7 Times Superheroes Needed Help From Supposedly Weaker Characters 

The superhero genre is by far one of the most successful and prevalent in modern pop culture. The success of the movies of the MCU has contributed massively to a wider awareness of superhero stories among audiences, with select DC properties also delivering memorable entries into the genre. Naturally, superhero stories are dominated by the heroes that lead them: as larger-than-life figures with remarkable abilities and skills, superheroes are often presented as unbeatable, no matter how close the movies hint they may come. This sometimes leads to a perception that heroes only ever need help from other heroes, particularly those stronger or better suited to the situation then the character in need.

This isn’t always the case, however. Often, superheroes require the assistance of allies far weaker than themselves. Though heroes regularly face their hardest challenges alone, there have been many occasions throughout the history of the genre on which heroes have needed to call in a favor from a character seemingly less powerful than themselves in order to continue their endless fight against evil and injustice. It’s only fair that those apparently less powerful characters deserve their share of recognition for the help they offer the heroes.

1) Batman is Saved by Robin – Batman Forever (1995) 

Robin is perhaps the most iconic sidekick in pop culture, serving as Batman’s protege for many years in various media. Though 1995’s Batman Forever ruined some Batman characters, it also saw Robin step in to save his mentor. After taking on Two-Face alone, Batman is almost killed, only for Robin to rescue him. This comes after Batman turned down Dick Grayson’s offer to help him in his crime-fighting endeavors, making Robin’s assistance at once timely, unsolicited, and somewhat embarrassing for the Dark Knight.

2) Iron Man Needed a Kid’s Help – Iron Man 3 (2013)

Iron Man 3 saw Tony Stark contending with the emotional fallout from the events of The Avengers, which are shown to have had a considerable effect on the billionaire hero. After being attacked by the Mandarin while still reeling from the trauma of the Battle of New York, Stark retreats to the safety of a small town, where he is helped by a young Harley Keener. Despite Iron Man being one of the MCU’s most prominent Avengers, Harley’s support is needed in order for Stark to overcome his emotional distress enough to fight back against Aldrich Killian.

3) Vision & Scarlet Witch Are Saved by the “Secret Avengers” – Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Avengers: Infinity War marked a huge occasion for the MCU, as it saw the franchise’s many characters come together as the Infinity Saga began to draw to a close. The movie’s start saw many of Earth’s heroes – including Vision and Scarlet Witch – beset by Thanos’ forces. Vision and Scarlet Witch, despite their own array of powers, are being overwhelmed, until the Secret Avengers arrive to offer their assistance. Despite being Marvel heroes with zero powers, the arrival of Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, and Sam Wilson sees the more powerful Wanda and Vision rescued just in time.

4) Batman Calls Alfred For Help With Scarecrow’s Toxin – Batman Begins (2005) 

Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy put an exceptionally grounded spin on the character of Batman, but even the World’s Greatest Detective was shown as needing the support of others. After first encountering Scarecrow and being sprayed with fear toxin in Batman Begins, Batman calls Alfred for help. For all of Bruce’s training, he needed his butler’s help to enlist Lucius Fox to produce an antitoxin, establishing that even the best-trained heroes still need the support of supposedly weaker characters sometimes.

5) Krypto Saves the Day – Superman (2025) 

2025’s Superman put a refreshing spin on the iconic hero, and it also quickly established that even the titular Man of Steel still needs help from his friends. After losing his first battle against Ultraman, Superman is seriously injured, and is dragged by Krypto to the Fortress of Solitude to recover. Though his canine companion possesses abilities of his own, he’s still clearly weaker than Superman himself. However, without Krypto’s help, Superman could potentially have died, making his intervention seem especially important.

6) Steve Trevor Stopped Ludendorff’s Gas – Wonder Woman (2017)  

2017’s Wonder Woman may have introduced the eponymous hero into the DCEU, but it also showed that she sometimes needs the help of mortals. After spending much of the movie falling in love with Diana, the pilot is forced to make a heroic sacrifice in the movie’s ending. Wonder Woman was unable to both fight Ares and prevent General Ludendorff’s killer gas bombs from being released, and Steve Trevor stepped in to ensure that the latter didn’t come to pass. Though DC resurrected Steve Trevor in the sequel, his heroic sacrifice proved that heroes can’t be in two places at once.

7) Miss Tessmacher Saves Superman – Superman: The Movie (1978) 

Superman: The Movie remains one of the best-loved big screen adaptations of the hero, and it too showed that heroes need the support of even the most unlikely figures. After being trapped in Lex Luthor’s lair with Kryptonite, Superman is rescued by Miss Tessmacher, who switches allegiances due to fearing for her mother’s life. Had she not intervened, Superman would likely not have been able to thwart Luthor’s plan, making Miss Tessmacher’s rescue of the hero an especially important moment in his cinematic history despite her lack of powers.

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