DC's heroes have long utilized sidekicks. These young heroes learned from their mentors and often became great heroes in their own right, but some of them started off better than others. Many sidekicks were already geniuses when they began their journey, bringing an unprecedented amount of intelligence to things, while others absorbed the lessons of their teachers and became even smarter than they were when they started.
Over the years, a lot of DC's sidekicks were double threats, both in combat and in matters of intelligence. This made them that much better as partners and individual heroes, setting them apart from other sidekicks.
10 Cassie Sandsmark Is One Of The Smarter Heroes Of Her Generation
Cassie Sandsmark was the second Wonder Girl, and while she didn't get some of the advantages that her predecessor had, she was still rather smart. As the daughter of Ares, Cassie gained great strength, speed, and durability, but on top of that, she had a mind for tactics and command that made her a natural when she helped lead the Teen Titans.
Cassie also was one of the more level-headed young heroes, more likely to think things through then rush in, balancing out the impulsiveness of Superboy and Bart Allen. Cassie might not have been the kind of person to invent things, but she was still a smart cookie.
9 Donna Troy Benefited From An Amazonian Education
Donna Troy grew up on the island of Themyscira and got an education unlike any other. Donna was trained in the Amazonian ways of combat and learned about their technologies. This education greatly benefited her as Wonder Woman's sidekick and helped even more when she struck out on her own with the Teen Titans.
Donna Troy's literal classical education was quite different from that of her teammates. She knew how to use the weapons of the Amazons and was an expert in unarmed combat but she also had knowledge of things that few in Man's World understood. Donna only got smarter as the years went on, using her knowledge to become a better hero.
8 Jon Kent Is As Much Lois Lane's Son As Superman's
Jon Kent has changed a lot since his humble beginnings as Superboy. While most people think of him as the son of Superman, everyone seems to overlook that he's just as much the son of Lois Lane. Lois is one of the smartest people around, and her son inherited both her inquisitive nature and her intellectual curiosity.
Jon was always a studious young man and his intelligence only grew during his time in the 31st century. Beyond that, he also has access to all of his father's information in the Fortress of Solitude. While he's since graduated to being Superman, Jon was still one of the smarter sidekicks around in his time.
7 Wally West Has An Innate Understanding Of The Physics Of Speed
Wally West gained his superspeed powers at a very young age and was taught by the best speedsters around. Between Barry Allen, Jay Garrick, Max Mercury, and Johnny Quick, Wally got one of the best educations in the physics of using his powers anyone could ask for. While he's always been more of a blue-collar individual, his understanding of his powers makes him smarter than most people think.
Wally memorized multiple Flash facts over the years and made new ones of his own, especially after discovering the Speed Force. Wally's years of experience have also helped make him one of the DC Universe's foremost speed experts.
6 Dick Grayson Was A Sponge For Batman's Teaching
Dick Grayson remains one of Batman's greatest achievements. The young man excelled at everything Batman threw at him, learning everything he needed to know about fighting, forensics, and a multitude of other subjects. Dick took all of that information and used it to become one of the foremost sidekicks of his generation.
All of this knowledge would come in handy later in life when Dick became Nightwing. He led the Teen Titans through all kinds of situations and excelled at solving and stopping crime in Bludhaven on his own. He's proven that he's as smart as he is tough.
5 Garth Grew Up In Atlantis And Mastered Magic
Garth was the first Aqualad, and things weren't exactly easy for him. One thing that's hard to deny about him even back then was just how smart he was. He grew in the technologically advanced society of Atlantis, speaks and reads Atlantean and English, and has more practical knowledge about the ocean's floor than most oceanologists could even dream of.
Later in life, Garth began to study Atlantean magic, mastering this ancient discipline and using it to become a greater hero than before. As Tempest, all of that work paid off and he became a more potent hero than he was before.
4 Bart Allen Read An Entire Library
While all the Flashes can speed read, most of the time they don't retain the knowledge right away. Bart Allen is different. His Speed Force abilities were different from others speedsters and he was able to remember and use all of the knowledge he gained from speed reading an entire library. Before this, he had a reputation for being dependable but kind of dumb; afterward, Bart was one of the smartest Teen Titans.
While his critical thinking skills aren't always the best, the sheer amount of knowledge Bart has is much greater than most think it would be.
3 Damian Wayne Is One Of The Smartest Robins Ever
Damian Wayne is known for his violent tendencies, and for good reason; he was trained by his mother and the League of Assassins to be a highly skilled combatant. But that wasn't all the learning Damian did - his mother Talia made sure her son was also well educated in other matters as well. Even at his young age, Damian's education level is equivalent to that of most college students.
Damian is as whip-smart as his mother and father and learns at a prodigious rate. While his arrogance holds him back a bit, Damian has a wide base of knowledge and has proven himself to be one of the smartest Robins.
2 Tim Drake Figured Out Batman's Identity Before He Ever Became Robin
Tim Drake is considered the best Robin for a lot of reasons, but one of the biggest is because of how he became the Boy Wonder. Tim figured out that Batman was Bruce Wayne and asked to become Robin, taking over for the at the time dead Jason Todd. Tim's intelligence served him well and it became his defining trait; he was a good fighter but an amazing detective.
Tim made a name for himself not because he was the toughest Robin but because he was the smartest. He could solve any case and was a natural-born leader, using his own intelligence and everything Batman taught him to become the shining star of his generation of sidekicks.
1 Barbara Gordon Proved To Be Smarter Than All Of Her Peers
Barbara Gordon has done a lot of things in her life and all of them prove one thing: she's one of the smartest heroes around. Long the MVP of the Bat-Family, Barbara was a master combatant, but that was almost the least of her abilities. Barbara's keen intellect has always been her greatest attribute, one she fully embraced as Oracle, supplying every hero who asked with all the intel they needed.
Her mastery of information and the technology needed to get it made Barbara the backbone of the superhero community. She was the leader of the Birds of Prey, a member of the Justice League, and one of Gotham's fiercest defenders and all because of just how smart she is.