Top 10 Times Video Game Backstabbers Got What They Deserved

Script written by Johnny Reynolds

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Times Video Game Backstabbers Got What They Deserved. For this list, we’ll be looking at characters who betrayed us, and the just desserts they received for it. Beware of major spoilers ahead. Which backstabber were you satisfied to see get what they deserved? Share your thoughts in the comments.

#10: Uberto Alberti

“Assassin’s Creed II” (2009)

With a centuries-long war between the Templars and Brotherhood fought mostly in the shadows, there are plenty of betrayals in “Assassin’s Creed.” But none has ever filled us with the pure desire for vengeance more than that of Uberto Alberti. At the beginning of the sequel, main character Ezio’s father and brothers are unjustly arrested for treason. Pleading with the magistrate, Alberti, Ezio is assured that there’s no need to worry and that he’ll fix the issue. In reality, Alberti is corrupt and wastes no time hanging the innocent family. He gets what’s coming to him, though, after Ezio joins the Brotherhood. Catching up with the lying scoundrel, the hero takes his Hidden Blade to the villain’s chest.

#9: Harry Flynn

“Uncharted 2: Among Thieves” (2009)

After the terrific train sequence opening, “Uncharted 2” shows how Nate got into such a tricky situation, beginning with the introduction of two characters from his past. Harry Flynn is a fellow charming thief that convinces Nate to help him break into a museum. After he gets what he wants, Flynn leaves him to get arrested and spend 3 months in an Istanbul prison. Turns out, Flynn’s employer is a power-hungry maniac and he’ll do anything to get the job done. When Nate finally catches up with Flynn during the climax, he’s already been left for dead by his boss. But he still goes out with a literal bang. Sadly, his grenade also injures Elena. But it’s definitely the pitiful ending he deserves.

#8: General Shepherd

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” (2009)

“Call of Duty” may be more appreciated for its gameplay over its story, but the “Modern Warfare” trilogy is riveting. In the middle chapter, we all fell victim to the utter treachery of General Shepherd. Most of the plot focuses on your team tracking a vile terrorist leader, Vladimir Makarov. And while they may have had a strained relationship with him, General Shepherd seemed to be one of the good guys. But while Roach and Ghost were escaping one of Makarov’s safe houses, Shepherd murdered them in cold blood. He’d actually been quite intent on stoking the flames of war between Russia and the US. Thankfully, the other team members found him out and Soap got to deliver a knife straight to his head.

#7: Big Smoke & Ryder

“Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” (2004)

Being forced to work for crooked cops immediately after getting back in town, CJ pretty much only has his friends to rely on. So when two of them betray him, it stings pretty painfully. Like most of CJ’s allies, Big Smoke and Ryder were members of the gang, the Grove Street Families. Their lust for power led them to side with a rival gang, the Ballas, who were growing more influential. However, Smoke & Ryder were also partially responsible for the death of CJ’s mother and worked to kill other friends and disband the gang. CJ gets the drop on both in the end; Ryder is shot while trying to conduct a deal and you track Smoke to his drug manufacturing plant.

#6: Kendra Daniels

“Dead Space” (2008)

Despite creatures from nightmares lurking around every dark corner, there are dangerous people to watch out for in “Dead Space.” One such person is Kendra Daniels, who guides protagonist Isaac while he’s aboard the Ishimura. Other than the psychotic Dr. Challus Mercer, it seems like every living person should be on the same side, but Kendra also has plans of her own. Although she does help you, it’s only in service of the people she works for to find and take the Marker 3A, leaving Isaac to his fate on the doomed ship. She doesn’t get the chance to enjoy the spoils of her betrayal, though, as she’s soon crushed by the Hive Mind.

#5: Atlas

“BioShock” (2007)

“BioShock” perfectly places you in a helpless position so that when the kind Atlas shows up, we don’t question it. For most of the game, he guides you where to go and advises you on how best to survive. There’s also the seeming death of his family that you witness, further cementing him as one of the good guys. But in one of gaming’s greatest twists, you learn that Atlas is actually Frank Fontaine, a notorious gangster and one of several individuals responsible for Rapture’s current state. Oh, and he’s been controlling you this whole time through the trigger phrase, “Would You Kindly?” After he loads up on the power-granting ADAM, you and the Little Sisters defeat the villain by draining his body of it.

#4: Wheatley

“Portal 2” (2011)

GLaDOS is not a villain to be trifled with. So when Wheatley offered to help us escape her facility in “Portal 2,” players thought they’d gained a comedic, albeit bumbling companion for the campaign. But after replacing her as the one in charge, Wheatley grows mad with power immediately. Despite you never having wronged him, he tosses you back into the tests just like his predecessor. By teaming up with GLaDOS, who’s been placed inside a potato, you make it through to enact vengeance. Which comes in the form of opening a portal on the moon and sending Wheatley through. He then floats through space, presumably for eternity, with only an annoying Space Core to keep him company.

#3: Ana Miller

“Rise of the Tomb Raider” (2015)

It’s understandable for a child to be mistrusting when their parent marries someone new. But there’s no way Lara Croft could’ve known how villainous Ana would end up being. Working for the evil organization, Trinity, Ana got close to Lara’s father to find out more about his research. She at least didn’t have the stomach to murder the poor widower. But she still monitored Lara’s therapy sessions and manipulated her into continuing her dad’s research to her own benefit. In “Rise,” she double crosses Lara in search of the Divine Source, which can cure her of a fatal illness. Not only does Lara destroy her one shot at a cure, but Ana is done in by the very organization she worked so hard for.

#2: Micah Bell

“Red Dead Redemption 2” (2018)

While Micah definitely got what was coming to him, our hatred tells us it wasn’t enough. He was never the most likable of characters, even among a group of murderous thieves. Yet he was still a member of the Van der Linde gang. After a few too many interruptions from the Pinkerton detective agency, leader Dutch begins to suspect there’s a rat in the group. He’s absolutely right, but even after you find out it’s Micah and unveil the truth, the gang doesn’t believe Arthur, who dies shortly after while Micah gets away. In an epilogue set 8 years later, Dutch tracks down the man that ruined his posse while John finishes the job.

#1: Albert Wesker

“Resident Evil” (1996) & “Resident Evil 5” (2009)

When players became trapped in the original “Resident Evil,” the only thing they thought was safe was the assumption that you and your allies were in it together. Of course, that wasn’t the case. Your leader, Albert Wesker, had been experimenting with Umbrella Corporation and led the S.T.A.R.S. team to their fate. It was gratifying seeing the Tyrant stab him through, but that unfortunately wasn’t the end of him. We had to wait until “Resident Evil 5,” where Wesker was a suped up version of himself, before Chris finally got vengeance for his fallen comrades. Sending two rockets directly into his face, while he flailed about in lava, was an explosive end to a character who undeniably had it coming.