I adore sidekicks. I really do. They hang out with heroes, get to take part in the fun, but don't really get all the attention or suffer the consequences. Plus, they can be as quirky and weird as they like. They're just a pleasure to have around. And, unlike heroes/villains, when things go badly they can run away to play another day. What's not to like?
Another part of sidekicks that I enjoy is that they can give the gift of exposition (explaining the story) without being out of place. It's so natural for the sidekick to explain what's going on to someone else, because the hero wouldn't do that or the villain doesn't care. It helps the reader without breaking the wall of the story and just talking to the reader themselves.
The other side of using sidekicks is that they can be wiped out, taken, killed off, usually without impacting the story to any great degree. Now, it's possible to really make this a major plot point (such as the original Robin dying to the Joker, which actually was pretty huge), but normally it doesn't matter too much. The hero gets over it and moves on.
So, kiss a sidekick today. They need love too.
- M
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