Shouldn't superman have an edgy, cool and mysterious sidekick?

[manwhohaseverything]

I mean, batman has robin who is his opposite A fun, goofy, colourful , optimistic kid. So, shouldn't superman have a bit dark, cynical, edgy, cool.. Etc sidekick who is his opposite.

[OpaqueGiraffe17]

Maybe Supergirl back in her red lantern days?
8877EB46-1BEC-475B-9A3D-5273BA69BD75.jpg

[babyblob]

I guess I would question what point Superman having a side kick would be. I mean the man can pretty much do anything he wants. If it is a non powered side kick how would he keep up with Superman or fight the bad guys he does? If he has like the saem powers what is the point of having him in the first place? I like the idea of a street level hero in Metropolis, handling things like bank robberies, muggings, etc... things that are just way below Superman's pay grade. Like the street level guy says yea I will handle the gas station hold up Supes you go beat the Hell out of Doomsday and we will meet up for drinks later.

[manwhohaseverything]

I guess I would question what point Superman having a side kick would be. I mean the man can pretty much do anything he wants. If it is a non powered side kick how would he keep up with Superman or fight the bad guys he does? If he has like the saem powers what is the point of having him in the first place? I like the idea of a street level hero in Metropolis, handling things like bank robberies, muggings, etc... things that are just way below Superman's pay grade. Like the street level guy says yea I will handle the gas station hold up Supes you go beat the Hell out of Doomsday and we will meet up for drinks later.

If a bad cop, needs a good cope. Wouldn't the reverse be also needed? It's for having a dynamic to broaden the reach of the stories and characters . iobo and clark are pretty fun when they team. No, superman can't do everything . He has powerful enough foes. It's not like robin and batman can get shot or something. They have armour "tech" and plot armour. Powerlevels are really only as big as the world he occupies. His powers are reality warping or something like that. It's basic strength, speed, agility, flight, intelligence, freeze and heat ability .. Etc.

[LifeIsILL]

He does have a sidekick, it's Batman.

[Ascended]

No, Clark's not the sidekick type. Even when he had legacies, he rarely kept them close. Kara has spent most of her history doing her own thing, as has Conner and Steel.

I honestly think Clark doesn't want a partner or sidekick. Being able to call someone in to help out when he needs an extra pair of hands? Sure, he's fine with that. But having a sidekick around all the time, with the kind of stuff Clark gets into on a regular basis? That's something he doesn't seem interested in; he'd worry too much about the kid keeping up or getting hurt instead of focusing on the mission at hand.

Really, it wasn't until Jon came along that the idea of Clark having a semi-regular sidekick became a thing in the main continuity and even that isn't exactly a sidekick situation. Clark took some time each week to help train Jon but still did most of his adventuring solo.

[daBronzeBomma]

"Edgy, Cool, and Mysterious ... SIDEKICK?"

Hell no.

I'm open to Kal having costumed sidekicks, as long as they make sense:

Kara Zor-El/Karen Starr*,
Lar Gand,
John Henry Irons,
Conner,
Keenan Kong,
Krypto.

Any one of those could easily become Clark's less experienced partner with the right set of writers.

But a new edgy mysterious cool sidekick?

Superman doesn't need a try-hard Poochie.

* - I'll still keep banging the drum for the implementation of a merged Kara Zor-El who goes by Karen Starr, starts out as Supergirl (same as Dick and Babs age) and becomes Power Gal upon adulthood.

[manwhohaseverything]

No, Clark's not the sidekick type. Even when he had legacies, he rarely kept them close. Kara has spent most of her history doing her own thing, as has Conner and Steel.

I honestly think Clark doesn't want a partner or sidekick. Being able to call someone in to help out when he needs an extra pair of hands? Sure, he's fine with that. But having a sidekick around all the time, with the kind of stuff Clark gets into on a regular basis? That's something he doesn't seem interested in; he'd worry too much about the kid keeping up or getting hurt instead of focusing on the mission at hand.

Really, it wasn't until Jon came along that the idea of Clark having a semi-regular sidekick became a thing in the main continuity and even that isn't exactly a sidekick situation. Clark took some time each week to help train Jon but still did most of his adventuring solo.

I am not talking from Character perspective. I am talking more from a story perspective. You need contrasting personalities to make up good stories and make good dynamics. You can't have two jon's to make up supersons. You need a jon and damian for all the bickering . I have noticed everyone of Clark's cast is more the same. Honestly, i have had more fun with clark being stuck with lobo or Constantine.

And from characters perspective , Clark may not want a sidekick. but doesn't necessarily dictate clark can't get stuck with one in story. You know like a reluctant parental figure.as for the necessity for the character from a readers perspective , increasing adversity and level of conflict for protagonist so that he needs a good partner in the eyes of a reader is dependent on the competence of the writer.Moreover, i do believe the things you mentioned does go through bruces or Barry's minds as well,from characters perspective .
This also was more of thought experiment. Why doesn't superman has a small version of batman as a sidekick? Especially, when batman has a small version of superman as his sidekick.

10 characters

I submit to you sir that jimmy is the most hardcore character in the world's.

Kara Zor-El/Karen Starr*,
Lar Gand,
John Henry Irons,
Conner,
Keenan Kong,
Krypto.

Honestly, other than krypto and powergirl every other character you mentioned doesn't have much of a fun contrasting dynamics with clark. Dude! I just named a bunch of character traits that's it. I just mean a reverse superman. That's it. That doesn't mean i was looking for a try hard poochie or whatever. I was just wondering why clark doesn't have his own bad cop. That's it. Since batman has a good cop.

[Jim Kelly]

I mean, batman has robin who is his opposite A fun, goofy, colourful , optimistic kid. So, shouldn't superman have a bit dark, cynical, edgy, cool.. Etc sidekick who is his opposite.

10 characters

[Restingvoice]

I mean, batman has robin who is his opposite A fun, goofy, colourful , optimistic kid. So, shouldn't superman have a bit dark, cynical, edgy, cool.. Etc sidekick who is his opposite.

He's gonna get hated

[manwhohaseverything]

He's gonna get hated

There are characters that feed of from hate. All hail superman's new sidekick teen darkseid.

I thought the darkish, edgy, cool sidekick role was Lois. At least that was the impression her last miniseries seemed to be aiming for,

Must be why losing lois makes superman go cookoo. Just joking.
Seriously though, lois just feels more like a female superman most of the time these days even if you call her the smart, cool, cynical city girl. They basically have similar view points in most of the time. That's what this thread is about. The lack of assholes or jerks or cool guys in superman cast. Conner has the cool guy type down. But, jerks and assholes are really not there in books more frequently . There is lombard. But, he doesn't get used much. Which just reiterates my point.Moreover, he isn't part of super part of superman.

[Hypestyle]

maybe be more appropriate for Conner to have a buddy. At this point I'm not sure what yet another ultra-powered sidekick would mean for Superman. You have Kara, Conner, Jon (in the future now), etc.

[manwhohaseverything]

maybe be more appropriate for Conner to have a buddy. At this point I'm not sure what yet another ultra-powered sidekick would mean for Superman. You have Kara, Conner, Jon (in the future now), etc.

Power is just a story device and nothing more in modern comics. You can be martian manhunter and beaten up by harley quinn. Someone mentioned, lor zod. Conner and zod could have fulfilled. The bad cops of superfamily.

There was a time when Superman and Ambush Bug were hanging out together a lot--and they were like opposites.

Too bad it's hasn't been done in a long while.

Superman's a lone wolf. Except for his dog. And he's a good boy.

While, i understand that but he needs a cast to play of from. Moreover, he needs good dynamics. This thread is also for acknowledging the assholes, jerks, cool people .. Etc of superman famiy.lone wolf characters are the type who generally get stuck with others.

[Ascended]

There's also the Alpha Centurion, if anyone else remembers him.

Again, I don't support Clark taking on a sidekick because he's not that kind of guy, but I do get what Manwhohaseverything is getting at with the idea of Clark being *stuck* with a sidekick he doesn't want but, for whatever reasons, has to deal with. And Clark unwillingly taking on a partner is something that could be fun to read about. At least for a bit.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I mean, batman has robin who is his opposite A fun, goofy, colourful , optimistic kid. So, shouldn't superman have a bit dark, cynical, edgy, cool.. Etc sidekick who is his opposite.

That's Conner. .