10 Best Sidekicks In The MCU That Steals The Spotlight From The Main Superhero

Making his MCU debut in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson quickly becomes Steve’s most reliable friend and ally, who’s extremely loyal and capable in dire situations. Not only aids Captain America in battle, but he also serves as Steve’s conscience and provides valuable guidance to the soldier. 

Following Steve through many battles, no one’s more deserving than Sam to inherit the prestigious Captain America title and shield after Steve retires. Now, as the new symbol of America, Sam Wilson still has a lot of work to do to protect his country from external & internal threats. 

Steve Rogers is literally spoiled for choice when it comes to sidekicks. Technically speaking, he and Bucky have been friends for roughly a century, and they always got each other side no matter what happens. After falling from a cliff back in the 1940s, Bucky was captured and brainwashed by Hydra and transformed into a cold-blooded Soviet assassin known as The Winter Soldier. Thanks to Steve Rogers and the other’s efforts, he was brought back to his sense and has been supporting Captain America in his endeavor ever since.

From the World War II to Endgame. Bucky has followed his friend into countless battles, and Cap is quite assured to have such a trusty ally who will aid him when he needs it, and he’d do the same.

Even before becoming the Black Panther herself, Shuri has proven to be an extremely useful ally to have who works behind the frontline. Widely considered one of the most intelligent characters in the MCU (who’s also more than capable of making snarky comments), the young princess is in charge of the technical field in Wakanda, and is the one who tinkers with and develops T’Challa’s deadly armor. 

Besides, Shuri can also pack a punch in battles, using her iconic vibranium gauntlets. Now with T’Challa gone, it’s her destiny to step up to become the next protector of Wakanda.

Daughter of Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, Hope inherits her parents’ genius mind and excels in matters that involve both brain and brawn. That’s why she was discontent at first while working as Scott Lang’s assistant, while she was capable of doing the job herself. However, the two gradually grow closer and closer with time.

In the first film, Hope has already proven herself as a valuable supporting character, but she can contribute even more with her new suit The Wasp. Having nearly identical abilities to Scott’s suit, The Wasp even has the edge of being able to fly, and the couple together is really a force to be reckoned with.

Hope might be a capable ally, but Luis is the embodiment of a true sidekick to Scott Lang. Friends with Scott during his prison days, Luis is extremely caring and loyal to his friends, and would do anything in his ability to help Scott with his antics. His funny nature and endearing awkwardness serve as good comedic material for the films and make him one of the best characters in the Ant-Man trilogy.

It’s a shame Luis doesn’t appear in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania though, and as a consequence, the movie has lost the majority of its charm. We really need to see his iconic monologue-storytelling shtick return in future movies.

A friend of Shang-Chi, Chen is not particularly a good fighter (until the movie’s finale, that is), nor have any superpower to boot, but she’s still an extremely valuable ally to the protagonist. She goes out of her way to follow Shang-Chi across the ocean, helps him to face his father, sings karaoke songs with him, and becomes his mental fortitude and comedic relief.

Later on, under training with Ta Lo citizen, Chen discovers her hidden talent in marksmanship, and eventually changes the outcome of the final battle by shooting a dragon-scale arrow to dispatch the Dweller-in-Darkness. As a result, she and Shang-Chi both get recruited by Wong at the end of the movie to train in Kamar-Taj.

In the first entry, Wong has already proven himself to be Doctor Strange’s most trusty comrade. Now, as the Sorcerer Supreme, he possesses great magical power, and even greater knowledge about the mystic arts, which is very helpful in aiding his friends in battle. He can open portals anywhere, fight monsters, and even holds his own ground (for a while) against the powerful Scarlet Witch.

We can see how Strange believes in Wong’s dedication and ability, always entrusting him to protect the sanctum anytime he has an urgent business.

One of the first MCU heroes ever, Rhodey is a close friend to the problematic Tony Stark and has always acted as the latter’s voice of reason, and is keen enough to keep up with his antics. With his close connection to the government, there are many times when Rhodes manages to keep his friend from trouble, and with the War Machine at hand, he also follows Stark into cosmic-scale battles, and now with Stark gone, he’s expected to be one of the candidates to take over the mantle of Iron Man.

The ferocious Dora Milaje has been serving the Wakandan royalties for generations, and Okoye is one of the strongest of them all. As the leader of the team, Okoye assists three different generations of Black Panther, and now, she’s Queen Shuri’s right-hand woman to help her restore the glory of Wakanda, and protect the land from unwanted visitors.

Okoye is not all brawns, though. She’s capable of making abrasive remarks to make fun of both T’Challa and Shuri, and also provides them valuable guidance when necessary. She also aids the Avengers at times, especially in the events of Avengers: Endgame.

While she’s not exactly a sidekick, Pepper deserves to be mentioned in this list, as the woman behind Tony Stark’s success, who plays a pivotal part to help the latter deal with his business affairs. She’s also Stark’s love interest, and a loving mother to his children, and puts up with all of his antics and superhero works. She even fights side by side with his husband in the events of Endgame, and is there to comfort him in his final moments. 

Who do you think is the best sidekick in the MCU? Is there anyone missing from the list? Write your thoughts below in the comment.