Top 10 Times MCU Backstabbers Got What They Deserved

Top 10 Times Backstabbers Got What They Deserved in the MCU

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Times Backstabbers Got What They Deserved in the MCU.

For this list, we’ll be looking at traitors and betrayers who got their just deserts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since we’ll be talking about general story events, a spoiler warning is in effect.

Which backstabber were you happy to see receive justice? Let us know in the comments!

#10: Agatha Harkness

“WandaVision” (2021)

Wanda has a pretty rough go of things: no brother, no Vision, no support system. When she has a breakdown that results in a town being transformed into a weird sitcom land, the last thing she needs is someone making it worse. Agatha definitely makes things worse. She infiltrates the Hex, toys with Wanda’s emotions as the nosy neighbor, and plots to steal her magic. She even kills her dog, Sparky! So when Wanda finally became the Scarlet Witch, we were itching to see her form of vengeance. It did not disappoint. She stripped Agatha of her powers and altered her memory so that she really would be nothing more than a nosy neighbor. Delicious.

#9: Ikaris

“Eternals” (2021)

When the Eternals found out their purpose on Earth was to prepare for the birth of a Celestial, resulting in humanity’s demise, most of them took issue with it. One who was totally fine with sacrificing an entire planet was Ikaris. He was so on board with it, in fact, that he killed the team’s leader Ajak when she started having second thoughts. He then worked against his allies to keep them from stopping the emergence, but even being the strongest among them didn’t change the fact that he was outnumbered. We took great pleasure seeing the team beat the snot out of him, the love of his life resent him, and him flying into the Sun when he failed.

#8: Killmonger

“What If…?” (2021-)

We saw that Killmonger would betray anyone to reach his goals in “Black Panther.” “What If…?” took it to another level. In one universe, he rescued Tony Stark and manipulated him into waging war against Wakanda. He murdered T’Challa, Rhodey, and Tony before taking the mantle of Black Panther. That’s despicable enough. When he was called on by the Watcher to defend the multiverse against Ultron, he betrayed all of existence to take the Infinity Stones and fix his world. We can think of no better punishment than being trapped in a pocket dimension, where he’ll presumably fight the Zola-controlled Ultron until the end of time. If fighting is what he wants, fighting is what he should get.

#7: "Kazi" Kazimierczak

“Hawkeye” (2021)

“Hawkeye” was full of holiday cheer. But there were definitely some who ended up on Santa’s naughty list and were treated accordingly. Tracksuit Mafia member Kazi seemed to be on Maya’s side. But in reality, he knew all about Wilson Fisk’s betrayal that saw Maya’s father murdered by Clint Barton. Fisk is ruthless and always looks out for himself, but Kazi’s betrayal must have stung a lot more, seeing as how the two were close friends. During their confrontation, Maya even pleaded with him to abandon Kingpin and come with her. Yet, he attacked her all the same, feeling he was in too deep, and ended up paying for his mistakes with his life.

#6: Hank Pym

“What If…?” (2021)

During an alternate version of the MCU’s origins, we see the Avengers candidates begin to be murdered in mysterious ways. As we find out, the murders are the work of former Ant-Man Hank Pym, who built a Yellowjacket suit to get vengeance against Nick Fury. Hank holds Fury responsible for the death of his daughter Hope, who died after Fury recruited her to S.H.I.E.L.D. You know who wasn’t responsible? All the people you just murdered! When Hank confronts Fury, he finds he’s quite outmatched… only because it’s really Loki. The most notorious betrayer of all ends up smacking him around for a bit before he’s captured by Fury. It’s quite the laughable end for such a bloodthirsty character.

#5: Alexander Pierce

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014)

There are a whole lot of undercover Hydra agents that could go on this list. We find the disfigurement and demise of Brock Rumlow particularly satisfying. But we have to give love, or hate, to the guy at the top. Alexander Pierce was the Secretary of the World Security Council and one of Nick Fury’s closest allies. But he was really biding his time, periodically deploying the Winter Soldier, until he could enact Project Insight. This would have given Hydra total domination over the world. Luckily, Cap and co. caught on and put an end to his plans. Pierce might have escaped had it not been for Black Widow and Fury, who didn’t hesitate to put two bullets in him.

#4: Mysterio

“Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019)

Many comic fans likely knew Mysterio was full of it heading into “Far From Home.” But Peter sure didn’t, and the betrayal was an incredibly significant one. Under the guise of being from an alternate dimension, Quentin Beck convinced Nick Fury and Maria Hill (or so he thought) that their world was under attack from the same monsters that destroyed his. Really a scorned former employee of Tony Stark, Beck schemed to acquire E.D.I.T.H., a security system that gives the owner access to Stark Industries’ satellites and drones. So Mysterio tricked Peter into handing over the EDITH glasses that gave him control. Beck filled the mentor hole left by Tony, so his betrayal must have hurt tremendously. However, his hubris and Peter’s spider sense led to his downfall, and he was shot by one of his own drones.

#3: Ego

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (2017)

It isn’t every day you meet your long lost Celestial father who happens to be a living planet. We were happy for Peter Quill to finally meet dear old dad, but we should’ve known he was no good. His plans to expand himself throughout the galaxy by terraforming other planets was pretty horrible. So too was impregnating many creatures across the universe, hiring Yondu to bring him the children, and then killing those who didn’t inherit his Celestial DNA. But what really made this character despicable was how he gave Peter’s mother cancer. There’s no coming back from that. So when the Guardians destroyed Ego’s core and his humanoid form disintegrated, we couldn’t help but cheer.

#2: Obadiah Stane

“Iron Man” (2008)

Betrayal has been built into the MCU from the very beginning. Tony Stark’s inciting incident for becoming Iron Man is getting captured after watching U.S. soldiers get killed by his company’s weapons. As we and Tony would find out, the man responsible for his kidnapping was the very one who guided him after his parents were killed. Jealous of Tony’s power, Obadiah connived to get him out of the way. When that didn’t happen, he stole the arc reactor keeping Tony alive and built his own suit. With help from Pepper, Tony was able to stop the traitor. Stane ended up getting electrocuted by the very power he coveted, which we think is a very fitting end.

#1: Billy Russo

“The Punisher” (2017-19)

If your friend betrays you and tries to have you killed, that’s one thing. But when betrayal leads to the death of your entire family, that’s something else entirely. Billy Russo may not have been the one who put out the hit that got Frank Castle’s family slain, but he definitely knew about it. His actions were out of a need to save himself, and they ended up getting his face horrifically disfigured. He wouldn’t receive full justice until the end of Season 2 where, after being shot, he was robbed and left for dead by a back alley doctor. As he bled out, Curtis tipped Frank off to his location. And the Punisher arrived to execute his former friend.