# Who\`s your favourite fictional sidekick? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 24, 2002, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318 "2002-04-24T10:24:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tetsusaru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@tetsusaru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tetsusaru)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318/1 "2002-04-24T10:24:19Z")
In the Vahalla that fictional characters go to, there is a special table reserved for sidekicks - such right-hand men {and women, though none spring to mind} as Falstaff, Watson and Tonto all have places of honour: where would Prince Hal, Holmes and The Lone Ranger have been without them? But who should sit beside them? Who are the great side-kicks of fiction? I nominate Captain Haddock, from the Tintin books: a sea-faring man, a man of action, a man accustomed to command, a man of the world, a short-tempered, violent, accident-prone. drunken man, and the most inventive curser in fiction: “Coelocanths! Baboons! Billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles in ten thousand thundering typhoons!” They don`t write characters like him anymore, and he did much to enrich my childhood. ---
**Author:** ![Booker57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Booker57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Booker57)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318/2 "2002-04-24T10:36:03Z")
I nominate Clive Cussler’s “Al Giordino”. Would you have your little finger blowen off to save a friend? Al is the perfect sidekick/right hand man for “Dirk Pitt” ---
**Author:** ![Skip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@Skip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skip)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318/3 "2002-04-24T10:52:31Z")
Silent Bob ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318/4 "2002-04-24T11:15:19Z")
**Morley Dotes** from the Garrett, P.I. series by Glen Cook. He’s a vegetarian bone-breaker who runs his own restaurant in Tun-Faire. He’s mostly Dark Elf with maybe a little human too. And he’s so devilishly handsome that he sends shivers down the spine of every husband and father in the city. He only barely beats out Garrett’s other partner, The Dead Man. A loghyr somebody stabbed in the back and murdered 400 years ago. Only his spirit has yet to take the hint and leave. He’s smart (7 minds) and has powers only hinted at. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Maximino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@Mighty\_Maximino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Maximino)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318/5 "2002-04-24T13:40:53Z")
I think **Y.T.** from Snow Crash is pretty cool. She’s only a 15-year old girl, but she gets around by harpooning cars on a skateboard, and she drives a hard sidekicking bargain with Hiro pretty early on. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318/6 "2002-04-24T13:52:01Z")
Number 10 Ox, right-hand man to Barry Hughart’s Master Li . He is big and strong and intimidating, but gentle and kind. Whenever he does bring his great strength to bear, he often surprises himself . . . and the same thing happens when he uses his intellect. Everyone assumes that because he’s big, he’s dumb, but nothing could be farther from the truth. ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318/7 "2002-04-24T13:57:15Z")
penfolds (sp?) of dangermouse. (anyone else know this one? 1980s-ish era cartoon about an english james bond-esque mouse?) ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318/8 "2002-04-24T14:03:55Z")
Samwise Gamgee. Tho it is arguable that he is the main cahr in LOTR. I always liked the main dude (F’lar?)'s brother (F’nor?) in the Pern series. The first to TP to the thread planet. The giant in the Thomas Covenant series. Brian ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318/9 "2002-04-24T14:10:49Z")
Sancho Panza deserves all the Paella he can eat. And Kato ought to take the hero’s seat and make the Green Hornet sit at the kid’s table. ---
**Author:** ![tetsusaru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@tetsusaru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tetsusaru)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318/10 "2002-04-24T14:16:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gex gex \* > \*\*penfolds (sp?) of dangermouse. > > (anyone else know this one? 1980s-ish era cartoon about an english james bond-esque mouse?) \*\* Penfold! Well done, that man! One of my favourite shows - great villain in Baron Greenback: “Ahhhh, Dangermousssse”, and great henchman {a whole other thread} in Stiletto: “Si, Baroni!” But what was his little caterpillar called? ---
**Author:** ![tetsusaru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@tetsusaru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tetsusaru)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318/11 "2002-04-24T14:18:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by N9IWP \* > \*\*Samwise Gamgee. Tho it is arguable that he is the main cahr in LOTR. > > I always liked the main dude (F’lar?)'s brother (F’nor?) in the Pern series. The first to TP to the thread planet. > > The giant in the Thomas Covenant series. > > Brian \*\* Saltheart Foamfollower. Damn, I`m good. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318/12 "2002-04-24T15:16:35Z")
I’ll go with Nero Wolfe’s sidekick, Archie Goodwin. I’m paraphrasing Leslie Charteris (creator of the Saint here): one of the nice things about Archie Goodwin is that, unlike the sidekicks in most mystery novels and stories (Sr. Watson, Captain Hastings, whoever), Goodwin is smart and capable in his own right, and isn’t above teasing or twitting his “genius” boss. ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318/13 "2002-04-24T15:41:57Z")
Hmmm, Samwise has been mentioned (and Penfold, too! Remember the “Blue Flash” episode?), so allow me to throw out another nominee: **Stephen Maturin** from Patrick O’Brian’s novels. I suppose it could be argued that Maturin is not really a sidekick, though. **Daffy Duck** comes to mind, but he’s not really a sidekick, either. How about a different **Kato** – Burt Kwouk’s character from the **Pink Panther** series? My first thought was actually **Archie Goodwin** , as **astorian** mentioned, but I think that was mainly because I was watching an episode from the A&E series last night. RR ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318/14 "2002-04-24T15:45:40Z")
I’d say a tossup between Wedge Antilles from _Star Wars_ and Subotai from _Conan the Barbarian_. Both are total badasses in their own right, and both save the hero of the movie from a violent death several times. * * * “Whatever you do, Robin, don’t trip…” “Batman! I tripped!” ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318/15 "2002-04-24T16:21:40Z")
Minime. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318/16 "2002-04-24T17:32:07Z")
I’m sorry, capable as all these fellows are, especially Archie G, my vote has to go to the Ur-sidekick, the Good Doctor. Watson obviously downplayed his own intelligence for aesthetic purposes (I mean, how many of us have written so many good stories? Literary achievement is not a sign of chowderheadedness) but his loyalty, honesty, and dependability shine through. To me, Archie always seemed cold; but I don’t think there’s a one of us who wouldn’t like to have the Doctor as a friend. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318/17 "2002-04-24T18:40:41Z")
I’ve always liked Marvin, the depressing whiney android from " the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy" series, and K-9 the robot dog from “Dr. Who.” And Jarvis from the comic book “Avengers.” ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318/18 "2002-04-24T20:10:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tetsusaru \* > \*\* > I nominate Captain Haddock, from the Tintin books: a sea-faring man, a man of action, a man accustomed to command, a man of the world, a short-tempered, violent, accident-prone. drunken man, and the most inventive curser in fiction: “Coelocanths! Baboons! Billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles in ten thousand thundering typhoons!” They don`t write characters like him anymore, and he did much to enrich my childhood. \*\* Ooh! Oh! I took my screenname from him! “Gallows fodder!” is one of the insults he hurls at some deserving villain. I love him. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318/19 "2002-04-24T20:11:59Z")
I would add: R2D2 (Repairs your ship WHILE your flying it, doesn’t talk back, and can project pictures of pretty girls.) Shortround Alfred Pennyworth (Robin (any of them) is too rebelious. Alfred’s a true friend.) Al Calavicci (sp?) And of cource, Bela Lugosi. He was great as Karloff’s sidekick. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318/20 "2002-04-24T21:17:31Z")
**Tars Tarkas** has been a mighty good one for me, though **Tars** is a chieftan in his own right, and therefore should be considered to be above the status of “sidekick”. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-s-your-favourite-fictional-sidekick/105318.md?page=2)