On servants, sidekicks, and partners, or why I don't put Lothar, Kato, and Tonto among the first superheroes of color

Superheroes have three kinds of companions, and the difference matters, especially when the hero is white and male and the companion is not. The first is the servant, like Lothar and Kato when they first appeared. Servants may be very capable, but they rarely act on their own. They do what they're told. The relationship between a hero and his (or, rarely, her) servant may be friendly, but there