OUR STORE: SHOP HERE

ILONA ANDREWS

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author

You are here: Home / Blog / Best of the Best poll – Sidekick Stars edition

Best of the Best poll – Sidekick Stars edition

Blog, Fun POST A COMMENT by

We’re all sick of the villains, morally gray characters and the bad things we have to hear about constantly.

It’s time to switch things around and celebrate the best of the best supporting characters — they may not be the main protagonists, but they absolutely make every scene better just by existing. They’re the ride-or-dies, the problem-solvers, the comic relief, and we can trust they’ll never do things with evil intention.

While some heroes brood in the corner, these legends are out there actually getting things done. Vote wisely!

(And if you wish to revisit the results and heated discussion for the previous villain poll, you’ll find it here.)

The selection today:

Grandma Frida is the badass grandma we all wish we had. She can talk to tanks, fix tanks and drive tanks, but she also made her garage be the safe place for everyone to go when they need to pour their hearts out.

Orro is a seven-foot-tall, monstruous hedgehog alien chef who acts like Gordon Ramsay on a Shakespearean monologue spree. He lives for culinary perfection, feeding people until they levitate with joy and storming off into his Dramatic Woods. FIRE!

Leon lived his early teenage years thinking he was the only dud in a magical powerhouse family. Now, he’s an unparalleled killing machine, fueled by dead pan, sci-fi Westerns and the same big heart he’s always had.

Grendel is he a poodle? Is he an omen of death? All we know is he’s fluffy, even in nightmare Black Dog shape. His hobbies include vomiting, rolling in vomit, eating everything not nailed down, stealing our hearts…and being living proof that pets reflect their owners.

Gaston a gentleman of adventure, a spy, a gourmet smooth-talking rascal who could probably convince Death itself to take a vacation. If life were a swashbuckling novel, Gaston would be the one swinging from chandeliers mid-battle while winking at the enemy.

Andrea the sharpshooter ex-Order knight, now queen of the boudas – and she did it all in heels (whilst being a beastkin). She’s the kind of loyal best friend who brings snacks, shoots first, and asks questions if necessary.

Helen: we would fix all her ripper cushions! The adorable bacon menace who stole all our hearts also has a kill list, and is ready to defend her family with her Fangs, as any self-respecting warrior vampire princess would.

Cornelius impressed us with his ferrets, deadly frying pan skills, and pied piper song of grief. He is a proud father, a loyal friend and someone who could call on arcane animals to shred the enemy to pieces while sipping his tea. Terrifying? Yes. Lovable? Definitely.

Luther or Dr Loose Cannon to his detractors, is the scientist-magician-bestie every hero needs. His lectures, unexpected sass, hilarious T-shirts and ability to keep up with whatever post-apocalyptic Atlanta throws at Kate make him a true BDH treasure.

Best of the Best (Sidekick Stars edition)

  • Luther (KD) (17%, 1,431 Votes)
  • Cornelius (HL) (17%, 1,420 Votes)
  • Grandma Frida (HL) (15%, 1,198 Votes)
  • Andrea (KD) (11%, 892 Votes)
  • Helen (IC) (10%, 812 Votes)
  • Leon (HL) (10%, 796 Votes)
  • Orro (IC) (9%, 779 Votes)
  • Grendel (KD) (7%, 606 Votes)
  • Gaston (Edge & IC) (4%, 319 Votes)

Total Voters: 8,253

Loading ... Loading ...

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Hard decision between Helen and Leon for me. But Helen is cuter.
    Cornelius takes a close third. Because talking to animals is absolutely my dream! 🙂

  4. oooh, difficult! as I’m rereading Hidden legacy, it’s Cornelius for me. Followed closely by Leon.

  5. Ohhh… this is a hard one! I love all of them!

    But Helen is *just* a hair cuter than Cornelius… ^^;;

  7. So hard to pick. Ultimately it came down to Cornelius, because without Cornelius there is no ferret heist.

  8. What a difficult choice. I did vote for Grandma Frida as she will literally make or fix the ride that we might die on.

  9. They are all great, but the one I long to read next is Helen. Clearly Gertrude Hunt agrees. can’t wait for her to meet Magnolia Green.

  11. Hard decision. I love Cornelius, but decided on Andrea. She’s my choice in a knife fight, if it comes to that.

  12. I would absolutely love a side kick story about Leon. I think / hope he is the bastard son of the precog that got killed off at his own party. Leon could inherit billions! And he would find out that life can be fair. But, of course, I am patient…

    • I had the exact same thought!! Leon is the bastard son of the man who was elegantly killed with ice at his own party!! I hope!! and fingers are crossed!

      • +37k! Baranovsky and Leon are both slender and tall, with runner’s builds and whiskey-colored eyes. I believe in this with all my fluffy heart!

  13. Thanks for such awesome friends – even if they are imaginary- it’s so hard to choose!

    • +1 – Hard choices. I love love Cornelius, but just too much animals for me. Andrea is definitely my ride or die. I’d love to be more like Grandma Frida, at least I can fix things. Great supporting casts are what bring stories to life and I’m not a big fan of trying to make them more than that, but the Horde is right, some of these deserve their own story – or at least a little more backstory!

  14. Yes! Luther is #1, but my second choice is Gaston. (I just love the snark!)

    That said, there is no bad choice on that list…

  15. While I agree Cornelius is the best, I voted for Luther because he is so weird and brightens every page he appears on.

  16. A hard, hard decision! Luther really came into his own with Stella’s song. But Cornelius – his animals aways steal the show! I need to vote at least three times, but will restrain myself.

  17. My tough choice was between Orro and Grandma Frida. They both make my day. If they ever appeared together I don’t think I could take.

  18. Damn. It was a 5-way tie for me. We need to figure out if there’s a way to do ranked voting, like some of the U.S. states have implemented. Then I would have only had to narrow it down to 3 people.

    I was going to imagine a cage fight between Grandma Frida and Luther to determine the winner but then decided that Luther’s t-shirts gave him a slight edge.

  19. There should be an “all the above” button as a choice. 😀 It was so hard to pick just one since they are all great sidekicks.

    However, I chose Andrea. Andrea was the one Kate leaned on before Curran came on to the scene. Plus, the hideous purple shag carpet in Raphael’s house cracks me up every time I read that scene. Who would go to Mishmar, pregnant and puking, to save her friend? Andrea. Andrea even broke out of the Keep going to lunch with Kate. 🙂

  21. I love all the supporting characters, but since I could only choose one went with Cornelius. Which to my surprise appears to be the top contender thus far in the voting. I guess other folks are intrigued by Cornelius – I’d love to learn the back story as to why he chose to not be certified as a Prime. As heavily hinted by the Records Keeper or outright certified by Victoria Tremaine herself in her comment ‘Significant my foot’ Cornelius packs a wallop.

    • He didn’t want to have anything to do with the world of Primes, after what he was subjected to in his childhood with Adam and how much he suffered.

  22. I used to respect the wisdom of the Horde, but now that Helen is not winning my faith is shattered 🙁

    • I LOVE Helen! The reason I didn’t vote for her is because she’s a child and to me isn’t a full sidekick for an adult yet. If it was favorite supporting character, that might be different. 🤷‍♀️

    • Not so much sidekick as “Heroine in waiting” as someone mentioned above. But yeah, I thought she’d garner all the votes. Tbh I went Cornelius but thought he was the dark horse of the race… guess not!

  23. This poll is missing Sgt. Teddy, the pacifist bear and giver of amazing hugs!

    In his absence I shall vote for Cornelius, the Frying Pan and Khakis dual wielder

  24. I picked Cornelius over Andrea because she got her own book, and he didn’t. All of them are good, but those two are the most important to the plot line.

    • see that is why i didnt pick andrea cause she has some main character vibes going on. as you said she got her own book, i love luther as the best side kick cause i cant see him as a main character, i would love to see him more but i dont know if i want to follow him all day like i would Kate or Dina, or Arabella .

  25. Choose? CHOOSE?

    I still think polls like this are part of House Andrews’ villain story. It’s obviously a ploy to access the energy created when the BDH implodes trying to make a decision. 🙂

    I went with my beloved Gaston since “all of the above” wasn’t an option.

    • I was surprised Gaston didn’t get more love in the poll, as much as I love them all it was down to Dr Loose Cannon if you please Luther and Gaston, but !Swashbuckling! 🙂 Could not resist!

  26. It was so hard to chose between Grama Frida and Cornelius!
    But I didnt have any gramas growing up. And I see my mom with my kids now and know a Gramas love knows no boundaries!
    She still calls my 22 yr old Grannys 1st baby and will pinch his cheeks while feeding him 🤣

  27. I have a write-in candidate: Donna Marais, The Costco Lady!

    In good BDH fashion, I also think that everyone one of those side-kicks deserves their own day in the sun as hero. They are all amazing!! Even Grendel…I’m mean, Oberon has books in Kevin Hearne’s universe. 🙂

    Having said all that, I voted for Cornelius. I have coffee with his ferrets daily.

  31. As much as I adore Grendel, I’m afraid Luther is just too fantabulous to ignore. Dr. Loose Cannon arriving in three, two… 😀

    • At the moment, Dr. Loose Cannon (aka Luther) is in the lead with the most votes. If he still is at the end of the voting…who knows? 😀

  32. I’m happy to see so much support in the comments for Andrea!! the other side characters might be cute and fuzzy but she’s the real bff.

  33. I voted for Luther but I love all of these characters. I would be happy if any of them won the vote.

    And thank you so much for this post. This is a difficult day and I needed something fun to cheer me up.

  34. That’s Sophie choice… I can’t choose!!!!!!

    Let’s me re-read the whole IA omnia opera and maybe I will….

    Let’s start froooom KD1

  35. My first choice was going to be Roman, but he isn’t on the list. At first, I thought it was because he had his own story, but then realized that Andrea had her own book. Oh, well…

    • I’m guessing because Mod R considers him a main character and not a sidekick? I think she’s the President of the Roman faction of the BDH (and CEO of the whole BDH).

      • No, it’s because I consider him the volhv of the God of Darkness, Insanity and Death, and although he tries to negotiate Cherny down from mass destruction, he still needs to do things that aren’t pure and fluffy sometimes. It’s in the job description 🙂

        • Fair enough. I guess he really isn’t a “sidekick” — he’s more of “a power to be reckoned with.” I withdraw my half-hearted complaint.

  36. Wow. I mean, I changed my answers a few times, waffling on the way down, until I saw Luther and was all “Heck yeah! LUTHER!”

    I’m genuinely surprised he’s second. I figured the cute (Helen) would be winning.

  38. Luther came to mind immediately, so I voted for him, but I do have a soft spot for Helen. I keep waiting to see her formally introduced at a vampire gathering, with her kill list. How to one-up all the other children!

  40. Considering how many books I’ve skipped reading for years, or permanently, because of misrepresentative blurbs… Mod R should get a side-job as a Blurb-Writer for the books coming out these days (non-IA books).

  41. So hard to choose!! I can see short stories for a lot of the sidekicks. If they already had a story Yippee. Can you imagine a Grendel point of view story? Oh the imaginary commentary about Kate or his new bestie the Changling prince. Helen’s adventures at school or a visit with her Aunt at the inn. A cooking lesson with Orro!! Yes Chef!! Dr. Loose Cannon at the sealed ruins with Kate. I would enjoy so many of these. But I will be grateful for anything…Maggie, delayed Hughday, anything.

  42. This is just a love letter to Ilona and Gordon: Thank you for bringing joy and pleasure to my life. I have just finished my (I don’t remember how many times) relisten of the Innkeeper Chronicles on Graphic Audio and I have enjoyed every word one more time. I love this world you have created and the characters aren’t characters for I feel that I know them on a personal level. I have been amazed at each reread or relisten that I learn something new. I know all good things will come to an end and you will complete the Innkeeper Chronicles and I will be delighted with your conclusion while still begging for more Gertrude Hunt ❤️. Thank you for sharing your gift. By the way, I love all of your work— it’s just Innkeeper is my favorite.

  43. I voted for Cornelius because I’m in the spectrum. I don’t understand people but do well with animals.

  44. I love Andrea and Luther, but had to go with Cornelius.

    Luther lost a little of his shine for me with his persistent envy of the Pale Queen’s magical expertise. I still love him though.

    Andrea has always been a favorite of mine because she’s competent, practical, and hilarious.

    At the end of the day Cornelius’ bonds with animals, and his willingness to be underestimated and overlooked in the service of whatever needs doing, give him the edge for me.

  45. ok I had to go with Luther BUT Grendel does make every single scene he is in better just by existing. and puking on your shoes.

  47. Too hard but I absolutely love Grandma Frida’s sense of humor so I picked her.

  48. How? How can I vote on this? They are all amazing – they are why I keep rereading over and over.

    In the end, I had to go with the one who shows love through mango ice cream. Because mango ice cream.

  49. I love all these characters so much!
    I just stewed about it for a minute and realized I was always in so happy and sometimes even relieved every time Luther showed up. He’s neck and neck with Kate on magical knowledge and if he doesn’t know right away he catches on quick. He was loyal to his friend who turned into a ghoul. I appreciate his fashion sense. Frankly, I’d love to know more about him.

  50. Of course our Dashing Male Secretary is in the lead (as of my vote in a very close race lol)! How could he not win all the votes? But, it was a really hard choice with Grandma Frieda, Leon, and Helen in the running too… and Orro… and really everyone on the list. OK, HA just has a way with side characters that makes us want everyone to get their own story. Could that be a thing, maybe? Andrea got one! Oh, right, p*tience. We are getting Maggie and Hugh and we are the kind and fluffy horde. We love you, HA! And Mod R for the fun poll!

  53. Interesting. When I voted, Cornelius was in the lead, but at the time of this post, Luther has pulled ahead, by a very slim margin. Let’s see if it stays that way.

  54. Grendel only at 6%? Is it because he can’t be Shipped with anyone? Advocating for the faithful canine companion. I mean he could get his own book, right? If HUGH can be redeemed… so can our favorite eater of rugs and fritters of questionable content? 😆

  55. Grandma Frida all the way!!! Loving, supportive, and always ready to bring a tank to a knife fight!

  56. yeah I’m surprised at Grendel being so low on the list. He would definitely be my second choice, as I had to pick Grandma Friday first.

    I think I may not be understanding the assignment, though, people in the comments seem to have different criteria for choosing, and I don’t know what “ride or die” means. I just picked based on “favourite character” out of the list.

  57. ModR, whyyyyy do you ask such hard things of us? (pouting in my corner, so difficult to choose!)
    Seriously though, thanks for the fun poll!

  59. At the moment, it’s literally neck-and-neck between Cornelius and Luther. When are you going to determine the winner, ModR?

    I couldn’t remember the villain’s poll until I looked at the post and saw Ted Annoyinghan at the top (I might have spontaneously changed his name).

    Maybe the next poll should be, whose family would you like to be a member of? I would have a really tough time with that one.

    • I couldn’t remember it either, and I couldn’t find anything from me in the comments. This is so unusual that I even went back to that year’s planner to see how that entry might have been overlooked. All I can see on that day is a routine dental appointment, and nothing out of the ordinary for the rest of the week. It’s a mystery how that happened.

      • Of course it was early June, so I might have been up to my elbows and work boots in dirt.

  60. My vote was for Orro. I love him pushing cakes on people and his theatrical exits so much. Gaston was a close second. If I could have given my vote to both I would have.
    I also loved the slew of secondary characters in Blood Heir, especially Sophia, Marten, and Luther. I am really looking to see them again.

  62. damn where is the select all button >_< If it were there that would be my choice because I love them all for different reasons. But…. for each series…. Luther for KD (who i ultimately chose), Cornelius from HL, and Orro from IC. Still though… *twitches for select all button* In any case since I love them all I cannot be sad at the final results.

  63. I’m going with Luther for #1. After listening to the recent graphic audio release of Magic Shifts, I’m reminded how much I love Luther. He makes me laugh out loud!

    Grandma Frida and Andrea are coming in at a tie for a close #2. I love GA’s Andrea narration, too, and I can’t wait for Burn For Me to come out next month to hear their performance of Grandma Frida! I’ve already pre-ordered.

  64. Orro makes every scene he is in better. Pronouncements! Mango cupcakes. Even Caldenia loves him. Luther is my second choice–Wizard in the sheets!

  65. Mod R thank you for holding things together while the crew churns out the next adventure … You are the true ultimate side kick.

  66. I love Leon! I hope he gets his own book one day. He has such action hero potential. I love the humor he’s shown in the books and his protective instincts.

  67. I honestly can’t choose one. I even tried to choose a least favorite and can’t. I want them all in my life.

  68. Where is Roman???????
    What about Barnabas or Caldenia?
    I ended up going for Leon because he reminds me of how equally lovable and annoying my younger boy cousins are but really any of them could win it for me x

    • This poll is not for morally grey supporting characters like Caldenia, for example. This is explained in the body of the article 🙂.

      There is no Barnabas because there is no character by that name in Ilona Andrews books 🤪

      • That looks suspiciously like the auto corrupt version of Barabbas. Although it didn’t try to get that one past me this time.

        • But what about Abraham “Bug” Levin? As Rogan’s very necessary sidekick, shouldn’t he be included?

      • OMG just realised I got Barabas autocorrected to Barnabas 🤦🏻‍♀️
        I guess I’ve stopped seeing Caldenia as morally grey after learning more about her in the last book

  69. All are deserving of notice, but some are destined for their own hero stories, (cough, Helen), or are roving agents of chaos (Gaston). I think that Cornelius rose to the top of my ranking with the line “You, dashing male secretary, put down the frying pan.” (Please forgive misquote if I didn’t get it exactly right from memory).

    … I wish I had a dashing male secretary who would guard my back with a frying pan.

    • +1

      very intense moment in HL and than… stop… reread… laugh out loud!

      “you there, dashing male secretary, let go of the frying pan”

      (or something like that, on memory always hard)

  70. This was a tough one. I loved them all but some more than others. After much soul searching I decided on Luther because I love his sense of humor and willingness to go where no mad scientist has gone before. I would love to see more of him.

      • Your Nav pass is permanent after making the Horde choose between all the sidekicks mentioned and not mentioned above.

        I found out about that decision thanks to Roman and Finn. 😉

  72. I love them all, especially Helen and Grandma Frida, but Luther has my heart.

  73. Oh my gods, what cruelty is this? How am I supposed to choose?
    No. No. I cannot. I will not. All of the forever!

  74. Even the dog Grendel beat my selection Gaston. He can do everything Brawl, skulk, EmCee, look good and look like your worst nightmare.

  75. May I point out that Andrea had her own book, which I think negates her as a candidate in this pool?

  76. Ok, that was hard. I narrowed it down to Orro, Helen, Luther and Andrea and got stuck. Then I asked myself, who of these four needs their own book?

    Andrea already had one. Helen will get one – I am sure. So then it came down to deciding between Luther and Orro. Orro deserves a cookbook, but we definitely need a Luther novella. Or novel. 😉

    PS: looking at the results it seems that the BDH as a whole follows a similar reasoning.

    • +1000

      This is my reasoning, plus I share a love of weird t-shirts and mad scienceing.

  79. Helen!
    Mostly because I just finished listening to the full cast audio of Sweep of the Blade! Really I find it hard to choose! I also love Luther and Cornelius and …..

  81. This was too hard! Far too hard! There’s a reason there’s no clear winner. I went Andrea in the end because I only recently listened to her heading into Mishmar whilst pregnant, I mean I am a little with Kate on this one (what was she thinking?!) but nobody can argue she’s got your back! The wonderful Cornelius would have been my second. I am surprised by Luther, don’t get me wrong, he’s also awesome bit is he really a ‘sidekick’? He’s very much a good friend and trustworthy but he’s making his own decisions and he wouldn’t be a backstabber but I feel like he absolutely would say ‘no, because I disagree/that’s a terrible idea’ and go his own way, rather than ‘you’re a dumba*so, but I’m still coming with you!’.

    • This exactly!

      I do want to be Dr. Loose Cannon when I grow up. I even have the notebook!

  82. Cruel to only pick one! Helen wins for me because she’s a child. She holds her own against the adults and generally steals the scene.

  84. I can’t PICK JUST ONE! Sorry for shouting, but they are all my favorite. My heart is big enough for all of them. When I am reading their part, they are the best! And then I read on and the next part is my favorite. You need an all of the above button.

    Thank you for all the side kicks.

  85. Oh, arggh. Gaston, Cornelius, Orro or Luther? That’s tough. Going by my prime candidates for an entire book of their own, it’s going to be down to Luther or Gaston. They both need an entire book. I’m going to go with Gaston, so we can read about his adventures as a galactic spy AND the owner of a clothing store and haberdashery in Baha Char for swashbuckling space pirates and gentlebeings of style, intrigue and immaculate taste.

  86. Cornelius,Leon,Dr loose cannon,Helen❤️..let it be know that I love them all and it pains me to have to click on only one.😭

  87. It was a three way tie, but ultimately I voted for Cornelius because he has so much more story to tell. He’s turning into a total bad*ss detective and really growing into a great man. (Hint, hint, House Andrews. A book about some of his adventures would be AWESOME.)

    Anyway, apparently, other people love my top three characters, too, because they hit the top three.

  88. Aaaargh! Impossible choice! In the end I picked Leon, because beloved family misfits should stick together 😉

    Though if Caldenia had been on that list, she’d have swiped my vote. Probably too morally grey though, and definitely not actually a sidekick, so it makes sense and all, but still – she’s aspirational in some ways 😉

    Thanks ModR, love the quizzes and polls!

  90. Ah, but Hugh’s side kicks are all missing. Lamar, Bale and Stoyan, all hysterical when together and voiced by Steve West!

    In the absence of them, surely it has to be Otto?

      • Mod R you are awsomely, wonderfully evil. How will I survive till Friday? And those Mails only make it to Germany on Saturdays :-((
        Yes, I’refreshingggg

      • Oh. Oho!

        I am Standing! Absolutely standing. Right by. Standing by! Here! Right here. By you. For treats! On Friday!!!!!

    • I already felt like I had to cut a bit of my little finger in choosing between Cornelius and Luther. How possibly could have I done if ModR added Stoyan in the mix ??

  91. It’s G’ma F all the way – she can bring her tank and cellphone filled with hotties’ photos to my family gatherings any day! And who wouldn’t enjoy a flashback short story of her in her prime fighting years, or when her daughter brought that boy home? Or dealing with the “other” daughter??

  92. but how many of these excellent choices got to be a villain in a Disney movie?! That’s surely got to count for something! (One of the very few Team Gaston.)

  93. It was really difficult to choose between Luther and Cornelius !!! Argh

  94. I can’t decide! My favorites are Orro and Gaston, but I also didn’t realize how many other favorites I have!

    Orro gets my vote, but this one cost me a lot more time than it should have:D

  96. Andrea! Always. Girls night out chaos (in a good way) and equally fun to just hang with on a rainy weekend. Plus loyal to the max.

  97. I voted for Grandma Frida because I sincerely hope that Leon and Cornelius won’t be permanently relegated to side-kick status and will eventually attain their rightful place as main characters. Fingers crossed.

  98. You had to make it difficult, didn’t you? BOTH Leon and Luther! It was a tough decision, but all things considered, I went with Leon.

    • The deciding factor for Leon was what he did about that influencer who was killed because she decided she wanted him. He didn’t even like her, but what happened to her was wrong and he was going to make as much of it right as he could.

      I would love a short story or novella featuring Leon and Bug working a case together.

  100. I finally put on my Big Girl Panties and voted. Cornelius – loved the way he turned that big elephant thing around during the last invasion.

    Love all the others too but Had to vote.

    (I would have voted for Bucky or Attura or just generally “Equine and Equine-Type sidekicks” if it had been available. I love me my horsies!)

    • OK, I have officially given up. I’ve been trying to remember the name of Kate’s mammoth, pied mule (who even puts up with Vampires for her) and Julie’s psycho part unicorn mare (great connection with Julie but Jeezeloueeze, she goes off at night to eat things!).

      And since I am stubborn, I will not look it up myself.

      Can someone help??? And thank you in advance.

      • Do you mean Cuddles and Tulip? Marigold was Kate’s first mule before Erra got to Marigold.

      • There is no mammoth mule belonging to Kate in the books. I think you’re maybe conflating Cuddles and Marigold 🙂

        • Not unusual for me. But at least you and Patricia reminded me there is ANOTHER equine-type to remember LOL. Many sidekicks, eh?

        • I’m still wondering if Bucky is Tulip’s father or grandfather. Hugh may have given Tulip to Julie for a birthday or a holiday present. Hmmm…let the rumors commence! 😀