Watching characters do the same thing over and over again throughout a series can get monotonous. While it can be refreshing when characters perform actions that might be considered atypical, it can also backfire spectacularly when a character's characterization is inconsistent.
This is where the oft-used alter ego trick comes into play. It gives actors more material to dig into and they can showcase their acting chops by playing characters that are often the opposite of what we're used to playing.
Thats not all. Alter egos can also be an artistic way of exploring a character's psyche, which has led to some surprising TV revelations. These 17 characters are among the few whose alter egos left you wanting more.
1.Walter White/Heisenberg (Breaking Bad)
After plunging into the waters of the criminal underworld, Walter quickly realized that he needed a secret identity to protect himself and his family from the dangers of this life. Here Heisenberg appears, a necessary evil who gradually destroyed the family man Walter until he became the dominant personality and Walter became an afterthought. In hindsight, it wasn't such a bad engagement, as Heisenberg was taking care of his business with ruthless efficiency.
2. Betty Cooper/Betty Oscura (Riverdale)
There's nothing particularly wrong with everyday Betty, but there's something about her darker half that makes her that much more intriguing. And you can bet some memorable things will happen when she shows up. Like the time she almost cooked Chuck alive in a hot tub.
3.Zuko/The Blue Spirit and Katara/The Distelfalter (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
Zuko's father's troubles fueled his relentless search for the Avatar, but after his soul searching finally opened his eyes to his father's warlike ways, the Blue Spirit was born as the ultimate symbol of his rebellion against the Lord's tyranny. . Katara, on the other hand, took on the Painted Lady facade to help the people of a riverside town who couldn't be more apt for her characterization as a deeply sensitive girl, eventually meeting the real Painted Lady. .
4. Voq/Ash Tyler (Star Trek: Discovery)
Voq agreed to replace his consciousness with Ash Tyler's and modify his body to appear human. All this in the hope that L'Rell would wake him up when the time came. Obviously, things didn't go the way anyone expected, but we can't wait to see where Ash's story goes now that Voq has been permanently removed.
5. Elliot/Sr. Robots (Sr. Robots)
Elliot has always been opposed to corporate greed, but has never been able to do anything about it. This is where his much more violent alter ego comes into play. Mister. Robot isn't afraid to go after the corrupt at the top who are blindly robbing the masses, and he'll take down anyone who gets in his way.
6.Darius Tanz/Prof. Aguirre (Redemption)
Given the tensions between the billionaire and Resyst, Darius contacted Dr. Aguirre to infiltrate the group. A notorious recluse and alcoholic, Darius created him as a sort of pseudonym in the scientific world to allow him to work on stranger projects, away from the scrutiny of the public or the board.
7. Merlín/Emrys (Merlín)
His place as Arthur's servant means that Merlin has to hide some opinions and always try to be as polite as possible, despite the hell Arthur puts him through on a daily basis. But not when he's Emrys, a scrawny old man having fun turning the tables and putting the former and future King of Camelot in some strange situations.
8. Clark Kent/Kal El (Smallville)
Clark finally managed to reconcile his withdrawn reporter persona with the almighty hero who will one day be known as Superman, but it's been a long and winding road: ten seasons to be exact. But before we get to that point, we need to look at how Clark sometimes switches between his two personalities (sometimes with the help of Jor-El). And while Clark was just beginning to understand the true extent of his powers, Kal-El controlled every aspect of those abilities.
9. Caitlyn Snow/Killer Frost (Der Blitz)
We all love Caitlyn, but we can't help but be drawn to Killer Frost's charisma. Even the Star Labs team fully trusts her now, despite being in her bed with Zoom a few seasons ago. But can you blame them? Her fashion sense is off the charts, she rivals Cisco in landing the best shots on villains, and it seems like she's the most viable weapon against Cicada.
10. Maria/Typhoid Maria (Iron Fist)
Typhoid Mary is the only other personality sweet Mary knows. They initially fought for dominance, each doing what they could to hold off the other for as long as possible. Slowly they both realized that there might be an extremely violent and potentially overwhelming third personality that might not be as controlled or rational as either of them. While Typhoid Mary is quite violent, she at least is rational and only fights to keep the two of them safe.
11.Angel/Angelus und Willow/Dark Willow (Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel)
With his soul intact, Angel is still a competent fighter, but due to a curse placed on him, he loses his soul from time to time, and the demon Angelus takes over the empty jug. As a result of Angelus's actions over the centuries, he is known as the most evil vampire in all of history. Not only is he stronger, his intellect is superior to Angel's and he has better lines. While she's not a terrible witch, Willow is on another level when it gets dark.
12. Edward Nygma/O Charada (Gotham)
From lab nerd with a photographic memory working with the Gotham Police Department to mastermind of crime. Ed's path to becoming the Riddler was long and littered with the corpses of enemies and lovers alike. This was partly due to the appearance of Mr. Hyde's his, known as the Riddler.
13. Fiji / Dark Fiji (Midnight, Texas)
Fiji was just as shocked as everyone else when she found out she was a dark witch, because we all know there's no way the lovely spell caster could be evil. After getting engaged to her dark ancestor, she took on a whole new personality and in no time managed to put everyone in danger.
14.Jane Villanueva/Funny Jane (Virgin Jane)
Jane wears many hats: mother, daughter, lover. Because of this, she can be a bit nervous and always alert, that is, even after a few drinks (or when she's with Adam), and Jolly Jane comes out to play. And she remembers, Jane's fun isn't a joke because she eats the rap battle opponents for lunch.
15.James McGill/Saul Goodman (Better Call Saul)
We get to know the man Jimmy becomes on Breaking Bad before receiving his origin story. But watching him run his own show, witnessing his gradual transformation from a lawyer trying to do the right thing, to the sordid whisper of the drug-dealing underworld we know he will be, was thrilling.
16.James St. Patrick/Ghost (Power)
The dichotomy between the two personalities has never been stronger than in the first season. Where James St. Patrick's life was chaotic and filled with unnecessary drama, Ghost was imperious, going about his business with unerring efficiency.
17. Howard Silk (Alfa)/Howard Silk (Prime) (Mate)
For the uninitiated, it's basically two alternate earth doubles swapping places and both doing their best to represent the other in their respective lands. Whereas Howard (Prime) failed miserably at being Howard (Alpha), Howard (Alpha) squashed him as Howard (Prime). It's just proof that J.K. Simmons' spot-on performance as Howard and how he instills such different personalities in both characters that it's exciting to see J.K. Watching Simmons as he plays Howard pretending to be another Howard and another Howard pretending to be Howard.
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