Replacement Love Interest: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

In an action movie, the hero's True Love has [[Stuffed in The Fridge|died in the hands of the villain]], with just enough time for a few parting words that will [[It's Personal|give him the strength]] to defeat the [[Big Bad]]. In a comedy, the love interest simply dumped the protagonist and married the [[Romantic False Lead]]. In a [[Trapped in Another World]] adventure, it's time for the hero to return to Our World, and the love interest tearfully says she can't leave her world and go home with him. Any which way, the protagonist is left heartbroken and crestfallen because he [[Did Not Get the Girl|didn't get her]].

 

{{examples}}

== [[Anime]] & [[Manga]] ==

* Played with in a chapter of [[Ouran High School Host Club]], with a new character ( {{spoiler|Kanoya}}) being referred to by the Club Members (except Haruhi and Tamaki) as the "Ideal Haruhi" because in addition to bearing an uncanny resemblance to Haruhi, she lined up almost perfectly with [[Yamato Nadeshiko|Tamaki's daydreamed version of her.]] {{spoiler|Subverted in that Tamaki apparently never viewed this "Ideal Haruhi" as a love interest, despite her crush on him. Poor Kanoya.}}

* ''[[Fushigi Yuugi]]''.

* ''[[Hayate the Combat Butler]]'': While there's no mutual romance thus far, a lot of the [[Ship Tease]] during the latter half of the Athena arc pointed out (explicitly and implicitly) just how many similarities Nagi shared with Hayate's first love, Athena. One bit of cover art even featured the both of them put side by side, and they're both referred to in-story as golden-haired girls who saved him from despair by taking him on as a [[Battle Butler]]. Said arc culminated in absolutely brutal [[Ship Tease]] that threw shippers in a frenzy.

 

== [[Comic Books]] ==

* In their pre-[[The Avengers (Comic Book)|Avengers]] stories, this trope was in effect for Hank Pym ([[Ant-Man]]/Giant Man) and Janet van Dyne ([[The Wasp]]). Though she had a massive crush on him, she was both underaged at the time, and bore a disturbing (to him) resemblance to his recently-murdered wife. They eventually ended up hooking up anyway, and the resemblance issue was never mentioned again until after their divorce.

* In ''[[X-Men]],'' Scott falls for Madelyn shortly after Jean's death. They look so similar that he actually believes [[Doppelganger Replacement Love Interest|she's Jean's reincarnation]], though he eventually accepts them as different people. [[Played With]] when Jean [[Death Is Cheap|comes back from the dead]] and Scott abandons Madelyn, who is his wife by this point. And then it's revealed that Madelyn is [[Cloning Blues|actually a clone]].

 

== [[Film]] ==

** They weren't that similar. Kim was a brunette american gymnast, Kat was a blonde australian diver.

* In the pilot of ''[[Harsh Realm]]'', Hobbes meets the virtual double of his fiance Sophie.

* Probably part of the reason that [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer|Riley Finn]] is so disliked by the fandom is because he practically had the words 'Buffy's new love interest!' flashing in bold neon lettering over his head in his first appearance.

** I'll see your Riley Finn and raise you Kennedy.

* ''[[Heartbeat]]'' practically lived on this, with almost every village constable getting one. When PC Nick Rowan's wife Kate died, he was quickly introduced to Jo Weston, who became his second wife. When PC Mike Bradley's wife Jackie left the show, he was quickly linked to Tricia Summerbee (although the two characters did cross over for a bit). When PC Rob Walker's wife Helen was killed, he soon met Carol Cassidy, who stayed on the show long enough for Walker's successor PC Joe Mason to be ''her'' Replacement Love Interest.

* Chase in [[Zoey 101]] attempts to do this when Zoey leaves for England. But while the replacement ''looks'' like Zoey, she's not very pleasant in the personality department. And the fact that Chase is trying to replace Zoey with someone else kind of freaks out his friends.

'''Logan''': And that's the only reason you're hanging out with her! She's your little Zoey replacement, and that's a little bit sick. }}

* Niles' second wife Mel Karnofski in ''[[Frasier]]'' — a fussy, domineering, hysterically-inclined, nervous woman whose behavior (and the characters' reactions to it) made it clear that she was a saner, less abrasive version of Maris, Niles's [[Jerkass]] of a first wife, despite Maris being [[The Ghost]]. This is actually something that often occurs in real life with people who have recently gotten out of unhealthy relationships.

* This is what fans assumed John Doggett would be for Scully on [[The X-Files]] while Mulder was abducted. He wasn't, and the writers/creator were very explicit in saying that Doggett was ''not'' a love interest for Scully ''or'' a replacement for Mulder. It still didn't stop the fans from hating his guts.

* Sully on [[Bones]].

 

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==

** Cooksey was probably never asked in the first place. That whole show seemed determined to prove that ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'' never existed.