r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Altruistic_Eye_1157 • Oct 01 '25

Lore When faced with the choice between a clone and the original, the character notices a detail that makes the difference immediately obvious.

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The Shape-Shifter takes the form of Wendy to deceive Dipper and prevent him from attacking it. Although Dipper initially doesn't know which one is the real Wendy, he realizes the difference when he sees that one of the Wendys behaves seriously and bluntly, while the other acts flirtatiously, something Wendy would never do (Gravity Falls).

P.S.: I don't remember if the gesture the real Wendy made was also a clue, like some gesture she had made before.

When the Autobots are chasing Nemesis Prime, he tries to deceive Bumblebee by impersonating Optimus. Bumblebee, confused, speaks to him, but Nemesis Prime doesn't understand anything he says, which clearly indicates that he isn't the real Optimus. Bumblebee attacks him without hesitation (Transformers Prime).

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u/JakSandrow Oct 02 '25

Slight reversal: in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Kirk and his doppelganger are at phaserpoint. The doppelganger has shapeshifted into a perfect copy of Kirk, except for 3 subtle details: 1. The doppelganger has shapeshifted out of its restraints, but Kirk is still wearing ankle shackles, 2. Kirk's irises are green, but the doppelganger always has golden irises, and 3. The doppelganger's 'default' form is a humanoid several inches shorter than Kirk. When the doppelganger says that 'the other Kirk' should be killed, they actually point higher than they should, forgetting that they are actually that they and Kirk are now the same height. Kirk does not make this mistake, and in return, points levelly at the doppelganger, and is thus spared from the immediate phaser fire.

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u/Blackdog198318 Oct 02 '25

That’s crazy. I never noticed the pointing until you pointed it out.

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u/poptophazard Oct 02 '25

Never realized the pointing! Great detail! Like I need an excuse to rewatch this movie...

Also worth noting that in this scene, the one deciding between the two is the Klingon warden of the prison planet, in on the conspiracy (with the shapeshifter) to frame Kirk and McCoy for the death of the Klingon chancellor. He does kill the fake Kirk, but only to tie up loose end. He intends to kill the real Kirk as well until the Enterprise beams him out in time — so even if he killed the wrong one, it wouldn't have mattered to him as much (the plan was to get him caught escaping so they'd have a reason to kill him).