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Top 10 Sidekicks

From costumed and animated characters to trusty wing-men and faithful friends, sidekicks take all shapes and forms. And while the levels of input differ substantially, it’s hard to imagine our heroes saving the day without the crucial assistance of their crucial assistants...

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Kato (The Green Hornet)

This high-kicking masked marvel plays dutiful accomplice to The Green Hornet, who first made waves on the radio back in 1930s. A film serial and several comic adaptations followed in 1940, but the masked avenger and his partner-in-crime will be remembered most in the guise of Van Williams as the Green Hornet and Bruce Lee as Kato, in the 1966-1967 television series. Now kicking butt on the big screen, Seth Rogen and Jay Chou replace Williams and Lee as the crime-fighting duo.

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Tonto (The Lone Ranger)

Yet another duo born via broadcast, The Lone Ranger and his Native-American sidekick Tonto first saddled up on the radio in 1933. Several actors lent their vocal talents to the show, and when Earle Graser died in 1941, studio bosses gave Tonto pole position until a replacement could be found for the ‘hi-yo Silver’ hero. The series also inspired numerous comic books, two movie serials, books, gramophone records, and – most famously – the TV series starring Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels. Johnny Depp is rumoured to be playing Tonto in a new film adaptation.

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Watson (Sherlock Holmes)

Providing narration for all but four of the 60 Sherlock Holmes stories, it’s Dr. John H. Watson who relates Sir Arthur Conan Doyle famous crime stories. In The Adventure of the Creeping Man, Watson identifies his pivotal role in Holmes’ investigations: “Holmes was a man of habits... and I had become one of them... a comrade... upon whose nerve he could place some reliance”. In 2009, Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law teamed up with director Guy Ritchie to transform Holmes and Watson’s crime-busting exploits into a big-screen adventure romp.

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Donkey (Shrek)

Not your stereotypical hero, Shrek (Mike Myers) makes a deal with Lord Farquaad to swap Princess Fiona for some sought after peace and quiet in his home. And Donkey, voiced by Eddie Murphy, tags along for the ride – much to the disdain of Shrek, who wants to get the task over with and go home. Donkey’s ability to brush off Shrek’s persistent put-downs and bounce back with a witty retort makes for priceless viewing. The original film has since spawned three follow-up films and an overabundance of merchandise.

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Robin (Batman and Robin)

Way before George Clooney and Chris O’Donnell slipped on those infamous rubber-nippled costumes, Batman and Robin began life in Bob Kane’s comic series, first written in 1943. The 1940s also saw the pair jump off the page and onto the small-screen, with Robert Lowery and Johnny Duncan. But the legacy of DC Comics’ hugely popular strip continues to this day, and while we can thank Christopher Nolan for possibly the best Caped Crusader adaptations so far, there has – so far – been no sign of Robin in Nolan’s vision. Holy snub, Batman!

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Chewbacca (Star Wars)

Hans Solo’s (Harrison Ford) co-pilot was apparently inspired by George Lucas’ dog Indiana, who regularly rode up front in the director’s car (the canine also inspired another Lucas-Ford film, no prizes for guessing which one). Chosen for his towering 7ft 3” height, Peter Mayhew stepped into the furry costume to play Chewbacca, and Solo’s Wookiee sidekick appears four times in the Star Wars saga – Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.

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Gromit (Wallace and Gromit)

Cheese enthusiast Wallace is regularly assisted in his inventions and crazy schemes by best friend Gromit the dog. Moulded from plasticine into the very heart of British culture, Wallace is voiced by veteran actor Peter Sallis, and his many conversations with Gromit serve as the backbone for the show, the latter making his feelings known (mostly to us, the audience) through eloquent facial expressions. The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave and full-length feature The Curse of the Were-Rabbit all received Academy Awards.

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Garth (Wayne’s World)

Originally featured as a skit on Saturday Night Live, Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) proved so popular with audiences that their comical escapades were adapted into two feature-length films. The simple premise behind Wayne’s World centres on metal-head Wayne, his best friend Garth, and their daily cable-access rock show – broadcast live and without frills from Wayne’s basement. And after 14 years, Wayne and Garth reunited for the 2008 MTV Movie Awards, much to the delight of their fans.

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Goose (Top Gun)

Nick "Goose" Bradshaw – played by Anthony Edwards, who would go on to lead ER for years, albeit with much less facial and cranial hair – is wingman to Tom Cruise’s Maverick in the high-octane, 80s actioner Top Gun. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell and Goose are best-buds at Miramar’s Top Gun school for advanced military aircraft and inflated ego training. Goose goes out with a bang in the first half of the film (sorry if you haven’t seen it yet), but his teamwork with Cruise – not least on the sands of the volleyball court – makes for very entertaining viewing.

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Samwise Gamgee (Lord of the Rings)

JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings was transformed, of course, from the best-selling novels into a blockbuster franchise, starring Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins and Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf. Sean Astin breathes life into Frodo’s ever-faithful friend Samwise “Sam” Gamgee, and – against the picturesque backdrop of New Zealand which director Peter Jackson used to capture Tolkien’s mystical Middle-earth – the quest to destroy Sauron’s One Ring puts the bond between Frodo and Sam to the ultimate test.

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Jennifer Trevorrow