List of comic book sidekicks
This is a list of comic book sidekicks—defined as a character who spends a significant amount of time as a superhero's junior partner, or was officially acknowledged as the hero's sidekick for some period of time. (For the purposes of this list, it does not include animal companions like Krypto or Doctor Mid-Nite's owls, or supervillain henchmen like The Joker's Harley Quinn.)
DC
[edit]| Sidekick | Full name or Alter-ego | Hero | First appearance | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aquagirl | Tula | Aquaman | Aquaman (vol. 1) #33 (May–June 1967) | 1967 | |
| Aquagirl II | Lorena Marquez | Aquaman | Aquaman (vol. 6) #16 (May 2004) | 2004 | |
| Aqualad | Garth | Aquaman | Adventure Comics #269 (February 1960) | 1960 | Later becomes Tempest. |
| Aqualad II | Jackson Hyde | Aquaman | Brightest Day #4 (June 2010) | 2010 | |
| Aqualass | Andrina "Andy" Curry | Aquaman | Generations Shattered #1 | 2021 | |
| Bat-Girl | Mary Elizabeth "Bette" Kane | Batwoman | Batman #139 (April 1961) | 1961 | Later becomes Flamebird |
| Batgirl II | Barbara Gordon | Batman | Detective Comics #359 (January 1967) | 1967 | Later becomes Oracle. |
| Batgirl III | Cassandra Cain | Batman | Legends of the Dark Knight #120 (August 1999)[1] | 1999 | Later becomes Black Bat. |
| Batgirl lV | Stephanie Brown | Batman | Robin #126 (July 2004) | 2004 | Later becomes Spoiler |
| Bluebird | Harper Row | Batman | Batman (vol. 2) #28 (February 2014) | 2014 | |
| Snapper Carr | Lucas Carr | Justice League | The Brave and the Bold #28 (February–March 1960) | 1960 | |
| Dan the Dyna-Mite | Daniel Dunbar | TNT | Star-Spangled Comics #7 (April 1942) | 1942 | |
| Doiby Dickles | Charles Dickles | Green Lantern (Alan Scott) | All-American Comics #27 (June 1941) | 1941 | |
| Fatman | Bob Daley | Mister America | Action Comics #2 (July 1938) | 1938 | |
| Kid Devil | Edward Alan Bloomberg | Blue Devil | Blue Devil #14 (July 1985)[2] | 1985 | Later becomes Red Devil. |
| Kid Flash I | Wally West | Flash (Barry Allen) | Flash (vol. 1) #110 (1959) | 1959 | Later becomes The Flash III |
| Kid Flash II | Bartholomew "Bart" Allen II | Flash (Wally West) | Teen Titans (vol. 3) #4 (December 2003)[3] | 1994 | Originally Impulse. Later becomes The Flash IV. |
| Kid Flash III | Wallace "Ace" West | Flash (Barry Allen)/Flash (Wally West) | Flash (vol. 4) Annual #3 (June 2014) | 2014 | |
| Signal | Duke Thomas | Batman | Batman (vol. 2) #21 (August 2013) | 2016 | |
| Lieutenant Marvels | Lt. Tall Marvel ("Tall" Billy Batson) Lt. Fat Marvel ("Fat" Billy Batson) Lt. Hill Marvel ("Hill" Billy Batson) |
Captain Marvel (DC) | Whiz Comics #21 (September 1941) | 1941 | |
| Newsboy Legion | Tommy Tompkins Big Words Gabby Scrapper |
Guardian | Star Spangled Comics #7 (April 1942) | 1942 | |
| Jimmy Olsen | James Bartholomew Olsen | Superman | Superman #13 (November–December 1941)[4] | 1941 | |
| Pinky the Whiz Kid | "Pinky" Butler | Mr. Scarlet | Wow Comics #4 (Winter 1940–1941) | 1940 | |
| Red Arrow | Emiko Queen | Green Arrow | Green Arrow (vol. 6) #15 (March 2017) [5] | 2013 | |
| Robin | Dick Grayson | Batman | Detective Comics #38 (April 1940) | 1940 | Later becomes Nightwing, and then the new Batman. He also enters the organization Spyral with the name agent 37 after faking his death to the Crime Syndicate. Shortly after he returns to the mantle of Nightwing. |
| Robin III | Carrie Kelley | Batman | Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1 (February 1986) | 1986 | Non-canonical. |
| Robin II | Jason Todd | Batman | Batman #357 (March 1983)[6] | 1983 | Dies in Batman #429 (January 1989); resurrected as the Red Hood in Batman #635 (December 2004). |
| Robin III | Timothy Jackson Wayne (formerly Timothy Drake) | Batman | Batman #442 (December 1989)[7] | 1989 | Later becomes Red Robin and Drake. |
| Robin IV | Stephanie Brown | Batman | Robin #126 (July 2004)[8] | 2004 | Originally Spoiler. Later becomes Batgirl IV. |
| Robin V | Damian Wayne | Batman | Batman and Robin #1 (August 2009)[9] | 2009 | Is killed by an assassin sent by his mother (Talia Al Ghul). He is soon resurrected and returns to Robin. |
| Robin VI | Mia "Maps" Mizoguchi | Batman | Gotham Academy: Maps of Mystery #1 (July 2023) | 2023 | |
| Rocket | Raquel Ervin | Icon | Icon #1 (May 1993) | 1993 | |
| Pete Ross | Peter Joseph Ross | Superboy | Superboy #86 (January 1961) | 1961 | |
| Salem the Witch Girl | Salem Rula Nader | Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson) (originally); Doctor Fate (Khalid Nassour) (currently) | The New Golden Age #1 (January 2023) | ||
| Sandy the Golden Boy | Sanderson "Sandy" Hawkins | Sandman (Wesley Dodds) | Adventure Comics #69 (December 1941) | 1941 | |
| Sparky | Sparkington J. Northrup | Blue Beetle (Dan Garett) | Blue Beetle (vol. 1) #14 (September 1942) | 1942 | |
| Speedy | Roy Harper | Green Arrow | Star-Spangled Comics #7 (April 1942) | 1942 | Later becomes Arsenal, and then Red Arrow. |
| Speedy II | Mia Dearden | Green Arrow | Green Arrow (vol. 3) #44 (January 2005)[10] | 2005 | |
| Stitch | Stitch | Doctor Fate (Khalid Nassour) | Teen Titans Academy #1 (May 2021) [11] | ||
| Stripesy | Patrick "Pat" Dugan | Star-Spangled Kid | Action Comics #40 (September 1941). | 1941 | Unique in that he is the adult sidekick of a teenage superhero. Later becomes S.T.R.I.P.E. |
| Stuff the Chinatown Kid | Jimmy Leong | Vigilante | Action Comics #45 (February 1942) | 1942 | Dies in World's Finest Comics #246 (August–September 1977). |
| Superboy | Kon-El | Superman | Adventures of Superman #500 (June 1993) | 1993 | |
| Superboy II | Jonathan "Jon" Kent | Superman | Convergence: Superman #2 (July 2015) | 2015 | |
| Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) | Kara Danvers | Superman | Action Comics #252 (May 1959) | 1959 | |
| Talon | Dick Grayson | Owlman | Supergirl #12 (January 2007) | 2007 | |
| Terra | Atlee | Power Girl | Supergirl vol. 5 #12 (January 2007) | 2007 | |
| Uncle Marvel | Dudley H. Dudley | Mary Marvel | Wow Comics #18 (October 1943) | 1943 | |
| Wing | Wing How | Crimson Avenger | Detective Comics #20 (October 1938) | 1938 | |
| Woozy Winks | Wolfgang Winks | Plastic Man | Police Comics #13 (November 1942) | 1942 | |
| Wonder Girl | Donna Troy | Wonder Woman | The Brave and the Bold vol. 1 #60 (July 1965) | 1965 | Later becomes Troia. |
| Wonder Girl II | Cassandra Sandsmark | Wonder Woman | Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #105 (January 1996) | 1996 | |
| Squire | Percy Sheldrake | Shining Knight | Young All-Stars #21 (January 1988) | 1988 | Later becomes Knight. |
| Squire II | Cyril Sheldrake | Knight (DC) | Batman #62 (December 1950) | 1950 | Later becomes Knight II. |
| Squire III | Beryl Hutchinson | Knight (DC) | JLA #26 (February 1999) | 1999 | Later becomes Knight III. |
Marvel Comics
[edit]| Sidekick | Full name or Alter-ego | Hero | First appearance | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha | Andrew "Andy" Maguire | Spider-Man | Amazing Spider-Man vol. 1, #692 (October 2012) | 2012 | |
| Bob | Bob, Agent of HYDRA | Deadpool | Cable & Deadpool #38(May 2007) | 2007 | |
| Bucky | James Buchanan Barnes | Captain America | Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941) | 1941 | Later becomes Winter Soldier and then Captain America II. |
| Demolition Man | Dennis Dunphy | Captain America | Captain America #328 (April 1987)[12] | 1987 | |
| Dum Dum Dugan | Timothy Aloysius Cadwallander Dugan | Nick Fury | Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 (May 1963) | 1963 | |
| Free Spirit | Cathy Webster | Captain America | Captain America #431 (September 1994) | 1994 | |
| Jackdaw | N.A. (Extra-dimensional Otherworld Elf) | Captain Britain | The Incredible Hulk Weekly #57 (April 1980) | 1980 | Dies in Mighty World of Marvel vol. 2, #10 (March 1984). |
| Jack Flag | Jack Harrison | Captain America | Captain America #434 (December 1994) | 1994 | |
| Jubilee | Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee | Wolverine | Uncanny X-Men #244 (May 1989) | 1989 | |
| Rick Jones | Richard Milhouse Jones | Hulk | The Hulk #1 (May 1962) | 1962 | Later becomes sidekick to Captain America (1969) (briefly becoming Bucky II), Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) (1971), Rom the Spaceknight (1985), and Captain Marvel (Genis) (1999). |
| Foggy Nelson | Franklin P. Nelson | Daredevil | Daredevil vol. 1, #1 (April 1964) | 1964 | |
| Jim Rhodes | James Rupert Rhodes | Iron Man | Iron Man #118 (January 1979) | 1979 | Later temporarily becomes Iron Man II, then War Machine, then Iron Patriot |
| Sun Girl | Mary Mitchell | Human Torch (android) | Sun Girl #1 (August 1948) | 1948 | |
| Toro | Thomas Raymond | Human Torch (android) | Human Torch Comics #2 (Fall 1940) | 1940 | |
| Jim Wilson | N.A. | Hulk | Incredible Hulk Vol. 1 #131 (September 1970) | 1970 | Dies of AIDS in Incredible Hulk #420 (August 1994). |
| Wong | Wong | Doctor Strange | Strange Tales #110 (July 1963) | 1963 |
Golden Age, independent, and non-U.S. titles
[edit]| Sidekick | Full name or Alter-ego | Hero | First appearance | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altar Boy | Brian Thomas Kinney | Confessor | Kurt Busiek's Astro City Vol. 2, #5 (January 1997)[13] | 1997 | Later becomes The Confessor II. |
| Arthur the Moth | Arthur | Tick | The Tick #4 (April 1989) | 1989 | |
| Atomaid | TK | Atoman | Top 10 #12 (October 2001) | 2001 | Member of the Young Sentinels; revealed that the Seven Sentinels are actually a pedophile ring and that the Young Sentinels are their victims. |
| Bert | ? | Dirkjan | DirkJan | ||
| Bert Bibber | Piet Pienter | Piet Pienter en Bert Bibber | 1951 | The not-too-bright friend of Piet Pienter. | |
| Bertje | ? | Kramikske | Kramikske | 1944 | Kramikske's best friend and just like him a baker boy. |
| Bluejay | TK | Kingfisher | Top 10 #12 (October 2001) | 2001 | Member of the Young Sentinels; revealed that the Seven Sentinels are actually a pedophile ring and that the Young Sentinels are their victims. |
| Blutch | Sergeant Cornelius Chesterfield | Les Tuniques Bleues | 1968 | The best friend of Chesterfield, though they often squabble and he doesn't share Chesterfield's patriotism nor belief in the military.[14] | |
| Bravo] | ? Ruiz | El Hombre | Astro City Vol. 2, #16 (March 1999) | 1999 | |
| Bobje | ? | Bert Vanderslagmulders | Bert | 1991 | Bert's humanoid dog. |
| Pé Bruyneel | ? | Bakelandt | Bakelandt | Good friend of Bakelandt. | |
| Bo Bug | ? | Bucky Bug | Bucky Bug | 1932 | A hobo with a high hat who is Bucky's best friend.[15] |
| Oliver B. Bumble | ? | Tom Poes | Tom Poes | 1941 | A nobleman and Tom's best friend. |
| Buzzboy | Tommy Paine | Captain Ultra | Buzzboy #1 (May 1988) | 1988 | |
| Captain Haddock | Archibald Haddock | Tintin | The Crab with the Golden Claws | 1941 | |
| Chippy | TK | Midnight Mink | Brat Pack #1 (August 1990) | 1990 | |
| Chippy II | Cody | Midnight Mink | Brat Pack #1 (August 1990) | 1990 | |
| Fantasio | Spirou | Spirou et Fantasio | 1944 | An impulsive reporter, who is Spirou's best friend. | |
| Filiberke | Jommeke | Jommeke | 1955 | Jommeke's best friend. | |
| Flupke | ? | Quick | Quick and Flupke | 1930 | Best friend of Quick. |
| Java | ? | Martin Mystère | Martin Mystère | 1944 | A Neanderthal Man, discovered by Martin Mystère and a frequent helping hand, due to his strength. |
| Jerom | Lambik | Suske en Wiske | 1952 | Good friend of Lambik, though they do have a love-hate relationship sometimes. | |
| Davy Jones Jr. | TK | Davy Jones | Top 10 #12 (October 2001) | 2001 | Member of the Young Sentinels; revealed that the Seven Sentinels are actually a pedophile ring and that the Young Sentinels are their victims. |
| Jughead | Forsythe Pendleton Jones III | Archie | Pep Comics #22 (December 1941) | 1941 | |
| Eva Kant | N.A. | Diabolik | Diabolik #3 (March 3, 1963) | 1963 | |
| Finch | Lisa Flora Cecilia SanRosas | Duck-Girl | "Duck-Girl & Crane Animated!" (Dec 2011) | 2011 | |
| Kato | Hayashi Kato | Green Hornet | Green Hornet Comics #1 (December 1940) | 1940 | |
| Kid Marvelman | Johnny Bates | Marvelman | Marvelman #102 (July 1955) | 1955 | Also known as Kid Miracleman. |
| Kid Supreme | Charles Flanders | Supreme | Supreme #9 (January 1994) | 1993 | |
| Kid Vicious | TK | Judge Jury | Brat Pack #1 (August 1990) | 1990 | Brat Pack features Kid Vicious I and II. |
| Kitkat | ? | Leopardman | Astro City Vol. 1, #5 (September 1995) | 1995 | Later becomes Greymalkin. |
| Hilarion Lefuneste | Achille Talon | Achille Talon | Neighbour of Achille. | ||
| Leo | ? | Gilles de Geus | Gilles de Geus | 1985 | Good, brawny, but monosyllabic friend of Gilles.[16] |
| Libellulle | Gil Jourdan | Gil Jourdan | 1956 | A former thief, who has become Gil's right-hand in solving crimes. | |
| Looney Leo | N.A. | Gentleman | Astro City Vol. 2, #13 (February 1998)[17] | 1998 | |
| Luna | TK | Moon Mistress | Brat Pack #1 (August 1990) | 1990 | Brat Pack features Luna I and II. |
| Minimum | ? | Chlorophylle | Chlorophylle | ? | A mouse who is Chlorophylle's best friend. |
| Obelix | N.A. | Asterix | Asterix the Gaul | 1959 | |
| Peewit | 1954 | Johan | Johan and Peewit | ? | A dwarf who is Johan's best friend. |
| Pup | TK | Hound | Top 10 #12 (October 2001) | 2001 | Member of the Young Sentinels; revealed that the Seven Sentinels are actually a pedophile ring and that the Young Sentinels are their victims. |
| Quark | Charlie Provost | Starfighter | Astro City Vol. 2 #13 (February 1998) | 1998 | |
| Reggie | ? | Biebel | Biebel | 1983 | Biebel's younger brother, who is considerably more happy and naïve than him. |
| Scorchy | TK | Sizzler | Top 10 #12 (October 2001) | 2001 | Member of the Young Sentinels; revealed that the Seven Sentinels are actually a pedophile ring and that the Young Sentinels are their victims. |
| Slugger, the Junior Dynamo | ? | All-American | Astro City Vol. 2 #1/2 | 1996 | |
| Spip | Spirou | Spirou et Fantasio | 1939 | A grouchy squirrel who is Spirou's pet. | |
| Tamme | ? | Hannes | De Geuzen | 1985 | |
| Tim | Tim Roland | Black Terror | Exciting Comics #9 (January 1941) | 1941 | |
| Antoine Vertignasse | ? | Le Petit Spirou | Le Petit Spirou | 1944 | Best friend of Spirou, whose name is often shortened to "Vert". |
| Ebony White | N.A. | Spirit | The Spirit comic strip (June 2, 1940) | 1940 | |
| Wild Boy | TK | King Rad | Brat Pack #1 (August 1990) | 1990 | Brat Pack features Wild Boy I and II. |
| Young Marvelman | Dickie Dauntless | Marvelman | Marvelman #101 (July 1955) | 1955 | Also known as Young Miracleman. |
Newspaper comics
[edit]| Sidekick | Full name or Alter-ego | Hero | Series | First appearance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joey McDonald | Dennis Mitchell | Dennis the Menace (U.S. comics) | |||
| Lucky Eddie | / | Hägar the Horrible | Hägar the Horrible | 1973 | The not-too-bright second man in command.[18] |
| Marcie | / | Peppermint Patty | Peanuts | 1968 | |
| The Nipper Twins | / | The Yellow Kid | Hogan's Alley | 1896 | Two tiny versions of The Yellow Kid introduced by George Luks when he took over Hogan's Alley between 1896 and 1897, after Richard F. Outcault left the newspaper they were originally printed in.[19] |
| Wimpy | / | Popeye | Popeye | ? | |
| Woodstock | N.A. | Snoopy | Peanuts | June 22, 1970[20] |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ First appearance, as Cassandra, in Batman #567 (July 1999).
- ^ First appearance, as Eddie, in Blue Devil #1 (June 1984).
- ^ First appearance (as Impulse) is Flash (vol. 2) #92 (June 1994).
- ^ An anonymous "copy boy" who resembles Olsen makes a brief appearance in Action Comics #6, but the character called Jimmy Olsen first appeared in the radio show The Adventures of Superman (on April 15, 1940) mainly so the Man of Steel would have someone to talk to. The character moved briefly from the radio show into the comics in 1941.
- ^ First appearance was Green Arrow (vol. 5) #18 (May 2013)
- ^ First appeared as Jason Todd in Batman #357 (March 1983).
- ^ First appeared as Tim Drake in Batman #436 (August 1989).
- ^ First appeared as Stephanie Brown in Detective Comics #647 (August 1992); as Spoiler in Detective Comics #648 (September 1992).
- ^ First appeared as a baby in Batman: Son of the Demon (1987) and as Damian Wayne in Batman #655 (September 2006).
- ^ First appearance (as Mia Dearden) was Green Arrow (vol. 3) #2 (May 2001).
- ^ First appearance was Future State: Teen Titans #1 (March 2021)
- ^ First appearance, as Dennis, in The Thing #28 (October 1985).
- ^ First appearance, as Brian Thomas Kinney, in Astro City Vol. 2, #4 (December 1996).
- ^ "Willy Lambil".
- ^ "Al Taliaferro".
- ^ "Hanco Kolk".
- ^ First mentioned in Astro City Vol. 2, #1 (September 1996 ).
- ^ "Dik Browne".
- ^ "George Luks".
- ^ The first bird that bore a prototypical resemblance to Woodstock visited Snoopy in 1967, and this is generally considered his debut, though Snoopy creator Charles Schulz didn't give him a name and establish him as a full-fledged character until June 22, 1970.