Top 10 Movie Traitors

He’s a business tycoon who can’t stand being in second place. Once a mentor and friend to genius billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark, Stane decides to cut off his only competition by means of kidnapping and execution by hired terrorists. When that fails, he steals the plans for the Iron Man suit to become Iron Monger, so he can take care of matters in a more personal way.

This acclaimed sci-fi thrill ride features many twists; but the biggest is when hapless taxi driver Benny is revealed to be working for the head honcho who’s out to snuff Arnold Schwarzenegger and his smoking hot assistant. A selfish mutant whose inconsistent lies roll off the tongue, he tries to kill our hero on multiple occasions. It almost works too, until Arnie decides to put the screws to him.

Burke is hypocritical bureaucrats at their worst, since he’s all about the green and very willing to sacrifice lives so his cowardly ass can make off with the prize – in this case, a Xenomorph embryo. Burke’s series of dick moves against our macho space heroes seems endless, but take comfort in this: after locking them in an alien-infested room, he finds himself closer to his prize than he expected.

One of the most dangerous traitors in all of cinema, Christopher Lee’s White Wizard abandons all hope and joins the Dark Lord Sauron in the destruction of Middle Earth. His malicious deeds include kicking Gandalf the Grey’s ass, creating an army of orc and goblin hybrids called Uruh Kai, then releasing an army of ten thousand on the human settlement of Helm’s Deep. You don’t mess with this sorcerer.

The moral here? Never trust the greedy computer nerd. This “Jurassic Park” employee only has money on the brain – well, that and milkshakes – and to make his fortune, he steals dinosaur embryos out from under the boss’ nose. But his greed puts lives in danger when he cuts the park’s power to make a quick escape, turning his coworkers into dinosaur-chow. Luckily, he gets his comeuppance at the hands of one pissed-off, frilly dino.

While most fans consider the prequels a betrayal of the original trilogy, and Lando Calrissian the traitor to end all traitors, it’s undeniable that Anakin’s turn to the dark side is the milestone that shapes the future Empire we all love and fear. Hey, at least they try to make his transformation shocking: he kills younglings, gets an evil eye, and strangles his wife. Actually, we’re almost convinced. Then he starts talking…. Yeah, are you Darth Vader yet?

He’s the only traitor on our list who’s technically a good-guy. An undercover cop in deep with a criminal group, Mr. Orange spends most of the film bleeding out, only uncovering his true colors to save another officer from a sociopath’s blade. Mr. Orange finally confesses to the wounded Mr. White, the only one he formed a friendship with. This confession, however, proves to be his last.

For England? Not for this rogue agent. Once 007’s companion, Trevelyan fakes his own death and sets in motion a plan to topple Britain’s economy, using the secret-weapon known as GoldenEye. Why? Well, a childhood riddled with war-torn tragedy and betrayal by the British government leads Trevelyan to return the favor tenfold. He almost succeeds, until Bond’s timely intervention leaves him hanging. Guess you really do only live twice.

Living in civilization’s ruins can take its toll. That’s why this member of Morpheus’ cyber-hacker-crew decides he’d rather live in a virtual fantasy rather than face reality. Making a deal with sinister Agent Smith, he murders nearly all of the Nebuchadnezzar’s crew and hands Morpheus to the agents. However, his plan does come to grinding halt. Note to all future traitors; make sure they’re dead after you shoot them.

Talk about a bad case of inadequacy. The second eldest son in the Corleone Family, Fredo is constantly walked over by his far more intellectual and imposing younger brother, Michael – who’s taken his position as head of the Family. Desperate for respect, Fredo aids a rival gangster in launching an attempt on Michael’s life. When confronting his brother for his betrayal, Michael has a few choice words.

Do you agree with our choices? Who’s your favorite traitor? Be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com for more entertaining top 10s.