10 Side Characters Who Deserve Their Own Stories

Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter series, by JK Rowling)
Draco Malfoy is a thorn in Harry’s side from the moment he boards the train to Hogwarts. He’s spoiled, haughty, and generally, a little jerk. Yet he’s one of the lesser villains of the series, a boyhood evil who bullies Harry and his friends relentlessly and takes pride in his Slytherin pedigree. As the books go on, Draco changes: his father shoves him into plots that he wants no part of, and he spends one book in particular dismayed over a task he’s been assigned, one that will upend the entire wizarding world. It becomes clear Draco wants no part in what Voldemort is planning, and that his father acts abusively toward him when he won’t toe the Death Eater line. A story about Draco wrestling with his feelings of family obligation—and his shock at learning that everything he’s been told all his life might be wrong—would be fascinating. I wish Rowling had given us a little bit more of his struggle, but it was Harry’s story, after all.
(Also deserving: Neville Longbottom, who could just has easily have been the Boy Who Lived, had things gone a bit differently.)

Lord Vetinari (Discworld series, by Terry Pratchett)
Lord Havelock Vetinari is the best patrician the city of Ankh-Morpork has ever seen. (Do you remember Lord Snapcase? What a disaster.) Vetinari is shrewd, calculating, and efficient. He’s a master of human behavior and easily wraps the citizens of the city around his fingers without them even noticing. He began his rise to power as a young boy in the Assassin’s Guild, and uses those skills to make Ankh-Morpork a (relatively) functional city. Sadly, Sir Terry is no longer with us, but I would have loved a standalone tale about Lord Vetinari. Getting into his head would have been a delight, whether it was as the young assassin we glimpsed in Night Watch, or as perhaps as he was solidifying his rule. He has always been one of the most interesting side characters in all of Discworld, which is saying something.

Eleanor West (Wayward Children series, by Seanan McGuire)
Eleanor West is the headmistress of Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, a place where children who have traveled to other worlds Alice in Wonderland-style and come back can learn to deal (or not) with readjusting to the “real world.” Eleanor herself traveled to another world when she was younger and is one of the very few who can return back when she chooses. The series is not yet complete, so I am holding out hope that we’ll get Eleanor’s full story—I want to know more about her childhood, her own other-worldly adventure, and what made her want to become the ward for all of the other children who have had similar life-changing experiences.

Zarenyia (Johannes Cabal series, by Jonathan L Howard)
Many characters in the Johannes Cabal universe could support their own stories, but the standout has to be Zarenyia the Spider Demon. She’s a succubus with a wonderful sense of style, a charming demeanor, and just a slight bit of wanton bloodlust. She’s one of the very few people Johannes Cabal can stand, let alone that he would go so far as to call a “friend.” Zarenyia has assisted him with all sorts of tasks, always with a song in her heart and death on her mind. I’d love to see what she’d get up to on her own.

Vidocq (Sandman Slim series, by Richard Kadrey)
Sandman Slim can count himself lucky to know Vidocq, an immortal French alchemist and thief who has saved his scarred butt quite a few times. Vidocq is always willing to help, and never fails to lend his vast knowledge to Stark in his times of need. He’s a little mysterious though, and never reveals much about his past, apart from a few hints. Based loosely on a real alchemist, Vidocq no doubt has many stories that have yet to be told, and I think it’s time Stark takes a well-deserved night off from saving the world and lets his French buddy drive. I’d love to see what Kadrey could do with do a gory historical tale centered on Vidocq—the Reign of Terror perhaps?

Lord Akeldama (The Parasol Protectorate series, by Gail Carriger)
Being a vampire has it’s perks, and one of them is that Lord Akeldama can show up in most of Gail Carriger’s excellent novels, no matter how much time has passed between volumes. He’s a flamboyant figure, firmly ensconced in a fashionable London home, yet his influence stretches over continents. He’s wise, witty, yet silly and surprisingly shrewd. Still, the ancient Akeldama is not someone you’d want to cross. Carriger has given very tantalizing hints about Lord Akeldama’s history, and I would love nothing more than a story from his point of view. Maybe how he became a vampire, or how he gained so much influence in England? It’s time for him to set the record straight.

Sabetha Belacoros (Gentlemen Bastard series, by Scott Lynch)
After being much discussed in the first two books, the long lost love of gentleman thief Locke Lamora sweeps back into his life in the third Gentlemen Bastards novel, The Republic of Thieves. A former compatriot, she bedevils him throughout, remaining always a step ahead, beautiful and cunning. She’s his perfect match, and interesting enough that I would kill to see the relationship from her perspective. Sabetha was raised as a thief on the streets just like Locke, a background that made her distrustful and hard, even as it brought her riches. Sabetha and Locke have circled each other romantically for years, and the effect she’s had on him is plain. I’d love to see what plots she began to weave after the bombshells in the third book. Watching her work her magic, would be an absolute joy.
(Another fascinating Lynch character we’d like to see more of: Father Chains, the original founder of the Bastards, who purchased Locke Lamora to be his apprentice—and might be even more interesting than his protégé. As Chains’ death is never detailed, there’s certainly room for Lynch to build upon his legacy.).

The Will and Lying Cat (Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples)
Saga is a powerhouse of a graphic novel series—and one of the best sci-fi stories running, in any medium, mainly because of its well-crafted characters and incredibly detailed worldbuilding. There is a wealth of characters I want to know more about,none more so than the bounty hunter known as The Will. Yes friends, I want to see how he first befriended Lying Cat, which is at least as interesting as how Han met Chewie, and we’re getting a whole movie about that, whether we want it or not. There is also his romance with The Stalk, which would be fascinating to read, if only to see how Fiona Staples would illustrate a meet-cute between a grizzled human dude and an armless, bone-white half-spider babe. How does that even work, like, anatomically? There are a lot of questions here that need answers.

Molly Grue (The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle)
If anyone deserved their own story, it’s poor Molly Grue. Forget Schmendrick. Molly Grue was the heart and soul of that novel. Seeing the unicorn and raging at her that she came to her when she’s older and no longer beautiful is like a punch to the sternum. The novel suggests there’s so much more to Molly than we get to see. She’s capable, no nonsense, and wise. After spending so many years with bandits, she’d have to be. I want to see her story. I want to see her younger days, the choices she had to make. I want to see through her eyes what seeing the unicorn was like. The older I get the more that scene haunts me. I think it’s time Molly Grue got to tell her own story.

Silk (The Belgariad series, by David Eddings)
With a long nose that makes him look like a rat, a knack for sarcastic commentary, a royal lineage, and badass rogue skills, Silk is a standout supporting player in David Eddings’ epic fantasy saga. He’s kind of the epitome of the Chaotic Good character, the sort of guy you can count on—but only on his own terms, and those terms usually come alongside a lot of insults and bad behavior. As he evolves and grows throughout the series, Silk loses some of his rough edges, but this serves only to burnish his reputation, so it would be great to see what he’d get up to if left to his own devices.
What side character do you think deserves the spotlight?