History Main / FakeIdentityBaggage

Usually happens because the imposter DidntSeeThatComing. May lead to PreferableImpersonator if the imposter decides to start fixing what his victim messed up. See MistakenIdentity for when a person is mistaken for another due to a misunderstanding rather than an intent to impersonate. See also BecomingTheMask and ShapeshifterIdentityCrisis when the imposter is consumed or becomes at risk of becoming consumed by their fake identity. Compare with AssimilationBackfire when absorbing or copying a being comes with drawbacks.

* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': In "And Here's to You, Mrs. Azrael", a [[MamaBear pissed-off mother]] [[SickbedSlaying kills a comatose teen]] whom she blames for the drunken car crash that killed her daughter. However, Hawkes reveals to the mother that the girl she killed was her own daughter, who exploited the fact she looked almost exactly like the girl who died in the crash to use her ID to enter a bar because she was still legally underage and didn't switch back the IDs before having the crash. The mother is taken away by the cops [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone just as she starts her nervous breakdown.]]

* ''Series/ThePretender'': This is PlayedForLaughs in an episode where Jarod takes the identity of a missing private investigator to complete one of his cases. Every time he introduces himself as said private investigator, the person he's introducing himself to punches him.

** ''[[ComicBook/LeeDitkoSpiderMan Amazing Spider-Man Issue #5]]'' has Flash Thompson try to scare Peter using a Spider-Man costume as a prank. Unluckily for Flash, Doctor Doom is tracking Spider-Man in order to either recruit him to fight against the ComicBook/FantasticFour or use him as bait [[note]] Incidentally, this was the first-ever crossover between Marvel's modern characters, as well as the first time Doctor Doom fought a hero other than the FF [[/note]]. Because Doom was tracking Spidey by detecting his SpiderSense when he discovered Flash-as-Spidey waiting for Peter he naturally assumed he'd found his prey and knocked him out. Meanwhile, a totally oblivious Peter walked by the scene, idly wondering why his SpiderSense was acting up. [[note]] This served as the inspiration for the ''Spider-Man the Animated Series'' example[[/note]]

-->-- ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'', ''Summoners'' sourcebook.

*** "[[Recap/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnitS19E5Complicated Complicated]]" has a similar premise to the above. A 21-year-old woman poses as a girl named Emma Lawrence who went missing ten years ago. It turns out that the girl was actually killed by the father who covered it up and made it look like she had been abducted. The SVU team fear that this will put her in danger from the killer who may be paranoid of her exposing the secret.

** "The Future Job": TheMark in this episode is a PhonyPsychic named Dalton Rand whom the team are trying to expose as a fraud. However, their plan hits a snag when Dalton is abducted by an ex-con named Nikolaus Kusen who wants Rand to use his "psychic powers" to find stolen money that was hidden by Kusen's partner. However, the Leverage team are able to use this to their advantage by having a terrified Rand reveal his fraudulence to Kusen in an EngineeredPublicConfession.
** ''Series/LeverageRedemption'': This trope is invoked and played straight in "The Mastermind Job". A man named Milton writes a book based on the Leverage Team's accomplishments and casts himself as Nate Ford, taking credit for his role as the mastermind. The Leverage Team try to convince him not to publish it by making him think he is being targeted by some of the people they took down. Unfortunately, Milton's false claims have drawn the attention of a man who wants him to steal a scarab from his ex-wife, a feat Milton is incapable of performing. Thus, the team's goal changes to saving Milton's life.

* ''Series/{{The Outer Limits|1995}}'': "Skin Deep" has a nerdy guy acquire a device that allows him to change his appearance. He murders a handsome coworker and steals his identity, reveling in his new popularity and hot girlfriend. He is murdered by a loan shark whom the handsome coworker owed money to.

* ''Series/WillAndGrace'': In "Performance Anxiety", Jack and Grace attend an ''Theatre/{{Annie}}'' convention. Grace, who wanted to play Annie when she was a kid but was denied the opportunity, decides to live out her dream by posing as a beloved actress who played the character. Unfortunately, the actress Grace impersonates had sabotaged a woman to get the iconic role, and said woman is at the convention and is very pissed off at the person she believes Grace to be.

* ''Literature/LoneWolf'': In ''The Masters of Darkness'', Lone Wolf infiltrates the Darklands' capital, Helgedad, by taking a ride on a giant land vehicle while disguised as Darklord Ghanesh's servant. However, Lone Wolf becomes the target of an assassination attempt by a [[AnimalAssassin venomous plaak]] in his cabin during the journey. His disguise didn't fail him; it's just that minions of the Darklords are [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder as much of a fractious lot as their masters]], and the target was the person whose identity he usurped.

* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'': In "Hare Brush", Elmer is a millionaire who thinks he's a rabbit, and Bugs switches places with him at the insane asylum so he'll be waited on. However, Bugs receives hypnotherapy that brainwashes him into thinking he ''is'' Elmer. And on top of that, "Elmer" ends up gets arrested for tax evasion... [[ObfuscatingInsanity which may have been the real Elmer's plan all along]].

* ''Series/WillAndGrace'': In "Performance Anxiety", Jack and Grace attend an ''Theatre/{{Annie}}'' convention. Grace, who wanted to play Annie when she was a kid but was denied the opportunity, decides to live out her dream by posing as a beloved actress who played the character. Unfortunately, Grace also draws the ire of a woman whom the actress sabotaged to get the role of Annie.

* ''Spider-Man: Fake Red'': A high school student named Yuu stumbles upon Spidey's costume in a garbage bin after an altercation with some bullies. He takes it home, thinking it's just a well made replica and realizes his mistake when he accidentally activates the web-shooters. As a joke, he puts on the costume and stands dramatically on a rooftop, leading to some people down below calling for his help with a burning building. Yuu almost kills himself rescuing a small child, and begins walking around with the costume hoping to figure out a way to return it to the real Spider-Man. Unfortunately, he keeps putting it on to engage in heroics due to the mask's anonymity giving him ChronicHeroSyndrome and not wanting to besmirch Spider-Man's good name.

** ''[[ComicBook/LeeDitkoSpiderMan Amazing Spider-Man Issue #5]]'' has Flash Thompson try to scare Peter using a Spider-Man costume as a prank. Unluckily for Flash, Doctor Doom is tracking Spider-Man in order to either recruit him to fight against the ComicBook/FantasticFour, or use him as bait [[note]] Incidentally, this was the first ever crossover between Marvel's modern characters, as well as the first time Doctor Doom fought a hero other than the FF [[/note]]. Because Doom was tracking Spidey by detecting his SpiderSense, when he discovered Flash-as-Spidey waiting for Peter he naturally assumed he'd found his prey and knocked him out. Meanwhile, a totally oblivious Peter walked by the scene, idly wondering why his SpiderSense was acting up. [[note]] This served as the inspiration for the ''Spider-Man the Animated Series'' example[[/note]]

* ''Fanfic/EarthAndSky'': After capturing Diamond Tiara, [[spoiler:Chrysalis]] returns to society impersonating her in order to take revenge on the Mane Six. It's only when she arrives that [[spoiler:Chrysalis]] learns that Diamond Tiara is HatedByAll, meaning that she can barely feed and the reason she was able to catch Tiara in the first place was because she was trying to RunForTheBorder due to having committed several crimes, which [[spoiler:Chrysalis]] is nearly arrested for.

* ''Film/{{Sommersby}}'': Creator/RichardGere plays a man who adopts the identity of a soldier who died in UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar. Then it turns out that the dead man had committed a murder before he died, and Gere's character will have to admit his real identity, or stand trial for murder in the dead man's place.

* ''Series/{{Banshee}}'': The entire premise. The main character is an ex-convict who witnesses the town's new Sheriff being murdered by thugs, and then assumes his identity. He is, of course, under threat from the same local mob boss that sent those thugs, along with many others.

* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': In "And Here's to You, Mrs. Azrael", a [[MamaBear pissed-off mother]] [[SickbedSlaying kills a comatose teen]] whom she blames for the drunken car crash that killed her daughter. However, Hawkes reveals to the mother that the girl she killed was her own daughter, who exploited the fact she looked almost exactly like the girl who died in the crash to use her ID to enter a bar because she was still legally underage and didn?t switch back the IDs before having the crash. The mother is taken away by the cops [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone just as she starts her nervous breakdown.]]
* ''Series/{{The Flash|2014}}'': PlayedForLaughs in "[[Recap/TheFlash2014S1E19WhoIsHarrisonWells Who is Harrison Wells]]". Hannibal Bates, a shapeshifting criminal who can impersonate anyone, takes on Barry's form after tying him up and locking him in a closet. Hannibal is completely unaware that Barry is the Flash, so when Caitlin finds him and gives him updates on what their crimefighting team of scientists is doing, Hannibal has to try ''really'' hard to act like he understands. CringeComedy ensues.
* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'': In "Where Were We?", Marshall is depressed over his break up with Lily. He checks her online credit statement and discovers charges for a hotel in New York. Thinking Lily is seeing another guy, Marshall goes to the hotel room and punches out the guy who answers the door. It turns out that the guy isn't Lily's boyfriend and Lily wasn't dating anyone at all; the man Marshall hit was an identity thief who had stolen Lily's credit card and was making purchases in her name.

* ''Series/{{The Twilight Zone|1959}}'': This results the KarmicTwistEnding of "The Four of Us Are Dying". Petty criminal Arch Hammer has the ability to change his face, which he uses to [[ShapeshiftingSeducer trick a trumpet player's grieving girlfriend]] and extort a gangster for money. However, after shapeshifting into boxer Andy Marshak [[HeWentThatWay to hide from mobsters]], he runs into Marshak's father, who has a bone to pick with his wayward son. The next time Hammer takes Marshak's face, he finds that this time his father has a gun.

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': In "Save the Clam", Meg gets a job at the local funeral home, and Chris takes one of the corpses so he can to sneak into R-rated movies. When the body decomposes in the pool, Meg forces Chris to pose as the dead man at his funeral so she won't lose her job, and while there, they find out that the man was an organ donor and that a woman just lost her face in a freak accident. Cut to Chris with his face ripped off.

-->'''Elmer:''' I may be a screwy wabbit, but I'm not going to Alcatwaz.

* ''Film/{{Sommersby}}'': Creator/RichardGere plays a man who adopts the identity of a dead man, a soldier in UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, "returning home" after being gone for many years (which includes gaining the affections of the dead man's wife). Then it turns out that the dead man had committed a murder before he died, and Gere's character will have to admit his real identity, or stand trial for murder in the dead man's place.

* ''Series/WillAndGrace'': In "Performance Anxiety", Jack and Grace attend an ''Theatre/{{Annie}}'' convention. Grace, who wanted to play Annie when she was a kid but was denied the opportunity, decides to live out her dream by posing as a beloved actress who played the character. Unfortunately, Grace also draws the ire of the actress's rival whom said actress sabotaged to get the role.

* ''Literature/LoneWolf'': In ''The Masters of Darkness'', Lone Wold infiltrates the Darklands' capital, Helgedad, by taking a ride on a giant land vehicle while disguised as Darklord Ghanesh's servant. However, Lone Wolf is targeted with an assassination attempt by a [[AnimalAssassin venomous plaak]] in his cabin during the journey. His disguise didn't fail him; it's just that minions of the Darklords are [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder as much of a fractious lot as their masters]], and the target was the creature he usurped the identity.

* ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids'': The webcomic reimagines "Han Solo" as a serial identity thief who murders the real Han (read: Greedo) in cold blood before stealing his ship. Han's outstanding gambling debt gets him in trouble with Jabba the Hutt. The fact that the original Han was a shapeshifter draws the attention of Boba Fett (also a shapeshifter in this continuity) who wants to replace his damaged [[BizarreAlienBiology splanch]] with Han's. He doesn't seem to have learned his lesson in the 30-year time gap between trilogies, as no less than three separate parties are after him due to the misdeeds of the men whose identities he has taken on.

* ''Series/{{The Outer Limits|1995}}'': "Skin Deep" has a nerdy guy acquire a device that allows him to change his appearance. He murders a handsome coworker and steals his identity, reveling in his new popularity and hot girlfriend and letting it all go to his head. He is murdered by mob enforcers whom the handsome coworker apparently had dealings with and cheated.

* ''Film/{{Around the World in Eighty Days|2004}}'': In order to hide from the police after stealing back his village's jade Buddha from the Bank of England, Lau Xing gives himself the false name "Passportout" and pretends to be a French man in order to hide as Phileas Fogg's assistant. This causes him some trouble in a scene where he has to speak French in order to help Fogg with a problem, something he clearly cannot do.

* ''Series/OrphanBlack'': Sarah witnesses the suicide of a woman named Beth who looks exactly like her, and decides to impersonate her so she can steal Beth's money. Unfortunately, she soon learns that Beth was a police officer being investigated for shooting a civilian and now has to avoid a murder conviction. Things get even worse when someone tries to assassinate her thinking she is Beth. It's revealed that Beth was investigating a secret human cloning project, which drags Sarah into the world of international conspiracies, amoral experiments, and religious fundamentalism.
** As the show continues, this becomes one of its favorite tropes. One highlight is Sarah impersonating the villain Rachel, being forced to interrogate Allison, who is impersonating Sarah.

* ''Series/Banshee'': The entire premise. The main character is an ex-convict who witnesses the town's new Sheriff being murdered by thugs, and then assumes his identity. He is, of course, under threat from the same local mob boss that sent those thugs, along with many others.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':

%% Please avoid Zero Context Examples. Any such entries will be commented out.

** ''ComicBook/SpiderVerse'':Downplayed. [[ComicBook/SpiderWoman Jessica Drew]] infiltrates Loomworld, the home universe of the Inheritors. Upon discovering that her Loom World counterpart is an ally of Morlun's, she poses as her in order to infiltrate the Inheritors' mansion and gather intel. However, she is shocked and disgusted to learn that her Loomworld counterpart isn't just an ally of the Inheritors, but also Morlun's lover. Her Loomworld counterpart is also a dancer, which forces Jessica to come up with an excuse when Morlun asks her to dance with him. Despite this, she is still able to gather the intel the heroes need.
* ''{{ComicBook/XIII}}'': XIII infiltrates an embassy by posing as an arms dealer. One soldier there is particularly contemptuous towards him because his disguise is known for selling things like napalm and defoliating agents, which the soldier considers too dangerous or cowardly to be used as weapons.

-->'''Kevin''': Malcolm, listen to me. You are not Big Momma, okay? You are a highly trained field operative, and you do not throw down with a 65-year-old woman!

* ''Film/{{Machete}}'': Senator [=McLaughlin=] disguises himself as a Mexican immigrant in order to escape the climactic shootout, only to be slain by the racist rednecks he was with [[BookEnds in the opening scene of the film]]. What makes it more hilarious is that, unlike Camaleón in the sequel, the disguise is very [[PaperThinDisguise unconvincing]] (it's basically just Robert [=DeNiro=] in {{Brownface}}). [=McLaughlin=] even [[ActuallyPrettyFunny finds it ironically funny]] as he dies.
* ''Film/MacheteKills'': The Chameleon meets his end when (in disguise as a Mexican) he runs into a redneck militia who hate Mexicans and intend to kill him. He takes off his disguise to "reveal" that he's actually Canadian... but it turns out the rednecks hate Canadians too.

* ''Literature/LoneWolf'': In ''The Masters of Darkness'', Lone Wold infiltrates the Darklands' capital, Helgedad, by taking a ride on a giant land vehicle while disguised as Darklord Ghanesh's servant. However, Lone Wolf is targeted with an assassination attempt by a [[AnimalAssassin venomous plaak]] in his cabin during the journey. His disguise didn't fail him; it's just minions of the Darklords are [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder just as much a fractious lot as their masters]], and the target was the creature he usurped the identity.

* ''Literature/CheriBibi'': The titular character is a man falsely accused of a crime he didn't commit. He undergoes MagicPlasticSurgery to take on the identity of a rich man but much to his bad fortune, the person he is impersonating is the true perpetrator of the crime and is being blackmailed by his associates.

* ''[[Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun 3rd Rock from the Sun]]'': In "Dick Solomon of the Indiana Solomons", Dick gets an invitation to a family reunion meant for a different [[OneSteveLimit Richard Solomon]]. Dick decides to attend because the family hasn't seen Richard since he was a child. Dick is overjoyed to experience what it's like to have an extended family, but Richard's cousin Jacob is instantly hostile towards him. Dick soon learns that Richard's father was ousted from the family furniture business by Jacob's father, and Jacob assumes that Dick has only returned to stake a claim on the family's money since the business has been doing so well.

* ''Series/TheFlash2014'': PlayedForLaughs in "[[Recap/TheFlash2014S1E19WhoIsHarrisonWells Who is Harrison Wells]]." Hannibal Bates, a shapeshifting criminal who can impersonate anyone, takes on Barry's form after tying him up and locking him in a closet. Hannibal is completely unaware that Barry is the Flash, so when Caitlin finds him and gives him updates on what their crimefighting team of scientists is doing, Hannibal has to try ''really'' hard to act like he understands. CringeComedy ensues.

*** In [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnitS10E11Stranger "Stranger"]], a badly abused young woman, whose real name is Kristen, was kidnapped and raped for years by her father. Upon escaping, she took the identity of Heather Hollander, who disappeared. The SVU investigation eventually reveals that Heather's older sister Nikki actually killed her, a fact her mother was aware of and covered up. Nikki tries to kill Kristen to keep her secret, and the Hollanders are completely destroyed anyway.
*** [[Recap/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnitS19E5Complicated "Complicated"]] has a similar premise to the above. A 21-year-old woman poses as a girl named Emma Lawrence who went missing ten years ago. It turns out that the girl was actually killed by the father who covered it up and made it look like she had been abducted. The SVU team fear that this will put her in danger from the killer who may be paranoid of her exposing the secret.

* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'': "Skin Deep" has a nerdy guy acquire a device that allows him to change his appearance. He murders a handsome coworker and steals his identity, reveling in his new popularity and hot girlfriend and letting it all go to his head. He is murdered by mob enforcers whom the handsome coworker apparently had dealings with and cheated.

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': This results the KarmicTwistEnding of "The Four of Us Are Dying." Petty criminal Arch Hammer has the ability to change his face, which he uses to [[ShapeshiftingSeducer trick a trumpet player's grieving girlfriend]] and extort a gangster for money. However, after shapeshifting into boxer Andy Marshak [[HeWentThatWay to hide from mobsters]], he runs into Marshak's father, who has a bone to pick with his wayward son. The next time Hammer takes Marshak's face, he finds that this time his father has a gun.

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids'': The webcomic reimagines "Han Solo" as a serial identity thief who murders the real Han (read: Greedo) in cold blood before stealing his ship. Han's outstanding gambling debt gets him in trouble with Jabba the Hutt. The fact that the original Han was a shapeshifter draws the attention of Boba Fett (also a shapeshifter in this continuity) who wants to replace his damaged [[BizarreAlienBiology splanch]] with Han's.
** He doesn't seem to have learned his lesson in the 30-year time gap between trilogies, as no less than three separate parties are after him due to the misdeeds of the men whose identities he has taken on.
--> '''Finn:''' You're Han Solo?
--> '''Han:''' I used to be. The name's Xasha now.

* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'': In ''Hare Brush'', Elmer is a millionaire who thinks he's a rabbit, and Bugs switches places with him at the insane asylum so he'll be waited on. However, Bugs receives psychotherapy that brainwashes him into thinking he ''is'' Elmer. And on top of that, "Elmer" ends up gets arrested for tax evasion... [[ObfuscatingInsanity which may have been the real Elmer's plan all along]].

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': In "Save the Clam", Meg gets a job at the local funeral home, and Chris takes one of the corpses so he can to sneak into R-rated movies. When the body decomposes in the pool, Meg forces Chris him to pose as the dead man at his funeral so she won't lose her job, and while there, they find out that the man was an organ donor and that a woman just lost her face in a freak accident. Cut to Chris with his face ripped off.

** ''[[ComicBook/LeeDitkoSpiderMan Amazing Spider-Man Issue #5]]'' has Flash Thompson try to scare Peter using a Spider-Man costume as a prank. Unluckily for Flash, Doctor Doom is tracking Spider-Man in order to either recruit him to fight against the ComicBook/FantasticFour, or as bait [[note]] Incidentally, this was the first ever crossover between Marvel's modern characters, as well as the first time Doctor Doom fought a hero other than the FF [[/note]]. Because Doom was tracking Spidey by detecting his SpiderSense, when he discovered Flash-as-Spidey waiting for Peter he naturally assumed he'd found his prey and knocked him out. Meanwhile, a totally oblivious Peter walked by the scene, idly wondering why his SpiderSense was acting up. [[note]] This served as the inspiration for the ''Spider-Man the Animated Series'' example[[/note]]

** ''Amazing Spider-Man Issue #5'' has Flash Thompson try to scare Peter using a Spider-Man costume as a prank. Unluckily for Flash, Doctor Doom is tracking Spider-Man in order to either recruit him to fight against the ComicBook/FantasticFour, or as bait [[note]] Incidentally, this was the first ever crossover between Marvel's modern characters, as well as the first time Doctor Doom fought a hero other than the FF [[/note]]. Because Doom was tracking Spidey by detecting his SpiderSense, when he discovered Flash-as-Spidey waiting for Peter he naturally assumed he'd found his prey and knocked him out. Meanwhile, a totally oblivious Peter walked by the scene, idly wondering why his SpiderSense was acting up. [[note]] This served as the inspiration for the ''Spider-Man the Animated Series'' example[[/note]]

'''Note''': Please avoid Administrivia/{{Zero Context Example}}s.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rco010_1469440417.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[DidNotThinkThisThrough Flash really should have thought twice about using a superhero's secret identity to play a prank]].]]