Identical Stranger: Difference between revisions

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* The Koriani entchantresses in Janny Wurts' ''War of Light and Shadow'' series find a random baby with green eyes, who looks as though he might grow up to look sort of like Arithon...and cast a spell on him as he grows up so that he looks exactly like Arithon. As Arithon is considered rather like the Antichrist...things do not work out well for that kid.

* In [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]]'s ''The Mad King'', Barney Custer of Beatrice, Nebraska, U.S.A, is taken for the title king. In their defense, the king had been imprisoned for ten years, while a boy, and so they were going by the description. Still...

{{quote|''"But there are the scum of the low country in the army these days, who would do anything for money, and it is these that the king must guard against. I could not help but note that mein Herr spoke too perfect German for a foreigner. Were I in mein Herr's place, I should speak mostly the English, and, too, I should shave off the 'full, reddish-brown beard.'"

{{quote|''"But there are the scum of the low country in the army these days, who would do anything for money, and it is these that the king must guard against. I could not help but note that mein Herr spoke too perfect German for a foreigner. Were I in mein Herr's place, I should speak mostly the English, and, too, I should shave off the 'full, reddish-brown beard.'"''

Whereupon the storekeeper turned hastily back into his shop, leaving Barney Custer of Beatrice, Nebraska, U.S.A., to wonder if all the inhabitants of Lutha were afflicted with a mental disorder similar to that of the unfortunate ruler. '' }}

''Whereupon the storekeeper turned hastily back into his shop, leaving Barney Custer of Beatrice, Nebraska, U.S.A., to wonder if all the inhabitants of Lutha were afflicted with a mental disorder similar to that of the unfortunate ruler.''}}

** It becomes a bit less improbable when you know that Barney's mother was a runaway princess of ~~Lutha—it~~ was why Barney came specifically to that country on his ~~vacation—so~~, as in ''The Prisoner of Zenda'', the king and Barney were cousins in some degree.

** It becomes a bit less improbable when you know that Barney's mother was a runaway princess of Lutha — it was why Barney came specifically to that country on his vacation — so, as in ''The Prisoner of Zenda'', the king and Barney were cousins in some degree.

* In ''[[Gaunt's Ghosts]]'' novel ''Only in Death'', an allied regiment's Major Berenson bears a startling resemblance to {{spoiler|the now-dead}} Caffran.

* In ''[[Wise Blood]]'', when a huckster turns Hazel Motes' Church Without Christ into a moneymaking scheme, Hazel cuts off ties with it. Said huckster then goes and finds a guy who looks a lot like Hazel—and even drives a similar car—to continue serving as the church's prophet.

* In the last two [[Time Scout]] books, Skeeter Jackson and Noah Armstrong look very similar. It's the coloring and the bone structure, and a complete coincidence.

* [[Marion Zimmer Bradley]]'s ''[[Darkover]]'' universe has a principle that everything except the psychic matrix stones has one exact duplicate somewhere in the universe; a couple of the novels have people locating their doubles for plot purposes. In another book, a Terran who simply happens to look extremely similar to a Darkovan nobleman is kidnapped by mistake.

* The protagonist/narrator of ''Don Quixote, U.S.A.'' is a Peace Corps Volunteer who, once he puts on some muscle and grows a beard that hides his rather weak chin, looks practically identical to the [[Fidel Castro]]-style revolutionary leader on [[Banana Republic|San Marcos]]. He '''accidentally''' takes over the revolution and {{spoiler|brings lasting democracy and prosperity}}.

* The protagonist/narrator of ''Don Quixote, U.S.A.'' is a Peace Corps Volunteer who, once he puts on some muscle and grows a beard that hides his rather weak chin, looks practically identical to the [[Fidel Castro]]-style revolutionary leader on [[Banana Republic|San Marcos]]. He ''accidentally'' takes over the revolution and {{spoiler|brings lasting democracy and prosperity}}.

== Live-Action TV ==