History Main / OlderSidekick

* ''Franchise/TheDCU'': The [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] {{Franchise/DCU}} had the Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy, his adult sidekick. This was brought back in UsefulNotes/TheModernAgeOfComicBooks in ''ComicBook/StarsAndSTRIPE'' and also in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'', although the potential squick is reduced because her sidekick (the original Stripesy) is her stepfather, tagging along to keep her out of trouble.

* Back in UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, a lot of superheroes had older PluckyComicRelief sidekicks. The best remembered today is probably Doiby Dickles, the cab-driving associate of the original ComicBook/GreenLantern.

* Dr. Henry Jones Sr. to Indiana in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade''

* Phoenix's regular partner in the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' saga is his young assistant Maya Fey, but when he needs extra assistance he calls Maya's older sister Mia fey, who fits in this trope. Also, Mia's assistants were her mentors Marvin Grossberg and Diego Armando, both older than her. Then Apollo was assisted in his first case by his mentor Kristoph Gavin, and later Phoenix himself, and finally in the spin-off ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigations'', Edgeworth is helped by the older Detective Gumshoe. In ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'', Ryunosuke is often aided in investigation by the older famed detective Herlock Sholmes. It is later revealed that Sholmes had an older partner in the form of [[spoiler:Yujin Mikotoba]] before the events of the game.

* In ''Literature/DragonBones'', Ward has Oreg, who is Really700YearsOld, but looks younger. When he flees castle Hurog, he is accompanied by Axiel (his late father's valet) who came to the castle as an adult when Ward was a toddler, Penrod, likewise an old employee of Ward's father, Bastilla, a woman in about her thirties, and Oreg. The only one in the group who is younger than Ward is his sister Ciarra, but Ward is clearly the one in charge.

** Captain Jack Harkness to the Doctor in the two-parter "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E12TheStolenEarth The Stolen Earth]]"/"[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd Journey's End]]". [[spoiler:After being trapped under Cardiff for 2000 years]] in his spinoff show ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'', he's now [[spoiler:twice as old as the Doctor, who claimed to be 903 around that time]].

* Phoenix's regular partner in the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' saga is his young assistant Maya Fey, but when he needs extra assistance he calls Maya's older sister Mia fey, who fits in this trope. Also, Mia's assistants were her mentors Marvin Grossberg and Diego Armando, both older than her. Then Apollo was assisted in his first case by his mentor Kristoph Gavin, and later Phoenix himself, and finally in the Spinoff ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigations'', Edgeworth is helped by the older Detective Gumshoe. In ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'', Ryuunosuke is often aided in investigation by the older famed detective Herlock Sholmes. It is later revealed that Sholmes had an older partner in the form of [[spoiler:Yujin Mikotoba]] before the events of the game.

** Subverted with most of Supergirls after her reappearance in ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton2004''. KAra is fifteen years older than her cousin ComicBook/{{Superman}}, but she was put in suspended animation for thirty years, so she looks younger than him.
** In "ComicBook/TheSuperSteedOfSteel", Comet the Super-Horse, a many years old centaur turned into a horse, becomes a sidekick to Supergirl, who is not yet eighteen.

* The [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] {{Franchise/DCU}} had the Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy, his adult sidekick. This was brought back in UsefulNotes/TheModernAgeOfComicBooks in ''ComicBook/StarsAndSTRIPE'' and also in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'', although the potential squick is reduced because her sidekick (the original Stripesy) is her stepfather, tagging along to keep her out of trouble.

** Another example would be Uncle Marvel, adopted uncle of [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]].
** Actually, the ''entire'' Marvel Family is older than Billy.

* Digby, ComicStrip/DanDare's PluckyComicRelief sidekick.

* Subverted with Post-Crisis ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}. She is fifteen years older than her cousin Franchise/{{Superman}}, but she was put in suspended animation for thirty years, so she looks younger than him.
* Although not as active in the field as some examples Alfred could be considered to be this to Franchise/{{Batman}}.
** The ''original'' Alfred was a rotund, rather goofy character used mainly for comic relief. Most versions since then have him as a rather more distinguished-looking fellow who takes the field rarely, but is generally surprisingly competent when he does so.
* Captain Haddock, Franchise/{{Tintin}}'s sidekick, starting in 1941.

* Subverted by the team of Venus and Cupid in ''ComicBook/BigBangComics''. They're both immortal gods, but Venus looks like she's under 30 and Cupid looks like he's pushing 60. However, Venus is actually the older of the two, and is in fact Cupid's ''stepmother''.

* A villainous example: Bane's henchmen Bird, Trogg, and Zombie from ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' were already adults when he was a child in prison serving his father's sentence, they took him in after his mother died and taught him how to read, fight, and survive harsh conditions.

* In "Fanfic/WhatIfTomWasNeverAController", Tom mainly helps out the Animorphs by being a chaperone after he's WelcomedToTheMasquerade, despite them all being his little brother's age. [[spoiler:After he gets the morphing power during the world leaders' summit, he becomes their leader, but steps down to be support once again after seeing Jake shine on the Iskoort planet.]]

* Han Solo to Luke Skywalker in ''Franchise/StarWars'', where the older, more worldly ([[TheSnarkKnight and cynical]]) Han serves as a foil to the [[WideEyedIdealist younger and more idealistic]] Luke. Later they develop a [[BigBrotherMentor older/younger brother]] kind of relationship.

* Literature/ArtemisFowl is always accompanied by his BattleButler (known, self-descriptively, as Butler). The author justifies the name as the fact that one of Butler's ancestors may have been the person whose name became the title of the profession. This is an artistic liberty, since Butler comes from the Old French word for "wine bottle" by way of the Anglo-French word for cup-bearer.

* This is OlderThanFeudalism: In Creator/{{Homer}}'s ''Literature/TheIliad'', Patroclus was traditionally an Older Sidekick (and, later, the ultimate [[spoiler:DeadSidekick]]) to Achilles, although modern adaptations such as the movie ''Troy'' tend to portray him as younger to be more in keeping with audience expectations.
* Sergeant Lewis to Literature/InspectorMorse in the original novels.

* In the ''[[Literature/TheElenium Elenium]]'' by the same author, middle-aged knight Sparhawk has an even older squire called Kurik. When asked by his childhood friend why he didn't just let Kurik retire, since every other knight in the order had learned to make do without a squire by this point, Sparhawk replied that Kurik had been placed in his service since he was a boy and he wouldn't even know where to begin in telling his oldest companion his services were no longer required.

* Series/{{Billions}}: Wags is visibly older than Axe and his actor is four years older than Damien Lewis.

* In ''VideoGame/TouhouFuumarokuTheStoryOfEasternWonderland'', there's Genji, a [[TurtlePower flying geezer turtle]] who serves as Reimu's [[SapientSteed mount and mentor]]. [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome He was never seen in again]], as subsequent games in the series would depict Reimu as simply flying by her own power, [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness rendering Genji's general existence redundant]].

* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'' does the equal-partnership-with-paternity-and-fan-service thing, and (oddly for the series) it's played straight and isn't [[DeconstructorFleet deconstructive]]. Raiden is the {{Bishonen}}, and the main character. Snake is a CoolOldGuy, the side character, and mentors Raiden. Both are [[MultipleDemographicAppeal very sexy]].

* In ''Literature/DragonRider'', Twigleg (who is stated in ''A Griffin's Feather'' to be over 400 - in ''Dragonrider'' Nettlebrand claims that he and Twigleg were created in the early 15th century, making them nearly 600 years old, but this is probably just his exaggeration) becomes this to Ben, who is 12 when we first meet him. Probably neither Twigleg nor Ben would describe it this way - from Twigleg's point of view, he has decided to switch alliances from being Nettlebrand's {{Minion]] to being Ben's, and from Ben's point of view they are simply friends. The age differential is downplayed, since, although Twigleg has had hundreds of years to read and study, he has rarely been outside the alchemist's castle, and therefore doesn't know much about the outside world. Also, Twigleg is so small and vulnerable that most people, especially Ben, feel protective towards him, the way they would towards a child.

* The Optimus Prime of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' is much younger than most of his incarnations, being the rough equivalent of a squad commander in his 20's/30's. Two members of his unit - [[TheSmartGuy Ratchet]] and [[TheLancer Prowl]] - are both older than him due to pre-dating the Great War.