Foil

Character Role Analysis

Agent K

A foil is a character that contrasts another character by highlighting certain qualities. Kay's experience and world-weary demeanor (a product of years of doing this job) make him a foil to Jay in addition to being a mentor. Kay's tired and ready to be done, and this leads him to be less concerned with the lives or feelings of the humans he's sworn to protect. Dude's jaded, yo.

Jay is just starting his life as a member of Men in Black, and he remembers what it's like for people outside the agency. As such, his decisions are more in line with helping and protecting their feelings and memories as well as their lives.

The perfect example of this are the neuralyzer scenes. When Kay wipes someone's memory, he gives them a really basic new memory. He doesn't consider their emotional well-being, he just needs a memory to replace the real one. Jay, on the other hand, tries to give them happy memories, improving their lives in the process of the covering things up.