Lucius Fox - Batman Begins (2005) - The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
The Sidekick: A silver fox indeed, Lucius (Morgan Freeman) comes in handy when Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) decides he wants to be a superhero.
With his uber-cool military gadgets, Lucius becomes a valuable ally. A friendship is born.
Most Charming Moment: "Spelunking?" Lucius repeatedly asks Wayne if he's off for a spot of spelunking. Wayne usually replies with an equally-daft alternative.
Genie - Aladdin (1992)
The Sidekick: He'd be headache-inducing if he wasn't so darned entertaining. Potentially the first example of supernatural ADHD, the genie in this Disney classic can't sit still for a second, which is why he's so ace.
Most Charming Moment: "You ain't never had a friend like me," the genie sings, proving himself right with a string of increasingly-impressive magic tricks.
Hit-Girl - Kick-Ass (2010)
The Sidekick: Call her a 'sidekick' and she'll probably kick your teeth in, but that would be doing sidekicks a disservice.
This mini superhero is handy with all sorts of weaponry, and has a really smart mouth. She also likes purple.
Most Charming Moment: Her bullet-riddled intro, in which Big Daddy (Nic Cage) fits her with a bulletproof vest and then starts firing. She doesn't seem too fazed.
Walter Sobchak - The Big Lebowski (1998)
The Sidekick: The Dude's gun-toting bowling buddy. 'Military' just barely covers it - this guy loves them rules.
Most Charming Moment: Any one of his rat-a-tat outbursts, though his touching eulogy for Donny is a particular tear-jerker.
"Donny was a good bowler… and a good man."
Sallah - Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
The Sidekick: A loud, brash gentleman, Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) not only saves Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) from numerous scrapes, he's also just as efficient in a fist fight.
Most Charming Moment: "Asps. Very dangerous," Sallah tells Indy when they uncover the Well of Souls. "You go first." Amazing.
Goose - Top Gun (1986)
The Sidekick: Jet-setting wingman and best friend to Maverick (Tom Cruise). He's alternately Maverick's counsellor and co-conspirator.
Most Charming Moment: The bit where he croons 'You've Lost That Loving Feeling' in order to help Maverick pick up a lady. Now that's a sidekick.
Chewbacca - Star Wars (1979-1983)
The Sidekick: A 7ft 3 ball of fur, Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) is the loyal right-hand beast of Han Solo (Harrison Ford). He's handy with a blowtorch and has a particularly memorable set of pipes.
Most Charming Moment: Really, all of them, though his frustration while trying to fix the Millennium Falcon is adorable.
Dory - Finding Nemo (2003)
The Sidekick: She has something of a memory problem, but that's one of the main reasons we love this scatterbrained fin-flipper - she never lets it get in the way. Not least when she signs up to help Marlin track down his missing son.
Most Charming Moment: "I shall call you squishy…" Dory discovers a jellyfish and decides "it shall be mine".
Sam - Casablanca (1942)
The Sidekick: An ivory-tinkler and a true romantic, Sam (Dooley Wilson) works at Rick's (Humphrey Bogart) bar in Morocco - and offers a few words of wisdom when the occasion arises.
Most Charming Moment: Playing 'As Time Goes By' for the lovers when they meet again. Ahhh.
Doc Brown - Back To The Future (1985-1990)
The Sidekick: The oldest sidekick on this list by far, but let's not hold that against Doc (Christopher Lloyd) - he invented time travel, after all.
Pal to teenager Marty (Michael J. Fox), he masterminds the coolest time machine ever in the rubber-burning Delorean.
Most Charming Moment: Doc Brown doesn't get eighties slang. "There's that word again. 'Heavy.' Why are things so heavy in the future? Is there a problem with the Earth's gravitational pull?"
