History Main / AlternateSelf

* This idea is explored in detail in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' fic ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5021697/1/Doppelgangers Doppelgangers]]'', by Creator/AAPessimal, which builds on a scene in ''The Light Fantastic'' where Rincewind is flipped onto Earth and for a moment sees life on Earth through the eyes of his alternate self there. Establishing a link between Discworld and Roundworld (Earth), the story builds and establishes clear links between the two worlds. Rincewind turns out to be not the ''only'' Discworlder to have a Doppelganger on Earth...

** The very first Discworld book, ''Literature/TheColourOfMagic'', has the Wizzard Rincewind flipped onto Earth and for a moment he sees life on Earth through the eyes of his alternate self there. His friend Twoflower also has an alternate self on the Roundworld.

* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' introduced an alternate version of the ''Fate'' series' iconic Saber ([[GenderFlip Altria]] [[Myth/KingArthur Pendragon]]) as a Lancer. This version traded Excalibur for the holy spear Rhongonmyniad; this has some positive benefits (she's more mature, both [[BuxomIsBetter physically]] and mentally, because Excalibur [[NotAllowedToGrowUp suppressed her growth]]) and some negative ones (like the spear turning her into a KnightTemplar). There's even a slight variation on this within the game, as the playable version gave up Rhongonmyniad after 10 years and mellowed out while the NPC version held onto it and went full villain and [[PhysicalGod goddess]].

* A huge plot point in ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'' where the protagonist Yuya and deuteragonist Yuzu each have three people that look exactly like them in three separate dimensions.
* In ''Manga/EdensZero'', this is what happens whenever a planet's time gets eaten by a [[SpacetimeEater Chronophage]], which essentially erases the planet and replaces it with an earlier version of itself, including anyone who was on the planet at the time. Since this isn't really time travel, anyone from the "past" can live an entirely different life from before without setting off any time paradoxes, because the rewind is still a part of history. This allows the "past" and "present" versions of Weisz, one of the main characters, to co-exist because "Present Weisz" managed to escape the planet without being [[RetGone erased]].

* ''Fanfic/OnACrossAndArrow'' is about the main characters of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' finding themselves in a {{Gender Flip}}ped alternate universe and running into their counterparts (Dusk Shine, Berry Bubble, [[NamesTheSame Applejack]], Rainbow Blitz, Elusive, and Butterscotch).

** Similarly, the comics continuation introduces [[spoiler: an entire multiverse of Darkwings who happen to be various different pop culture figures, such as [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing Simba]] and Creator/LadyGaga.]]

* ''Fanfic/NobodyDies'' has an entire story arc devoted to this.

However, in some SpeculativeFiction, a Alternate Self can also be created by a TeleporterAccident, or even a extreme case of CloningBlues, where the clone somehow keeps the personality, skills and memories of the original.

* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' got several full arcs of these in continuity and about as much outside of it. Tedd exists and has self-esteem issues in ''[[InSpiteOfANail every]]'' AlternateUniverse--even the one where aliens fought in the American Revolutionary War and every third or so guy around is a HalfHumanHybrid. In another version, he calls himself Omega Tedd and may or may not be planning to invade the other universes to kill his inferior selves. [[OrcusOnHisThrone Eventually]]. The main character Ellen is herself an OppositeSexClone of Elliot, and has a [[CloningBlues crisis of identity]] from the moment of her creation due to having all of the original's memories, personality traits, and extreme reluctance with being trapped in female form, which is only compounded by (later disproven) fears that the cloning process would give her a lifespan of less than a month. She is later granted, through magical dreams, the memories and experiences of one of her ''own'' alternate selves so that she can build a separate life for herself as Elliot's "sister."

* The Musical ''Theatre/IfThen'' follows a woman named Elizabeth as she takes two alternatives (as "Liz" and "Beth") in starting her new life in New York.

* ''ComicBook/CityOfDreams'': the protagonist is quite different in her dreams compared to her waking world self.

* ''Fanfic/EquestriaAcrossTheMultiverse'' is all about multiversal exploration, so naturally the protagonists run into a ''lot'' of these, though not always with the same names (such as the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTales'' universe versions of Shining Armor and Mayor Mare being Sincere Heart and President Pony respectively), and there being multiple versions of the same person present at the Jaunting Base at any one time is rather common. In fact, one of its residents is an alternate version of Minuette who's Equestria all [[BrainUploading transcended into virtual beings]] who lives in their computer systems as MissionControl.

* ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBoilingPoint'': [[spoiler:An alternate version of Chloe of the Vermillion from ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossoingTrail'' exists, the main differences in their personalities and attire. WordOfGod even states that the Chloe Cerise in this story is from a different universe.]]

* In ''WebAnimation/{{Underverse}}'', in season 1 alone there are eight different versions of Sans running around, and that's excluding the ones who just ''happen'' to look like him.

* Creator/DCComics: ''Comicbook/FinalCrisis: Superman Beyond 3D'' is essentially a team of Franchise/{{Superman}} counterparts from the 52 Universes. Not all of them are alternate versions of Clark himself (there's a Comicbook/CaptainAtom and a [[Comicbook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]]), but most of them are.
* Marvel's ''ComicBook/WhatIf'' rarely showed alternate selves meeting, but its SpiritualSuccessor, ''Comicbook/{{Exiles}}'', often had such meetings.

** Post-Flashpoint Power Girl is ''very'' reluctant to meet her mainstream universe self at first partly because she is worried the universe would explode if they actually touched. When they finally meet in ''[[Comicbook/{{Supergirl 2011}} Supergirl Volume 6]]'' #19 [[spoiler: the universe is fine, the two Karas psychically bond and kick butt together, and the only snag is Supergirl's fortress AI mistaking Power Girl, then Supergirl herself for a clone and trying to destroy her.]]

* ''ComicBook/TheMultiversity'', being a multiverse crisis event, features a number of alternate versions of DCU characters, including Earth-4's versions of the Creator/CharltonComics heroes, Earth-5's versions of [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} the Marvel Family]], [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Earth-10's Kal-L, Earth-23's Kalel]], etc. Taken to the next level in ''Thunderworld #1'', which sees [[Comicbook/{{Shazam}} Sivanas]] from across the multiverse team up.
* ''Comicbook/{{Convergence}}'' features multiple versions of characters from DC's pre-ComicBook/{{New 52}} timelines/universes meeting each other and the people they know.

* The ''ComicBook/SecretWars2015'' miniseries ''Thors'' has many different versions of Thor collectively serving as Battleworld's police and a serial murderer killing off versions of [[Comicbook/{{Thor|2014}} Jane Foster]] and [[Comicbook/TheMightyThor Donald Blake]]. The whole event is set up so that almost every major character has alternate selves running around ''except'' for Doctor Doom and the majority of the Comicbook/FantasticFour. As in only one Doom, Sue Storm (Mrs. Doom), Johnny Storm (is the "sun"), Ben Grimm (is the "Shield" containing the more lethal territories), Franklin and Valeria... and no Reed Richards at all. Until the survivors arrive including ''two'' of him (Mr. Fantastic from the main universe, and the Maker from the Ultimate Marvel one).

** The fic ''FanFic/SlippingBetweenWorlds'' takes this a step further, tidying up loose ends from ''Literature/ReaperMan'' and ''Literature/TheScienceOfDiscworld'' to suggest a mechanism by which people from Earth can end up on Discworld. And not only people (Alice Band) but ''whole countries'' turn out to have Discworld alternate selves...

* ''Fanfic/EquestriaGirlsFriendshipSouls'': While the main premise of ''Equestria Girls'' is alternate versions of ''My Little Pony'' characters as humans the crossover with ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' adds more layers too it with the counterparts of characters like Discord, Sombra, Torch, Lightning Dust, Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash's parents, Blueblood, and [[spoiler: Bount Trixie]] ending up in different places and moralities than their Equestrian versions thanks to the different powers they have, the cultures they grew up in, and the events they experienced; the end result tends to make then [[{{Foil}} Foils]] to their other self in some way.

* The Kingdom Hearts fanfic [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8608709/24/Lost-Boys Lost Boys]] has Maleficent screwing with Sora by showing him his {{Canon}} self. She even offers to restore it, but he refuses in the thought that he can't be that happy anymore, not when he's been depressed and traumatized for so long. He falls into a HBSOD as he wonders what on earth he did to deserve his crappy life.
* ''[[Fanfic/TheLifeIsAGameMultiverse Mass Effect: Life is a Game]]'' and its [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9339660/1/Mass-Effect-2-Life-is-a-Game sequel]] have a RealityWarper offer Male!Paragon!Shepard a one-way trip from [[Franchise/MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'s endgame to the beginning of the series. Upon arriving in his past, Shepard realizes that a Female!Renegade!Shepard has accidentally fallen into his world as well, so he introduces her as his wife.

* ''FanFic/NobodyDies'' has an entire story arc devoted to this.
* ''FanFic/OnACrossAndArrow'' is about the main characters of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' finding themselves in a {{Gender Flip}}ped alternate universe and running into their counterparts (Dusk Shine, Berry Bubble, [[NamesTheSame Applejack]], Rainbow Blitz, Elusive, and Butterscotch).
* In ''FanFic/OriginStory'', Alex Harris is an alternate self of Power Girl. At first, Alex thinks that she is Xander Harris with Kara's memories, but later comes to realize that she's actually a melding of both Xander and Kara, with her own experiences and opinions.
* The ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'' reveals the main timeline is simply one in a ''very'' large multiverse, the GenderFlip universe from ''FanFic/OnACrossAndArrow'' is one of them. [[spoiler:This leads to a pretty [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome awesome moment]] when Applejack teams up with Orangejack, her alternate self from a world were she didn't see the Sonic Rainboom, to fight Nightmare Mirror, ''another'' alternate version of her who'd not only gone [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Nightmare]], but become a MultiversalConqueror. To defeat her, [[GondorCallsForAid Applejack summons four other alternate versions of herself]] that represent the other Elements.]]

* The ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' fanfic Fanfic/TheWorldWithoutTheWar has an {{omake}} in which the cast meet their canon-counterparts. Usually causing freak-outs on both sides. Until [[MemeticBadass Toph meets Toph]].

** Two different Ranmas meet and talk in [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1041573/18/ Girl Talk,]] part of ''FanFic/TheReturn'' fan-verse.

** [[spoiler:When Nebula and Rhodey travel to back in time to the beginning of ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy,'' 2014 Thanos gets wind of their plans and teleports to their present where he's already been killed. He is accompanied by Gamora, Nebula, the Black Order and his entire army. Most of them are snapped out of existence by Tony Stark, with a few, including 2014 Nebula, killed beforehand in the climactic battle. 2014 Gamora, however, survives and will reemerge in ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.'']]

* In Roleplay/{{Glowfic}} most of the characters are alternate versions of character "templates". They have usually almost identical appearances and personalities, and most templated characters will have similar names, to varying degrees, for example the "Bell" template always have the syllable "bel" somewhere in their birth names, unless the phonetics of the local language doesn't support it, in which case they will have the closest equivalent that works with the language. Even some characters that were originally unique have subsequently had alternate versions found when new worlds are discovered.

* This is also prevalent ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes''. Due to it being a gacha game and how its Summoning system works, the player can potentially summon ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' characters from various points in time, and even to [[AlternateTimeline Alternate Timelines]].

* ''Videogame/RatchetAndClankRiftApart'' deals with a temporal problem that results in alternate universe versions of characters making appearances, with the most prominent being Rivet, an alternate DistaffCounterpart of Ratchet as well as Kit, who's the same for Clank. Aside from them there are various other alternate versions of characters who are typically just as if not more capable than their mainline counterparts with the most prominent being Emperor Nefarious, who is bigger, nastier and overall a more successful supervillain than Dr. Nefarious.

* Naturally, ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League]]'' had a two-part episode about this. In a parallel universe, Lex Luthor killed the Flash and, as a result, is murdered by Superman (it's also implied that Lex, who had become President of the United States in that timeline, was about to start a nuclear World War III). This ultimately leads to the remaining five members of the League rebranding themselves as the Justice Lords, who turn the planet into a police state with themselves in control and drop their generalized rules of ThouShaltNotKill--yes, even ''Batman''. Since they virtually eliminated all crime, Lord!Batman started fiddling with interdimensional travel and found the main-universe Justice League. Then the Justice Lords decide to do it all again in the Justice League universe...

* As part of the ComicBook/SpiderVerse event, the ''WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan'' series had its own feature-length take on a team up across the multiverse, as Spider-Man pursued the Green Goblin from one universe to the next. The participants were new versions of [[GenderFlip Spider-Girl,]] ComicBook/SpiderMan2099, ComicBook/SpiderManNoir, ComicBook/SpiderHam, [[DungeonPunk Spyder-Knight,]] and even young ComicBook/MilesMorales.

* ''{{Series/Legion|2017}}'' takes place in an AlternateUniverse which is separate from the ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'', so the Charles Xavier portrayed by Creator/HarryLloyd has a different life from the Creator/PatrickStewart-Creator/JamesMcAvoy version. He's a full-blooded Englishman instead of being half-British, half-American, he was a young adult instead of a child during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and fought as a British army officer, plus he got married and had a son instead of remaining a bachelor and childless.

* ''{{Series/Legion|2017}}'' takes place in an AlternateUniverse which is separate from the ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'', so the Charles Xavier portrayed by Creator/HarryLloyd has a different life from the Creator/PatrickStewart-Creator/JamesMcAvoy version. He's a full-blooded Englishman instead of being half-British, half-American, he was a young adult instead of a child during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and fought as a British soldier, plus he got married and had a son instead of remaining a bachelor and childless.

* ''Series/Legion2017'' takes place in an AlternateUniverse which is separate from the ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'', so the Charles Xavier portrayed by Creator/HarryLloyd has a different life from the Creator/PatrickStewart-Creator/JamesMcAvoy version. He's a full-blooded Englishman instead of being half-British, half-American, he was a young adult instead of a child during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and fought as a British soldier, plus he got married and had a son instead of remaining a bachelor and childless.

** ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'' reveals that Creator/SamRaimi's ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'' and Marc Webb's ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries'' are parallel universes to the MCU, retroactively making many characters in those franchises alternate selves to their MCU counterparts. [[spoiler:Peter Parker ends up meeting his own counterparts from both of said universes.]]

* The ''ComicBook/SecretWars2015'' miniseries ''Thors'' has many different versions of Thor collectively serving as Battleworld's police and a serial murderer killing off versions of ComicBook/JaneFoster and [[Comicbook/TheMightyThor Donald Blake]]. The whole event is set up so that almost every major character has alternate selves running around ''except'' for Doctor Doom and the majority of the Comicbook/FantasticFour. As in only one Doom, Sue Storm (Mrs. Doom), Johnny Storm (is the "sun"), Ben Grimm (is the "Shield" containing the more lethal territories), Franklin and Valeria... and no Reed Richards at all. Until the survivors arrive including ''two'' of him (Mr. Fantastic from the main universe, and the Maker from the Ultimate Marvel one).

* ''Fanfic/EquestriaGirlsFriendshipSouls'': While the main premise of ''Equestria Girls'' is alternate versions of ''My Little Pony'' characters as humans the crossover with ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' adds more layers too it with the counterparts of characters like Discord, Sombra, Torch, Lightning Dust, Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash's parents, Blueblood, and [[spoiler: Bount Trixie]] ending up in different places and moralities than their Equestrian versions thanks to the different powers they have, the cultures they grew up in, and the events they experienced; the end result tends to make then [[{{Foil}} Foils]] to their other self in some way.