Top 10 Cartoon Backstabbers Who Got What They Deserved

“Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost” (1999)
Just because someone isn’t dressed up as a monster doesn’t mean they aren’t one deep down. This horror author staged a mystery so he could lure the Scooby Gang to his hometown, where the scary stories are all too real. But once Mystery Inc. tracks down the book of ancient witch Sarah Ravencroft, Ben shows his true colors and unleashes her onto the town. It’s fitting, then, that the ghostly Sarah has the honor of giving him his comeuppance. In her final moments, she decides to make him her eternal cellmate, damning him to the same curse he tried to break. Not even the author himself could have written a more poetic ending.

“I Heart Arlo” (2021-)
Apparently, this villain had never heard of the phrase ‘if you love something, set it free.’ When Arlo flies - or, in this case, swims - from the nest, Bog Lady, who pretends to be a kind of mom to him, decides to do whatever it takes to get him back. After pretending to be kind, kidnapping his allies, and even trying to hypnotize him, she decides the only way to make him stay is to give him a home in her belly. Gobbling up Arlo and his friends majorly backfires, though, when Edmée’s explosives send the Bog Lady to kingdom come. Hey, at least she’s still in her swamp - permanently, that is.

“Archer” (2009-22)
You’d think a spy agency would have a more thorough interview process. But this hire proved himself more than worthy of spywork. Of course, he did so by putting a knife in Sterling’s – literally. Conway lost a hand for his trouble, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t hold a weapon later on in the series. The switch from blades to bullets didn’t change the outcome much, though, and his other hand ultimately went bye bye. As if that wasn’t enough, Conway’s foot also ended up being severed during yet another confrontation. With a pattern like that, he may want to lay off the double-crossing before he runs out of limbs to lose.

“Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous” (2020-22)
As a general rule of thumb, angering an island of hungry dinosaurs is usually not a great idea. Apparently, these two poachers didn’t get that memo, and posed as tourists who lost their way to get close to the main attraction. To say their plan backfires would be putting it lightly. In the middle of their getaway, Mitch gets caught in a snare just as a dino comes sniffing. Tiff completely abandons him, but doesn’t make it very far in the boat before she gets a deadly visit from two very hungry stowaways herself. Neither survive, but it’s pretty hard to feel too bad for them in the end.

“Family Guy” (1999-2003; 2005-)
For the first time, this unstable news anchor wasn’t just reporting on current events, she was the current event. A romantic heartbreak and a betrayal at work after her 40th birthday cause Diane to turn murderous. Five bodies and a threat to Lois’ life later, it seems she may get away with pinning it all on reporter Tom Tucker. But you can only live like that for so long before you get your due. And indeed, Stewie ensures that she figuratively and literally goes over the edge — of a cliff, that is. The trigger-happy psycho meets her maker with a splat, not a bang. To be fair, she totally had it coming.

“Justice League Unlimited” (2004-06)
Kids will be kids, but stealing an all-powerful amulet isn’t the kind of thing that comes with an average teenage moodswing. Mordred is technically centuries old. But he proves himself as childish as his body when he goes rogue and transports every grown-up to a different realm of existence. The Justice League (turned small) mount an assault, and quickly prove that they mean business. They goad Mordred into turning himself into an adult, which thanks to his earlier curse, places him among the other grown-ups. What’s more, he loses his youth. Yeah, he may be a gifted warlock, but clearly, he’s no psychic. It just goes to show that magic and maturity don’t go hand-in-hand.

“Danny Phantom” (2004-07)
It’s ghoulishly difficult to fight a villain who’s a respected billionaire by day and an evil ghost-human hybrid by night. Vlad does eventually reveal his alter-ego, Plasmius, to the public, but it’s only to hold the world ransom against a colliding meteor. Then, surprise, surprise, when he realizes he can’t do it alone, he’s left with no one to lend him a hand. Danny and company ensure the Earth’s survival, but Vlad’s social world has already imploded. With no friends, no home, and no use for the money, the traitor is forced to stay in the deep reaches of space. Ironically, even the asteroids don’t want him there.

“Rick and Morty” (2013-)
At this wedding, the party favors come in the form of handcuffs, courtesy of the bride herself. Everyone has baggage, but hers includes being an undercover Galactic Federation agent. To break it down, Tammy fakes the marriage, murders her new husband Birdperson, and then tries to arrest those she lured out for the ceremony. The whole thing kind of gives new meaning to the phrase “party crashers.” But when she and Rick cross paths again later on, he has a belated gift of sorts for the not-so-newlywed. It comes in the form of justice for making him attend a wedding - oh, and for Birdperson’s death, of course. Both lead to Tammy spending her honeymoon in the afterlife.

“Steven Universe” (2013-19)
This betrayal actually worked out pretty well in the end. In an attempt to save the planet, the Homeworld Gem Pink Diamond – who was leading the colonization effort at first – gained a new alias, Rose Quartz. The different shine helped her play both sides of the war and stage her own shattering to protect Earth. But as a result, no one besides Pearl could ever truly know her. She was rewarded for her sacrifice with Greg Universe’s love, and later, with a son in Steven. But having him meant abandoning her physical form. Thus, for the longest time, no one outside of Pearl knew what Rose did in the name of love.

“The Legend of Korra” (2012-14)
Aang’s successor Korra learned the hard way why you should think twice before doing business with family. Her uncle Unalaq seemed reasonable enough, if a bit stuck in his old ways, but he soon proved one of the biggest threats to the entire world. He betrayed his own brother, incited a civil war, and more. We could go on, but let’s just say it wasn’t surprising to see him fuse with the evil Vaatu and break the Avatar Cycle. But Korra gives the manipulator exactly what he deserves during a cathartic, super-sized smackdown. That epic punch to the chest is worthy enough recompense, but his literal evaporation is the perfect spirit-bending cherry on top.