Clones Are People, Too: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

{{quote|"Was he the real Aoi or just a clone?"

 

[[Cloning Blues|Clones have often gotten the short end of the stick]] in [[Sci Fi]]. When they're not soulless abominations or [[Evil Twin|evil dopplegangers]], they tend to be seen as just back-up copies of the original and nothing more.

 

{{examples}}

* In ''[[Afterschool Charisma]]'' , clones may be treated as backup copies, but Shiro (and Mr. Kuroe) sees them as this.

* ''[[Phoenix|Phoenix 'Life']]'' deals strongly with this idea when {{spoiler|the main character, a selfish TV executive, is cloned and sent to be slaughtered for sport with his many copies.}}

* In ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'', this is generally the prevalent attitude regarding all the clone characters. Precia Testarossa is about the only character who doesn't share this perspective, and even then, the reason she hated Fate is because she ''wasn't'' the same person as the girl she was cloned from, and Precia wanted a [[Replacement Goldfish]].

* The Bioroids in ''[[Appleseed]]'' are genetically enhanced clones, and the fact that they have the same rights as any other people is a major plot point. Furthermore, thanks to their emotional restrictions they play a vital part in ensuring the world peace after two destructive world wars.

* ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny|Gundam SEED Destiny]]'': Kira Yamato goes out of his way to convince Rey Za Burrel, the clone of the previous [[Big Bad]], that he does not have to repeat his "brother's" mistakes. It eventually gets through to him.

* Glemmy Toto of ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ|Gundam ZZ]]'' may have Gihren Zabi's DNA, and is almost as [[Manipulative Bastard|manipulative]] and evil as his donor, but the similarities end their. While Gihren was a humourless, ugly cold-blooded [[Adolf Hitler]] [[Captain Ersatz|stand-in]], Glemmy is a smooth talking [[Bishonen|pretty boy]] [[The Charmer|charmer]], with a [[Bunny Ears Lawyer|quirky]] [[Laughably Evil|sense of humour]].

 

* [[Superboy]] (Conner Kent) in the comics and the animated series ''[[Young Justice (animation)|Young Justice]]''.

** Of course, in the comics he turns out to be cloned from Superman ''and'' Lex Luthor, so he's not an exact copy of anyone. The animated Superboy is a clone of only Superman, playing this trope straight.

* The Vision is a [[Brain Uploading|mental clone]] of Wonder Man (even though, in practice, [[Informed Ability|the two have never actually behaved very much alike)]], and his entire character arc has revolved around his attempts to live his own life. His lot in life has varied a lot over the years [[Depending on the Writer]]. Some writers give him a fair shake, but others seem to just inexplicably hate the poor guy.

* At the end of the [[Spider-Man]] [[Clone Saga]], Peter and Ben have pretty well reconciled themselves to their situation and decided to consider each other brothers. [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog|Then Ben melts.]]

* The ''[[X-Men]]'' had Madelyne Pryor, the clone of Jean Grey, who unfortunately became [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds|evil]] due to psycho-emotional baggage involving this trope: she was created by [[Evilutionary Biologist]] Mr. Sinister to replace Jean Grey in order to continue the propagation of the [[Superpowerful Genetics|Summers-Grey]] mixed bloodline), and was callously abandoned by her husband, Scott Summers, when Jean literally returned from the dead. There's also Joseph, the [[Raise Him Right This Time]] clone of [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]] Magneto, who was secretly created as part of an [[Xanatos Gambit]] to [[Take Over the World]] by a former [[Fan Girl]] of Magneto (and who was thought by everyone to be a de-aged and amnesiac Magneto<ref>This perception was reinforced by Joseph having periodic flashes of the real Magneto's memories.</ref> until the original was revealed to be alive), who made a [[Heroic Sacrifice]] [[Saving the World]] the world from Magneto.

* Namorita of the [[New Warriors]] is the clone of Namora, [[Sub-Mariner]]'s seldom-seen cousin, a [[Distaff Counterpart]] who failed to catch on. Namorita is a much more of a major character, appearing continually whereas Namora sometimes goes decades without having her existence acknowledged. Until recently anyway. Namorita has died and now Namora appears more frequently. Basically, Namora couldn't have children, so she had her science folks implant her with an embryo made entirely from herself. The plot has always treated her like more of a daughter, though her clone status has been discovered and caused trouble at times.

 

== Fan Works ==

* The ''[[Pony POV Series]]'', has Fluttercruel, who was the being Discord created when he couldn't [[Break the Cutie|break Fluttershy]] and considers herself Fluttershy's clone, even though the two are [[Sharing a Body]]. Despite looking identical to Fluttershy except for darker fur and lacking a Cutie Mark (though she eventually earns a ''different'' Cutie Mark), she has a completely different personality (the audio adaptation's illustrations added [[Cute Little Fangs]] and ''slightly'' [[Hellish Pupils]] as well). Despite this, she personally believes she's just a copy and has an identity crisis due to that fact. However, Fluttershy believes Fluttercruel is no less a pony than herself, and both refer to Fluttershy as her mother. {{spoiler|Fluttercruel eventually comes to accept it and it's revealed she has her own soul separate from Fluttershy's. It's also stated there's a possibility that Fluttershy is the clone created by Twilight's memory spell and Fluttercruel is simply the original [[Mind Raped]] so completely that she's changed completely, or that the real Fluttershy was killed by Discord and ''both'' are clones. Despite this, neither really cares, as they're still separate beings altogether.}}

 

== Film ==

* Both this and [[Expendable Clone]] are explored in ''[[The 6th Day]]''.

* ''[[Blade Runner]]''

 

== Literature ==

* Most clones in the [[Vorkosigan Saga]] world, where a clone is considered to be the child or sibling of person whose DNA it was made from, or the child of the person who commissioned the clone, depending on the planet and its laws. Mark Vorkosigan (Miles's clone) is an example of this, as he is considered Miles's brother and is treated as a completely different person. Clones as expendable property still exist on the lawless Jackson's Whole, though.

* This is the whole point of the [[Star Wars]] [[Republic Commando Series]] by Karen Traviss.

** Of course, this doesn't stop [[Fantastic Racism|some people from hating clones]].

 

* ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'':

** Somewhat zigzagged with SG-1's robot clones, who are given the right to live and all... so long as they remain on their planet. The real SG-1 gets annoyed when their copies don't do this. Robot!O'Neill points out that they should have known they themselves would never have accepted such conditions. However, the duplicates get killed in action in their second appearance despite proving themselves "real" to the team.

** Similarly, in ''[[Stargate Atlantis]],'' the robots of the Atlantis team (via different means) are proven to be equals and real people to the team but still treated as [[Red Shirt|redshirts]] by the plot. It's kinda glaring whenever this happens - they've got all the skills that let the 'real' team survive ''hundreds'' of these scrapes and worse - ''plus'' they're made of much sturdier stuff than human flesh (the Atlantis versions even have a [[Healing Factor]]!)

** ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]'': Dr Beckett's clone is welcomed by the team and treated immediately as an equal. It helps that the real Carson is dead so the clone is just filling the old one's position. This is the first to get the same [[Plot Armor]] the original enjoyed as well - apparently, so long as one is left, it doesn't matter which one.

** In fact, Rodney goes out of it's way to make sure it's the case. When the clone suggests he joins a rescue mission, Rodney is the only one that refused, concerned that the others accepted "because he's a clone and they see him as expendable."

*** In the same episode, the heroes accidentally create another clone and he is said to be welcomed into Bajoran society as a regular member (and hopefully will lead a better life than the original).

*** Someone really should have told [[Star Trek: The Next Generation|Riker and Pulaski]] this, given that they [[Moral Dissonance|massacred a bunch of clones]] in "Up the Long Ladder". Granted, they were created from stolen DNA, but ''still''...

** The examples we see are [[Jessica Alba]] as the main protagonist Max/X5-452 and Sam/X5-453 (a Season 2 one-shot character), and [[Jensen Ackles]] as Ben/X5-493 (a Season 1 one-shot character) and Alec/X5-494 (a regular cast member in Season 2).

** At least some of the X-7 series are clones of the X-5s (we see Max's and Zack/599's mini-mes) and are certainly different from their grown-up originals, but in the sense of being 10 year-old hive-minded soulless killers.

** They also vary on the memory-sharing factor. Athena downloaded Boomer's up to the point of the Miniseries and "Fakeathena" downloaded Athena's up to the point of "Rapture", but they don't do this automatically and ([[All There in the Manual|according to the producers]]) models vary on how often they do it. Even sharing a good chuck of memories didn't stop Boomer and Athena from developing in radically different directions.

 

 

* Molly the Peanut Butter Monster in ''[[The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob]]'' has two clones with very different personalities who are both off living their own lives: [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds|megalomaniacal woobie]] Galatea (or "Golly") and the [[Our Giants Are Bigger|mountain-sized giantess,]] Djaliana ("Djali" or "Jolly").

* In ''[http://vanheist.deviantart.com/gallery/ Bomango]'' by Rob Ten Pas, Gogo can reproduce by ''budding,'' having sprouted Didi out of her side (which she did on a caprice because she was bored one day). Didi is as sweet, gentle, and intellectual as Gogo is loud, brash, and dangerous. It's notable that, since they split, Didi's physique has become noticeably more slender than Gogo's muscular frame, because Gogo gets a lot more exercise. Didi also has no navel. Strong hints have been dropped that Gogo has other clones running around, and that they are [[Evil Twin|not nice people at all.]] The names Gogo and Didi, btw, are a [[Shout-Out]] to "[[Waiting for Godot]]."

* In ''[[Melonpool]],'' [[Jerkass|Ralph's]] opposite-personality ''nice'' clone Ralphie has been a series regular since his introduction many years ago. Ralph also (until recently) had an [[Evil Twin|evil clone]] named Fauntleroy.

** Averted when Roberta was cloned, as the machine had been ''fixed'' by then, so the two were completely indistinguishable (much to their own frustration). They were eventually fused back together.

 

== Western Animation ==

* In the pilot of ''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars]]'', despite the fact that the clones were created as [[Expendable Clone]]s, Yoda takes this attitude, telling the clones with him, "Smaller in number are we, but larger in mind."

** Other episodes have looked into this as well - Captain Rex and Commander Cody are treated as unique characters with different personalities, one deserter has a life outside the war, yet another betrayed the Republic out of resentment towards the clones' status, and so on.

** One time saw Rex telling off [[General Ripper|General Krell]] about treating his men as expendable and that not only did he have a duty to follow orders, but also to see them through.

** "The Hidden Enemy": {{spoiler|[[The Mole]] is a clone who realized the Clone Army was basically slavery}}.

* In ''[[Gargoyles]]'', Thailog is a clone of Goliath, and is treated as Goliath's son, rather than a copy. Unfortunately he was programmed with the personality of [[Magnificent Bastard|Xanatos]], and was raised by [[Mad Scientist|Sevarius]] (which pretty well eliminated any positive aspects of Xanatos' personality from Thailog), and ended up becoming a villain.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Our Clones Are Identical]]