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Don Quixote and his sidekick Sancho Panza, by Gustave Doré: their character contrasts are made manifest not only by their behavior, but their physical appearance.

A foil is a character who contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist,^[1] and, in so doing, highlights various facets of the main character's personality. A foil has some important characteristics in common with the other character, such as, frequently, superficial traits or personal history. The author may use the foil to throw the character of the protagonist into sharper relief. The term refers to the practice of putting polished foil underneath a gemstone to make it shine more brightly.^[2] It is also likely that widespread use of the word "foil" in literature comes from the play Hamlet by Shakespeare, in which Hamlet says that "I'll be your foil, Laertes: in mine ignorance / Your skill shall, like a star i' the darkest night, Stick fiery off indeed" (Act 5 Scene 2).

A foil's complementary role may be emphasized by physical contrasts. Dreamy and impractical Don Quixote is thin; realistic, practical Sancho Panza is fat. Sherlock Holmes is tall and lean; Doctor Watson, although at first, on his return from Afghanistan, described as lean, is later described as "middle-sized, strongly built."

In some cases, a subplot can be used as a foil to the main plot. This is especially true in the case of metafiction. One example of a plot being used as a foil can be seen in the graphic novel Watchmen, in which a comic book within the Watchmen universe presents a story similar to that of one of the main characters.

The "straight man" in a comedy duo is a comic foil. While the straight man portrays a reasonable and serious character, the other portrays a funny, dumb, or simply unorthodox one. The humor in these partnerships derives from the interactions between these drastically different personalities.

Foils are very common in literature, film and pop culture. The lists below are meant as representative samples to illustrate the nature of foil characters; it is not intended to be a comprehensive list.

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• In Jane Eyre, St. John Rivers is a foil for Rochester.
• In Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras, whose fathers have been killed, are foils for Hamlet.
• In Macbeth, Banquo is a foil for Macbeth because they both met with the "weird sisters" yet Banquo remains loyal to Duncan.
• In Othello, Emilia is a foil for Desdemona.
• In Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio is a foil for Romeo.
• In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Olivia contrasts to Viola, the main character, because, although both lost their father and brother (even though Viola does not know that her brother is actually alive), Viola is willing to move on while Olivia shuts herself from the presence of any man for seven years. This is just one of the many cases in which Viola and Olivia contrast.
• In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Abby and Elizabeth Proctor are foils.
• In Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, Svidrigailov is a foil to Raskolnikov, as are Sonya, Luzhin, Razumihin, and Marmeladov, arguably.
• In Antigone, Ismene, being thoughtful and calm, serves as a foil to irrational, impulsive Antigone.
• In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the character of Lennie is a foil to the character of George, both in physical appearance and in character.
• In A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, Kristine Linde serves as a foil for the main Female protagonist Nora.
• In Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Biddy serves as a foil for Estella.
• In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Mr Collins serves as a foil for Mr Darcy.
• In Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontё, Edgar Linton serves as a foil for Heathcliff, and Isabella Linton serves as a foil for Catherine Earnshaw.
• In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, obedient Sid can be considered a foil for disobedient Tom.
• In The Stranger (novel), by Albert Camus, Raymond Sintés is a foil for Mersault.
• In The Tale of Genji, by Murasaki Shikibu, To no Choju is a foil for Genji.

The foil is a common literary device that continues to be used in modern storytelling regardless of the medium. A few of the more noteworthy examples include:

• In the American TV series Lost, a number of characters and their beliefs parallel John Locke and his ideologies. Jack, being rational and logical, is a foil to Locke, who believes the island has a connection to destiny and the supernatural (as explicitly addressed in "Man of Science, Man of Faith". Mr. Eko is also a foil to Locke, as while he shares John's strong faith, he serves primarily to reaffirm that sense of belief within Locke. Series antagonist Ben may also be considered another of Locke's foils, as he too shares the belief in the supernatural properties of the Island, but is one of the "Others," - while he shares a connection to the enigmatic "Jacob", sees visions and at one point uses a wheelchair like Locke, he differs in that he seeks darker ends through means such as casual and extensive deception, manipulation and even murder.
• In Star Trek: The Original Series, the cold and logical Mr. Spock stands in contrast to the emotional Dr. McCoy.
• In Star Wars: A New Hope, the gritty Han Solo stands in stark contrast to the more idealistic Luke Skywalker.
• In DC's World's Finest Comics line and subsequent appearances of Batman and Superman together, each serves as a foil to the other. In some adaptations, Robin also serves as a foil to Batman.
• In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the violent and hot-tempered Raphael serves as a foil to his easy-going and cheerful youngest brother, Michelangelo.
• In Doctor Who The Master is a stark contrast to The Doctor and personifies the Doctor's Attributes.
• In House, recurrent character Michael Tritter was used as a foil for the main character, Gregory House. There were many similarities that they share exactly — such as the belief that everybody lies and their bullyish natures — while also distinct differences emphasized through their confrontations. The regular characters of Wilson and Cuddy, mostly, also foil House in different aspects, by being more human and commonsensical than he is, and then bringing up House's sadistic sarcasm and other prominent, antagonistic traits.
• On Veronica Mars the character Tim Foyle is a foil for the show's title character; the two share a rivalry, an interest in criminal investigation, and a mentor (Criminology professor Landry).
• On Heroes, Sylar is a foil for Peter Petrelli, in that they can both obtain other heroes' powers, to very different ends.
• In British sci-fi series Torchwood, the character of Gwen Cooper finds her dramatic foil in Suzie Costello, a recurring villain.
• In the American thriller series, Prison Break, FBI Agent Alexander Mahone is a foil for Michael Scofield; both are extremely intelligent, and both will go to great lengths - and break whatever rules they must - to protect their families.
• In Hellsing, The character Alexander Anderson is a foil of Alucard as can be seen through the rivalry and the extraordinary powers the two share.
• In Siddhartha by German writer Hermann Hesse, the character Govinda, who follows his friend Siddhartha to find enlightenment, acts as a foil to his companion. This is so because whilst Govinda does not attain a state of Nirvana while following a religious path, Siddhartha abandons religion and discovers for himself that to find Nirvana, one must experience both the religious and material world, and that no one man can be wholly good or evil.
• Throughout Doctor Who's run on television and in spin-off media, the various Companions have always served as foils for the various incarnations of the Doctor. Examples from the revived series include the enthusiastic Rose Tyler and the heroic, libido-driven Captain Jack as foils for the brooding Ninth Doctor, and the intelligent and inquisitive Martha Jones as foil for the easy-going, light-hearted Tenth Doctor.
• Eddie Brock a.k.a. Venom is a foil to Peter Parker in the Spider-Man comics and media. Both are photographers and succumb to the same alien symbiote, although they differ in personality.
• In the anime and manga series Fullmetal Alchemist, Alphonse Elric, very rational and mature for his age, is a foil of his hotheaded, immature, and vertically-challenged brother, Edward Elric.
• Faith Lehane serves as a foil to Buffy Summers in the American cult television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer providing a sharp contrast to the do-good ways of the title character; she is seen jumping into situations without a plan, getting herself into unnecessary danger or trouble for the rush of it, stealing or manipulating to get her way, and abusing her powers to great extents. Ultimately joining the opposite side, she proves that your powers are only as good as you use them.
• In the manga and anime series Naruto, calm and cool headed Sasuke Uchiha is a foil for the hyper and impulsive Naruto Uzumaki.