A character who has similarities to a good or not as evil character, but is evil(er). They may look like that character and have/had abilities and obstacles similar to them. Sometimes, but not always, a Big Bad. Classically, an Embodiment of Vice pitched against a correlating Embodiment of Virtue.
Frequently, the Evil Counterpart is the character equivalent of For Want of a Nail: they are a Fallen Hero that represents what our hero might have become had their Backstory been slightly different — or what they could still become should they succumb to The Dark Side. They also save creators the trouble of thinking up new abilities to give their villains, especially for comic book heroes and video games (where new abilities have to be implemented). Because The Hero and the Evil Counterpart are such great foils for each other, the counterpart has an excellent chance of being the hero's Arch-Enemy or a Classic Villain, although this is not always the case. If the hero is an Anti-Hero, a Mr. Vice Guy, a Good Is Not Nice type or a Jerk with a Heart of Gold, the Evil Counterpart would have the same negative traits but none of their redeeming qualities. This character is virtually always a Mirror Character to the protagonist.
Often leads to a "Not So Different" Remark.
In the Magical Girl genre, they're often a Dark Magical Girl. Contrast with the Worthy Opponent. Applied to an entire team, they are The Psycho Rangers. Applied to an entire race, they are an Evil Counterpart Race. This trope is not to be confused with the Shadow Archetype, but the two can overlap.
Sister Trope to Evil Twin (evil biological twin), Evil Knockoff (intentionally created evil duplicate), Evil Doppelgänger (evil Alternate Universe persona) and Criminal Doppelgänger (evil Identical Stranger). In continuing works, has a chance of becoming Reformed, but Not Tamed.
If the first character to be introduced is the evil one, the good one would be his Good Counterpart.
Compare Counterpart Artifacts.
