Indeed, companions start without talents. Didn't quite notice if their abilities/stats were lower.
Though if intentional, it does make sense. They're companions, the heroes should be stronger than them. They are "Source Hunters" after all (whatever that means XD)
But Madora is a Source Hunter too.
Remember, the game is supposed to have both Companions *and* Henchman available for us to bring into our party. While (according to the developers) Henchman are much simpler, Companions are supposed to be complex like the main characters, with their own stories, unique visuals (like the Baby Floater), quests, talents, traits, skills, affinity, morale, etc. Henchman are supposed to have skills as well, but not to the extent of Companions.
Henchman, by the way, are not the same as summons. Henchman have their own stories too, however the example the developers gave was that there might be something like 200 Henchman and 50 backstories for them, so when you meet a Henchman he randomly pulls from one of those backstories as his background. In the end, they're not as fleshed out as Companions (or as capable).
Madora and Jahan are "Companions" (not "Henchmen). However, they have no talents or traits (which Companions are supposed to have).
Personally, I think Companions should have just as much potential as the main characters. A big part of that is because I view this as 4 man team rather than a party of two with two lackeys tagging along. If you want your main characters to be the strongest heroes in your party, stick with Henchman instead of Companions.
For reference, a character starts with:
5 points to add to stats (STR, DEX, etc)
5 points to spend on abilities (Water Elementalist, Armor Specialist, etc)
2 points to spend on talents (Zombie, Know It All, etc)
By the time they reach level 3 (which is the level Jahan and Madora currently start at), the main characters will have:
6 points to add to stats
7 points to add to abilities
3 points to add to talents
However, what Madora and Jahan actually have (at level 3) is:
6 points to add to stats (same as the main characters)
4-5 points to add to abilities (Madora has more than Jahan, for some odd reason)
0 points to add to talents (yet we were told companions had talents)
..and, again, for some reason they appear to be missing traits (Romantic, Obedient, etc) as well.
