- Have you ever wanted to be a superhero?
'Cause I have, Baldman.
Yeah, okay, maybe not.
But if I did, I would definitely have to have a sidekick
because every superhero needs one.
But sometimes the creators of these superheroes
inadvertently make the sidekicks way cooler
than the actual heroes that they're supposed to support.
From Lord of the Rings to Shrek to Star Trek,
you're gonna see what I mean.
Here are 10 sidekicks who are cooler than their heroes.
Number 10 is Hobbes.
First launched on November 18th, 1985,
the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip quickly became
a fan favorite with people identifying
with the protagonist Calvin's childlike wonder and curiosity
towards how the world works.
However, it was Calvin's best friend, a tiger named Hobbes,
that stole the spotlight and had people loving
a stuffed animal that was only alive
in the six-year-old's imagination.
Despite being Calvin's toy, Hobbes seemed to be the smarter
of the pair and possessed knowledge that Calvin
should not have had readily available at his age.
This had people constantly guessing as to whether
the tiger was really coming to life when no one was around
or if Calvin was a child genius.
Real or not, Hobbes overshadowed Calvin in a strip
that left of smiles on peoples' faces.
Also, side note, if you in real life have a stuffed animal
and it tells you things, like burning things,
you might want to get help because you might have issues.
Number nine is Willow.
Created by Joss Whedon and premiering on March 10th, 1997,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer revamped the 1992 movie
by the same name, which Whedon also wrote,
and brought it to the small screen.
In the series, Buffy, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar,
and her friends and family battle the forces of darkness,
including demons, werewolves, and you guessed it, vampires.
This all, of course, while worrying about dating, money,
bullying, and other regular growing up issues.
But instead of Buffy's personal story that fans favored,
it was her friend Willow's.
Played by Alyson Hannigan,
Willow experienced the most growth and depth
of any other character, including Buffy herself.
She went from shy bookworm to a badass super powerful witch
and even tackled a controversial lesbian relationship.
Meanwhile, Buffy whined a bunch, so yeah.
Number eight is Sam.
If you couldn't tell, I'm a bit of a Lord of the Rings fan.
The precious.
Throughout Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy,
Frodo, the main character, goes through hell.
He's stabbed, stabbed again, bitten, paralyzed,
and almost taken over by a ring
before his finger's bitten off.
He's kind of a miserable character to watch,
if I'm being honest.
But thankfully there's an overly hopeful
and overly protective Samwise Gamgee to make us
at least smile and thus steal the show
right from under Frodo's tiny halfling nose.
Sam stood by Frodo at all costs,
nearly sacrificing his life several times
and making the audience root for him time and time again.
While his master suffered, Sam carried him, cooked for him,
and gave him motivational pep talks.
All of this, of course, while going on
the exact same journey that Mr. Baggins did.
Truly, Sam was the sidekick that we all want to have.
I would like a Samwise Gamgee.
Make me something with potatoes, you know, potatoes.
Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew.
Number seven is Gromit.
Though his name is in the title like Batman's Robin,
Gromit is little more than a sidekick.
But that's of course just in the title
and probably Wallace's mind.
While Wallace Herbertson is actually an inventor,
Gromit is undoubtedly the mastermind of the pair.
His owner's investigations or creations will often
leave the duo scrambling for safety.
But no matter what situation Wallace lands them in,
Gromit stands by his master and will use
his skills and intellect to pull them out of harm's way.
Often, Wallace is so preoccupied or curious about something
that he has no idea that he's been saved by his dog
or that there was even danger to his well-being at all.
This makes Gromit, who never speaks,
the more relatable and lovable of the two.
Number six is Kato.
Whether it was in the radio series, the comic strip,
the TV show, or the films, when the Green Hornet
was saving the day, it was his partner Kato
that drew the most interest,
usually completely overshadowing the Green Hornet himself.
Kato was an insanely effective combatant,
a master of martial arts, but he was also
an incredible driver behind the wheel of the Black Beauty,
their car, the mechanic who built it, and an inventor.
Kato was credited as making most of the gadgets
the Hornet used himself, specifically the gun
that shot sleeping rounds instead of bullets
to incapacitate rather than kill.
In comparison, the Green Hornet was just a man
with good intentions who relied on Kato to arm him,
drive him around, and protect him when they were fighting.
There's little wonder that the sidekick
was more beloved than the hero.
Also, it's just the Green Hornet,
probably the least loved of all the superheroes.
So yeah, that's not hard to do.
Number five is Donkey.
Donkey!
Today we're making waffles.
Adapted from the 1990 book Shrek by William Steig,
the similarly titled 2001 movie was a huge success
and spawned several sequels,
holiday specials, and sing-alongs.
Everyone seems to know who Shrek is,
but he's not everyone's favorite character.
A large number of people prefer his fast-talking,
lovable sidekick Donkey.
Voiced by Eddie Murphy, Donkey is funny, quick-thinking,
sensitive, and far more interested in moving the plot along.
Mike Myers' Shrek would rather rest in his home
in the swamp, while Donkey wants to make things happen
and have fun, which resonates better with the audience
who are waiting for things to happen.
He often says what the viewers are thinking,
and his jokes are more on point,
leading this gray animal to be a fan favorite.
Oh, come on, Shrek, don't be jealous now
just because I'm a better superhero than you are,
you know what I'm sayin'?
Number four is Hit Girl.
Originally created by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.,
Hit Girl appeared in the third issue
in the Kick-Ass comic book series and the film adaptation,
where she was played by Chloe Grace Moretz.
While the main character David Kick Ass Lizewski
has nerve damage which greatly reduces his ability
to feel pain, it's Mindy Hit Girl Macready
who steals the show as a merciless vigilante
bent on avenging her father and packing more guns
than any 11-year-old should be able to carry.
The films make you feel sorry for her
as she's trained by Big Daddy, her own father,
through brutal martial arts sparring
and being shot at while wearing a bulletproof vest.
Her swift crime fighting skills and foul mouth
make her a fan favorite, and the series
would definitely be dead in the water without her.
Number three is Hermione.
Of course the Harry Potter series of books and films
are supposed to be all about the main character's journey
to fulfilling his duty as the chosen one.
But it's without question that he would not have made it
anywhere near his goal if not for his closest friends
Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, the latter of which
is arguably the real breakthrough hero of the story.
Harry and Ron are born in the wizarding world
and have family to fall back on, though Harry's
are few and far between after the death of his parents.
Hermione's parents are magicless muggles
and thus she's been labeled as a mistake, a mudblood,
I'm so sorry to say that, I know that's offensive,
who doesn't belong.
Still, she fights through the stereotype and becomes
the smartest and most skilled witch in the group,
proving that she's even more of a badass
than Potter himself.
Although he's got that scar.
Can't discount that, know what I'm sayin'?
Looks pretty badass.
Number two is Spock.
When your character is a human whose way of speaking
is often broken-sounding, there's no wonder
the cooler, green-blooded, and always logical
alien sidekick character becomes a fan favorite over you.
Such was the way with Captain Kirk and Commander Spock,
the latter of which was a half-Vulcan science officer
in the original Star Trek series and the movie franchise.
When the television show premiered on September 8th, 1966,
the Spock character was meant to be a supporting role.
But with the charm and charisma
of actor Leonard Nimoy portraying him,
he quickly became the second lead, often getting
more screen time than William Shatner's James Kirk.
Spock will forever be the cool pointy-eared dude
who can meld with your mind and knock you out with a pinch.
And nobody can compete with that.
That'd be useful for night when I can't sleep.
Just be like, goodnight, everyone.
And number one is Genie.
Anyone who acted alongside Robin Williams,
even in voice-only work, and expected to be
the center of attention would likely
have been completely oblivious or out of their minds.
The late actor and comedian was a legend,
and his take on the Genie
from the 1992 Disney animated film Aladdin was spectacular.
Known only as Genie, as he's never given a proper name,
the character is flashy and loud,
constantly sending sparks and magic in every direction
as he makes everything around him more colorful
and overall cheery.
Nobody else in the movie can touch the amount of wonder
he creates, including the title character Aladdin himself.
Many a child and adults alike have been disappointed
by his absence in the first act of the film
and quickly reach for their fast forward buttons
while watching it.
Just remember, unlimited power, itty bit of living space.