Evil Counterpart / Live-Action Films

aka: Film

Examples of Evil Counterparts in Live-Action Films.

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The following have their own pages:

• DC Extended Universe
• Harry Potter
• Marvel Cinematic Universe

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Individual examples:

• Alien:
  • In Aliens Bishop is the Good Counterpart to Ash from the first movie as both are androids but while Ash is a psychotic killer, Bishop is a Benevolent A.I. who saves Ripley and Newt from the Catastrophic Countdown. Also both are fascinated by the Xenomorphs but Bishop doesn’t want his companions to be butchered like Ash did.
  • Thematically, the Alien Queen is a kind of Evil Counterpart to Ripley in that they both deeply care for their children (or adoptive children in Ripley's case), which leads to the famous Mama Bear fight at the end.
• The Amazing Spider-Man Series: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 effectively shakes up the classic dynamic between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin by making Harry Osborn the Goblin from the get-go, and playing up his similarities to Peter. In addition the being the same age as Peter, Harry gets pushed into his Start of Darkness by the death of his father figure, and he eventually gets his superpowers from a self-inflicted dose of the same spider venom that gave Peter his abilities in the first movie.
  • Electro also plays a similar role. As the lost and awkward kid like Peter, but one who never grew up and thus sunk lower. Like Peter was earlier he is often bullied and is socially awkward to the extreme. Both also love and are skilled in the field of science. Both also go through an accidents that gives them superpowers. In a deleted scene they reveal that Max still lives with his mother, a situation that somewhat resembles the way Peter lives with his maternal figure Aunt May.
• In Black Swan, Lily might be this to Nina. Nina frequently hallucinates a phantom doppelganger that seems to mean her harm.
  • This mirrors Swan Lake, the ballet the film is centered around; Odile the Black Swan, is this to the White Swan, Odette.
• Blade Runner 2049 actually gives an Evil Counterpart to a character from the 1982 movie: Luv to Racheal. Both are dark haired females Replicants with the same haircut with a fringe. Both work directly for the respective Evil, Inc. CEOs (Tyrell for Racheal and Wallace for Luv) and were named by said men. Both Racheal and Luv are attracted to a Blade Runner and break their programming allowing them to feel real emotions. The difference is that Racheal was kind and humane, only committing violence to save Deckard. Luv on the other hand is cruel and violent being unable to handle her conflicted emotions and remains loyal to Wallace despite how Obviously Evil he is.
• In Braveheart, Prince Edward II effectively plays this role for Robert the Bruce. As both are young men on opposite sides of the conflict with the apparent destiny to become kings, and are also kept within the controlling grip of their father. Both of which slowly die from a debilitating illness. Where the two ultimately diverge however is that Robert manages to find his strength and courage. Standing up to his father and then continuing the battle for independence in the stead of William Wallace. Edward's lover Philip tries to get him to similarly stand up to his father, and though he replies that, "I will stand up to him and more," he ultimately never truly does.
• The Shirley Temple flick Bright Eyes amusingly pairs Shirley with a bratty, mean Evil Counterpart little girl who picks on her.
• The three antagonists in Batman Returns represent the evil opposite of Batman's personas:
  • The Penguin: The orphaned "freak".
  • Catwoman: The costumed vigilante.
  • Max Shreck: The billionaire public figure.
• In The Batman (2022) the Riddler blatantly serves as this for Batman, both are orphans who jumped off the deep end, create new identities for themselves and enact their own forms of justice upon on Gotham although Riddler murders while Bruce of course holds back from killing. They both even have same entrance appearing menacingly from the shadows, watch people through binoculars and use their intelligence to achieve their goals. Part of Bruce’s Character Development in the film is him recognising that he is unintentionally making evil counterparts like Riddler out of people through his influence as The Dreaded, and that he needs to be a Hope Bringer to Gotham instead.
• The Dark Knight Trilogy by Christopher Nolan is filled with this...
  • In Batman Begins...
    • Ra's al Ghul like Bruce is motivated by the loss of somebody he loved, and thus sought justice and like Batman became a vigilante that goes past the limits of the law. Bruce like Ra's becomes trained by and a member of the centuries old vigilante organization known as the League of Shadows.
    • Scarecrow reflects Batman in how the manipulation and induction of fear are their primary weapons. Both also know and highlight the importance of using "masks".
  • In The Dark Knight...
    • Batman & The Joker are both described as having no limits. The former crosses merely judicial limits, the latter crosses limits that are moral. Batman appears out of nowhere to offer his assistance to the law in Gotham; despite a rocky start they become trusted colleagues. Joker appears in the same way to offer assistance to the Mob, and eventually proves Eviler than Thou.
    • Harvey Dent, like Bruce Wayne, starts out as good man with something of dark side that is trying to save Gotham City from the crime and corruption that cripples it. Both also share romantic interest in the same woman Rachel Dawes, as she has similar aspirations to them. Both Bruce and Harvey are specifically targeted by the Joker, who wants to both tear them down to "his level". While Batman ultimately resists, Dent winds up giving into it. After a great tragedy that involved the death of a loved one, Dent comes to the point like Bruce where he decides to go beyond the law in his pursuit of justice.
  • In The Dark Knight Rises..
    • Both Bane and Bruce were trained by the League of Shadows, and they're both Genius Bruisers. They both work in an elaborate underground base and they both live and die by their ideals.
    • Catwoman like Batman is a night prowler who dons the persona of an animal to enforce their own special brand of "justice", and uses means like stealth to their advantage. The two while talking to each other also relay the importance of their "masks". She is the only entry to this list however, who does actually come around in the end. Redeeming herself by helping Batman stop Talia's plan.
    • Talia al Ghul in trying to complete the work of her murdered father to destroy Gotham also parallels Bruce and his mission in trying to complete his father's work in saving it. Whilst Bruce was denied the opportunity to get violent revenge against the man who killed his parents Joe Chill, Talia actively tries to get it against the man who she holds responsible for her father's death, Bruce himself.
• The City Of Ember: Sadge and his fellow supply clerk Looper both know that the city is running out of supplies but race in different ways, although they aren't Foils due to never appearing together. Looper is stealing and hoarding to survive the blackouts, doesn't care about what happens to the rest of the city, and is helping the mayor lie to them about how bad things are. Sadge searches the dangerous Unknown Regions for resources or an escape route to save the city and then tries to warn people about how bad things are after giving up hope.
• Demolition Man:
  • Simon Phoenix is this to Edgar Friendly. Both of them hate the emasculated, saccharine world deprived of human freedom created by Cocteau. Phoenix, however, is a maniac who desires the freedom to create as much invokeddestruction and murder as possible, while Friendly believes in freedom to improve people's lives and guide them to their own choices.
  • It can also be said that The Hero John Spartan is the more fitting Good Counterpart to Phoenix. Let's look at the facts: both cause massive destruction wherever they go, both are highly skilled at unarmed fighting, both adore cheesy one liners (which they use on each other frequently) and both Spartan and Phoenix were put in cryo-prison by the police for 70 years due to their actions. Also, the people of the saccharine future world see Spartan and Phoenix as just relics of a barbaric time, while Spartan and Phoenix in turn both despise how soft the future is. It's even more apparent, when you notice both Spartan and Phoenix open fire indoors to scare people (namely Cocteau) into submission, meaning they're not really that different after all. If they weren't on opposing moral sides, Spartan and Phoenix would probably get along like a house on fire.
• Desktop Desperadoes Pointer 95 is Pointer's obsolete brother. Pointer 95 orchestrates a scheme on kidnapping Pointer and transferring his abilities to his own anatomy in spite of all of the risks involved. The two later battle in the Desktop Universe but of course, with his superior abilities and intelligence, Pointer prevails. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc1tr1cwiZs
• Django Unchained
  • Calvin Candie is this to King Schultz. Schultz is cultured, intelligent man who abhors slavery, hunts down and kills criminals, and helps Django, a former slave, become more than slave. Candie is a man who puts on airs and feigns being civilized, while getting off on forcing slaves to fight each other to the death.
  • Stephen himself is one to Django. While Django is man who risks his life to rescue his wife, and develops true friendship with the man who freed him, Stephen openly works with and kisses up to his white masters to enjoy privileges.
• In The Duff, Madison is this to both Jess and Casey. Like them, she's gorgeous and popular, but Jess and Casey are nice girls who deserve their popularity, while Madison is the epitome of the Alpha Bitch.
• Every film in the Expendables series has a lead villain that serves this role to Barney Ross.
  • In The Expendables it is James Munroe. He is a mercenary completely out for profit, similarly to how Barney starts out. He even has a "Not So Different" Remark he gives right before he is killed.
  • In The Expendables 2 it is Jean Vilain. Like Barney he is the leader of a mercenary group, his being The Sangs.
  • In The Expendables 3 it is Conrad Stonebanks. He along with Barney was one of the founding members of the Expendables before being disgraced and becoming a ruthless arms dealer.
• Owen Shaw's team in Fast and Furious 6 is composed of counterparts of Dom's. Rome notices this, and even points out who corresponds to who. The only difference is that while Dom thinks of his team as a family, Shaw views them as nothing more than pieces to be swapped out when necessary.
• In The Godfather Part III Don Osvaldo Altobello and Joey Zasa serve these roles for Michael Corleone and his nephew Vincent Mancini respectively. The first two each is an aged though cunning don who puts on airs of good natured-ness and piety whilst still being crooks beneath it. Whilst Michael is genuine in his desire to change and redeem himself, even if he never truly does, the amiable demeanor is all merely a façade so Altobello can ingratiate himself to those around him. In the case of Vincent and Zasa each is a young up-and-comer who is a flashy hothead. Both wanting respect and higher standing in the criminal underworld. Both trying hard to come off as a cool and classy gangster. Both also wind up serving as subordinates to the previously mentioned older dons and become positioned against their enemies as inside men. Each also carries out a large-scale hit against a number of high-ranking rivals for them. Whether it be Zasa's helicopter hit on the meeting of the Commission in Atlantic City or Vincent putting together the swift stroke that took out the Immobiliare conspirators the night of the opera. Under Michael's wing Vincent is molded into a more refined and methodical man that becomes worthy of being his successor as the Godfather whilst Zasa never stops his showboating nature which ultimately winds up putting him into a position where he gets assassinated.
• Godzilla
  • In the Heisei series, Godzilla gained an Evil Counterpart in Space Godzilla, a being created from a fusion of Biollante (who was a fusion of Godzilla's DNA and rose DNA) and a crystalline entity. While Godzilla was in neutral "force of nature" mode, Space Godzilla was definitely malicious and evil, coming to Earth to torment Godzilla and conquer the planet.
  • An even earlier example of this would be King Ghidorah, especially in the Heisei incarnation in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. Both started out as creatures (A Godzillasaurus and a trio of Dorats respectively) who got mutated by a nuclear/atomic explosion. However, whereas Godzilla became an unstoppable "force of nature" that can't be controlled (at least, not unwillingly), Ghidorah remained under the control of the Futarians (a group of people, and an android, from the future who wanted to prevent Godzilla's existence and use Ghidorah to destroy Japan).
    • In the Showa era, while both are giant destructive monsters, Godzilla destroys merely out of his hatred of humanity and will (reluctantly) ally himself with them against bigger threats to his territory. Ghidorah, on the other hand, merely destroyed cities (and wiped out life on planets) out of sadistic glee.
  • Destoroyah. Both were mutated by superweapons. Both have a breath attack. Both are semi-aquatic life-forms. The difference? Destoroyah is purely and utterly sadistic taking great pleasure in killing anything and everything in sight. Godzilla, on the other hand, will protect the earth (including the humans he hates) from greater threats.
  • Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth introduces Battra as Mothra's evil counterpart. Battra was created by Earth itself to defend nature, specifically from a weather controlling machine made by Advanced Ancient Humans. However, Battra quickly went overboard, attempting to wipe out human civilization entirely to stop our pollution. Thus Mothra was created to defeat him, and protect humanity along with the earth (although she too can be angered by excessive pollution). However, Battra was eventually willing to work together with Mothra in an Enemy Mine against Godzilla, since they share a common goal of defending Earth.
  • Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019):
    • King Ghidorah to Godzilla, as per usual. They're both Alpha Titans, vying against each-other for dominance over the other monsters. Whereas Godzilla embodies Gaia's Vengeance, protecting the world at large and almost never causing more destruction than he needs to, Ghidorah is an extraterrestrial Omnicidal Maniac whose mere biology affronts the natural order, and he enjoys causing as much destruction as he possibly can whilst seeking to eradicate both humans and the natural order from the face of the planet.
    • Ghidorah's Dragon (no pun intended), Rodan, is a dark counterpart to Godzilla's sidekick Mothra, whom he personally clashes with in the Final Battle whilst their respective kings are duking it out with each-other. Rodan and Mothra are both giant flyers, but whereas Mothra is the most protective Titan towards all life, and she remains staunchly loyal to Godzilla (and is the only Titan who does so in the wake of Ghidorah's usurpation of Godzilla); Rodan is a destructive and murderously-aggressive Magma Man who aligns himself with whichever Alpha Titan is currently holding the top spot.
    • Alan Jonah to Dr. Ishirō Serizawa. They both revere the Titans and have a critical view of mankind's mistakes and arrogance, and they're both leaders of one of the two Titan-hunting organizations featured in the movie. But whereas Serizawa is a good man who truly cares about people's lives, is wary of humans meddling in things we don't understand, and worships Godzilla; Jonah is a Misanthrope Supreme who has no qualms about tampering with nature to get what he wants, and he's rooting for King Ghidorah to remain the new King of the Monsters over Godzilla.
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Angel Eyes to Blondie/The Man With No Name.
• Glory has the Negro irregulars to the 54th Massachusetts.
• In The Great Race you have Professor Fate to the Great Leslie. In that they are competing daredevils with trustee sidekicks. The good vs evil contrast being played to its utmost extreme, right down to Leslie always wearing white and Fate in black.
• Hellraiser: Bloodline introduces the Elysium Configuration, the good counterpart to the series' iconic Lament Configuration puzzle box. It takes several generations of the original box-maker's family to perfect the design, which when finally built consists of a massive space station and several satellites that utilize mirrors and lasers to reflect and trap light in a way that destroys the Cenobites and seals the gateway to Hell.
• In Ang Lee's Hulk Bruce Banner's father David essentially serves as this to him. Even General Ross makes a big deal of, and fears, the fact that both are geneticists that were working on projects to try and improve and "toughen" the human body. After seeing what happens to his son David studies the effects and applications of gamma and eventually repeats the accident that created the Hulk on himself which also gives him superpowers as well. Though different ones, effectively being the Absorbing Man.
• In Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit the main antagonist Viktor Cherevin plays this role to Ryan. Both are extremely patriotic men, who would do virtually anything in the service of their nation. In the scene where the two, as well as Jack's girlfriend Cathy, have dinner together we also learn that like Ryan Cherevin once not only served in the military but also operated in Afghanistan in a "Different time, different empire — same graveyard." Both were also horribly injured while serving there.
• James Bond:
  • Ernst Stavro Blofeld, 007's Arch-Enemy and most persistent foe, plays this role to both Bond and M.
    • Towards M, both are the head of secret organizations and give orders directly to their subordinates, albeit in different ways. While M commands the respect of those working for him, Blofeld would often kill his henchmen if they failed to complete their tasks.
    • While Bond and Blofeld are equals in regards to wit, intelligence, and lethality, Blofeld contrasts Bond by being of modest origins and rising to a position of power in contrast to Bond. Also, while Bond may be surrounded by allies, True Companions and friends such as M, Moneypenny and Q who will help him even in dire situations, Blofeld would often kill Mooks on a whim. Played for drama with their literal Mirrored Confrontation Shot near the end of Spectre, with Blofeld being a warped mirror image of 007.
  • From Russia with Love: Red Grant and Bond. Each is a loyal agent, and a blunt instrument serving their respective espionage organizations. (Spectre and MI6 respectively) Both are highly skilled, great physical combatants, and are shown with some gadgets in their respective arsenals.
  • The Man with the Golden Gun: Scaramanga and Bond. Each is one of the most skilled men in their field as "killers", both act with a suave/charismatic demeanor generally, both have a startling line/connection between sex and violence, and both have some special gadgets and a Cool Car in their arsenal. Scaramanga even gives a "Not So Different" Remark
    Bond: You live well, Scaramanga.
    Scaramanga: At a million dollars a contract I can afford to, Mr Bond. You work for peanuts, a hearty well done from her Majesty the Queen and a pittance of a pension. Apart from that we are the same. To us, Mr Bond, we are the best.
    Bond: There's a useful four letter word, and you're full of it.
  • Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me was conceived of as a kind of Evil Counterpart to Bond: both are implacable men who do extraordinary things with great panache, and can get out of the worst scrapes with minimal Clothing Damage.
  • A View to a Kill: Bond and Max Zorin. Both have a startling line/connection between sex and violence and are highly skilled. The key difference? While Bond remains loyal to MI6, Zorin is a rogue KGB agent who even goes so far to betray his Dragon May Day and kill his own mooks out of pure, bat-shit sadism.
  • GoldenEye:
    • Janus/Alec Trevelyan, who was a 00 agent like Bond and a former friend of his. He even gives the What If? reasoning and a "Not So Different" Remark. Also highlighted is the fact that both are orphans who joined the Secret Service. Trevelyan chastises Bond for being "Her Majesty's loyal terrier" that is stuck in the past, whilst ironically he himself is just as if not more shacked to the past than Bond is. When Bond finds out this side of Trevelyan, 007 loses the respect he had for his former friend and surmises that "mad little Alec" is trying to settle a perceived grudge against England. In essence, Janus represents what Bond could have been had he remained fixated with old grudges.
    • Xenia Onatopp serves as a female evil counterpart to Bond, as both are trigger-happy agents of opposing organisations and are fans of sex and violence. Though Onatopp takes her indulgences to a level that Bond would find unacceptable.
    • Boris Grishenko is revealed to be this for Natalya Simonova. Both are computer programmers working at the Severnaya facility in Siberia, but he works for Janus and even lets Onatopp gun down his fellow colleagues, something which enrages Natalya when she finds out Grishenko's involvement in the massacre and subsequent betrayal.
  • Colonel Moon from Die Another Day tells James that he based his Gustav Graves persona on Bond himself.
    Col. Moon: "We only met briefly, but you left a lasting impression. You see, when your intervention forced me to present the world with a new face, I chose to model the disgusting Gustav Graves on you. I paid attention to details - that unjustifiable swagger, the crass quips, the self-defence mechanism concealing such inadequacy..."
  • Skyfall: Raoul Silva and Bond. Both were at a time agents serving MI6 who had a close emotional relationship with the current M, with Silva saying that he was her "old favorite". Their key difference being that Bond remains largely old-school despite using gadgets, whilst Silva tries harder to adapt to the modern world to the point where he becomes too dependent on the use of modern technology, computers in particular. Something that plays a key part in his downfall. Also, Silva is essentially a dark James Bond, as while 007 forgave his adopted "mother" and remains loyal to her, Silva went rogue and is attempting to kill her. Silva's name is also an anagram, "A Rival Soul".
  • Spectre: Max Denbigh/C is revealed to be an evil version of M, as he is the malevolent head of an intelligence agency seeking to bring the world under SPECTRE's absolute authority. They also have a clash of opinions in running spy agencies, as while M sticks to old-fashioned methods like 007, C is willing to sell himself out in order to gain more power, and like Silva before him, relies on technology too much. Also, while C is interested in Big Brother Is Watching and shutting down the 00-agent program, M questions the role of total surveillance in society, and even asks C if Attack Drones can do the job of field agents like 007.
  • No Time to Die: Lyutsifer Safin is another Shadow Archetype of Bond. Like Bond, Safin lost his family, but they were murdered by Mr. White on behalf of Blofeld, something which also scarred him physically and mentally. As a result, Safin blamed his tragedy on society as a whole, finding innocence to be a laughable concept. Safin also gives a "Not So Different" Remark to Bond in that both are professional killers wanting to cleanse the world, but while Bond agrees that Safin's backstory may justify murdering Blofeld in revenge, his Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse for his own crimes. Safin represents a Bond who still dwelled in the past instead of moving away from it.
• The Jungle Book (2016):
  • King Louie to Baloo. They are both around the largest animals of the jungle, and they use charm and a broad vocabulary in order to trick others to do things for them, in addition to being lazy creatures of comfort who can still be formidable when properly motivated. They both take interest in Mowgli's human abilities for their own selfish reasons (with Baloo wanting easy access to food and Louie wanting fire to conquer the jungle), use affability to make him see things their way, and are the first ones to encourage him to use his human abilities instead of trying to be like other jungle animals. However, Baloo becomes truly attached to Mowgli, shows him the way to the Man-Village, and says that he can go there whenever he wants to (and later breaks his heart in order to make him go to the safety of the village). Louie, on the other hand, offers Mowgli a protected life in the jungle in exchange for the secret of making fire, but he has no intention to take no for an answer or allow the boy to leave his lair. Also, while Baloo is content with his current, carefree way of life, Louie aspires to gain more power than he already has, and their respective songs serve to empathize this difference.
  • Shere Khan is this for Bagheera. Both are no-nonsense big cats in the jungle, but while Bagheera respects and follows the Law of the Jungle (which makes him revered), Shere Khan speaks of the Law while shamelessly breaking it (making him feared). And while Bagheera wants to keep things between Man and animal separated in a respectful way, Shere Khan wants to eliminate humans, even innocent human children.
  • Shere Khan is also this to Baloo. Shere Khan speaks highly of the Law of the Jungle when it suits him while he shamelessly breaks it, while Baloo casually calls the Law of The Jungle "propaganda" while finally actually respecting it. This is even shown in the climax just before the two battle.
• Jurassic Park:
  • Peter Ludlow of The Lost World: Jurassic Park serves as such to his uncle John Hammond. Taking on the role of the InGen CEO who goes in over his head as he seeks to set-up a Jurassic Park. Malcolm calls this out after the T. rex gets loose in San Diego by saying to him, "Now you're John Hammond." However, whilst Hammond was doing it to fulfill a genuine dream, Ludlow was out for profit, albeit to save the company after the fiasco that happened on Isla Nublar. After seeing the results of what he had wrought, Hammond aimed to turn the island into a preserve for the dinosaurs instead, making it purely for their benefit. Ludlow, on the other hand, doesn't learn from his mistake and even after everything that's happened still tries to take back the baby T. rex to salvage his idea. The thing that is ultimately what gets him killed.
  • On a similar token, Roland Tembo, also from The Lost World, serves as one for Robert Muldoon from the first movie. Both being game hunters who are hired to help manage the operations for the above two characters and hold the dinosaurs with a certain level of respect if not admiration. Though whilst Muldoon seemed to be more motivated to protect people, going so far as to serve as a decoy to save one of his allies from the raptors, Tembo went on the expedition so that he would have the opportunity to hunt a Tyrannosaurus rex. After the capture of the T. rex, Tembo was even offered a full-time job to work for InGen. Though by the end he has grown weary of all the violence, disheartened by all that had transpired including the death of his friend Ajay, and declines. In his case, evil may be a bit too strong of a word, but he was still on the opposing side nonetheless.
• In Khartoum Muhammad Ahmad, the self-proclaimed Madhi, serves this role for Charles Gordon. Both are deeply religious and great military commanders who command the respect, as well as fear, of many around them. Both have also shown their willingness to resort to brutality if they feel it will further their goals for the greater good. Ahmad himself points this out to Gordon in the first scene they share together.
• In Kill Bill, Elle Driver, aka California Mountain Snake, is the counterpart to Black Mamba, as shown in the page image. Both are blonde women who are among the deadliest assassins in the world and both had relationships with Bill. The main difference is that Black Mamba decided not to go further with her career as an assassin and doesn't enjoy killing, while Elle Driver is a sadistic killer who genuinely enjoys causing pain on multiple levels.
• In Kingsman: The Secret Service, Charlie is one to Eggsy. Both of them are Kingsmen candidates to become the next Lancelot and neither get in the end but for different reasons: Charlie because he's a Dirty Coward and Eggsy because he didn't have it in him to shoot his dog due to weakness for animals. Charlie comes from a rich family and is a complete asshole; Eggsy was raised in a poor working-class family and is one of the nicest people in the film.

• In Madame Web (2024), Ezekiel Sims' suit design and abilities (jumping onto the ceiling) are meant to invoke a villainous version of the Spider-Man we know and love. That said, he is in a universe that has no Spider-Man, making it more of a Mythology Gag in practice. Or at least, his world doesn't have a Spider-Man yet.
• In The Matrix Revolutions, the Oracle describes Smith into relation to Neo as, "He is you. Your opposite, your negative, the result of the equation trying to balance itself out." Each is a character once bound to their role within the Matrix who eventually become free from it, as what could be described as an illusion first but genuinely later, and become the most powerful players within it: Thomas Anderson weny from a menial programmer/hacker to being a cyber-messiah with control over the Matrix itself after being taken under the wing of Morpheus; whilst Smith, after being apparently killed by Neo at the end of the first film, returns in the form of a virus unplugged from the system. Neo found purpose in being "The One" who would save humanity, whilst Smith was troubled by how he now saw himself as purposeless. Arguably more equivocal for Neo is when he discovers the truth of the origins of the prophecy from the Architect about how the various "Ones" are used as another means of controlling humanity which then puts Neo like Smith in a spot of confusion. During their final battle, their key difference is displayed when Smith questions why Neo, in spite of the beating he's been taking, would bother to keep on fighting and mocks what he sees as the attempts of humans to create a sense of meaning with temporary constructs, to which Neo simply replies to him, "Because I choose to." Neo ultimately has a faith Smith lacks, something that the Oracle and Rama Kandra's family showed that programs had the potential for.
• In The Mummy (1999), Beni Gabor is ultimately this to main character Jonathan Carnahan. Both men are greedy cowards who can be somewhat comical characters, but unlike Beni, Jonathan actually has redeeming qualities; he has a genuine Big Brother instinct towards his sister Evie, is a genuine friend to those he gets close to, and is surprisingly brave when the chips are down and Jonathan has to act or people he cares about will die.

• Once Upon a Time in the West: In many ways, Frank (the Big Bad) is a Shadow Archetype to some of the most negative aspects of The Man with No Name, the protagonist of the Dollars Trilogy. Like him, Frank is a cunning Chessmaster who watches over his interests and greed, and both are professional killers who kill for money. The big difference is that while The Man with No Name has honor codes that somehow make him likable and a invoked Magnificent Bastard, Frank is a sadistic, unlikable monster who enjoys his cruelty.
• The Jaegers and the Kaiju in Pacific Rim. Both are split into one through five classes and are so large that they need two brains to fully operate. Whereas the Jaegers are used to protect humans and the cities, the Kaiju are used to kill and destroy everything in their path.
• The Virgin Mary gets one in The Passion of the Christ. To that end, Satan is portrayed as an androgynous figure who wears a hooded robe and frequently carries an eerily adult-looking baby — sickly parodying the classic image of the Virgin Mary cradling an infant Jesus. The parallel between the two figures is made clear as Jesus first begins to carry his cross, because the camera cuts between Mary and Satan staring at each other from opposite sides of the crowds in opposition, making Mary the only character who ever looks the Devil in his bloodthirsty eyes.
• In The Patriot (2000) Col. William Tavington serves this role for Benjamin Martin. A great deal is made about how he committed a horrible war crime during the French & Indian War, and later on shows that that dark side still has the potential to surface again in the scene where he ruthlessly kills a fleeing English soldier and later when he and his fellow militiamen start shooting down surrendering opponents. Tavington's motives started with him trying to reclaim the honor and wealth that his father had lost him, citing that he can only get honor with victory and this is the reason he started acting ruthlessly in his attempts to win no matter what. However as shown by the time the main events of the film he has come to enjoy the killing and war crimes he commits, completely submitting to that side of himself that Martin fears and wants to suppress. Then of course there is the fact that both are skilled combatants and effective military field commanders.
• Pirates of the Caribbean:
  • The writers' and director's audio commentary for The Curse of the Black Pearl at one point refers to Captain Barbossa as "the dark side of Jack Sparrow".
  • Pintel and Ragetti vs. Mullroy and Murtogg in the first film.
  • Barbossa vs. Davy Jones and Jack vs. Beckett (his old nemesis) in the third.
  • Davy Jones and Calypso are the evil counterparts to Will and Elizabeth both being Star-Crossed Lovers, however the latter couple managed to avoid the grim fate of the former.
  • Maccus, Mercer and "Quartermaster" are Evil Counterparts to Gibbs.
  • Bosun, also, in the fourth film is also one to Gibbs, and Blackbeard is this to Barbossa.
• The Princess (2022): Much like the Princess, Moira is a powerful Action Girl who is looked down on by the men of her society.
• Push has two. Nick's counterpart is Victor, and Cassie's counterpart is the Triad Watcher. Victor is a better Mover than Nick, and the Triad Watcher is a better Watcher than Cassie.
  • It seems to be implied that Nick and Cassie are every bit (if not more) powerful, but are novices at actually exercising their powers compared to their more experienced counterparts.
    • That, and the fact they are son and daughter of the best mover and watcher anyone has ever seen (Cassie's mum set up events for ten years in the future) so they may have genetically inherited a bit of it. The agent pusher is also a counterpart of the experiment survivor, although she could arguably already be better.
• The Quiet: Dot and her father were genuinely very close, while Paul is an abusive rapist to his daughter Nina.
• Rene Belloq from Raiders of the Lost Ark is a classic example. Both he and Indy are successful Adventurer Archaeologists with the main difference being that Belloq is willing to work with anyone, (including the Nazis) on a job, and that he's perfectly content to let someone else find the treasure, then steal it from them at gunpoint. Belloq also delivers an excellent example of a "Not So Different" Remark at one point.
• In Searching The Reveal is that Detective Vick was this to the father protagonist David, both are willingly to do anything for their respective children and use the internet to uncover/hide crimes. David never gave up on finding his daughter Margot even when it seemed she was dead for certain, however his methods to find her become more and more extreme as he grows more and more suspicious of everyone including beating up a kid who joked about Margot's apparent death and he even suspects incest from Margot's Cool Uncle. Vick on other hand is more careful in her approach as she learns her son was stalking Margot and made her fall into a ravine, she covers for her son and like David uses extreme methods in making sure her child is safe. Despite her crimes Vick is openly sympathetic to David, telling him repeatedly that Margot's disappearance "is not his fault".
• In Se7en: John Doe to Detective Somerset. Both are well-read individuals who are fully aware of how unpleasant their world is and have respect for each other as opponents, but while Somerset is a police detective who believes that the world is still worth fighting for, John Doe is a sadistic Serial Killer who uses his misanthropic worldview to justify his actions.
• In The Shadow Shiwan Khan serves that role to Lamont Cranston, The Shadow himself. Cranston in his past was a ruthless warlord and drug dealer under the name Ying-Ko in East Asia until the Tulku took him in and set him down the path of redemption. It turns out that Khan actually idolized Ying-Ko, and he was the inspiration for him to take up his "birthright" of trying to live up to his ancestor Genghis Khan and become a world-conquering warlord as well. The Tulku similarly tried to reform Khan, but it didn't take. Khan murdering him after he had learned what he wanted. Khan later tries to get Cranston to join him because of his past and their similarities. Because of his training with the Tulku he like the Shadow has supernatural mental abilities such as "Clouding men's minds" as well as telekinesis. (Something that Cranston doesn't manage to use 'til the end though) Both also have a network of allies in their service.
• Each installment of the Spider-Man Trilogy has a villain who parallels Spidey in some fashion:
  • Spider-Man: The Green Goblin and Spider-Man gain their powers as the result of groundbreaking scientific experiments and the Goblin even tries to recruit Spidey with a "Not So Different" Remark. The key difference is that Spider-Man uses his abilities to help people, while the Green Goblin uses them to exact bloody vengeance on the people who have wronged him in the past.
  • Spider-Man 2: Much like Peter in the first movie, Otto Octavius is transformed into Doctor Octopus as the result of a Freak Lab Accident, and is subsequently motivated by the death of a loved one. But while Uncle Ben's death pushes Peter to become a hero, the death of Otto's wife drives him mad with grief and causes him to become a murderous psychopath.
    • To drive the parallels home, earlier drafts of the film had Octavius as a much younger man closer in age to Peter and Mary Jane.
  • Spider-Man 3: They don't really come much more straightforward than Venom, who has the same powers as Spider-Man and wears a black variant of the hero's trademark costume. Additionally, in his civilian identity, Eddie Brock starts off as a rival photographer who is employed by the same newspaper as Peter.
• Spirits of the Dead: Protagonist William Wilson actually is the Evil Counterpart, an evil, vicious sociopath. His identical Doppelgänger that shows up whenever he's doing something particularly monstrous is his Good Counterpart.
• Star Trek:
  • Star Trek: Nemesis had Shinzon, the evil clone of Jean-Luc Picard whose main purpose in the story is to show what Picard himself could have become had he grown up under more oppressive circumstances. Picard himself uses this in an attempt to demonstrate that Shinzon had the choice to become a better person, while Shinzon wanted to prove that Being Tortured Makes You Evil.
  • Star Trek Into Darkness: The Vengeance is a dark mirror of the Enterprise.
    • Also, Khan is an evil Spock, much like the original served as Kirk's foil.
• Star Wars: Likely because of the poetic structure George Lucas sought to give this series, there are many of these.
  • Darth Vader is the evil counterpart to Luke Skywalker; specifically, he's a living incarnation of the evil that Luke is perfectly capable of. Yoda and Obi-Wan debates about this when training Luke, and the evil counterpart aspect to Vader and Luke's relationship comes to a front during Luke's test at the cave on Dagobah where he has a skirmish with an apparition of Vader and Luke beheads the apparition. The phantom-Vader's face is revealed to be Luke's face. This relationship is highlighted further in the prequel trilogy, especially when it's shown that both started their Jedi training at an older age than normal.
  • Emperor Palpatine is the evil counterpart to Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Mace Windu.
    • Palpatine and Yoda are the series's Big Bad and Big Good respectively. Both of them, prior to Anakin and Luke, were the most powerful Force users in the setting. Moreover, they both share the philosophy that people cannot change themselves or repent after turning to the Dark Side.
    • Palpatine and Qui-Gon were both supportive mentors to Anakin. However, while Qui-Gon was honest with Anakin, Palpatine told Anakin what he wanted to hear. Both of them used manipulation to attain their goals, but Qui-Gon never goes so far as to endanger people's lives in his pursuits, while Palpatine is perfectly willing to engineer a galactic civil war for his own benefit. Moreover, they both try to transcend death. But while Palpatine does so by manipulating the Force unnaturally, Qui-Gon achieves it through submitting himself to the Living Force (and later teaching other Jedi how to do it).
    • Palpatine and Mace Windu use similar logic in justifying the decisions of their respective Orders, especially concerning the circumvention of due process. They both argue, using the same logic, with Anakin about the right course of action. They also both die the same way because of Anakin's intervention in some way.
  • Dooku is the evil counterpart to Mace Windu, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Obi-Wan.
    • Dooku and Mace Windu were both the right hand and enforcer to either Emperor Palpatine or Yoda (respectively). In the Expanded Universe materials, they were both shown to have some familiarity with both sides of the Force.
    • Dooku and Qui-Gon Jinn had a mentor-mentee relationship, and both were rebellious against the Jedi dogma or rulings of the Jedi Council, and were willing to supercede their orders. While Dooku's rebelliousness caused him to leave the Jedi Order, Qui-Gon stayed in the Jedi Order despite his grievances.
    • Dooku and Obi-Wan both became the last members of their respective Orders, and both were subordinates in their Orders to their particularly high-ranking mentors. Their mentees (Qui-Gon in Dooku's case and Anakin in Obi-Wan's case) followed opposite paths as them (with Qui-Gon following the Light Side and Anakin following the Dark Side). Moreover, both of them were killed by Anakin sometime after besting him in a fight.
  • Darth Maul is another evil counterpart of Obi-Wan. Both are young, skilled warriors in the ways of the Force, and each is a headstrong but loyal apprentice that is devoted to his order.
  • Kylo Ren from The Force Awakens:
    • He is essentially Luke had he turned to the Dark Side of the Force. They both struggle with temptation from the opposite side of the Force (Luke tries to resist the Dark Side, while Kylo wants to become immune to the Light), both come into conflict with their fathers, with Luke ultimately redeeming Anakin and Kylo ultimately murdering Han, and they both idolize Anakin Skywalker, with Luke proudly declaring himself a Jedi "like my father before me" and Kylo doing everything he can to emulate Darth Vader.
    • Kylo is also of course counterpart to Rey, with Snoke even explaining as Kylo grew stronger in the The Dark Side, Rey "the light" would rise to meet him in a Yin-Yang Clash. Interestingly, unlike other counterparts, Rey and Kylo can't retain hatred towards each when face to face whether it's Foe Romance Subtext or not, and Rey and Kylo are so balanced symbolically that Kylo wants them to rule together as a Chaotic Neutral pair... which Rey ultimately refuses.
  • Bringing in groups/organizations, whilst they never actually do battle or truly concurrently exist, the Confederacy of Independent Systems serves as a forbearer and dark counterpart to the Rebel Alliance. Both of them are a rebellion (The Seperatists are even referred to as such by Dooku in a deleted scene from Attack of the Clones) fighting against the reigning government (The Galactic Republic and its latter form the Galactic Empire) and are allied with an order of Force users in hiding (The Sith with the Confederacy and the Jedi with the Alliance). They get put into somewhat similar situations, such as how in the middle chapters of their respective trilogies their secret bases are located by their enemies on a desolate "backwoods" planet (The Separatists on Geonosis and the Rebels on Hoth) where they do battle whilst also carrying out a mass evacuation, with one of them being the current Sith/Jedi apprentice (Count Dooku of the Sith and Luke Skywalker of the Jedi) who escapes off by himself to meet with the master on his side who operates from afar (Dooku to Darth Sidious on Coruscant so he could deliver him the Death Star designs and Luke to Yoda on Dagobah so he could continue his Jedi training). In the third chapter, each would fall prey to Palpatine's trickery/deception and at least winding up nearly destroyed when led into what they think is a safe(r) situation (Sidious sending the Seperatist Council to Mustafar on the pretense it would be a safe hideaway and subsequently sends the newly christened Sith apprentice Vader to "take care of them" which leads to them being gathered, cornered and slaughtered as their use was up. Later on he'd fake reports from Bothan spies to the Rebels stating that the Death Star II was not yet fully operational when it actually was and also being supported by the Imperial Fleet as well as his best troops on the ground in order to draw out and destroy the Rebel forces in a cataclysmic battle). The comparison adds interesting food for thought to Padme's line in Revenge of the Sith to Anakin, "Have you ever considered that we may be on the wrong side?". Taking the Expanded Universe into account, both were deliberately created by Palpatine as well in order to further his own agenda (the CIS to create the Clone Wars as an excuse for his "emergency powers" and the Rebellion in order to gather his enemies in one place so they would be more easily crushed).
  • For an inanimate example, lightsabers are kyber crystal-powered laser blades typically used by Jedi for self-defense, while the Death Star uses a kyber crystal-based laser to annihilate planets.
• In the 1994 Street Fighter, they decided (for some reason) to play Sagat as one to Ken. Both are crooked gun-runners. Outright stated by Ken after beating him in their fight at the end when he says, "I owe you. If I hadn't met you, I might have become you."
• They/Them (2022): Molly is one to the other campers, as she is also gay and was brought to the conversion camp as a teenager, where she bonded with her campmates. She then became a Serial Killer to avenge one of them.
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Sam Witwicky and Bumblebee are given dark counterparts in the form of Dylan Gould and Soundwave. Bumblebee came to Sam for help, with Sam's family having a history with Cybertronians. Likewise Dylan's dad received Soundwave as a "client", as the Decepticon had him crunch numbers to make further trips by NASA to the moon improbable, ensuring no one would ever find the Ark.
  Dylan: [to Sam] You really think you're the first man ever asked to join the noble alien cause?
• Doc Holliday and Johnny Ringo in Tombstone. Holliday is Wyatt's lancer, Ringo Curly Bill's dragon. They are both highly educated, charismatic death-dealers and death-seekers.
• In Troy there is a "trifecta" so to speak of character parallels that would fall under this. Centering around three groups of familial duos seen within the film.
  • It is ironic that in spite of their hatred for each other, Achilles and Agamemnon have some key traits in common. Though they have differences over ideals like Achilles' valuing of the soldier over a king (because they are the ones doing the physical fighting and dying to get things accomplished) whilst Agamemnon feels that the king is more important and thus deserves the glory (seeing himself as a savior who united a land of "fire worshippers and snake eaters" into a true nation). But their values align when it comes to how both are desperately trying to gain glory and immortality for their names. Something each puts above almost all else by the end. However, both do also highly value and deeply care about one of a younger relative. Achilles with his cousin Patroclus and Agamemnon with his brother Menelaus. However when said relative is killed, ironically in both cases the killer being Hector, they are sent into a belligerent, blood-lusting rage. Both also have a desire for Briseis.
  • It can also be said that Agamemnon and Menelaus parallel Hector and Paris as well. Both sets being royal brothers, the older one being the more successful and glorified of the two. The younger brothers are notorious womanizers and the ones who get into a feud over Helen, subsequently putting their brothers into positions to go to war. (though one of the two older brothers is clearly more okay with this than the other) In spite of anything however, the older brothers still genuinely care for their younger siblings. Whether it be tarnishing one's own honor by defending his life when he asks for help, or trying to get bloody vengeance for him after being killed.
  • There are also parallels between the duos of Achilles/Patroclus and Hector/Paris. While none of them are evil per se, they do fall into opposite sides of the conflict. Achilles and Hector are the older of the two, and each is renowned as the greatest warrior on his side as well as one of the greatest warriors who ever lived. Both are also respected military commanders. (Look at the Father to his Men section) Patroclus and Paris are one of their younger relatives who they are extremely close to. Both of whom are impulsive and naive, and find themselves deciding to rush into situations that they are not ready for. The biggest example being when they choose to go out into battle and go up against an opponent who is far out of his league. With both results, to varying degrees, leading to bad places.
• While not evil, Juror #3 in 12 Angry Men is the Jerkass counterpart to Juror #8. Both are men of passion unwilling to back down when they believe their cause is just.
• Unbreakable:
  • Famously has a Deconstruction of this trope, as Elijah Price desperately and actively wants to be the Evil Counterpart to The Hero David Dunn. Growing up with fragile bones Elijah has felt worthless and pathetic being bullied and pitied, then his dear mother introduced him to Comic Books which led Elijah into thinking that he must be the anthesis to someone who was the complete opposite of him. Elijah then spends his life massacring people by causing accidents until he finds David (who survived the train crash he caused) and learns without a doubt that David is a superhuman, Elijah then reveals himself as the antagonist to David's horror. While both David and Elijah were on paths of self discovery, Elijah did anything in his power to find and become the role he was destined for, David decided to shun his superpowers in order to have a normal life and family Elijah even solemnly acknowledges the atrocities he committed but at same time he is still overjoyed to have finally found his place in the world even if he is ultimately David's Arch-Enemy, Elijah will take it over being nothing but a invalid.
  Elijah (to David): Now that we know who you are, I know who I am. I'm not a mistake! It all makes sense! In a comic, you know how you can tell who the arch-villain's going to be? He's the exact opposite of the hero. And most times they're friends, like you and me! I should've known way back when... You know why, David? Because of the kids. They called me Mr Glass.
• Venom (2018): The Big Bad is Riot, another symbiote bonded with a human host. What makes this example unique is that Venom is already an Anti-Hero at best to begin with.
• X-Men Film Series:
  • Sabretooth acts as Wolverine's evil counterpart in the first movie. Both men are mysterious mutants who possess animal-themed abilities and codenames, as well as enigmatic pasts. However, while Logan is more or less in control of his mental faculties, Sabretooth acts like a feral, near-mindless beast.
  • Lady Deathstrike serves as this to Wolverine in X2: X-Men United. Like him, she's a mutant who possesses a healing factor and adamantium claws, and is the product of William Stryker's Weapon X experiments. However, she's not truly evil, but is forced to follow Stryker's orders anyway thanks to having been Brainwashed.
  • The Prequel film X-Men Origins: Wolverine brings back Sabretooth and also introduces Weapon XI, one of Logan's former teammates who was turned into brainwashed mutant-hunter by Stryker. Weapon XI was imbued with the powers of various mutants by Weapon X, including Wolverine's healing factor, agility and Super-Senses. He even has retractable adamantium katana blades that rest inside his forearms, mirroring Wolverine's claws.
  • The eponymous villain of X-Men: Apocalypse is this to Professor X. They operate in a similar manner when it comes to recruiting mutants and converting them to a specific belief system. What separates the Big Bad from the Big Good is merely the differences in their personalities. Director Bryan Singer labels Apocalypse as The Antichrist (who thrives on mass murder and purports to have been "born from death") and Charles as the Christ figure (a pacifist who wishes to preserve life). Both are capable of treating the world as their personal playground, but only the former exercises Might Makes Right; the latter espouses With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility. They both enjoy being idolized; En Sabah Nur wants nothing less than to be worshipped as a god while Xavier wants to be adored as a paternal figure. Apocalypse's Lack of Empathy is the antithesis of Charles being the personification of empathy, and these traits are exhibited when they interact with their underlings. The selfish Apocalypse pretends to be attentive towards his Horsemen, but he's in truth a Bad Boss who is only concerned about how their superpowers will serve his goal for world domination. The altruistic Professor X is a Cool Teacher who cherishes his students and works hard to engage their intellect and ameliorate their psychological health. As a tyrant in Ancient Egypt, En Sabah Nur had utilized fear and violence to control his subjects; Xavier, on the other hand, relies on love and harmony to exert his authority over his surrogate family.
  • Logan:
    • The final antagonist faced in the movie is X-24, a younger, emotionless clone of Wolverine who was created by Zander Rice, the son of a scientist that Wolverine had previously killed. As he lacks Logan's humanity and empathy, X-24 is effectively an even more dangerous killer than the man he was cloned from. Overall X-24 is a symbolic counterpart of what Logan would become if he didn't escape the Weapon X program and find the X-Men i.e. a heartless killer animal and it's only through Laura a.k.a. X-23 killing Logan's Evil Twin that Logan can be meteorically die a true X-Men and hero.
    • Laura/X-23 is the Good Counterpart of X-24, as they were created by the same Evil Corporation and were both cloned from Logan's DNA. However, Laura still possesses emotions and is capable of love, kindness and heroism, while X-24 is a mindless killing machine who knows nothing but violence.

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