History Main / DeliriousMisidentification

* PlayedForLaughs in ''Anime/OnePieceFilmStrongWorld''. Shiki sometimes mistakes his subordinate Scarlet for his mother.
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Aizen once subtly trapped Hitsugaya and others in his illusion shikai, making them believe that his subordinate Momo was Aizen himself. It didn't end well: they almost kill poor Momo under such effects, and Hitsugaya has a screaming HeroicBSOD when he realizes it.

* PlayedForDrama in ''Manga/{{Basilisk}} Kouga Ninpu Chuu'': [[spoiler: As Hotarubi loses her fight with the shapeshifter Saemon and is fatally injured, she mistakes him for her boyfriend Yashamaru, whom Saemon had been impersonating. Saemon [[LetThemDieHappy allows her to die thinking that he's Yashamaru]], who had died few ago.]]

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind'': [[spoiler: After [[AllLovingHero Bucciarati]] (who, prior to this point, has already been a corpse clinging to life by sheer determination alone--and after suffering tremendous injury in a previous battle, even that isn't enough) fends off Secco, he mistakes [[ObliviouslyEvil Doppio]] for Trish due to their similar spiritual signature. Delirious and tired, he talks to the percieved Trish about how he plans to [[TearJerker leave his seaside cottage to her]] after all is settled as Doppio listens silently.]]

* ''Comicbook/{{Hellboy}}'': In "A Christmas Underground", Hellboy visits an old woman on her deathbed who mistakes him for Father Christmas.
* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': In the Beyond! Miniseries, Peter Parker is dying and proceeds to tell Medusa that [[DyingDeclarationOfLove he loves her]] (mistaking her for Mary Jane on account of her red hair). Medusa realises what he actually means and is so moved that she tries to avenge him.
* ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'': In the ''ComicBook/SupergirlSpecial'' one-shot, as Power Girl is putting an aging, injured security guard in an ambulance, the man tells her "Thanks, Supergirl. You're my favorite", mistaking her for her alternate self.

* Invoked in ''Fanfic/TheConcubineMoChronicles'' when the feverish Imperial Brother forgets his reincarnated lover is supposed to stay undercover and calls him by his true name in front of the Emperor, the physician and the servants, which forces the lover to act as if this trope was in play. It's helped by the Emperor believing his brother took a concubine as a ReplacementGoldfish for the lover because of physical similarities, making a mistake not unlikely.

* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/42196158/chapters/105940953 Legends Never Die]]'' Steve Rogers, dying and delirious, thinks Tony, who is trying to comfort him, is Howard Stark - Tony's father and Steve's wartime comrade. Especially angsty because Tony has major issues with Howard - while Steve knew the young, warm hearted and friendly Howard, by the time Tony was born war time trauma had turned Howard into a bitter and neglectful parent. Normally Tony despises any comparison to Howard, but this time he chooses to play along because
** ''"Howard is someone Steve will be able to cling to for protection. Tony is someone Steve feels bound to protect. It might be a little easier for him if he thinks he is with Howard, with someone to whom he can admit he's afraid, he's hurting. If he no longer wastes what little is left of his life, his strength, trying to stay stoic for Tony."''

* In ''[[Fanfic/OurTimeIsNow The Ripple Effect]]'', Eric tries to kill Jerrica but he accidentally attacks Deidre in his mentally ill state. He can't tell the difference between the two blondes.
* In [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/12644136 Scrooge Van Winkle]] an exhausted Scrooge mistakes Lena for Webby. Lena plays along and pretends she is an older Webby and Scrooge was in the money bin longer then he thought.

* At the climax of ''[[Fanfic/{{Eleutherophobia}} The Thing from Another World]]'', [[spoiler:Tom and Alloran enter Marco's room to tell him how he's going to be cured of TheVirus. Marco freaks out because thinks they're still [[MeatPuppet Controllers]] and are going to [[FateWorseThanDeath infest]] him.]]
* ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs Warhammer 40K]]'': Early in the Second Battle of Axum, a [[MilitaryMage Primaris Psyker]] named Gaksian collapses to the ground after fatally overusing his psyker abilities to save his Imperial Guard unit from a Jedi ambush. Gak is picked up by an Ogryn named Runk, who he can barely make out in his dying state and initially misidentifies as Sly Marbo upon slowly regaining his vision.

* ''Literature/{{Hurog}}'': In ''Literature/DragonBones'', Ward's constantly drug-addled (to the point that one can assume her brain is damaged) mother mistakes him for his own father. In a more dramatic example, Oreg, who has been a slave to Ward's male ancestors for ''centuries'' mistakes him for a man that had treated him very badly, while he is having a PTSD-triggered flashback to the time when it happened. He can't hurt Ward physically, but this moment is when [[spoiler:Ward realizes that this nasty ancestor was his worshipped idol, the one he wanted to be like. Not anymore. Oreg later tries to comfort him by pointing out that the guy wasn't ''all'' bad, but it doesn't help much, as that was Ward's only role model.]]

* ''Series/{{MASH}}''

* In ''Theatre/LuciaDiLammermoor'', at one point during Lucia's Mad Scene, her brother Enrico bursts into the room to berate her for murdering her husband, and in her madness she thinks he's her lover Edgardo cursing her for marrying another man. In some performances, she even [[BrotherSisterIncest tries to give Enrico a romantic kiss.]]

* The premise for ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' is that in an alternate reality, the Joker gassed Superman with a drug that made him see Lois Lane as Doomsday, whom Superman then proceeded to beat to death (offscreen). [[FromBadToWorse To make matters worse,]] the atomic bomb that the Joker rigged up was synced to Lois' heart rate. Once she died, the entire city of Metropolis was destroyed. This forces Superman past the MoralEventHorizon, turning the entire world into a police state where he believes UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans.
* ''VideoGame/TheSuffering'': ''Ties That Bind'' features a drug addict kid (suffering withdrawal) mistaking the protagonist for his father. Unlike most examples it's played for drama rather than laughs (you have the choice between letting him die or escorting him to his friend's stash).
* ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland''

** More seriously, in ''VideoGame/TalesOfMonkeyIsland'', when [[spoiler:Guybrush is mortally wounded in Elaine's arms, he mumbles, "Is that you, mother? I washed my hands..."]]
* ''VideoGame/Onmyoji2016''

* Early in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'', after getting [[HopelessBossFight knocked out]] in a fight against [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII Squall]], Sora thinks he sees Kairi talking to him about the Heartless when he wakes up, but it's actually [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Yuffie]].
* ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'': The old man in the boat rental shop mistakes Phoenix and Maya for his children Keith and Meg respectfully. He asks them to take over his pasta shop (that also rents out boats). [[spoiler: However, it turns out that he was faking his dementia the whole time.]]
* Near the end of ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'' you fight a [[HeavilyArmoredMook Heavy Trooper]] that Walker perceives as [[spoiler: his dead squadmate, Lugo.]] This only happens once per game; if you die while fighting him, the game will spawn a normal Heavy Trooper when you're revived at the last checkpoint.
* ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar II'': After being interred in a Dreadnought, Davian Thule mistakes Thaddeus for Gabriel Angelos, telling him "the secrets of Cyrene lie safe with me". Once he gets better used to it, he no longer gets anyone mixed up.
* In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'', Quelaag's nameless ill sister mistakes you, the PlayerCharacter, for her, because she is continuously wrecked by a horrific disease to the point of blindness. To make matters worse, you have to have killed Quelaag to meet her sister, and the game doesn't miss a chance to [[YouMonster rub it in]].
* ''VideoGame/DiabloII'': Marius, who has gone completely insane, is telling of the events that occured in the backstory of the game to a visitor, who he thinks is the [[BigGood Archangel Tyrael]], culminating with the ruined man entrusting Tyrael with [[BigBad Baal's]] soulstone. Then he discovers that his visitor isn't Tyrael--[[spoiler:it's none other than Baal himself.]]
* In ''{{VideoGame/Spiritfarer}}'', one of the spirits that [[{{Psychopomp}} Stella must escort to the afterlife]] is Alice, an [[ScatterbrainedSenior elderly hedgehog whose mind is rapidly degenerating from dementia]]. When it comes around for her time to go, she has no memory of who Stella is, leaving Stella to pretend to be Alice's granddaughter Annie as she assists her to the Everdoor.

* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', Gil misidentifies ''everything'' for a while after being thrown against a wall by a clank and being in pain from a number of previous injuries. He spends a number of pages convinced that he's in Paris, rescuing DamselInDistress Zola from a number of deadly traps [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20090722#.Vv1QBOIrLIU without realising.]]
--> '''Gil:''' ''[to a suit of armour]'' Pardonnez-moi, monsieur, mais où est la catastrophe?
* ''Webcomic/SomethingPositive''

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'': In "Reptar's Revenge", after Angelica takes an incredibly fast and nauseating spin on a carnival ride.

* In ''Webcomic/SomethingPositive'', an Alzheimer's-afflicted Fred mistakes [=PeeJee=] for his [[spoiler:late]] wife, Faye. She plays along to give Fred one more moment with his beloved.

* In ''VideoGame/Onmyoji2016'', once Awakened, Yōkinshi can cause his enemies to become confused and [[SetAMookToKillAMook whack each other]] using [[MusicalAssassin his music]].

* The premise for ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' is that in an alternate reality, the Joker gassed Superman was a drug that made him see Lois Lane as Doomsday, whom he then proceeded to beat to death (offscreen). [[FromBadToWorse To make matters worse,]] the atomic bomb that the Joker rigged up was synced to Lois' heart rate. Once she died, the entire city of Metropolis was destroyed. This forces Superman past the MoralEventHorizon, turning the entire world into a police state where he believes UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans.

* One episode of ''Series/{{MASH}}'' has a dying patient mistake Nurse Kellye for his girlfriend from home. Kellye goes along with it because that's the kind of compassionate person she is.

* ''Comicbook/{{Spider Man}}'': In the Beyond! Miniseries, Peter Parker is dying (it’s complicated) and proceeds to tell Medusa that [[DyingDeclarationOfLove he loves her]] (mistaking her for Mary Jane on account of her red hair). Medusa realises what he actually means and is so moved that she tries to avenge him.

* In ''[[VideoGame/{{Onmyoji}} Onmyōji]]'', once Awakened, Yōkinshi can cause his enemies to become confused and [[SetAMookToKillAMook whack each other]] using [[MusicalAssassin his music]].

* ''Comicbook/{{Spider Man}}'': Peter Parker is dying (it’s complicated) and proceeds to tell Medusa that [[DyingDeclarationOfLove he loves her]] (mistaking her for Mary Jane on account of her red hair). Medusa realises what he actually means and is so moved that she tries to avenge him.

* ''Comicbook/{{Spider Man}}'': Peter Parker is dying (it’s complicated) and proceeds to tell Medusa that the loves her (mistaking her for Mary Jane on account of her red hair). Medusa realises what he actually means and is so moved that she tries to avenge him.

* ''Comicbook/{{SpiderMan}}'' Peter Parker is dying (it’s complicated) and proceeds to tell Medusa that the loves her (mistaking her for Mary Jane on account of her red hair). Medusa realises what he actually means and is so moved that she tries to avenge him.

* ''Comicbook/{{SpiderMan}}'' Peter Parker is dying (it’s complicated) and proceeds to mistake Medusa for Mary Jane. He gives a [[DyingDeclarationOfLove]]. Medusa catches on and is so upset she tries to avenge him.

* This is a RunningGag throughout the ''Film/BackToTheFuture'' film series, with Marty blearily waking up in a number of strange beds and saying "Mom? Mom, is that you?" Subverted in that at least once the person with him ''was'' his mother - albeit somewhat younger than he'd anticipated.

* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/42196158/chapters/105940953 Legends Never Die]]'' Steve Rogers, dying and delirious, thinks Tony, who is trying to comfort him, is Howard Stark - Tony's father and Steve's wartime comrade. Especially angsty because Tony has major issues with Howard - while Steve knew the young, warm hearted and friendly Howard, by the time Tony was born war time trauma had turned Howard into a bitter and neglectful parent. Normally Tony despises any comparison to Howard, but this time he chooses to play along because
** ''"Howard is someone Steve will be able to cling to for protection. Tony is someone Steve feels bound to protect. It might be a little easier for him if he thinks he is with Howard, with someone to whom he can admit he’s afraid, he’s hurting. If he no longer wastes what little is left of his life, his strength, trying to stay stoic for Tony."''

* After being poisoned in a botched assassination attempt in ''[[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/5840836/1/Your-Son Your Son]]'', a delirious Edward mistakes Mustang for his father, thinking he finally came back. Mustang, already feeling guilty due to being the assassin's intended target, plays along.
* In ''[[Fanfic/OurTimeIsNow The Ripple Effect]]'', Eric tries to kill Jerrica but he accidentally attacks Deidre in his mentally ill state. He can't tell the difference between the two blondes.
* A feverish and near-death Roy in ''Fanfic/ThePlanets'' mistakes Winry for Riza. Riza's [[spoiler:recent death]] was the entire reason he [[spoiler:lost his arm]] in the first place.
* ''Fanfic/SoWedBothBeFree'': On his deathbed, an ill Ozai mistakes his daughter Azula for her mother Ursa.

* ''Fanfic/DearDiary'': A dying [[spoiler:Prima]] mistakes the Audino nurse for [[spoiler:Opal]], who was forcibly kept away from her. The nurse decides to go with it to [[LetThemDieHappy let her die happy.]]

* Invoked in ''Fanfic/TheConcubineMoChronicles'' when the feverish Imperial Brother forgets his reincarnated lover is supposed to stay undercover and calls him by his true name in front of the Emperor, the physician and the servants, which forces the lover to act as if this trope was in play. It's helped by the Emperor believing his brother took a concubine as a ReplacementGoldfish for the lover because of physical similarities, making a mistake not unlikely.

In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/42196158/chapters/105940953 Legends Never Die]]'' Steve Rogers, dying and delirious, thinks Tony, who is trying to comfort him, is Howard Stark - Tony's father and Steve's wartime comrade. Especially angsty because Tony has major issues with Howard - while Steve knew the young, warm hearted and friendly Howard, by the time Tony was born war time trauma had turned Howard into a bitter and neglectful parent. Normally Tony despises any comparison to Howard, but this time he chooses to play along because
** ''Howard is someone Steve will be able to cling to for protection. Tony is someone Steve feels bound to protect. It might be a little easier for him if he thinks he is with Howard, with someone to whom he can admit he’s afraid, he’s hurting. If he no longer wastes what little is left of his life, his strength, trying to stay stoic for Tony.''

* In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'', Quelaag's nameless IllGirl sister mistakes you, the PlayerCharacter, for her, because she is continuously wrecked by a horrific disease to the point of blindness. To make matters worse, you have to have killed Quelaag to meet her sister, and the game doesn't miss a chance to [[YouMonster rub it in]].

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind'': [[spoiler: When [[AllLovingHero Bucciarati]] (Who, prior to this point, has already been a corpse clinging to life by sheer determination alone--and after suffering tremendous injury in-battle, even that isn't enough), he mistakes [[ObliviouslyEvil Doppio]] for Trish due to their similar spiritual signature. Delirious and tired, he talks to the percieved Trish about how he plans to leave his seaside cottage to her after all is settled as [[JekyllAndHyde Doppio/Diavolo]] listens silently.]]

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind'': [[spoiler: When [[AllLovingHero Bucciarati]] (Who, prior to this point, has already become a corpse clinging to life by sheer determination alone--and after suffering tremendous injury in-battle, even that isn't enough) , he mistakes [[ObliviouslyEvil Doppio]] for Trish due to their similar spiritual signature. Delirious and tired, he talks to the percieved Trish about how he plans to leave his seaside cottage to her after all is settled as the main villain in disguise listens silently.]]

A SubTrope of MistakenIdentity. May involve WakingNonSequitur or NonSequiturThud, and may cause a ComfortTheDying scenario. See also SetAMookToKillAMook for when this is [[ExploitedTrope exploited** — by making the mook think the other mooks are their enemies.