History Main / VisionsOfAnotherSelf

[[folder:Comic books]]
* Used again and again in ''DonaldDuck'' and ''MickeyMouse'' comics to provide "fresh" story ideas, because of their overall premise being basically "invent stories about these popular characters" and little else. Sometimes {{handwave}}d by invoking IdenticalGrandson, but more often the whole story just is like this without explanation.
* Several DC Comics {{Elseworlds}} play with the idea of the DC heroes and villains existing in a different era: Franchise/{{Batman}} as a privateer, Old Western JusticeLeagueOfAmerica, {{Steel}} in times of slavery, Franchise/{{Superman}} in the Middle Ages, etc.
* In ''ComicBook/{{PS238}},'' [[MuggleBornOfMages Tyler]] travels to a castle outside of normal space and time. One hall is made up of mirrors, each of which shows him in a different superhero outfit. These turn out to be the Tylers of {{Alternate Universe}}s, and touching the mirrors allows him to see inside their minds and know what they're currently experiencing.

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]
* At one point in ''[[http://www.thekeep.org/~wombat/Stories/Z/ Sailor Moon Z]]'', the main Senshi do a [[FreakyFriday body-switch]] with their Silver Millenium counterparts. After they're returned to the present, they have more frequent {{Flashback}}s of their past lives, usualy overlaping with similar moments in the present.
** The original also has flashbacks to this time though only when key to the plot.

* In Creator/TeresaEdgerton's ''[[{{Celydonn}} The Grail and the Ring]]'', travel between the 'real' world, Ynys Celydonn, and the AlternateUniverse of the Inner Celydonn, is introduced. One of the first rules of such travel is to avoid meeting yourself if possible, because to do so courts madness.
** Dame Ceinwen, despite being the most powerful witch in Ynys Celydonn, is largely restricted to the role of TheWatcher in this book - partly ''because'' she is so powerful, but also because she has already been in the times and places of the Inner Celydonn that are critical to the current problem, and cannot risk being there twice.

[[folder:Live Action -- Film]]
* In the movie of ''Film/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' Buffy has dreams of her and her watcher as previous slayers and watchers.
* ''Film/CloudAtlas'' swaps actors and roles for each time period, but the same soul incarnates multiple times as shown by their star-shaped birthmark.
* ''Film/DeadAgain'' has the two main characters [[spoiler:reincarnating as opposite genders (swapping actors)]], which becomes a plot point.
[[/folder]]

* Happens practically OnceAnEpisode on ''Series/{{Scrubs}}''; JD's daydreams put his coworkers into a number of absurd situations (and costumes.) This includes characters from ''{{Grease}}'', ''Theatre/WestSideStory'', and ''Franchise/StarWars'', as well as occasional scenes that {{parody}} a traditional DomCom.
* ''Series/{{Charmed}}'' has shown the Halliwell Sisters' past lives on several occasions. These previous incarnations of the Charmed Sisters have always looked the same as the present-day incarnations.
** When this is first done, it is explained that the previous incarnations look different but the Halliwells "recognize" their spirits and thus see them as their current selves. Later episodes sometimes overlook this.

* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' had two episodes in which Captain Sisko was a science fiction writer in the 1950s, and the other regular characters were his fellow writers, friends, or (as appropriate) enemies.
** The most famous, but not the only example from that show - there was a holodeck ''Film/JamesBond'' spoof that played as visions of other selves.
*** "Diabolical!" "Visionary!!"

* ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'' and ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' have a few episodes that use a variant of this, except it is a FlashForward. The cast members play writers, producers, or various other modern-day characters who work on the production of the show.
** At least one of these episodes lampshaded and subverted the idea, with Hercules playing Creator/KevinSorbo. Including throwing Ares out of a moving car.

* ''Series/{{JAG}}'' was quite fond of using this with Mac and Harm as the main characters of ''JAG'''s past.
** And DavidJamesElliot always played Harm's father.

* Done fairly often on ''Series/NorthernExposure''. One episode featured an old man telling Joel the story of Cicely's founding in 1909. Rob Morrow/Joel Fleischman played Creator/FranzKafka(!) while the other regulars appear as counterpart characters, often with very similar names (Maggie O'Connell, for example, becomes Mary O'Keefe).

* ''Series/PressGang'' devoted much time to the tempestuous romance of leads Lynda (Julia Sawalha) and Spike (Dexter Fletcher). One episode has a flashback to Spike's parents meeting for the first time - played by Julia Sawalha and Dexter Fletcher.

* ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' had ''Vegas'', a Series/{{CSI}}-like episode in an alternate universe filmed in Las Vegas.

* In ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode "Triangle", Mulder dreams (or did he?) of going back in time on a ghost ship he was looking for, with key characters as the cast of it. Of course, Mulder is still convinced they are all who they really are, and ends up planting a rather passionate kiss on the non-Scully, who gives him a sucker punch to the cheek for his efforts.

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' Tedd dreams about one of his alternate universe counterpart's life.

* In ''{{Webcomic/Homestuck}}'', [[MessianicArchetype the Sufferer]] is the only [[AllTrollsAreDifferent troll]] to have any memories of his alternate universe self, where the troll planet was peaceful, and starts a rebellion.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants''
** In the episode "Pest Of The West", [=SpongeBob=] learns of his great ancestor [=SpongeBuck SquarePants=] and how he saved the town of Bikini Gulch from Dead-Eye Plankton.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': Zuko's VisionQuest includes a segment with an alternate-him who was never scarred sitting as Fire Lord, with the cold, still Squint Of Evil his father always uses. This is what Zuko thinks he wishes, but it's associated with abandoning his mother and the self-he-is. Ultimately it disturbs him, though not as much as the version who's got Air Nomad tattoos. He is shown feeling his face to make sure the scar is still there and he's awake.

* The '80s revival of ''Series/TheTwilightZone'' has an episode starring George Wendt in which his unsuccessful inventor begins having/living visions of his alternate self in a SteamPunk-ish parallel universe. In the end [[spoiler: the two men voluntarily trade places.]]

Sort-of-but-not-really related to FlashBack. Superficially resembles an ad hoc CommediadellArteTroupe. If the character having these dreams starts to think that they are the true reality and the rest of the show is the dream, it's a CuckooNest. See also ButYouWereThereAndYouAndYou.

Occasionally VisionsOfAnotherSelf occur by having a character actually travel to a place, whether it's in the actual past, an AlternateUniverse or a MirrorUniverse. Just as, if not more often though, it will be a constructed fantasy, [[ItWasAllJustADream a dream]], a hallucination, a flashback (or someone else's flashback), a holodeck experience or the fantasy equivalent thereof, part of a VisionQuest or just a very active imagination. The probability of one of these occurring increases dramatically if {{Reincarnation}} is involved. Other times, this is done without the present-day characters even being aware of the past, but the writers playing up the parallels between the two for the audience's benefit.

* In TeresaEdgerton's ''[[{{Celydonn}} The Grail and the Ring]]'', travel between the 'real' world, Ynys Celydonn, and the AlternateUniverse of the Inner Celydonn, is introduced. One of the first rules of such travel is to avoid meeting yourself if possible, because to do so courts madness.

* ''SpongeBobSquarePants''

* In ''{{PS238}},'' [[MuggleBornOfMages Tyler]] travels to a castle outside of normal space and time. One hall is made up of mirrors, each of which shows him in a different superhero outfit. These turn out to be the Tylers of {{Alternate Universe}}s, and touching the mirrors allows him to see inside their minds and know what they're currently experiencing.

* This was the form of a miracle that occurred in Minagoroshi-hen of ''VisualNovel/HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi'', wherein [[spoiler:many of the main characters have nightmares of what they had done in previous time loops, which prompts them to get help from the rest of the gang before those nightmares could become reality again]].

* In ''{{Homestuck}}'', [[MessianicArchetype the Sufferer]] is the only [[AllTrollsAreDifferent troll]] to have any memories of his alternate universe self, where the troll planet was peaceful, and starts a rebellion.

* This was the form of a miracle that occurred in Minagoroshi-hen of HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi, wherein [[spoiler:many of the main characters have nightmares of what they had done in previous time loops, which prompts them to get help from the rest of the gang before those nightmares could become reality again]].

* Happens practically OnceAnEpisode on ''Series/{{Scrubs}}''; JD's daydreams put his coworkers into a number of absurd situations (and costumes.) This includes characters from ''{{Grease}}'', ''Theatre/WestSideStory'', and ''StarWars'', as well as occasional scenes that {{parody}} a traditional DomCom.

** When this was first done, it was explained that the previous incarnations looked different but the Halliwells "recognized" their spirits and thus saw them as their current selves. Later episodes sometimes overlooked this.
* ''MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' featured an episode where Kimberly traveled back in time to the Wild West, where all of the inhabitants resemble citizens of present-day Angel Grove, including people who look like the Power Rangers (except for Kimberly's ancestor, who makes a brief cameo after the present-day Kimberly returned to her time), Bulk and Skull (who try to find out the identity of the Rangers), and even The White Stranger. (Three guesses who that is suppose to resemble. Hint: It's the White Ranger.)

* Both ''Series/{{Roswell}}'' and ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' have played out forbidden romantic pairings (etc.) by re-telling them in an historical context.
* ''HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'' and ''XenaWarriorPrincess'' had a few episodes that used a variant of this, except it was a FlashForward. The cast members played writers, producers, or various other modern-day characters who worked on the production of the show.

* The series finale of ''WalkerTexasRanger'' includes two parallel stories, one taking place in the present and one taking place in the Old West. They feature the same dozen or so actors playing similar (though not quite identical) characters.
* Done fairly often on ''NorthernExposure''. One episode featured an old man telling Joel the story of Cicely's founding in 1909. Rob Morrow/Joel Fleischman played Creator/FranzKafka(!) while the other regulars appear as counterpart characters, often with very similar names (Maggie O'Connell, for example, becomes Mary O'Keefe).
* In the ''{{Moonlighting}}'' episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice", Maddie and David hear about an unsolved murder from the 1940s, and then each dream about it that night, putting themselves into the key roles.
* The ''ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' episode "The Gang Cracks the Libery Bell" is told in the setting of 1776, with all the characters being their normally horrible, wrong selves (with Cricket as an English colonel), occasionally making attempts to speak in the vernacular of the day, badly. At multiple points, the characters note that "it's 1776" to justify crime, and the last scene of the story makes it perfectly clear they're all just making it up.
* ''Series/MacGyver'' did several dream episodes along these lines, including a pair of episodes with a period version of [=MacGyver=] in the Old West and the two-parter "Good Knight, [=MacGyver=]" in which the modern [=MacGyver=] imagined himself transported to the days of King Arthur (with Arthur "played" by [=MacGyver=]'s boss Pete).
* ''PressGang'' devoted much time to the tempestuous romance of leads Lynda (Julia Sawalha) and Spike (Dexter Fletcher). One episode has a flashback to Spike's parents meeting for the first time - played by Julia Sawalha and Dexter Fletcher.

* An episode of ''LoisAndClark'' had an old security guard tell about how he was betrayed by his girlfriend and business partner, and sent up the river. Cue a flashback with Clark Kent as the young security guard, Lois as the girlfriend, and Lex Luthor as the partner she leaves him for. (This episode was also right before the season one finale, which capped off the Lex/Lois courtship).

** Also toyed with in the episode where Mulder meets his reincarnating soul mate (unfortunately, she's in a suicide cult). Well, that or she had multiple personality disorder. Under hypnosis, she recalls the details of several of their past lives, which involve several of the show's characters as previous reincarnations as well. One such scenario was described as Mulder and his soul-mate having lost their child (re: his sister) to a drunk driver (re: the Cigarette smoking man), Scully was there too, as Mulder's male best friend.
* ''Series/{{Castle}}'''s NoirEpisode, "The Blue Butterfly", featured the regular cast acting out a 1940s murder in flashback.

* The 80's revival of ''Series/TheTwilightZone'' did an episode starring George Wendt in which his unsuccessful inventor begins having/living visions of his alternate self in a SteamPunk-ish parallel universe. In the end [[spoiler: the two men voluntarily trade places.]]

[[folder:Film]]
* In the movie of ''Film/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' Buffy has dreams of her and her watcher as previous slayers and watchers.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* The early (1940) AlternateHistory short story ''Wheels of If'' by L. Sprague de Camp involves a man who wakes up as his alternate selves in a variety of timelines. Rather than there being an infinite number of variations, there is a small finite number of timelines in which a man lives who is close enough to being the protagonist that their consciousnesses can be interchanged.[[/folder]]

** The most famous, but not the only example from that show - there was a holodeck JamesBond spoof that played as visions of other selves.

* ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesIII'' did this somewhat ridiculously and for no good reason by having an ancestor of Casey Jones (and played by the same actor) be a British ne'er-do-well stuck in Ancient Japan for some reason (presumably so that April O'Neil would have someone to relate to).

* ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles III'' did this somewhat ridiculously and for no good reason by having an ancestor of Casey Jones (and played by the same actor) be a British ne'er-do-well stuck in Ancient Japan for some reason (presumably so that April O'Neil would have someone to relate to).

* The third book in ''Literature/LegendsOfLaconia'' has this as its main story. {{Reincarnation}} is involved.[[/folder]]

** At least one of these episodes lampshaded and subverted the idea, with Hercules playing KevinSorbo. Including throwing Ares out of a moving car.

* The Naruto movie "Road to Ninja" seems to be this, considering everyone(minus Naruto and Sakura)'s personalities are different than usual. [[spoiler: There are hints it's actually a LotusEaterMachine.]]

* The setting of ''Manga/Saiyuki'' takes place 500 years ago, showing the past lives of the main characters. Three of the four are previous incarnations [[spoiler:and get killed]], while the last is imprisoned for 500 years and is found by the present incarnation of one of the three.

* The setting of ''SaiyukiGaiden'' takes place 500 years ago, showing the past lives of the main characters. Three of the four are previous incarnations [[spoiler:and get killed]], while the last is imprisoned for 500 years and is found by the present incarnation of one of the three.

* A very sad example exists in MÄR, [[spoiler: Snow is a clone of Koyuki created from a piece of her soul. She was never supposed to exist in MÄR Heaven. As a little girl, Snow drempt of Koyuki and Ginta on Earth, and became infatuated with him and jealous of her other self. She doesn't have explicit memories of this for most of series but in her own words, was subconsciously aware she was a mere copy of Koyuki. Just she starts to get over this, she ends up being killed by The King, proclaiming her love for Ginta while dying in his arms. At the end of the series, Snow merges her soul back into Koyuki to become one whole person to be with Ginta. Note this is only in the anime.]]

* The setting of ''SaiyukiGaiden'' takes place 500 years ago, showing the past lives of the main characters. Three of the four are previous incarnations [[spoiler:and get killed]], while the last is imprisoned for 500 years and is found by the present incarnation of one of the three.

* Both ''{{Roswell}}'' and ''{{Smallville}}'' have played out forbidden romantic pairings (etc.) by re-telling them in an historical context.

* In ''{{The X-Files}}'' episode "Triangle", Mulder dreams (or did he?) of going back in time on a ghost ship he was looking for, with key characters as the cast of it. Of course, Mulder is still convinced they are all who they really are, and ends up planting a rather passionate kiss on the non-Scully, who gives him a sucker punch to the cheek for his efforts.

* ''Series/{{Stargate SG-1}}'''s ''The Changeling'': Is Teal'C in fact an average Earth firefighter? No. But it made for an interesting episode.

* ''KamenRiderHibiki'' takes place around 2005. TheMovie takes place in the "samurai era" but features parallel versions of all the main characters. A few of them even have the same names.