That Man Is Dead/Playing With
Basic Trope: A character has decided to become in that alter ego forever and declares the original persona dead.
- Straight: Alice calls Bob by his name, but he says "Bob is dead. Call me Robert."
- Exaggerated: Robert not only rejects his old name, but every aspect of his old appearance and personality.
- Downplayed: Robert does not outright reject his old name, but he is visibly unconformable with being called by it.
- Justified: Bob, playing the role of Robert, is Becoming the Mask.
- Inverted: Bob retires and refers to Robert as being dead.
- Bob gets a split personality named Robert, and when he discovers this says that "Robert has been born."
- Subverted: "Bob? He's taking a long vacation until I can make the streets safe. I'm Robert for now."
- Double Subverted: "For now" turns out to be indefinite.
- Parodied: Alice upon being given the "that man is dead" line thinks of Robert as Bob's identical twin and is sorry that Bob died.
- Averted: Bob has decided to become himself again.
- Exploited: Bob tells people that That Man Is Dead to unnerve his enemies, who become convinced that Bob has turned Darker and Edgier.
Back to That Man Is Dead.