Top 10 Most Satisfying Revenge Kills in Cartoons

“Rick and Morty” (2013-)

During a shocking season finale, Tammy took a page out of the “Game of Thrones” playbook and betrayed her husband Birdperson at a wedding. After revealing herself as an agent, she tried to execute Rick Sanchez and anyone who stood in her way. The scientist escaped with a newfound thirst for revenge for the traitorous spouse. Shortly after Tammy returned to earth and threatened his family, Rick immediately flew out to confront her. Despite his best efforts, he ends up on the wrong side of Tammy’s space gun. But a timely assist from his grandkids puts him back in control. Although Rick dispatches her pretty quickly, it was still great to see that the traitor could no longer threaten the universe.

“Justice League” (2001-04)

The king of Atlantis initially thought that the surface dwellers were trying to end his life. However, it turned out that Aquaman’s brother Orm was behind the whole scheme. The twisted sibling used the assassination attempt as an excuse to ascend to the throne. To make matters worse, Orm left Aquaman and his son in a deadly magma trap. After the king removed his own hand to save himself and his child, he prepared to unleash a tidal wave of hurt on his brother. Their tense battle ends with Orm dangling over an abyss. Without a second thought, Aquaman watched his brother fall into the darkness. We were glad that the king came out atop this dark sibling rivalry.

“Family Guy” (1999-2003; 2005-)

When a criminal known as “Bobby The Shirt” Briggs is captured, it’s initially a cause of celebration. Years prior, he discovered Joe was an undercover cop and shot the officer in the legs. The injuries caused the policeman to have to rely on a wheelchair for life. So when Briggs escapes custody, Joe couldn’t let the villain slip away. The policeman and his allies pursued the criminal all over the country. When Joe finally gets Briggs dead to rights, he delivers a surprisingly emotional speech for the comedic show. Speaking of comedy, the cop’s decision to injure the villain’s legs unintentionally turns out to be fatal. The way the characters hilariously shrug off the murder made this act of vengeance both dark and funny.

“The Boys: Diabolical” (2022)

A bunch of superpowered young people were forced to go to an orphanage after their abilities became inconvenient at home. When the kids discovered that their parents involuntarily pushed the powers on them, they got incredibly angry. The young supes then teamed up to eliminate all their selfish guardians. In a montage that was both brutal and hilarious, the kids take out all of the bad parents. It all builds up to a tragic confrontation between a ghostly supe and her uncaring dad. Since she can’t physically touch him, the whole group steps forward to help her get revenge. While the episode ends on a predictably downbeat note for a “Boys” universe show, it was still entertaining to see the supes lash out.

“Young Justice” (2010-22)

Over the course of a few years, the youngest prince’s sister went missing, he found his parents murdered in their home, and he was forced into getting superpowers. Although Brion discovered his uncle Frederick was responsible, the royal wasn’t able to avenge his loved ones. But the prince got a chance when he returned to his home country as the hero Geo Force. When Frederick tried to take the throne once more, Brion beat him in battle and ensnared him in a trap. Although the crooked uncle surrendered, the prince still didn’t feel like he’d achieved justice. Brion then proceeded to kill Frederick publicly with boiling lava powers. The brutal execution was cathartic for the long tormented prince.

“Castlevania: Nocturne” (2023-)

Annette spent her early years enslaved and afraid of committing any offense against those who imprisoned her. Despite her best efforts to stay under the radar, the cruel vampire Vaublanc broke into her home and killed her mother in front of her eyes. Years later, Annette discovered she had magical abilities and fled enslavement. She honed her skills until she encountered Vaublanc again. Annette quickly overpowered the vampiric goon and trapped him in a cage of crosses that burned him with the slightest touch. While Vaulblanc attempts to intimidate her, she stands unphased as the sun rises. Although he tries to convince her that she still isn’t free, she ends up smiling outside the cage he burns to death during a very satisfying scene.

“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” (2008-20)

From the moment Riff Tamson arrived on Mon Cala, he caused nothing but strife for the young royal. This villain threatened to enslave everyone in the kingdom, killed the King, and tried to slay Prince Lee-Char multiple times. The royal initially had to be saved by other heroes. But in the end, the Prince had to fight Riff Tamson alone to protect his people. Despite being physically outmatched, the royal manages to steal one of his enemies' explosive daggers. That twist doesn’t stop Riff from gloating. However, the prince silences his foe by throwing the blade into the villain’s shoulder and shooting it so it instantly explodes. For all Riff’s talk about being a predator, he still fell prey to an enemy who deserved justice.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (2012-17)

Splinter raised his four sons to be strong fighters that could face anything. But even he couldn’t prepare them for the moment that the dangerous Super Shredder struck him down. Hungry for revenge, the turtles and their allies went on a single minded mission to end the villain. After fighting their way through the base, the four brothers faced off against Super Shredder together. But the supervillain whittles the team down until it was just Leonardo left. After the hero got backed into a corner, he sees Splinter’s spirit. The vision encourages Leonardo to push past his limits and fatally wound Shredder. And just in case anyone doubted that he got the job done, the hero brings stone cold proof of his cathartic victory.

“Avatar: The Last Airbender” (2005-08)

Since waterbenders draw their power from the moon, firebending Admiral Zhao decided to sever their connection to the cosmic satellite. The twisted villain achieved this by killing an innocent spirit in front of the heroes. In a tragic moment, a young princess gave her life to bring the moon back. While the sacrifice proved successful, the Ocean spirit wasn’t satisfied. It wasted no time finding Admiral Zhao and ensnaring him with water. Although the prince tries to help him, the villain accepts his fate and is pulled underwater. This death was already gratifying for fans who loathed the wicked general. But the scene got even better in hindsight when we later learned that Zhao had been sentenced to eternal torment in the spirit world.

“Samurai Jack” (2004-17)

Just as a brave swordsman was about to kill the evil Aku, the demon flung the hero into the far future. This left the samurai desperate to return to his home to stop the enemy. For over 50 years, the samurai who was nicknamed Jack had to fight for his life to get back home. All the while, Aku constantly tormented the hero and forced the swordsman to make impossible choices. Jack nearly died dozens of times before he finally got back to the past. When the samurai plunged his sword into Aku’s body for the last time, we wanted to stand up and cheer. Jack’s successful revenge kill brought the entire series to a satisfying conclusion.