Every Hero Needs a Sidekick
Sidekicks are typically your Main Character’s best friend. But they can be a family member, co-worker, an employee, an accomplice.
They’re your hero’s most avid supporter. They represent faith, encouraging your heroine when she gets her heart broken, as she wallows in self-doubt, land loses motivation to pursue a love again.
Sidekicks characters:
- Are aligned with the Protagonist’s goals
- They differ from the Protagonist in important ways, whether good or bad, in order to highlight areas of the Protagonist’s growth
- Are loyal to and supportive of the Protagonist.
- Illustrate the importance of success and the cost of failure throughout the story.
The sidekick character offer the audience and ongoing glimpse of the mental and physical impact and risks involved with the Main Character’s goals and choices.
As story guru, Michael Hauge, states about sidekick/reflection characters:
“They serve as a crucial ingredient in the process of creating drama, foreshadowing, establishing stakes, conflict and tension.”
Think of Spock in Star Trek, Chewbacca in Star Wars, Samewise in Lord of the Rings, Gerty in Moon, Ned in Unforgiven, Donkey in Shrek, Ron Weasley in Harry Potter, Bubba in Forrest Gump, Wilson the Soccer Ball in Castaway, and Annie Porter in Speed.
They are perfect examples of sidekick characters. The story, movie, or TV show would not be the same without them.
