5 DC Heroes Who Should Never Get a Sidekick

DC Comics created the superhero sidekick in 1940, setting a standard that we still use today. Sidekicks have always been an important part of fiction in general; secondary characters allow creators to take the story in different directions and give the readers a substitute of a sort, getting to hang out with the heroes they love. Superhero comics have sidekicks of all kinds; there’s the teen ones like Robin, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Aqualad, there’s adult sidekicks like Stripesy, Doiby Dickles, Professor Martin Stein, and Alfred (he is a sidekick and you can’t really deny it), and there’s love interest sidekicks, when the love interest adventures with the heroes. Sidekicks can be great, but not for every hero.

There are numerous reasons why this is. Sometimes, it’s the simplest reason of them all – they’re too powerful and a sidekick can be superfluous. Other times, it’s a little bit more complicated, as some heroes just don’t mesh with others long term. Sidekicks can add a lot to stories, but if you try to force one on a hero that doesn’t do well with them, then it’s not going to work out, as some of these heroes have proven in the past. These five DC heroes shouldn’t get sidekicks because it would never work out long term.

5) Power Girl

Power Girl has become a legend, fighting alongside Earth-Two Superman, the Justice Society, the Justice League, and the Superman family. Power Girl started out as a sidekick before striking out on her own (mostly because of Crisis; she was still Earth-Two Supes’s sidekick in 1985), and has since become a favorite of fans. Power Girl has had sidekicks, but there’s a reason they never last. As great a character as Kara is, she has problems of her own to deal with – her unending search for identity and family – and DC has never been able to find a sidekick that can help her with those. She’s also just way too powerful to ever need one; she’s a Kryptonian and while she’s not as powerful as Superman (as far as we know; she is pre-Crisis, so she could have greater potential), she’s still way too powerful to have a sidekick. She works well with other characters, but she’s just not the kind of character that can work to her highest potential with a sidekick.

4) Huntress

There have been two different Huntresses in the DC Multiverse. The first was the Earth-Two daughter of Batman and Catwoman, fighting alongside Robin and the Justice Society. She was best friends with Power Girl, the two of them as close as their mentors. Crisis on Infinite Earths meant that she never existed (although recent years have seen a time-traveling daughter of Batman and Catwoman show up), but DC would eventually make a new version – Helena Bertinelli, the daughter of a slain mob boss who becomes a vigilante. She’s one of the wildest cards of the Bat-Family; she was the one who would kill before the return of Jason Todd, and was even kicked out of the Justice League because of her use of violence. The only people she actually works well are Barbara Gordon and Black Canary, so she definitely doesn’t need a sidekick. She’s angry and has a large chip on her shoulder, not the kind of person who does well with others. It might be fun to see them clash for a while, but it’s not a recipe for success.

3) Guy Gardner

Guy Gardner is a rather unpleasant person, even after you get to know him. Basically, you either like Guy or you don’t. You either accept that he’s loud, obnoxious, arrogant, angry, and an all-around troublemaker and look for the good in him or not. He’s the epitome of the high school jock, except he didn’t peak back then and has kept getting better. He’s an amazing Green Lantern, but he’s known for being very difficult to work with. Even on the Justice League International, a team full of obnoxious, mouthy people, Guy is able to cause problems. Guy can work with other heroes, but most of the time, he’s going to be arrogant, sarcastic, and insulting; in a word, caustic. One of the weird things about Gardner is that he’s an excellent trainer, having trained Lanterns for years now. However, it’s everything else that he’s terrible at. He’s always insulting everyone and isn’t known for his patience. A longterm sidekick would hate every moment of it. By the time Guy showed the sidekick his softer side, the damage would already be done.

2) Booster Gold

So, before we go on, I want to talk about Blue Beetle II. There’s this idea among some fans that Beetle is Booster’s sidekick, but that isn’t really the case. They’re partners, which is completely different thing; besides, you can say that he’s Beetle’s sidekick, so it just doesn’t work. However, even with his relationship with Blue Beetle, I think we can all agree that Booster shouldn’t even have a sidekick. To begin with, what’s he going to train them in? How to rob a museum (which he did to get to the present)? How to make his teammates miserable? Booster is a great hero, but it’s mostly because he never gives up and is constantly trying to prove to everyone that he could be the kind of hero he dreams he is. While this is laudable, it doesn’t really make for a good mentor. He’s not the best example either; he’ll cut corners and hide his mistakes all in order to look good. That’s not the kind of person you want working with someone else.

1) Superboy

There have been numerous Superboys over the years. While Clark Kent Superboys are always a lot of fun, a certain generation of Superman fans (me; I’m in that generation) will always love Conner Kent the most. He was the Superboy of our generation, the ’90s teen with a massive chip on his shoulder, trying to prove to everyone that he could be the Man of Steel. Over the years, Conner has changed a lot, becoming less mouthy, arrogant, and obnoxious, but that doesn’t mean he’d be good with a sidekick. He’s in that phase of life where he’s learned to work with and appreciate others, but still isn’t the kind of person you want working with someone younger. Conner’s a great example – he’s a hero who never gives up, even making the ultimate sacrifice to save the day in Infinite Crisis #6, and is on the frontlines of every fight, but he’s also still rude and impetuous. Conner made the mantle of Superboy his own, but he still needs some work before he’s ready for a sidekick.

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