History Main / InexplicablyIdenticalIndividualS

* The 1997 made-for-TV movie ''Cloned'', about a couple whose 8-year-old son, Adam, dies in a boating accident in the year 2008. The mother, Skye Weston (Elizabeth Perkins), was artificially inseminated and it seemed like the doctor that helped her was noble in his work. After all, his work in genetics is so well-received he is nominated for a Noble Prize in science. However, to Skye's horror and her husband Rick's outrage, Adam had been cloned by the lab without their permission ... said discovery coming after a chance meeting with a young boy who exactly resembles their late son. They soon realize there are several -- and possibly many more -- young boys exactly resembling the deceased Adam. Rick and Skye demand answers and eventually learn the geneticist's work was a cover for illegal cloning experiments ... and they eventually expose him.

* The representatives sent by Shirase's various clients in every arc of ''Anime/BattleProgrammerShirase'' all have the same face, voice, and even name (Kaoru Akizuki), but wear different outfits according to their occupations. They even have the exact same internal conflict when seeing Shirase doing (seemingly) inappropriate things with an underage girl, followed by the same conclusion and CatchPhrase, "I'll pretend I didn't see anything!"

** The {{CMOT Dibbler}}s (known by fans as [[{{Doppelganger}} Dibblegangers]]), who due to the "laws of narrative" have [[UndergroundMonkey a slightly different version]] as part of every culture on the Disc, complete with appropriate name and CatchPhrase ([[LandDownUnder Fair Go Dibbler]], [[ShamgriLa May-I-Never-Achieve-Enlightenment Dhiblang]], [[{{Wutai}} Disembowel-Meself-Honourably Dibhala]]...). Various characters who know the original wonder what would happen if two of them were put in each other's presence (a small explosion is a likely guess).

''''Frank Nelson'''': [[CatchPhrase Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssss?]]\\

''''Frank Nelson'''': [[CatchPhrase Oooooooooh, Do They!]]

* "Advertising/AmericanHondaPresentsDCComicsSupergirl": B. B. Wolf, his kid brother C. C. Wolf and their entire wolf pack (made up for hundreds of wolves) are identical, even if they are not related (which is because ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} mistakes C. C. with B. B.). Justified because they are supposed to be TheBigBadWolf parodies.

** There have been subversions. There was a buff, tanned Joy that desired to stand out from her kin, an oddball Kalos Jenny who would often go outside dressed in "casual attire" (including a different hairstyle) instead of staying at the Pokemon Center, as well as another time with a tough-acting CowboyCop Jenny who loves to take out criminal scum by... bowling. Also, while most Jennys use Arcanine as partners, others have different tastes in Pokémon. [[note]]The Jenny on Mandarin Island uses a Gastly, the one in Cattalia City uses a Spinarak (as does the whole police force), the Squirtle Squad (led by Ash's Squirtle) helps the one in Vermillion City, a Jenny in a village in Johto uses a Wobbuffet, one in another in Johto has a Jumpluff, one in a town between Hoenn and Kanto has a Pidgeot, the one in Petalburg City had a Parasect, Tangela, and a Meganium, the one in Eterna City used a Stunky, the aforementioned Jenny who took the more "hands on" approach had a Chatot, and the Jenny of Melemele Island has a Gumshoos.[[/note]]

* In the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]], ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} was a nameless human mutant who grew up in an undersea lab. The far more [[SequelDisplacement famous]] Arthur Curry[=/=]Orin[=/=]King of Atlantis version of the character first appeared in the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] and continued through to [[UsefulNotes/TheModernAgeOfComicBooks today]].\\
However, in 2022 DC retconned a bunch of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII-era characters into continuity, including the original Aquaman. As such, it is now canon that in TheForties there was an undersea hero who looked almost identical to the current day Aquaman, had the same powers and was also called Aquaman; yet seems to have had no connection to him whatsoever.

* In their original appearance (and thus prior to at least two {{RetCon}}s), the Zamarons, a race of Amazon-like Warriors InSpace! (later revealed as female counterparts of the Guardians of the Universe of ComicBook/GreenLantern [[TheChosenMany Corps]] fame) always chose their queens from humanoid females who met an ideal physical model, and thus always looked alike. They would take a prospective candidate from her home planet, explain that she was going to be their new Queen, and then give her super-powers by playing some kind of alien musical instrument at her (!) and presenting her with the gem that gave her a name -- the Star Sapphire. Naturally, Earth had a candidate for the role -- Green Lantern's then would-be girlfriend, Carol Ferris.

* ''LightNovel/SisterPrincess'' had one person who was a butler/real estate agent/antique salesman/boat captain and anything else that was needed on the island. But they were all different people. At the second to last episode it's revealed that they [[spoiler:really ARE all the same person]].

* Subverted in ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' and its [[Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun sister anime]]. Misaka Mikoto has 20,000 "sisters" that look ''exactly'' like her, and all 20,000 share a HiveMind to boot. Turns out, this is perfectly explicable. They're all clones from an abandoned military project, and the hive mind is created by a network of electromagnetic waves between the genetically identical individuals with their electric abilities.

* Scott Adams hangs a lampshade on this in ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'' with Ted, {{the generic guy}} (his real name). People who have known him for years can't describe him. According to [[WordOfGod Adams]], Ted is just the name that he uses whenever he can't think up a better one and it's not important enough to matter. He is often mentioned as being fired or quitting, so it appears there are multiple instances of him. In [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness the early days of the strip]] where things were more fantastical we saw him die dozens of times.
** Early on in the series there were multiple characters identical to Wally, and at one point the company's biggest customer was a man called Willy, who looked exactly like Wally. They were apparently both members of a club for people who all inexplicably look like Wally.

** In ''Film/FantasticFour2005'', Stan plays mailman Willy Lumpkin, but in sequel ''Rise of the Silver Surfer'' he identifies himself by name as Stan Lee.

* In ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheMiracleMask'', the police officers of Monte d'Or are completely identical, much to the frustration of everyone, specially between themselves.

* The original ''Radio/ImSorryIllReadThatAgain'' serial, "The Curse of the Flying Wombat" featured Tim Brooke-Taylor as [[LarynxDissonance Lady Constance]], and later as Lady Constance's sister Hurricane Flossie. Later serials, despite the best effort not to have Tim [[TalkingToHimself playing half the characters]], seemed to keep churning up Lady Constance clones.

*** While ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' is technically set in the same time period as most of the other MCU films, it takes place in a different galaxy than Earth's, yet Stan Lee still makes an appearance. He's even listed in the credits as a [[HumanAlien Xandarian]] instead of a human.

* ''Series/TopGear'' has The Stig, who has a bunch of cousins ranging from German (basically the same but with the ends of a mullet sticking out from under his helmet), to teenage (visible undies and always listening to headphones), to hippie (all green and wearing sandals), and it's implied that they raise Stigs ''on farms''. All of them wear the helmet and don't speak, of course.

* In ''Videogame/GenshinImpact'', the receptionist for the AdventureGuild's booth is always a woman named Katheryne throughout Teyvat. When inquired about this, she never gives a straight answer. Eventually it's revealed that [[spoiler:they're a group of RidiculouslyHumanRobots]].

* Similarly, there's Akbar, from ''[[WebComic/EightBitTheater 8-Bit Theater]]''. Of course, he's only ''pretending'' to be a dozen unrelated people. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2002/11/14/episode-215-dont-trust-stores-that-cant-spell-their-own-business/ Here's one]]

* The thrice-abandoned webcomic ''SpellsAndWhistles'' featured a recurring individual called T ([[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed who looked exactly like a certain member of]] ''Series/TheATeam'') and his lackey (lower-case) t who turned up several times in odd places, each time with a different profession. It was never made clear if it was the same guy over and over or a whole bunch of guys with the same names and faces, though the comic's fans largely believed it to be the latter.

* The webcomic [[http://monstercommute.com/ Monster Commute]] has a string of "convenience" stores called Oni Oni Mart, to quote the site: "Owned and operated by Toni Oni, One employee; Toni Oni and aspects of Mr. Oni, Over 800,000 locations currently known."

** In [[Toys/{{Bionicle 2015}} Generation 2]] media, all members of each elemental tribe look the same. This even lead to confusion when two different sets of Protectors were introduced, and fans couldn't tell whether or not they were supposed to be the same characters until their names were revealed.

* [[AnIcePerson The Ice King]] from ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' has a whole kingdom of identical [[EverythingsBetterWithPenguins penguins]], and because [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} he's not all there in the head]] he calls the penguin closest to him at the moment Gunther, and in one episode he called other penguins by different names (though all of them were variations of Gunter, such as Guntag or Gunthor).

However, in 2022 DC retconned a bunch of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII-era characters into continuity, including the original Aquaman. As such, it is now canon that in UsefulNotes/TheForties there was an active undersea hero who looked almost identical to the current day Aquaman, had the same powers and was also called Aquaman; yet seems to have had no connection to him whatsoever.

However, in 2022 DC retconned a bunch of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII-era characters into continuity, including the original Aquaman. As such, it is now canon that in UsefulNotes/TheFourties there was an active undersea hero who looked almost identical to the current day Aquaman, had the same powers and was also called Aquaman; yet had no connection to him whatsoever.

However, in 2022 DC retconned a bunch of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII-era characters into continuity, including the original Aquaman. As such, it is now canon that in UsefulNotes/TheFourties there was an active undersea hero who looked almost identical to the current day Aquaman, had very similar powers and was also called Aquaman; yet had no connection to him whatsoever.

However, in 2022 DC retconned a bunch of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII-era characters into continuity, including the original Aquaman. As such, it is now canon that in UsefulNotes/TheFourties there was an active undersea hero who looked very similar to the current day Aquaman, had near-identical powers and was also called Aquaman; yet had no connection to him whatsoever.

* ''ComicBook/WolverineOrigins'' introduced ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'s likely half-brother Dog Logan, who as an adult looks almost identical to ComicBook/{{Sabretooth}}, right down to Creed's clawlike fingernails, fanglike teeth and general animalistic features despite being a human and not a mutant. He has been confirmed to definitely not be Sabretooth, but being a distant ancestor of the Creeds is not out of the question.

However, in 2022, DC retconned a bunch of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII-era characters into continuity, including the original Aquaman. As such, it is now canon that in UsefulNotes/TheFourties there was an undersea hero who looked very similar to the current day Aquaman, had near-identical powers and was also called Aquaman, yet had no connection to him whatsoever.

However, in 2022, DC retconned a bunch of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII-era characters into continuity, including the original Aquaman. As such, it is now canon that in UsefulNotes/TheForties and UsefulNotes/TheFifties, there was an undersea hero who looked identical to Arthur Curry and was also called Aquaman, yet had no connection to him whatsoever.

* In 2022, DC retconned a bunch of [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] characters into continuity, including the original ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}, who unlike his much more [[SequelDisplacement famous]] [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]]/[[UsefulNotes/TheModernAgeOfComicBooks modern]] successor, was not an Atlantean, but rather a human mutant who grew up in an undersea lab. As such, it is now canon that during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, there was an undersea hero who looked identical to Arthur Curry and was also called Aquaman, yet had no connection to him whatsoever.

* In 2021, DC retconned a bunch of [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] characters into continuity, including the original ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}, who unlike his much more [[SequelDisplacement famous]] [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]]/[[UsefulNotes/TheModernAgeOfComicBooks modern]] successor, was not an Atlantean, but rather a human mutant who grew up in an undersea lab. As such, it is now canon that during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, there was an undersea hero who looked identical to Arthur Curry and was also called Aquaman, yet had no connection to him whatsoever.

*** A leading fan theory is that Stan Lee is playing the same character in all of these appearances; Uatu the Watcher. [[spoiler:His cameo in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2'' confirms that, although he may not be Uatu, he is at least a Watcher informant. He is shown boring the Watchers with a story of his time as a [=FedEx=] delivery man in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar''.]]

* In ''Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' (Johnny Depp version), all of the Oompah Loompahs are identical because they're all played by ''Creator/DeepRoy''.

** In one episode, Brock explains the subtle differences between the Officer Jennys when a bunch of them turn up to perform an arrest. Said differences included perfumes used, slight differences in skirt length, and slight differences in hair style -- in other words, things that would be virtually impossible for audiences to see on a television (and judging by the fact that very few in the show notice them, they're not that easy to spot period). As he puts it:

* Scott Adams hangs a Lampshade on this in ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'' with Ted, the generic guy (his real name). People who have known him for years can't describe him. According to [[WordOfGod Adams]], Ted is just the name that he uses whenever he can't think up a better one and it's not important enough to matter. He is often mentioned as being fired or quitting, so it appears there are multiple instances of him. In the early days of the strip where things were more fantastical we saw him die dozens of times.

** Most biologists think birds identify their mates and chicks solely by the sounds they make,[[note]] Birds within species have distinct "voices" and variations in calls that humans are not naturally well-equipped to notice but are obvious to other birds of the same species.[[/note]] as most birds have little if any sense of smell and they don't have distinct faces or any other structural variation within species (except for perhaps sexual dimorphisn and age-related plumage differences.) [[note]] Some birds, such as pigeons or chickens, have color variation but they are in the minority when compared to the vast amount of bird species. [[/note]] So in other words, birds all look identical to others of the same species, age, and sex, even to other birds.

* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'': All members of the same class are identical. Teams are only differentiated by [[PaletteSwap colour]], and unless you have some hats, team-mates not even by that. How literal this is applied in other media varies: [[Machinima/TeamFortress2 The "Meet the Team" videos]] readily show multiple characters of the same class, "Meet the Medic" in particular featuring the RED Heavy mowing down an army of identical BLU Soldiers. Conversely, [[Webcomic/TeamFortress2 the comics]] consistently show them as unique individuals, the equivalents on another team (based on the ''VideoGame/TeamFortressClassic'' classes) looking different.

* The Space Phantom was once thought to be the sole survivor of an alien race who served the time-traveling villain Immortus, an occasional enemy of ComicBook/TheAvengers. As it turned out, there were actually ''many'' surviving members of this race, who all looked alike, who ''all'' worked for Immortus.

* In ''Videogame/GenshinImpact'', the receptionist for the AdventureGuild's booth is always a woman named Katheryne throughout Teyvat. When inquired about this, she never gives a straight answer. Eventually it's revealed that [[spioler:they're a group of RidiculouslyHumanRobots]].