Companionship is something most living beings crave. Don’t be ashamed of needing someone to confide in; it’s part of the very structure human nature is based on, genetically imbedded into your DNA. Even some superheroes need a confidant and it is from this feeling of yearning for a connection and belonging with another that the superhero sidekick is born.

It dates back to the 1940s when comic book millionaire, Bruce Wayne meets college student, Dick Grayson, the first boy-wonder and sidekick introduced into comics. It is from here that the sidekick evolution begins. Soon after, the Human Torch was zooming around with young Toro, Sandman was snuffing out crime with Sandy, Captain America was beating up spies with Bucky, and so on.

Sidekicks play an important role to many of our beloved superheroes. After all, the comic book is filled with dangers of peril that our heroes must overcome, and the sidekick is a constant driving force to help them conquer any obstacle. Not only that, but sidekicks give our heroes someone to talk to and confide in. Can you imagine having awesome superhero powers, fighting the evils of the world, and not being able to talk about it with anyone? Realistically, that would be enough to drive even the most put together individual right to the funny farm.

Not only were sidekicks beneficial to the heroes of the comics, they were also useful for the companies selling the comics. The comic would be more appealing to young teenage boys if there’s a storyline of a boy similar in age getting to fight crime with a favorable superhero. That alone would entice a young lad to spend his money on that particular comic, sending the company revenue up in the process.

Sidekicks are considered to be almost miniature versions of their superhero counterpart. Like any good superhero, a sidekick needs a name for villains to address him as, some fun gadgets, a history, and character. This gave, and continues to give, writers more to work with when creating a plotline.

Though superhero sidekicks are unappreciated and sometimes looked down upon by those reading about them, they have their rightful place in the comic world. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with reading internal monologue and captions, but it’s nice to see the hero actually talking to someone about his life rather than just staring at fatuous thought bubbles.