidekick's apparent stupidity makes a non-intellectual hero look intelligent. An openly flamboyant effeminate sidekick may make a non imposing hero look more masculine. A strong, silent and modest hero may have his fighting qualities revealed to the other characters and the audience by a talkative sidekick.

Hero sidekicks not only provide comic relief but can occasionally be brave or resourceful at times and rescue the hero from some dire fate: such as Streaky the Supercat of Krypto the Superdog, Festus Haggen of Gunsmoke's Matt Dillon (not to be confused with the actor) or Gabrielle of Xena: Warrior Princess.

Sidekicks also frequently serve as an emotional connection, especially when the hero is depicted as detached and distant, traits which would normally generate difficulty in making the hero likable. The sidekick is often the confidant who knows the main character better than anyone else and gives a convincing reason to like the hero. Although Sherlock Holmes was admittedly a difficult man to know, his friendship with Dr. Watson convinces the reader that Holmes is a good person. The Left Hand of Vampire Hunter D, being mentally linked to the reticent protagonist often reveals thoughts, feelings, physical condition of his host and sometimes background elements of the story.

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 include Porky Pig, who was more sensible and calmer than Daffy Duck in later short films; Sancho Panza is more rational than his master, Don Quixote.

While it is usually the reverse, it is not unheard of for a sidekick to be physically more conventionally attractive, charismatic, or physically capable than the character who is intended to be the hero. This is most typically encountered when the hero's appeal is supposed to be intellect instead of sex appeal or physical prowess. Such heroes are often middle aged or older and tend towards eccentricity; fictional sleuths and scientists for example. 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 Inspector Morse and his sidekick DS Robbie Lewis, Nero Wolfe and his sidekick Archie Goodwin or Hiro Nakamura and his sidekick Ando Masahashi.

It is also possible in certain cases for sidekicks to grow out of their role of being a second fiddle to the hero and become independent heroes in their own right. Dick Grayson is one such example, having outgrown the mantle of Robin when he was under Batman and taken up the new identity of Nightwing. Another example is the popular comic-strip soldier of fortune Captain Easy, who started as the two-fisted sidekick of the scrawny little eponymous hero of the strip Wash Tubbs.

Conversations with the sidekick reveal plot narrative devices to the audience in the form of conversation, thus the sidekick can have the same role as a Greek chorus.

A Cartoon Network mini story had a sidekicks bar which had various cartoon sidekicks-such as Robin the Boy Wonder-discuss how important a sidekick is to the story-giving an example of how Porky Pig career actually became better as a sidekick; the only negative comment is by the ego driven chicken of Cow and Chicken who claims to be a co-star instead of a sidekick!

Comparisons

A villain's supporters are normally called henchmen, minions, or lackeys, 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. Nevertheless, some villains (who might arguably be considered incapable of the aforementioned qualities) have sidekicks including the Joker's Harley Quinn, Ben Wade's Charlie Prince (from 3:10 to Yuma), Wario's Waluigi, and Magneto's Mystique (only in the X-Men live action films).

However, it may also be due to the different roles in fiction of the protagonists and the antagonists: whereas a sidekick is a relatively important character due to their proximity to the protagonist, and so will likely be a developed character, the role of most henchmen is to act as cannon-fodder for the hero and his sidekick. As a result they tend to be anonymous, disposable characters, existing in the fiction for the sole purpose of illustrating the protagonists' prowess as they defeat them.

In television

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Many TV shows make use of a sidekick as a co-host who anchors an entertainment show together with the main star. Ed McMahon played this role famously to Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show.

TV sidekicks usually play a supporting (not equal) but pivotal role to the star. Examples include Ethel Mertz to Lucy Ricardo (I Love Lucy), Ed Norton to Ralph Kramden (The Honeymooners), Major Roger Healey to Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson (I Dream of Jeannie), or even a group of people such as the Sweathogs to Mr. Kotter (Welcome Back Kotter). Duos of equal importance on TV such as Kate and Allie (Kate & Allie), Oscar and Felix (The Odd Couple), or Laverne and Shirley (Laverne & Shirley), are sometimes both called sidekicks to each other, although the truest sense of the term denotes inequality.

Clarence Gilyard informed viewers on a television commercial for Walker Texas Ranger that he was not Chuck Norris's sidekick, but would say "THIS is Chuck Norris's sidekick" over film of Norris kicking a villain.

In animation, good examples are Pinky being Brain's sidekick on Pinky and the Brain, General Disarray being Professor Chaos' sidekick on South Park, and Captain Girl being Captain Hero's imaginary sidekick (replaced by Wooldoor Sockbat after her "death") on Drawn Together.

See also

• Foil (literature)

References

External links

• Sidekicks are second bananas no more