Personality erasure

Personality erasure is a plot device that involves the original personality of a character being erased or buried, and a hidden personality coming to the fore or a new personality taking over. It is a type of character death. It has been useful for media works involving actors. It typically permits the same actor to continue playing in the role, but assume a very different role.

Examples of permanent personality erasure:

• Talia Winters on Babylon 5
• Fred Burkle (Winifred "Fred" Burkle) on Angel

Temporary personality erasure is a much more common plot device; it is not actually a form of character death, although the character may be placed at risk, or other characters may believe the character has died or be concerned about the risk of character death. It is also used comedically.

Examples of temporary personality erasure:

• Angel on Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when he loses his soul, and is replaced by Angelus.
• See also personality swaps