History Main / SidekickGraduationsStick

* After ''Comicbook/CivilWar'' Steve Rogers was killed, and was replaced as CaptainAmerica by BuckyBarnes, his WWII sidekick. You thought Bucky was a DeadSidekick? It's a long story... Anyway, when Steve came back, they decided that Bucky should be the one to continue on as Cap, as it's helped his CharacterDevelopment. Steve instead operated sans codename as a super-agent not unlike ComicBook/NickFury. Like other examples here, his was eventually reversed: after [[NotQuiteDead supposedly dying]] during ''ComicBook/FearItself'', Bucky decided to go back to his prior identity of the Winter Solder to pursue black-ops missions, [[FakingTheDead using his "death" as a cover]].

* After ''Comicbook/CivilWar'' Steve Rogers was killed, and was replaced as CaptainAmerica by BuckyBarnes, his WWII sidekick. You thought Bucky was a DeadSidekick? It's a long story... Anyway, when Steve came back, they decided that Bucky should be the one to continue on as Cap, as it's helped his CharacterDevelopment. Steve instead operated sans codename as a super-agent not unlike NickFury. Like other examples here, his was eventually reversed: after [[NotQuiteDead supposedly dying]] during ''ComicBook/FearItself'', Bucky decided to go back to his prior identity of the Winter Solder to pursue black-ops missions, [[FakingTheDead using his "death" as a cover]].

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* Vayne Aurelius, '''#2''' of ''ManaKhemiaAlchemistsOfAlrevis'' becomes "Alchemy Man" to combat his {{Mentor}}, '''#1'''/"The Flay", [[FaceHeelTurn when he became]] an EvilOverlord, the "'''Flay'''vor of Evil".

* A ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehog'' mini-series staring Tails showed how Tails went from TagalongKid to a full-fledged member of the Freedom Fighters. The ''[[WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehog Saturday Morning cartoon]]'' would do the same thing for him, but with different events.

* Wally West, aka ComicBook/TheFlash, previously the greatest example of this trope, is now the greatest subversion. After the second Flash, Barry Allen, died in the ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths, Wally stepped up from the role of Kid Flash to Flash. Over the course of a quarter-century, he appeared in more issues of ''Flash'' than Barry, in ''far'' more spin-off comics and team-up books, was a founding member of four different incarnations of the JusticeLeague, appeared in the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' animated series, and acquired his own stable of supporting cast. Then Barry came back, ''Comicbook/{{Flashpoint}}'' happened, and in the ''{{New 52}},'' Wally has been {{retgone}}'d, along with most of his supporting cast. His graduation stuck so hard, GeoffJohns had to ''wipe him out of existence'' in order to un-stick it. (Bonus points for Barry being [[ContinuityRebooter personally responsible for the wiping]].)

* In the [[Roleplay/GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse Silver Age campaign]], a now-adult former KidSidekick Tailgunner (who tagged along behind [[TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] hero Barnstormer) had come into his full powers and [[LegacyHero become the second Barnstormer]].

* In the [[GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse Silver Age campaign]], a now-adult former KidSidekick Tailgunner (who tagged along behind [[TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] hero Barnstormer) had come into his full powers and [[LegacyHero become the second Barnstormer]].

* Inverted in ''ComicBook/Hawkeye''. Kate Bishop started out as the new Hawkeye before eventually partnering up with the original Hawkeye (Clint Barton). She still retains the Hawkeye moniker though (shared with Clint) and they tend to act more as partners than the traditional sidekick/mentor dichotomy. It helps that Clint has admitted that Kate is a better archer than him.

* Though more of a DistaffCounterpart than a proper sidekick, Carol Danvers finally left behind the MsMarvel identity and became [[{{Captain Mar-Vell}} Captain Marvel]] proper in the wake of ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen''. The Ms. Marvel identity has since passed to a [[AffirmativeActionLegacy Muslim teenager named Kamala Khan]].

* Though more of a DistaffCounterpart than a proper sidekick, Carol Danvers finally left behind the MsMarvel identity and became [[{{Captain Mar-Vell}} Captain Marvel]] proper in the wake of ''[[Comicbook/{{Avengers Vs X-Men}} AVX]]''. The Ms. Marvel identity has since passed to a [[AffirmativeActionLegacy Muslim teenager named Kamala Khan]].

* Wally West, aka the {{Flash}}, previously the greatest example of this trope, is now the greatest subversion. After the second Flash, Barry Allen, died in the CrisisOnInfiniteEarths, Wally stepped up from the role of Kid Flash to Flash. Over the course of a quarter-century, he appeared in more issues of ''Flash'' than Barry, in ''far'' more spin-off comics and team-up books, was a founding member of four different incarnations of the JusticeLeague, appeared in the ''JusticeLeague'' animated series, and acquired his own stable of supporting cast. Then Barry came back, ''Comicbook/{{Flashpoint}}'' happened, and in the ''{{New 52}},'' Wally has been {{retgone}}'d, along with most of his supporting cast. His graduation stuck so hard, GeoffJohns had to ''wipe him out of existence'' in order to un-stick it. (Bonus points for Barry being [[ContinuityRebooter personally responsible for the wiping]].)

-->--'''[[{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]]''', ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries The New Batman Adventures]]''

** Arguable exception: in the storyline following "Knightsend", he became Batman briefly, then returned to being Nightwing. This was, however, always intended to be temporary.

** In a blending of this trope with CompositeCharacter [[spoiler: the ''real'' Speedy becomes Arsenal.]]

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* In the [[GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse Silver Age campaign]], a now-adult former KidSidekick Tailgunner (who tagged along behind [[TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] hero Barnstormer) had come into his full powers and [[LegacyHero become the second Barnstormer]].

** Granted, Rick was [[{{Captain Mar-vell}} Captain Marvel]] on at least two previous occasions.

* In SonicTheComicOnline Sonic former KidSidekick and TheChick of the Freedom Fighters Tails has now taken Sonic's role as [[TheHero The Hero of Mobius]].

** Bart Allen is another subversion. Originally Impulse, then Kid Flash, then the Flash, then dead, then back to Kid Flash, then {{New 52}}, and now he's a ''different'' Kid Flash.

* The MassEffect series has a few cases of this, some played straight, some subverted. In MassEffect2, of all the original surviving party members, only Tali and Garrus rejoin Shepard, as Wrex has become the leader of the Krogans, Ashley/Kaidan works for the Alliance and is unable to accept the hero joining up with a terrorist group, and Liara is preoccupied with work under the Shadow Broker. However, Liara and Ashley/Kaidan return as party members for MassEffect3. Wrex plays this trope straight, though, as do the other party members from Mass Effect 2 besides Garrus and Tali, as they're all focusing their efforts on other responsibilities.