If you’re writing a story, you’ll need secondary characters to flesh out the world you’re building. Otherwise, it’s a pretty dull world. You need sidekicks!
Sidekicks are indispensable for asking or answering questions of your heroes. At the very least, they give your main characters someone to interact with.
Are there differences between sidekicks, ensembles, and partners? Do you need them if your hero is the strong, silent type? Are sidekicks worthy of a tale of their own?
Defining sidekicks and partners
What’s the difference between a sidekick and a partner? Merriam-Webster says:
- A sidekick is someone “associated with another as a subordinate or partner.”
- A partner is an “associate, colleague; a person with whom one shares an intimate relationship: one member of a couple.”
A sidekick can also be a partner, a subordinate, an associate, or a colleague—but a partner might not appreciate being referred to as a sidekick. A proper sidekick completes the hero (as in John Watson to Sherlock Holmes). Together, they work to solve the problem. Although if you have the hero actually say, “You complete me,” both characters would be embarrassed and change the subject.
Defining ensembles
“But I want to write an ensemble,” you say. “My hero needs more than a sidekick! I want to write lots of characters!”
So, you need an ensemble, a group that supports the hero, and each of whom has a backstory. All for one and one for all. (Sound familiar?)
An ensemble isn’t just a group of background players who only pop up when you need them, however. Each character is necessary to the plot.
Ensembles are popular in TV series. Examples in sitcoms are Modern Family and The Office. Game of Thrones, the fantasy series, is known for its ensemble cast.
Classic sidekicks
The Lone Ranger fought crime in the Old West alone until the 11th episode of the 1938 radio drama when Tonto was introduced. Since then, Tonto has remained by the Lone Ranger’s side through radio, books, comics, TV shows, and movies. Though Tonto’s backstory has been rejiggered often, he is always the faithful companion. One of the creators of the Lone Ranger said that Tonto was introduced so the vigilante would have someone to talk to. That’s a classic sidekick.
More than a sidekick?
Like I Love Lucy’s Ethel Mertz, some sidekicks have no role beyond being a sidekick. But some can be fully fleshed-out characters in their own right, more than capable of having adventures—even sidekicks—on their own.
For instance, Sherlock Holmes, in all his incarnations, has had Dr. Watson as his sidekick. Watson is a fully realized character, with biography, schooling, army service, marriage. But Watson is a sidekick because he rarely comes up with the solution; it is Holmes who explains. The best way you can tell Watson is a fully fledged character is on TV right now, with the show Watson, solving medical mysteries with his own sidekicks … and no Sherlock.
Another sidekick who is more than a sidekick includes Robin, The Boy Wonder. Co-creator Bill Finger commented that the character was intended to be Batman’s very own Watson! Robin started as Batman’s sidekick in 1940 and has graduated to become a superhero on his own, even as Batman has worked with four successive Robins.
When the sidekick is as strong as the hero
P.G. Wodehouse’s stories about the affable-but-clueless, idle-rich Bertie Wooster invariably find Wooster in a pickle. That’s where Jeeves, his extremely competent and intelligent valet, always comes to the rescue.
Other familiar strong sidekicks include Hermoine Granger (in the Harry Potter series), Chewbacca (Star Wars), Samwise Gamgee (Lord of the Rings), Lane Kim (Gilmore Girls), and Jiminy Cricket (though he may be more of a mentor, but that’s another topic).
Other types of sidekicks
Some sidekicks can hinder. In The League of Regrettable Sidekicks, Jon Morris looks at some of the most bizarre sidekicks in superherodom. Just a glance gives the reader an idea of how bizarre: there’s Thunderfoot, the “explosive-soled assistant to the Human Bomb,” and Frosting, “the polar bear pal” of superhero Norge Benson.
Kid sidekicks and ensembles are popular, using the logic that kids are easy to overlook. Perhaps the Baker Street Irregulars, the “street urchins” who assist Sherlock Holmes, are the best known. The movies gave us the Blue Blaze Irregulars, who support the work of Buckaroo Banzai’s band and crime-fighting team in Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension.
Honorary mentions include the Teen Titans (the leader of which is often Robin the Boy Wonder), Young Justice, Legion of Super-Heroes, and Rick Jones who teamed up with Marvel heroes.
Why do ensembles endure?
Why are ensembles popular? Perhaps it’s because they offer various characters with whom the audience can identify.
In Scooby-Doo, though the show is named after the dog, this is an ensemble. The humans of the group—stalwart Fred, ritzy Daphne, brainy Velma, and carefree Shaggy—solve mysteries with Shaggy’s Great Dane, Scooby-Doo. If nothing else, Scooby is a commentator when a plot point is revealed (“Ruh-roh!”). “The Scooby gang” have become archetypes for other properties, such as…
The 1992 Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie came first, but it was the 1997 TV series, with its ensemble cast, that grabbed the attention of the media. Buffy’s friends include Willow the witch; Xander, the comic relief; Cordelia, the shallow cheerleader; Oz, the rocker/werewolf; and Spike, a vampire, enemy, and ally. One member of the ensemble (Angel) spun off another series.
The trap of the redshirts
If you’re not familiar with the term, a “redshirt” is a character who is killed off shortly after being introduced. In the original Star Trek TV series, crew members in red shirts dispatched for the mission of the episode die promptly. Authors can fall into the trap of killing or harming a background player. But to kill off a character in whom the audience isn’t invested doesn’t advance the story. So, go for a different colored shirt.
Ensemble variations
In an ensemble, there is no single lead. Each character has backstory, and they all work together toward their mutual goal.
There are various forms of ensembles. These include the power trio (think the Three Musketeers). In this, two members are in conflict with each other, while the third one acts as a mediator, balancing the group. In the Freudian trio, characters echo the id, ego, and superego. It’s easy to see the Star Trek characters of Kirk (the ego), Spock (the superego), and McCoy (the id). Finally, the band of brothers ensemble is a group brought together by dangerous circumstances or journey. (Think of those hobbits traipsing off to Mordor in The Lord of the Rings.) This ensemble variation can be small or large, depending on what your story may require.
Summary
Most stories need secondary characters to populate their worlds. There’s got to be someone for your main characters to bounce off of, discuss theories, or say something inadvertent for your main character to realize the solution. They see the world in another way that can help the hero. Your protagonist can be as cold and calculating as you want, but the sidekick or partner makes it a satisfying experience. Sidekicks and ensembles make the story richer—or cause friction to create depth to the story.
When you’re writing, you need to determine:
- How will your sidekick move your story?
- Do you want a sidekick who deserves a storyline of their own?
- Is your story complex enough to grow a sidekick into a partnership?
Sidekicks and ensembles symbolize camaraderie and loyalty, protecting not only the hero/heroine but also each other.
References
- Morris, Jon [2018]. The League of Regrettable Sidekicks, Quirk Books.
- https://charactersdb.com/famous-cartoon-sidekicks/
- https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/movie-and-tv-sidekicks-we-love-as-much-as-the-lead-character
- https://ew.com/gallery/50-greatest-sidekicks-ever/
- https://tvtropes.org
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer_characters
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Elizabeth MS Flynn is a professional editor and has been for almost 50 years, working in topics as diverse as academia, technology, finance, genre fiction, and comic books.