All of Superman’s Sidekicks, Ranked

Superman is the Last Son of Krypton, but that doesn’t mean that he flies into battle all alone. The Man of Tomorrow has always had allies, and over time, that came to include other superpowered heroes. Now, he’s the head of an entire Superman Family, which is filled with some of the strongest heroes that the world has ever and will ever see. Given that he founded the modern superhero genre, defining what a hero should be, it only makes sense that some of those allies are heroes whom he helps grow into their own. Superhero is the archetypal superhero, after all, so of course, DC’s original hero would take on a sidekick or nine of his own at some point.

Today, we’re going to be taking a look at every superhero who has served as Superman’s sidekick and ranking them. Specifically, we’re going to order them by how much they offer as Superman’s sidekick. This means that a character who generally has more to show might stand behind another one who connects with Superman better. All of these heroes more than deserve their dues, but even so, only one can stand as the greatest sidekick of them all. With all that said, let’s leap into ranking the Man of Steel’s super sidekicks. 

10) Beppo the Super-Monkey

Without a doubt, Superman’s least helpful sidekick was Beppo the Super-Monkey. Much like Krypto, Beppo was a Kryptonian animal who followed Superman to Earth, stowing away on the ship that carried him there. The reason Beppo earns last on this list is that he caused all kinds of mayhem for Clark. He tended to do whatever he wanted and had a habit of mimicking people, which was extremely dangerous, given that he could do everything Superman could. It got so bad that Superboy once left him on a planet so far away from Earth he’d surely never find his way back, only for Supergirl to recruit him to the Legion of Super-Pets. Beppo is Superman’s most forgotten pet for a reason, even if he is entertaining.

9) Cir-El

Cir-El was supposedly Superman and Lois’s daughter from a potential future, only to be revealed as a normal girl whose DNA had been tampered with to mimic the two. Regardless, Cir served alongside her dad as Supergirl, fighting to keep the past safe and stand beside the hero she’d admired for so long. Given that she was the first attempt to give Superman a child for more than a single issue, Cir had practically infinite potential, but she never quite reached it. She was held back by her short tenure and her tendency to transform into Mia, an alter ego who hated Superman and superheroics. I love the idea behind Cir-El, but everyone else simply offers more.

8) Chris Kent (Lor-Zod)

Lor-Zod was the son of General Zod, born in the Phantom Zone. Eventually, he found his way to Earth and was adopted by Superman and Lois, remanded Christ Kent. Chris briefly served alongside his adoptive father as Superboy, but his unstable physiology made him age rapidly. He seemingly sacrificed himself to close a portal to the Phantom Zone, but would later return as Nightwing. Chris was Superman and Lois’s first attempt at raising an actual child, and he brought out the best in both of his parents. Their time together, however, was incredibly short, so we never got to see Chris’s dynamic explored. His interactions with Superman were adorable, but not much else.

7) Superboy

It feels wrong to put Connor Kent so low on this list, but frankly, as fantastic a character as he is, he’s never really been a great sidekick to Superman. He always presented himself as more of an independent hero, even when Superman mentored him. Connor’s earliest years were spent being a rebel child who didn’t take orders from anyone, and by the time he matured, he was definitely more of a partner to Superman than a sidekick. They didn’t really get along during that unwilling sidekick stage enough, but they still liked each other too much for there to be tension about it. Superboy is a wonderful character, but as Superman’s sidekick, he didn’t offer much, even though I really wish he did.

6) Boy Thunder

David Sikela was a young boy from a different universe whose world was destroyed. His parents’ final act was to rocket him to Prime Earth, where he was taken in by Superman. The experience left David with superpowers that he used to fight alongside the Man of Steel as Boy Thunder. David soaked up Superman’s lessons like a sponge, but he also had a rage inside him that added a constant tension to their relationship. David flip-flopped between being a fantastic sidekick and a liability, and that back and forth was the best part of their dynamic. Superman loved David like a son, but couldn’t get through to him, and that failure practically makes David Superman’s Jason Todd, which is a very, very interesting thing to be.

5) Jimmy Olsen

Jimmy is the one character here without any superpowers, most of the time, but he doesn’t need them to be one of the most entertaining characters ever written. He’s Superman’s best pal who went on all kinds of adventures with him, always needing to be saved by the Man of Tomorrow. When Clark operated as Nightwing in the Bottle City of Kandor, Jimmy served as his sidekick, Flamebird. These two have had hundreds of wacky, zany adventures, and in them, Jimmy always brings out a playfulness from Superman that nobody else can. Their dynamic leaps between being two idiot brothers and a tired dad saving his son’s butt, and both are absolutely incredible. 

4) Krypto the Superdog

Jimmy might be Superman’s pal, but only the Superdog could be Superman’s best friend. He was the El’s family dog who found his way to Earth, usually by being launched in a test ship by Jor-El. Krypto is the most loyal companion anyone could ask for. He might get the zoomies and fly to the edge of the universe and back, but when someone is in trouble, he stops at nothing to protect them. He doesn’t understand a lot of what goes on around him, but that’s never stopped him from being there to help. Just as importantly, Krypto helps Superman feel normal. Krypto needs all the same care as any other dog, just blown up to super standards, which lets Superman experience a normal person’s world at his level.

3) The Super-Twins

Otho-Ra and Osul-Ra are twin Phaelosians, an offshoot of Kryptonians, who were raised in Mongul’s nightmarish Warworld. When Superman liberated the planet, he adopted them, raising them to be heroes in spite of their harsh origin. The Super-Twins are one of the best additions to Superman’s mythos, filling the void that an aged-up Jon Kent left. They let Superman experience being a father to young children, and bring out the paternal side that has always been there, but now can shine in full focus. They’re both eager to learn, and he’s eager to teach, but the biggest problem with the Super-Twins is that they never appear anywhere. When they receive proper development, they’re going to be two of Superman’s best characters, easily.

2) Supergirl

Superman’s original sidekick and the woman who started it all is Supergirl, Kara Zor-El, Linda Danvers. Her debut gave Superman someone he could confide in who understood what it was like to be Kryptonian, and she quickly rose to be just as important as her cousin in their adventures. Kara bounces off of Clark perfectly, letting him connect with his Kryptonian heritage while showcasing everything about Earth he loves as he teaches Kara about it. The only reason that Kara doesn’t take first place is that I like her more as Superman’s equal partner, rather than just his sidekick. Her growth into a hero just as necessary as Superman, but so often overlooked, is incredible, and Supergirl deserves all the respect in the world.

1) Jon Kent

Jon Kent’s debut marked a new era for Superman comics. Unlike all the previous, fleeting tries, Superman was a dad forever more, and Jon was incredible. His excited, go-get-em attitude and innocence perfectly captured and bounced off Superman’s own personality. He was a hero with all the potential in the world as Superboy, demonstrating everything that made his dad an incredible hero, alongside learning who he was. Watching Jon grow was spectacular, but even when he was aged up, the older Jon still proved to be a wonderful Superboy. The only bad thing about Jon’s tenure as Superman’s sidekick was how criminally short it was. Jon Kent was the perfect sidekick for Superman, period.

Which of Superman’s sidekicks is your favorite? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

5 Best Superman-Centric Crossover Events