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Many of the shows/movies sometimes have a character which is the counterpart of a certain character. Both characters' appear in the same show/movie.

The bizarre character usually have stark similarities in terms of looks and habits with few behavioral differences. The bizarre character may or may not play the role of antagonist.

Here are some examples.

Friends: Russ vs. Ross

Seinfeld: Bizarro Jerry, George, Kramer vs. Real Jerry, George, Kramer

The Simpsons: Lester and Eliza vs. Bart and Lisa

http://avclubmedia.s3.amazonaws.com/video/10301/sd.mp4

Which was the first such bizarre/opposite character appearing in a movie/tv show? (along with the original character of course)

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    This is ancient. Plot Doubles have been around for decades in fiction & film. Price & The Pauper, Prisoner of Zenda etc....as well as the Evil Twin trope.
    – Paulie_D
    Commented Sep 25, 2016 at 20:01
  • It's a theatrical work, so I write it in the comments, but I think the first (known) work with two twins with different personality is Menaechmi, from the Latin playwright Plauto.
    – McTroopers
    Commented Mar 30, 2021 at 19:52

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The first popular reference obviously pre-dates TV or movies, so it being picked up in audio visual format is not surprising.

The 1840s book - the Man in the Iron Mask, by Three Musketeers author, Alexandre Dumas, was first made into a movie back in 1939 (and a few other times since then), and was probably one of the earlier uses of the good/evil twin theme that is so common.

Man Behind the Iron Mask (1939) - IMDB

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How about I Dream of Jeannie with Jeannie and her sister. (Not sure if that's the oldest)

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  • Mentioning from when it was could be of help, though.
    – Napoleon Wilson
    Commented Sep 26, 2016 at 11:09
  • Just to be clear, we're not just talking about Barbara Eden's "twins" that were featured in every episode, right?
    – PoloHoleSet
    Commented Sep 26, 2016 at 15:56
  • Barbara Eden also played her own twin sister who had the opposite of Jeannie's personality. This was in 1968. I did not think it would be the oldest, but I would nominate it as the cutest, acknowledging that it was comical.
    – John
    Commented Sep 26, 2016 at 16:15
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Mirror, Mirror - an episode of Star Trek: TOS features several characters with their opposites.

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