National Twin Day: The Best Twins in Pop Culture

December 18 is National Twin Day. Today, we celebrate identical and fraternal lookalikes in all their weirdness and wonder (including yours truly, the author of this article). A source of awe, curiosity, and sometimes fear, twins are used across movies, television, video games, comics, and more to confuse, misdirect, and mystify. William Shakespeare famously utilized twins in many of his plays such as Twelfth Night and A Comedy of Errors. You’ll often hear jokes about eating twins in the womb — or in the case of the X-Men, Charles Xavier literally destroying Cassandra Nova before their birth. Sets of twos are either delightful or dreadful, with very little room for middling plot points.

But twins are certainly nothing to be scared of, and they make for great storytelling when allowed to blossom beyond their (admittedly fascinating) sibling relationships. Below, check out the best fictional twins of all time. Then, keep reading to see why these particular pop culture pairs made our list. Spoiler alert: We’ll be covering only heroic twins, and not villains like Cersei and Jamie Lannister from Game of Thrones. You know exactly why. And although they’re called “The Shining Twins,” the Grady sisters are not actually twins, and will not make an appearance, either.

• Smoke and Stack
• Vex and Vax
• Fred and George
• Luke and Leia
• Billy and Tommy
• Zan and Jayna
• Målingen and Lockne

---

Smoke and Stack – Sinners

Unfortunately, casting directors usually pick a single actor to play twins. Twins are not carbon copies, and while the acting flex is nice, it’s also disingenuous to an authentic twin experience. Despite this, Michael B. Jordan really does kill it as both Smoke and Stack. The “Smokestack Twins” in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners are the hottest horror brothers maybe ever. A pair of gangsters, they care deeply about each other and are as thick as thieves. And even when his brother gets turned into a vampire, Smoke can’t bring himself to stake him — showing how their bond transcends mortality and monstrosity.

---

Vex and Vax – Vox Machina

Critical Role is known for compelling relationships across the board, er, table? Campaign 1, with Vox Machina, features the effervescent duo Vax’ildan and Vex’ahlia. These elven twins are a force to be reckoned with in the original podcast and the Amazon Prime animated series alike. At one point, Vex dies … but Vax’s quick bargain with the Matron swaps their fates in a story-altering, jaw-dropping moment. They’ll kill for each other, they’ll die for each other — sometimes they want to kill each other. Now that’s a true twin dynamic.

---

Fred and George – Harry Potter

Troublemakers Fred and George Weasley are comic relief characters in Harry Potter. They do all the classic twin things like saying sentences at the same time and being totally in sync. But what helps Fred and George shine is their total commitment to each other and shared ideals. While many siblings grow apart, Fred and George never do. They enter the Triwizard Tournament together, leave school at the same time, start a business, and open a store in Diagon Alley. And when the time comes to stand beside each other in the Wizarding War, they’re stuck like glue.

---

Luke and Leia – Star Wars

Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa were separated at birth. But their fates and the Force help them collide later in life, setting them both on a path to save the galaxy. These twins are sci-fi icons. Altruistic Rebels with a penchant for mischief, they’re both capable leaders, intergalactic heroes, and skilled Jedi (although Leia chooses not to pursue extensive training). The Skywalker Twins showcase the best of their parents in their every action, cementing them both  — not just Luke! — as the core of the eponymous saga.

---

Billy and Tommy – Marvel

Looks like the (mutant) apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. After all, twins run through bloodlines. Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, AKA Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, are two of the most famous comic book twins. Wanda marries Vision and starts a family with him, bringing to life/existence identical (in the comics) twins Billy Kaplan and Tommy Shepherd. Billy and Tommy have their mom and uncle’s superpowers, respectively. While their sibling relationship starts a little late owing to reality-warping conditions, once they’re teammates, they would do anything to protect each other.

---

Zan and Jayna (Wonder Twins) – DC

“Wonder Twin Powers, Activate!” Which little DC fan hasn’t made their brother, sister, or BFF recreate this fantastic power up sequence? Born on the planet Exxor, Jayna and Zan have unique powers tied to their physical proximity. Jayna can transform into any animal, and Zan can transform into water. But they have to fist-bump first. Their pet monkey Gleek accompanies and assists the pair in crime-fighting activities across Earth. Sweet and silly, the Wonder Twins are a really fun bit of twin representation in comics lore.

---

Målingen and Lockne – Death Stranding

Death Stranding deals heavily with the concept of motherhood and childhood. Naturally, then, Hideo Kojima’s genre-blending video game takes on twins. Born conjoined at the head, twins Målingen (also known as Mama) and Lockne were surgically separated. But many people still considered the twins the “same person in two bodies,” possibly because they were also born with DOOMS — a connection to the Beach/other side of life and death. Mama and Lockne can communicate across the world, regardless of distance. Their genius intellect helps them establish America’s Chiral Network, and their relationship is vital to Sam Porter Bridges’ journey.

---

Who are your favorite pop culture twins? Celebrate them with other fans at side.show/geekgroup or in the Sideshow Social Network. Happy National Twin Day, and as always, don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!