another thought occurred to me just on the way back from The Lone Ranger.
Perhaps the sidekick is not really dead in popular culture after all. Perhaps a role reversal has happened that we did not even notice taking place.
The sidekick, is evil.
The villain has a sidekick now. Definitely not a partner and definitely not an equal, the villainous sidekick has become more prominent. Especially in stories with a twist and a person that we were led to believe was just another character turns out to be the true villain. The mastermind pulling all the strings.
The villain sidekick is not as smart as his boss. He is not even as evil. He is an underling. a ladder step for the hero of the movie to pass on his way to the big threat.
The henchman plays that role much more overtly than the hero's sidekick.
Now in White House down you see this play out twice, once with Emil, then later with Martin Walker.
Even when we think they are an equal such as in Man of Steel, The
basic principle remains, and the all powerful Zod is the only villain left standing to face Superman.
In Iron Man 3 we are led to believe the Manchurian is the ultimate evil in the movie, just as he is in the comics. I am not even sure if he could be considered a henchman/sidekick in this interpretation that sent fans of the comic into a lather.
Thankfully this summer we do get a respite from the formula. It is the minion. a breath of fresh and comical air in droves. Maybe because they are not the most villainous. Maybe they are the next iteration of the sidekick.
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