The DC Comics characters have long used sidekicks for a variety of reasons. Younger sidekicks have helped comics appeal to younger readers or show a different perspective in the comics. The sidekicks have sometimes proven to be just as popular as the characters that trained them.
Dick Grayson and Wally West may have started as sidekicks, but they eventually became heroes in their own right. Other sidekicks weren’t as lucky. Lesser-known sidekicks may have found themselves slowly written out or suddenly dropped from the pages of a comic. While some sidekicks have flourished, others have seemingly disappeared forever.
10 Bob Daley, Known As Fatman, Was The Sidekick Of Mr. America
Tex Thompson was a wealthy adventurer. He would use his brilliant mind to help him solve crimes, somewhat similar to Batman. He was known for using a whip as well as his fighting abilities to help him stop criminals.
Tex’s best friend, Bob Daley, would sometimes tag along to help him solve crimes. Bob would briefly operate under the codename Fatman. Fatman didn’t have much appeal and would eventually stop appearing alongside Mr. America.
9 Percival Popp, Known As Super-Cop, Was The Sidekick Of The Spectre
The Spectre was a tough, no-nonsense type character. Jim Corrigan was a police officer before he got murdered. After Jim was resurrected, he found that he possessed a great number of superpowers.
When the sales of Spectre comics started to decline, Percival Popp was introduced to breathe new life into the title. Percival would become more popular than Spectre. When the Golden Age ended, Percival was one of the many characters that were written out.
8 Sparkington Northrup, Known As Sparky, Was The Sidekick Of Blue Beetle
The original Blue Beetle, secret identity Dan Garrett, was the son of a police officer. As an adult, he decided to follow in the footsteps of his father. He started fighting crime without superpowers. He would eventually gain temporary superpowers by taking a special vitamin.
Sparkington was an American orphan who was adopted by an Englishman named Lord Wellington. After his father sent him back to America, Sparkington became Blue Beetle’s sidekick. Sparky was randomly replaced by a new sidekick named Spunky.
7 Dinesh Babar, Known As Robin, Was The Sidekick Of Deathwing
Professor Pyg, while working with Simon Hurt, decided to create his own versions of Nightwing and Robin. He created a version of Nightwing that used the name Deathwing, but his version of Robin was less successful.
Even though Dinesh was brainwashed into thinking he was Damian Wayne, he managed to retain some of his original memories. He was able to remember his name. Despite his training as Robin, he was later killed by his mentor Deathwing.
6 Dudley Dudley, Known As Uncle Marvel, Was The Sidekick Of The Marvel Family
The Marvel Family began after Billy Batson had an encounter with the wizard Shazam. Billy would become the hero, Captain Marvel. The orphan would create his own family, bestowing powers on his closest friends. Billy’s sister, Mary Batson, would become her hero Mary Marvel.
After a con man found Mary’s journal, he discovered her secret. This con man, named Dudley Dudley, used the information to incorporate himself into the Marvel Family. Though the Marvel Family saw through his lies, they liked him enough to let him hang around. The character quietly disappeared shortly before Marvel Family comics were discontinued.
5 Pat Dugan, Known As Stripesy, Was The Sidekick Of The Star-Spangled Kid
Sylvester Pemberton, also known as the Star-Spangled Kid, grew up in a wealthy family. The spoiled, rich kid liked to sneak out of his house to help fight crime. His agility and acrobatic skill helped him overcome the criminals he would face.
Sylvester recruited his family’s chauffeur to serve as his sidekick. As Stripesy, Dugan was an adult sidekick working with a child superhero. Dugan would eventually retire, becoming estranged from his former heroic partner. Dugan would return to the superhero life after his step-daughter decided to become a hero.
4 Sanderson Hawkins, Known As Sandy The Golden Boy Was The Sidekick Of Sand
Wesley Dodds was the original Sandman. He would wear a mask. He used a special weapon that could release a gas that would put other people to sleep. He adopted the boy who would eventually become his sidekick.
Sanderson Hawkins, better known as Sand, had the power to manipulate earth. He received his powers from one of Wesley Dodds’s failed experiments. After Dodds died, Sand inherited everything. He would take over Dodds’s heroic name and become the new Sandman.
3 Sasha, Known As Scarlet, Was The Sidekick Of The Red Hood
Sasha, along with her father, found themselves prisoners of Professor Pyg. The villain would alter a person, turning them into one of his pieces of artwork. Sasha’s father would be converted into one of Pyg’s dollotrons.
Pyg would try to convert Sasha as well, but her conversion wouldn’t fully take. While her face was disfigured, Pyg wasn’t able to fully control her mind. Unfortunately, Sasha’s mind was warped. Using the codename Scarlet, she began working with Red Hood. The two would battle against Batman and Robin. After recovering mentally, Sasha would leave Gotham and start a new life elsewhere.
2 Gagsworth Gagsworthy, Known As Gaggy, Was The Sidekick Of The Joker
Gaggy was a circus performer who worked for Haly’s Circus. Haly didn’t think his act was good for children, so he was replaced with the Flying Graysons. Gaggy would later be hired by the Joker, who liked his mean streak.
Gaggy and Joker would manage to get the upper hand when fighting against Batman and Robin. Gaggy seemed to hold a grudge against Robin, but it’s unknown if that’s related to Robin’s family replacing Gaggy at the circus. Gaggy would retire after being arrested, having realized that the Joker was incredibly dangerous.
1 Betty Kane, Known As Bat-Girl, Was The Sidekick Of Batwoman
Betty Kane was the niece of Kathy Kane. Betty, as Bat-Girl, would receive her training from her aunt, who was secretly Batwoman. Kathy and Betty were introduced as love interests for Batman and Robin.
Betty and Kathy weren’t received well by fans. When Batman received a new editor, he decided to write out the characters. Bat-Girl would briefly be revived as a member of the Teen Titans, but her character never had any lasting power. A new version of the character, this time named Bette Kane, would become the hero Flamebird.
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