Backup Twin/Playing With

Basic Trope: A character is killed but the actor returns as his hitherto unseen twin sibling.

• Straight: Alex is Killed Off for Real. In the next episode, Alex's long-lost twin brother Bob is introduced and continues to play pretty much the same role.
• Exaggerated:
  • After a Kill'Em All, all killed characters are revealed to have long-lost twin siblings.
  • Or, the twin dies, and it turns out there were triplets...then the triplet dies and it turns out there are a whole ton of backup siblings.
• Justified: Bob was innocuously mentioned or even introduced ten episodes earlier and other characters specifically seek him out and convince him to take over Alex's duties.
• Inverted: Alex resurrects his Dead Little Twin Brother Bob, then takes a Long Bus Trip.
• Subverted:
  • Bob is actually an impostor who took on Alex's appearance to infiltrate the circle of his friends.
  • Alternatively, It turns out that Alex has faked his death, and that Bob is actually him.
• Double Subverted:
  • After getting to know Alex's friends, the impostor Bob decides to become the mask.
  • Alternatively, it turns out that Alex was Bob all along, got tired of acting like his twin, faked his death, and reappeared as himself.
• Parodied: Alex seemingly dies but returns after Bob jumps in, kicking off a heated argument on who is the real Alex now.
• Deconstructed: Alex's friends find Bob whose personality is nothing like Alex's, and an attempt to substitute him with Bob ends badly.
• Reconstructed: Alex's friends find Bob whose personality is nothing like Alex's but he learns to do what Alex did in the group and they learn to like him for what he is.
• Zig Zagged: Alex dies and is replaced by his twin sister as a favor to the actress playing his part.
• Averted: Alex has no twin siblings.
• Enforced: "But he signed a contract with us for the entire season! You can't just kill him off like that! Find a way to put him back in!"
• Lampshaded: "Ah, you must be Alex's twin brother. Nice to meet you. I guess there's no need to tell you that He Didn't Make It."
• Invoked: "He's Dead, Jim." "Check his family records for any unaccounted for twin siblings."
• Defied: Hearing about Alex's death, Bob blows town and is never seen again to avoid associating with whatever business Alex was in.
• Discussed: "Sir, I know what you are thinking but if Alex did have a twin, don't you think he'd tell us?"
• Conversed: "He is a main character, duh... at least, they didn't pull out a Disney Death."
• Plotted A Good Waste: Alex died in a way that was noble and deeply affecting, so the audience views the attempt to "bring him back" in the form of Bob as a cheap trick which sullies their memory of the character.
• Played For Laughs: Though physically identical, Bob is nothing like Alex, forcing the main cast to go to ridiculous lengths to cover for his mistakes and/or explain his changed personality to those who knew Alex well.
• Played For Drama: Alex's girlfriend cannot accept Bob but is forced to appear together with him to maintain the secret of Alex's death.

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