Characters from the Goosebumps novel Let's Get Invisible.
Max and Lefty Thompson
Lefty (left) and Max (right)
Portrayed By: Jonathan Schwartz (Max) and Kevin Zegers (Lefty) (TV)
The protagonists of Let's Get Invisible, brothers whose discovery of a secret mirror in his attic with one special power leads to exciting yet ultimately terrifying consequences.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Lefty to Max, as he is hyper and loves threatening him, as well as becoming invisible after promising not to.
- Do Not Do This Cool Thing: An in-universe example as after showing off the mirror's magical powers, Max tries to warn his clearly eager friends not to mess around with something so mysterious and possibly dangerous.
- Evil Doppelgänger: Max's reflection who tries to replace him in the real world and Lefty's reflection actually succeeds in doing so.
- Fate Worse than Death: Finding out at the very end that his brother has been permanently replaced with his reflection and since the mirror is likely irreversibly destroyed, his actual brother is trapped in the mirror-world forever... hard not to see that as permanently traumatizing. Thankfully the TV version shows the mirror repairing itself, so he might be able to get Lefty back one day.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Max is much more socially calm, level-headed and well-behaved than his far brattier and more excitable brother Lefty.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Erin & Lefty (Sanguine), Max (Phlegmatic), April (Melancholic) and Zach (Choleric).
- Invisible Jerkass: Lefty would often use his invisibility to play mean tricks on others who can't see him.
- Mirror Match: Max has a literal showdown with his own reflection after he's pulled into the mirror in lieu of staying invisible too long.
- Nobody Touches the Hair: Max takes immense pride in the grooming of his hair and is a near-Berserk Button whenever anybody tries to mess with it or pretend any strand is out of place.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Lefty. Max clarifies early on that his real name is Noah, but because he is so left-handed, everyone tends to forget that. This is Averted in the episode, where everyone calls him Noah, and never "Lefty".
- Only Sane Man: Max tends to play this towards his more eccentric friends and brother.
- Puppy Love: For a change of pace in the series Max's crush on his close gal pal Erin is made rather blatant (if never openly declared), and while it's unknown how much it's reciprocated it's more flirtatious than most of the series main Boy/Girl pairings and show some signs of (adolescent-style) Unresolved Sexual Tension. His crush is also made into a major plot point as seeing her appear disappointed at him goads him on to keep letting everyone use the mirror against his better judgement.
- The Smart Guy: Max is one of the more mature and inquisitive protagonists in the entire series, perhaps leading to his early skepticism about using the mirror's invisibility power and him instantly picking up on his brother and friend's odd behavior after their prolonged periods of invisibility.
- Spoiled Brat: Subverted with Lefty, as his parents do little to encourage his bratty behavior even if they seem powerless to stop it.
- Toxic Friend Influence: All of Max's friends pressure him to continue using the mirror, but mostly Zack, who tries to turn invisibility into a competition and makes fun of Max when he refuses.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: He, along with his preteen friends, watch The Terminator, which is R-Rated, as part of his birthday party. And they all get away with watching it!
Erin, Zack, and April
Portrayed By: Flora Chu (Erin) and Adam Bonneau (Zack) (TV)
Max's friends.
- Adapted Out: April does not appear in the TV episode.
- Competition Freak: It's Zack (and Lefty to a slightly lesser extent) who wants to see who can stay invisible the longest, which leads to the horror of the book.
- Composite Character: In the TV episode, Erin is this for both herself and April.
- Important Haircut: Zack's bizarre haircut switching sides is the first thing that really clues Max in on what's going on. In the TV episode, it's which side his earring is on that does this.
- Shrinking Violet: April is extremely shy, and is the last of the group to try the mirror.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Erin and especially Zack after they use the mirror too long. That's because they've each been replaced by their Evil Twin.
Invisibility Mirror
A mysterious mirror found in the protagonists' attic. Whoever turns on the lamp at the top becomes invisible, but too much use may have some unforeseen side effects.
- And I Must Scream: If you stay invisible too long, your reflection takes your place in the real world while you stay trapped in the mirror for eternity. It is more than implied that this is Lefty's ultimate fate.
- Evil Doppelgänger: The reflections of the people who use the mirror. Their goal is to switch places and then force others into the mirror world.
- Faux Affably Evil: The doppelgangers are mostly polite and reassuring, which does nothing to conceal that they're out to steal the lives of their human counterparts and leave them to a truly awful fate.
- Invisibility: The mirror's lamp enables it's user to become invisible by standing under it, but as it turns out this isn't it's true function.
- Karma Houdini: Mirror-Lefty not only escapes recapture by shattering the Mirror, he gets away with leaving his own allies along with the real Lefty to eternal imprisonment.
- Magic Mirror: A special variant of one that can make people invisible.
- Mirror Monster: The Mirror's power leads to a dimension of such beings, who will gradually replace their physical counterparts.
- Manipulative Bastard: Lefty's reflection tricks Erin and Zack into using the mirror again, which gets them replaced. He pulls this again on his own kind by smashing the mirror under the pretext of saving the kids, vanquishing the other reflections and allowing him to replace Lefty, forever. God...Damn.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: The mirror is hidden behind a false wall in the attic, and rightfully so.
