: Re: What is the character called that is only there so we can have information from the main characters? If I have a character, typically it is a bad guy, but not always, and you see this in

Although a sidekick is good, some such characters are called a "foil", meaning one character that is in some sense the opposite of another, and thus highlights a trait of the MC.

In your example, the "opposite" trait may be knowledge of what is going on, or ignorance vs. insight. The villain explains his plot to the beginner, or assistant, or dim-witted muscle, or know-nothing girlfriend, or clueless but wealthy financier.

A sidekick is usually with the protagonist (or antagonist) for most of the story; a foil can be used for just one or two scenes (like a girlfriend, or the financier considering funding the antagonist).

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: Re: What is the character called that is only there so we can have information from the main characters? If I have a character, typically it is a bad guy, but not always, and you see this in

More posts by @Welton431

: Why do expert fiction writers often give conflicting and contradictory advice to novice writers? Lots of writers give writing advice -- but why do they so often contradict each other? For example,

: How to avoid basing an autistic character too much upon myself? One of the characters in my current piece is autistic. I'm on the spectrum myself, so I have some idea of what this is like,

: How do I know if I should be a writer? I have been writing on and off, without really paying attention to it, almost impulsively, since I was sixteen. It's been mostly therapeutic, for me.

: What exactly is a 'series' in indie publishing? Is it a large seamless novel chopped up into several parts, or is it a collection of independent novels with recurring characters?

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