History Main / PreferableImpersonator

* A ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'' arc involved the Pointy-Haired Boss being abducted by aliens and replaced by one of them to learn about Earth business management. Dilbert immediately sees through it when the "boss" acts much nicer (and has a tail), but refuses to save his old boss since the replacement is better to work for. The status quo is only restored when the boss accidentally causes the alien ship he was held captive in to crash when the aliens listen to his bad managing advice.

* In ''Film/TheManInTheIronMask'', the Three Musketeers scheme to replace the RoyalBrat Louis XIV with his secret polar-opposite twin Philippe, who was locked away [[ManInTheIronMask with his face masked]] to hide the family resemblance. Ultimately, [[spoiler: it works: Louis takes Philippe's place in the Bastille, while Philippe takes Louis' identity and becomes one of France's greatest kings]].

* In ''Film/{{Sommersby}}'', the [[CharacterTitle titular character]] went off to the Civil War, and was supposedly killed. Someone claiming to be [[Creator/RichardGere Sommersby]] appears at his village, and starts helping them recover from the war's effects. By all accounts he wasn't a pleasant man before, but now is kind and helpful--so much so that [[Creator/JodieFoster his wife Laurel]] seems pretty convinced it isn't the same man, but welcomes him in because of his change in demeanor. This movie inspired the plot of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "The Principal And The Pauper" (see below in Western Animation).

[[folder: Tabletop Games]]
* A possibility in ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheLost'': the player characters are people who were abducted and altered by TheFairFolk, only to later escape. They quickly find that they were replaced by a Fetch, a clone of them that took their place. Fetchs are imperfect copies, though, frequently lacking some core aspect of the person the replaced... but occasionally that core aspect was a personality flaw, the lack of which made them better or more successful people than the original. This is understandably a big source of angst for Changelings who want to take back their lives.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* In the picture series ''Postcards From Impossible Worlds'', an adventuring party realizes one of their companions have been replaced by an impostor... because he's suddenly polite, well-mannered, and no longer claims all the loot for his huge iron-bound coffer. They all vow to each other not to reveal the truth, no matter how hard it is to ignore the wailing and banging coming from the coffer...
* ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightvale'': A local football player grows an extra head, causing his team to be disqualified (it counts as an extra player, which is against the rules). Later, his mother has a head removed... the original one. She liked the new head better.

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckDodgers'': "Detained Duck" has a SpotTheImposter moment where the Cadet has to determine which between the real Dodgers and an impostor named Drake Darkstar. Dodgers attempts to help out, but everything he lists are mean things he did to his cadet (one example was the time Dodgers sold the Cadet's sister to the sausage factory, which even Drake was shocked by). In the end, Cadet knowingly declares the impostor as being the real one after feeling that he'll ultimately be this trope.
* The ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop'' episode, "Frankengoof", features a FrankensteinsMonster parody that looks like Pete in green makeup. His family unanimously prefers the monster to him because he's nice and does household chores, whereas the real Pete is a {{lazy|Bum}} {{jerkass}}, to the point where Peg secretly brings the monster home with them instead, which is only undone by NegativeContinuity.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': In the episode "Squid Wood", customers at the Krusty Krab like Spongebob's Squidward puppet more than the real Squidward. The puppet replaces him as a cashier at the Krusty Krab and is given the $1 million clarinet performing contract Squidward wanted.
* In an early ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode, a good version of Cartman from a MirrorUniverse comes to South Park, looking to escape from the evil {{Jerkass}} version of the gang in his dimension. Towards the end of the episode Stan and Kyle get ahold of a gun that can zap someone into the mirror universe and intend to use it on their Cartman, as they naturally prefer the alternate version to the one they know. Unfortunately for them, Cartman manages to start a SpotTheImposter scenario and then tricks them into sending the alternate version back to his original universe[[note]]The real Cartman requests that they zap both Cartmans, as it's the only way to be sure they'll be rid of the unwanted Cartman, so they zap the other Cartman, believing the real Cartman would never say something so selfless... except the real Cartman is GenreSavvy enough to know that saying such a selfless line would be enough to trick them into thinking he's the alternate Cartman[[/note]].

* In ''VideoGame/Dishonored2'', Corvo or Emily can secretly replace the corrupt Duke Luca Abele of Karnaca with [[spoiler:his own body double]] as the non-lethal alternative to just assassinating him. On a Low Chaos playthrough, the impostor turns out to be a much better and capable ruler who turns the situation in the city for the better (though on High Chaos, he turns out just as corrupt as the original...).

* A possibility in ''TabletopGame/ChangelineTheLost'': the player characters are people who were abducted and altered by TheFairFolk, only to later escape. They quickly find that they were replaced by a Fetch, a clone of them that took their place. Fetchs are imperfect copies, though, frequently lacking some core aspect of the person the replaced... but occasionally that core aspect was a personality flaw, the lack of which made them better or more successful people than the original. This is understandably a big source of angst for Changelings who want to take back their lives.

* ''Manhwa/HotBloodedWoman'': Haji, the main character, accidentally switched her body with a girl called Aram in an accident. She had to live like Aram afterwards, but while Aram is quiet, arrogant, and moody, Haji is a FunPersonified girl who managed to get along with the people who previously despised Aram. Even Aram's crush Shinwoo, who hated Aram before, fell in love with her once Haji is in her body.

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* ''ComicBook/InjusticeVsMastersOfTheUniverse'': Played darkly a the start of the miniseries. Faker has used his physical similarity to He-Man to claim the throne of Eternia, instituting many draconian laws, new taxes, and a more militant regime. At the start of the book He-Man has managed to defeat his doppelganger, only for Faker to snidely point out he has been a better ruler than Adam ever could. Sure enough the citizens of Eternos, the most affluent of Eternia, reveal they had figured out Faker's ruse fairly quickly, but his heavy-handed rule had provided them with a sense of security they hadn't gotten under the real He-Man and his authoritarian heel had fallen hardest on the more undesirable elements of their society. He-Man/Adam is shocked at this, lamenting a people willing to give up freedom to a despot in exchange for simple security. Why yes this was a commentary on real life.

* In one ''ComicStrip/{{Nodwick}}'' comic, Yeagar is discovered to be replaced by a Doppelganger when "he" suggests testing for traps with a thrown rock, instead of [[ButtMonkey Nodwick]].

* The ''Series/TheBrittasEmpire''/''Series/RedDwarf'' crossover fic "[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/14376837?view_full_work=true How May I Help You?]]" sees Arnold Rimmer swap places with Gordon Brittas, who in this fic is an IdenticalStranger. Whilst most of the staff at Whitbury don't realize this however, Laura does, and she ends up preferring him both for his knack for getting out of trouble and for the fact that he's better at resolving disasters than Brittas does.

* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}''

* Played with in the ''Literature/RiversOfLondon'' novel ''Foxglove Summer'', in which [[spoiler: a mother whose daughter was taken by the fairies as a baby and replaced by a changeling, only for the switch to be reversed a decade later, takes the understandable view that the child she raised is ''not'' the imposter, whatever her origins are. Although the fact the girl who grew up in fairyland is an absolute nightmare probably helps.]]
* In the short story "A Change of Aunts" by Vivien Alcock, the protagonists' abusive aunt is attacked by the undead revenant of a nanny who drowned herself in a lake out of remorse over her young charges drowning due to her neglect. After the attack, the protagonists are confused by their aunt suddenly acting much kinder to them. It's not until the end of the story that one of them realizes what happened [[spoiler:when the revenant reappears in the lake begging her to trick the nanny into returning to the lake so the aunt can reclaim her body. The protagonist simply says goodbye to her aunt and leaves her to rot.]]
* In Desmond Bagley's spy thriller ''The Tightrope Men'', Giles Denison has been partially brainwashed and altered by plastic surgery to imitate KidnappedScientist Harry Meyrick. When Meyrick's British intelligence minders find out, they convince Denison to continue the charade while they find out who kidnapped him. Unfortunately, Meyrick's daughter turns up and realises her father is an imposter because, among [[OutOfCharacterAlert other things]], he's much nicer to her than her father ever was. In fact after she finds out what's going on, she falls in love with Giles [[IncestSubtext which she's understandably disturbed about]], so it's a relief for both parties when Giles is able to alter his face back at the end of the novel.

* ''Series/HogansHeroes'': Happens once in a two part episode where in a English Aristocrat named Sir Charles Chitterling has come to Germany to assist the Nazis with getting England to surrender. The man is a dead ringer for frequent guest character Colonel Crittenden, so Hogan brings in the Colonel to impersonate Chitterling and sabotage the plan. Unfortunately his wife Lady Chitterling, who's been in Germany for the past few months, is also due to arrive, and Crittenden laments he'll be unable to convince her of his identity. He nearly doesn't get the chance as the lady's time in Germany have caused her to undergo a HeelFaceTurn, and she plans to off her husband, only being convinced not to when she realizes the bumbling Crittenden isn't her bumbling husband. At that point she remains aloof but is far more helpful in the good guys' schemes.

* ''Webcomic/ArthurKingOfTimeAndSpace'':
** The strip's take on Arthur's conception is that Ygraine figures out Uther-disguised-as-Gorlois is not her husband ''very'' quickly, and their passion for each other (which Merlin later describes as "scary") means she couldn't care less.
** In both the space and baseline False Guenevere storylines, everyone says it's impossible to tell which Guenevere is the original. To everyone's shock, Arthur chooses the one who doesn't like Lancelot. (He regrets it, but then she whammies him with magic.)
* ''{{Webcomic/XKCD}}'' takes RacingGhost [[https://xkcd.com/1580/ to the logical extreme]], in which everyone prefers the guy's much more punctual ghost (including his boss and kids).

* In an early ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode, a good version of Cartman from a MirrorUniverse comes to South Park, looking to escape from the evil {{Jerkass}} version of the gang in his dimension. Towards the end of the episode Stan and Kyle get ahold of a gun that can zap someone into the mirror universe and intend to use it on their Cartman, as they naturally prefer the alternate version to the one they know. Unfortunately for them, Cartman manages to start a SpotTheImposter scenario and then tricks them into sending the alternate version back to his original universe.

* In ''Film/{{Dave}}'', an IdenticalStranger is brought in to impersonate the President of the United States who has fallen into a coma. Over the course of the story, the First Lady realizes that she likes the impersonator a lot more than she likes her husband. Not to mention the impersonator has a moral spine [[CorruptPolitician the real president]] lacked.

* A ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'' arc involved the Pointy-Haired Boss being abducted by aliens and replaced by one of them to learn about Earth business management. Dilbert immediately sees through it when the "boss" acts much nicer, but refuses to save his old boss since the replacement is better to work for. The status quo is only restored when the boss accidentally manages to crash the alien ship he was held captive in.
** This happens to Dilbert himself. He gets mugged, has his identity stolen, goes to his boss about it, but his boss said only one of them was productive.

* The premise of ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan'' involves Otto Octavius stealing Peter Parker's body and applying his criminal mind to Parker's various problems. Without Parker's moral code to weigh him down, Octavius manages to temporarily end Spider-Man's HeroWithBadPublicity reputation and makes Peter Parker a rich man by patenting his various inventions. On the other hand, he quickly alienates all of Spider-Man and Peter Parker's friends because he's a total asshole.

Expect this if employed by a villain to possibly be a HeelFaceTurn moment, as they realize virtues they didn't know they had pretending to be someone else. See also BecomingTheMask.

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckDodgers'': "Detained Duck" has a SpotTheImposter moment where the Cadet has to determine which between the real Dodgers and an impostor named Drake Darkstar. Dodgers attempts to help out, but everything he lists are mean things he did to his cadet. In the end, Cadet knowingly declares the impostor as being the real one after feeling that he'll ultimately be this trope.

* ''Literature/TheLightbringerSeries'' has Gavin Guile, the main character who is the heroic Prism, able to master all the colors of the spectrum and use them without breaking his eyes (the way magic works in the series is creepy). Only, we learn midway through the book that the prisoner is Gavin and the one outside is his brother Dazen. As a person, Dazen was better even before impersonating him. For example, Gavin failed a test (that everyone fails) while Dazen was the only one in recent history to pass, Dazen is a superchromat (allowing him to fine-tune yellow and see more shades of color) while Gavin wasn't, Gavin was an AbhorrentAdmirer. To top it off, Gavin is described as exceedingly vain and haughty, while Dazen is basically TheParagon in terms of how he leads.