Sidekick
From Free net encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Sidekick (disambiguation).
Image:Quixo-panza.jpg A sidekick is a stock character, a close companion who assists a partner in a superior position. Sancho Panza in Don Quixote, Dr. Watson in Sherlock Holmes, and Robin, Batman's companion, are some well-known sidekicks.
The origin of the term comes from pickpocket slang of the late 19th and early 20th century. The "kick" is the front side pocket of a pair of trousers, and was found to be the safest pocket from thieves. Thus the "side-kick" became an inseparable companion. ([1] [2] [3])
In fiction, the term sidekick most commonly referred to assistants to heroes, usually in a crimefighting capacity. The sidekick has the literary function of playing against the hero, often contrasting in skill, asking the questions the reader would ask, or performing functions not suited to the hero.
Those functions may include being funny. The comic sidekick was a common feature in westerns, where Fuzzy Knight, Al "Fuzzy" St. John, and Andy Devine had longer careers than some of the heroic singing cowboys for whom they took pratfalls. In science fiction a subtype of sidekick has been established - namely, the Alien sidekick.