While the Marvel universe isn't as well known for sidekicks as the Distinguished Competition, there are still a few heroes who have taken on crime-fighting partners over the years. These sidekicks usually have themes similar to their mentors', but they vary quite a bit in powerset and effectiveness.
While some Marvel sidekicks have grown or evolved into powerful heroes, their origins as sidekicks remain a beloved part of comic book history. A few of Marvel's strongest sidekicks have even worked alongside more established heroes.
10 Lockheed Is Kitty Pryde's Powerful Fire-Breathing Alien Dragon
Kitty Pryde first met the loveable alien dragon Lockheed when the X-Men were dealing with the Brood in space. They soon formed a tight bond that saw Lockheed follow Kitty back to Earth where he fought alongside her as she joined teams like Excalibur.
Lockheed has the ability to breathe fire and is extremely tough. It was later revealed that he is incredibly intelligent and can speak multiple alien languages as well. Lockheed even briefly worked with S.W.O.R.D. as a mole on the X-Men and as their expert against aliens like the Brood.
9 Jackdaw Was Captain Britain's Short-Lived Sidekick
Jackdaw might take the lead when discussing the most short-lived sidekick in the Marvel universe, as the elf from Otherworld didn't survive long after he was transformed into Captain Britain's sidekick by the wizard Merlyn.
Jackdaw had a number of magical powers at his disposal, including telekinesis, limited telepathy, and magic that allowed him to teleport between dimensions. Jackdaw was unfortunately killed by The Fury while fighting alongside Captain Britain, whose own death and resurrection left Merlyn too drained to bring Jackdaw back to life.
8 X-23's Clone Honey Badger Was A Deadly Sidekick For The All-New Wolverine
Gabrielle Kinney was a clone of Laura Kinney/X-23/Wolverine. She first took the name Honey Badger when she began working with her older "sister," but she quickly earned the title with her ferocity despite her small size.
She worked closely alongside the All-New Wolverine and shared the same healing factor and bone claws as her older sister and their progenitor, Logan/Wolverine. Gabby also isn't able to feel pain due to nanomachines in her bloodstream, and she has recently taken on the name of Scout in the Krakoan era.
7 Wong Is A Master Of The Mystic Arts Who Works Closely With Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange is Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, though he is almost never alone in his mission to protect the planet from magical and other-worldly threats. Wong is a Master of the Mystic Arts who has dedicated his life to helping Doctor Strange as his closest confidante and sidekick.
Wong is also an expert martial artist whose fighting skills make him more of a physical threat than most of his enemies assume. While his strength is similar to a human in peak physical condition, Wong's magical prowess is capable of increasing his strength when needed.
6 Toro Has The Same Powers As His Mentor Jim Hammond, The Original Human Torch
Jim Hammond was the original Human Torch and fought alongside the Invaders during the Second World War. Tom Raymond was his youthful sidekick, Toro, whose latent Inhuman gene allowed him to replicate Hammond's own fire powers.
It was revealed years later that Toro actually had the power to generate explosive chemical reactions within his body, but he had long been retired as a sidekick. While he isn't as active as he was during the war, Toro is still one of Marvel's most powerful sidekicks.
5 Jack Flag's Strength Was Increased By Mr. Hyde's Formula Before He Worked With Captain America
Captain America has had quite a few partners over the years, including Sam Wilson/The Falcon who even took over as a new Sentinel of Liberty when Steve Rogers was forced to retire. One of his strongest sidekicks was Jack Harrison, who took on the identity of Jack Flag after he was empowered by Calvin Zabo/Mister Hyde's transformative formula. Jack Flag could lift over 10 tons and worked alongside Captain America and his partner Free Spirit until he was killed by the evil Captain America during Secret Empire.
4 Captain America's Original Partner Bucky Barnes Became The Enhanced Winter Soldier
One of the oldest sidekicks in Marvel comics, James Buchanan Barnes (Bucky) fought alongside Captain America during World War II. He was only a teenager at the time and apparently died in battle with the Red Skull.
Other characters like Jack Monroe would take over as Bucky after his apparent death, and Monroe had his strength increased thanks to a faulty super-soldier serum. However, the original Bucky was saved by the enhancing Infinity Formula and transformed into the Winter Soldier, an assassin for the Russian government with increased strength who gained even more power due to his bionic arm.
3 Spider-Man's Short-Lived Sidekick Alpha Was Empowered With Parker Particles
Andrew Maguire was a high school student who was watching a demonstration by Peter Parker/Spider-Man at Horizon Labs when he was accidentally dosed with a new form of energy known as Parker Particles. Andrew gained the ability to harness and manipulate cosmic energy in various ways, including enhancing his own strength, and he decided to become a hero known as Alpha.
Spider-Man began training and working alongside Alpha, though the teen eventually lost his powers. When Alpha regained them, they were reduced and he was only able to use one power at a time at only 10% effectiveness. Even with his powers reduced, he was still an incredibly strong former sidekick.
2 War Machine Started Out As Tony Stark's Pilot Before He Became An Armored Hero
James "Rhodey" Rhodes first came into Tony Stark's employ as his pilot, but he became a close friend and soon stepped into the Iron Man armor to take over for Stark on a number of occasions. This led Stark to invent a new suit of armor for Rhodes, which he began wearing as the heavily-weaponized War Machine. The two heroes worked together off-and-on for years as Rhodey quickly moved past the role of sidekick to become his own hero.
1 The Destiny Force-Powered Rick Jones Has Worked With A Few Heroes
Rick Jones was the founder of the Teen Brigade, and partially responsible for the formation of the Avengers as well as accidentally creating the Incredible Hulk. Rick was trained by Captain America and briefly worked as his sidekick, while also working alongside his friend the Hulk.
He also worked with both Captain Mar-Vell and his son Genis-Vell when they were connected by the Kree Nega Bands. Rick Jones was empowered by Destiny Force, giving him a number of nearly-limitless abilities, easily securing his place as the strongest Marvel sidekick.