Pals, Cohorts, and Side-Kicks

Pals, Cohorts, & Side-Kicks

What about those also rans. Those characters who stand next to the hero, and hold his/her cape while they fight the bad guys. Most of the main characters we love have someone who is in the fight with them. Sometimes they know what’s happening. Harry Potter had his pals Hermione and Ron, who worked with him and knew what they were doing.

In the comic book world there was Jimmy Olson, who seemed to help Superman/Clark Kent without actually being in on the whole secret identity thing. Often he was portrayed as more hindrance than help.

The Batman has Robin who is a fully informed cohort. He knows what is happening and is a part of the hero’s plans. Coincidently Robin is pretty much dependent upon the hero Bruce Wayne for his daily needs. His skill set matches up with those of the hero he is second to.

Robinson Crusoe had a day of the week to assist him, and as the story progressed it became a serious question as to who was helping who. Crusoe without Friday would have failed to survive.

Of course Sherlock Homes had his Dr. Watson. Watson who supplied specific medical knowledge and the occasional humanizing influence on Sherlock. Although Sherlock often assumed that he could easily solve his mysterious crimes, it was occasionally Watson who pushed him in the right direction. Either intentionally or accidentally.

Perry Mason, had two assistants. His loyal secretary Della Street, and his personal private investigator Paul Drake, Mason’s cases were often unsolvable without Drake’s ability to uncover the truth.

Jules Verne understood the need for fictional characters to have their partners. In” Around the World in Eighty Days” Verne created Phileas Fogg as the hero of the adventure, but gave him the loyal Monsieur Passpartout to share in the adventure and danger of the tale.

Of course not every fictional hero had a partner. Some seemed to get along just fine while operating alone, or with only the occasional assistance. For instance Agatha Christie created the famous Miss Marple to solve crimes all over England with any sort of permanent assistant. She would manipulate people around her to reach a successful resolution to the mysterious crime that she had stumbled across.

On the other hand Ms. Christie also created Hercule Poirot, who almost never operated alone. He, like Perry Mason, had a loyal secretary Miss Lemon. A personal assistant/associate who handled the heavy physical portions of his crime fighting, Captain Hastings. And also had the ever present and occasionally obtuse Inspector Japp of the police force. Together they solved crimes across Europe.

Which do you refer the hero who single handedly solves the crimes and saves the day, or the main character who has partners to help in the resolution of the cases?