Doppelgänger (Legend Timeline)

The Doppelganger was a replica of Lara Croft that appeared within a puzzle room in Atlantis. A second, more advanced Doppelganger was later made.

The first doppelgänger to be encountered was Tomb Raider: Anniversary, found in 'The Great Pyramid.' Its appearance was of a skinless human with no hair, causing fans to dub it 'Bacon Lara.' The creature seemed to have very limited intelligence, as it was only able to mimic Lara's every movement. While it did not attack directly, shooting it caused damage to Lara herself. Lara was eventually able to trick it into jumping into a pit of molten lava, destroying it. It is hypothesized that this doppelgänger was just an Atlantean creature copying Lara's every move because it did not have a motive. However, its appearance in Tomb Raider: Anniversary, as well as an entry in Lara's journal in Tomb Raider: Underworld contradict this.

The Second Doppelgänger
The second doppelgänger appeared in Tomb Raider: Underworld. It was created by Natla and Amanda Evert, and unlike the first version is easily able to pass for human. Mentally, the doppelgänger appears to be very much like Lara herself, sharing a similar personality and intellect; the main difference is her compulsion to follow the orders of anyone who knows the proper command word. In physical terms, the doppelgänger is far superior to Lara, possessing far greater speed, strength, and agility. While nearly identical to the real Lara, the doppelgänger does have some visible differences, the most notable of which are her glowing gold eyes and her red hair. Her overall appearance is closer to that of Lara's traditional Tomb Raider character model, with red hair, brown lips, and a hairstyle similar to that seen in Tomb Raider 2.

During the course of Tomb Raider: Underworld, the doppelgänger is ordered to place a bomb in Croft Manor, which ultimately destroys the mansion. Zip, unable to tell the difference, later opens fire on the real Lara, believing that the bomb was her doing. Lara returns to the burning main hall to check the security cameras, where she encounters the doppelgänger face to face. She attempts to manipulate its behavior as she did the first doppelgänger, but it only plays along for a few moments before murdering Alister and fleeing the manor. They later meet again in Helheim, but their encounter is cut short by Amanda.

In the DLC Lara's Shadow, the doppelgänger--still under Natla's control--retrieves Natla from Helheim and returns her to Atlantis in order to heal her. Once stabilized, Natla orders the doppelgänger to kill Lara, then herself. In the meantime however, Lara had learned the command necessary to control her, and uses it to stop the doppelganger in her tracks when she arrives. After a brief conversation, in which Lara questions the doppelgänger regarding her nature, Lara sets her free of Natla's control, and in return tells her to "make sure Natla suffers." All too happy to cooperate with Lara, the doppelgänger returns to her birthplace, destroys Natla's regeneration chamber, and watches with a smile as Natla herself drowns in a pool of eitr.

Skills And Abilities
The First Doppelgänger possesses almost the same skills as Lara. She can shoot her pistols at a Rapid Speed and is faster then Lara, since she can dodge Lara's shooting. Doppelgänger can fire shadow blasts from her hands.

The second Doppelgänger is even more powerful. It can move faster than the eye can track, and is strong enough to kill creatures large enough with it's bare hands. It is also more intelligent, and can think independently. However it is easily controlled with the phrase "Ohk Eshivar", until Lara frees it from her being bound to the phrase.

Trivia

 * One of the doppelgängers appears as a costume for Lara in Tomb Raider Anniversary, while the other one is available in Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.
 * The term "doppelgänger" is a German word meaning "double or lookalike"
 * In mythology, a family or friend seeing a person's doppelgänger would mean illness or danger. Whereas one seeing their own doppelgänger would mean death.