History Main / CloneByConversion

* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' reveals in ''Literature/TheForerunnerSaga'' that [[spoiler:the Didact from the ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'' terminals]] was the result of [[spoiler:the Ur-Didact (the one from ''VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}'']] imprinting his consciousness upon a younger Forerunner. Unusually for this trope, the original personality still maintains some influence (if mostly in dreams), and the act itself is portrayed as a necessary one, with the [[spoiler:Didact]] imprint even promising his host that he'll return control when his mission is over, though by the time that happens, their personalities seem to have become irrecoverably merged.

Since this basically involves killing the person the clone's "made" from, this trope tends to be the preserve of villains. Indeed since cloning's become possible in RealLife, (and no longer automatically brings to mind a MadScientist), this is a good way for a writer to keep the act of cloning someone as ethically questionable. A villain who makes a habit of it might also be TheVirus (especially if the clones are able to transform people as well).

* [[TheSCPFoundation SCP]][[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-963 -936]] is capable of this.

-->--''Film/TheMatrixReloaded''

* In the second ''Franchise/TheMatrix'' movie and onwards, Agent Smith gains the ability to do this (in the first movie he could only BodySurf people who were still plugged into the matrix, like all the other agents). [[spoiler: By the end of the third film, he's more or less assimilated everyone in the Matrix [[ZombieApocalypse into a copy of himself]]]].
* Blofeld attempts this at the start of ''Film/DiamondsAreForever''. JamesBond [[MuggedForDisguise KOs a scientist on the project, steals his clothes]], and subverts the trope by drowning the would-be clone in mud.

Compare and Contrast; HumanShifting (where someone has the ability to transform into another person), WeWillNotUseStageMakeupInTheFuture (when this is used where a simple disguise would have sufficed), BodySurf, (where there is always only one of the "surfer", barring accidents), TheVirus (which transforms the victim into a member of the Virus' type, rather than into a specific individual, although this distinction may be blurred if the Virus has a HiveMind) and FaceStealer (who forcefully transforms themselves into the original rather than the other way around).

* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' reveals in ''Literature/TheForerunnerSaga'' that [[spoiler:the Didact from the ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'' terminals]] was the result of [[spoiler:the Ur-Didact (the one from ''VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}'']] imprinting his consciousness upon a younger Forerunner]]. Unusually for this trope, the original personality still maintains some influence (if mostly in dreams), and the act itself is portrayed as a necessary one, with the [[spoiler:Didact]] imprint even promising his host that he'll return control when his mission is over, though by the time that happens, their personalities seem to have become irrecoverably merged.

* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' reveals in ''Literature//TheForerunnerSaga'' that [[spoiler:the Didact from the ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'' terminals]] was the result of [[spoiler:the Ur-Didact]] imprinting his consciousness upon a younger Forerunner]]. Unusually for this trope, the original personality still maintains some influence (if mostly in dreams), and the act itself is portrayed as a necessary one, with the [[spoiler:Didact]] imprint even promising his host that he'll return control when his mission is over, though by the time that happens, their personalities seem to have become irrecoverably merged.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', [[spoiler:Cloud Strife]] turns out to be this kind of clone of Sephiroth (along with countless others, who were implanted with Jenova's cells, but he's the only one who displays the SOLDIER powers Seph had). He is also one, to a lesser degree, of [[spoiler: his dead friend Zack, whose personality and memories he partly absorbed after the resident MadScientist messed up his head]].

->'''Nameless Agent''': "[[YouExclamation You]]!"\\
'''Smith''': "Yes, me." [Transforms agent into a Smith copy] "Me, me, me."\\
'''Copy Smith''': "Me too."

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', [[spoiler:Cloud Strife]] turns out to be this kind of clone of Sephiroth (along with countless others, who were implanted with Jenova's cells). He is also one, to a lesser degree, of [[spoiler: his dead friend Zack, whose personality and memories he partly absorbed after the resident MadScientist messed up his head]].

* In the second ''Film/TheMatrix'' movie and onwards, Agent Smith gains the ability to do this (in the first movie he could only BodySurf people who were still plugged into the matrix, like all the other agents). [[spoiler: By the end of the third film, he's more or less assimilated everyone in the Matrix [[ZombieApocalypse into a copy of himself]]]].

->'''Nameless Agent''': "You!"\\
'''Agent Smith''': "Yes, me." [Transforms agent into a Smith copy] "Me, me, me."\\

-->--''TheMatrixReloaded''

In ComicBook/TheTransformers (UK), when Straxus fails into transferring his mind into Megatron's body, he turns a hapless Decepticon technician into a "Megatron clone" to attempt the transfer again.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/UglyAmericans'' featured a plague that was turning New Yorkers into clones of Larry King. Apparently it was caused by the original's mixture of medications.

** The Spanish thriller ''The Skin I Live In'' has a similar premise, although the doctor in question is using a MagicPlasticSurgery technique he invented to turn his victim into a copy of his dead wife.

* In the second ''Film/TheMatrix'' movie and onwards, Agent Smith gains the ability to do this (in the first movie he could only BodySurf people who were still plugged into the matrix, like all the other agents). [[spoiler: By the end of the third film he's more or less assimilated everyone in the matrix [[ZombieApocalypse into a copy of himself]]]].
* Blofeld attempts this at the start of ''Film/DiamondsAreForever''. JamesBond, [[MuggedForDisguise KOs a scientist on the project and steals his clothes]] and subverts the trope by drowning the would-be clone in mud.

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* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker'', [[spoiler: the Joker implants his DNA and consciousness into Tim Drake, causing him to turn into a copy of him many years later.]]