abstract
| - A pair of twins are introduced. They are portrayed as being sufficiently alike that even people who have known them for a long time have trouble telling them apart. Often they serve as comic relief, enjoying the confusion they might cause just as much as the audience. It is highly likely that one twin, and only one, will be killed off. Why? 1.
* Since the twins are alike, less is lost to the story than if a different character is lost. 2.
* If the character is being played by the same actor, its a great opportunity to do a death scene and yet continue essentially the same role with character development, without Flanderizing a 'serious drama' into Death Is Cheap territory. 3.
* It provides an opportunity to create angst, sorrow, anger, etc. into the character of the surviving twin. The surviving twin may even go from a character who never takes anything seriously to genuine Action Hero. In Backup Twin, a character is introduced and later killed off. Only after their death is it revealed they had a Backup Twin, who carries on in the deceased character's place as if nothing had happened. The original twin is often never mentioned again once the new twin explains that he is a twin (or clone, if science fiction) and not the original character brought back to life. In this trope, either the twins are introduced at the same time or close to it, or else the surviving twin is introduced first, and the dead twin is then introduced in a flashback. The death of the twin must have a profound or at least significant effect on the survivor for it to be this trope. The victim doesn't always have to be an identical twin, provided they play that role. Examples of Angsty Surviving Twin include:
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