Top 10 Worst Movie Betrayals

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#10: Billy Loomis

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“Scream” (1996)

Well, in hindsight we really should have seen this coming. A satire on slasher film tropes, “Scream” seems to frame Sidney’s boyfriend, Billy Loomis, as the possible culprit behind the Ghostface murders. Too obvious, right? It must be a red herring. But in this twist, Billy reveals himself as Ghostface, with Stu acting as an accomplice. That your boyfriend—with whom you’ve recently had sex—was behind your friends’ deaths really cuts deep. That your boyfriend also killed your mother because of her affair with his father is sticking it in even deeper.

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#9: Peter Pettigrew

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“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (2004)

Once the close friend of Harry’s parents, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin, Pettigrew joined Voldemort for his own cowardly self-interest, unlike true believers like Barty Crouch Jr. He sold the Potters out to his master and framed Sirius as the traitor by faking his own death. Spending years as the Weasleys’ pet rat, Pettigrew evades capture after Remus turns into a werewolf, rejoining his old master. What makes it worse is that Sirius persuaded the Potters to choose Peter as Secret Keeper—never realizing that their trusted friend was a rat in more than just his Animagus form.

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014)

A senior S.H.I.E.L.D. official should be the last person you’d expect would opt for betrayal. But so it was when Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff found out there were moles in S.H.I.E.L.D. secretly working for Hydra. And the one who ordered their assassinations, as well as the assassination of Nick Fury? None other but Alexander Pierce, now the leader of Hydra. His rationale? He had grown disillusioned with diplomacy in favor of destruction. He is finally taken out by Fury. Like Obadiah Stane to Iron Man, Pierce makes for a great foil to Steve Rogers’ integrity.

“Aliens” (1986)

When it comes to betrayals, one may think of Ash, an android with orders to bring the alien and forsake the rest of the crew. But the “Alien” franchise reserves the biggest shocks in its sequel when Ripley agrees to return to the place where she and her fellow crew had found the alien eggs. Carter Burke was the first to catch her up on all she had missed during stasis and even befriend her in the face of corporate skepticism of her claims. It turns out Burke planned to capture the alien and use it for bioweapons research and thus for profit. Corporations are never our allies.

“Get Out” (2017)

All’s fair in love and war, but not with racism. Chris’ weekend getaway meeting his white girlfriend’s family raises some immediate red flags. With the Armitages’ odd remarks about Black people and their Black employees behaving very strangely, Chris knows something is deeply wrong. But at least he has the love and support of his girlfriend, Rose, right? It turns out that Rose is part of a deeply creepy conspiracy by her family to transplant white people’s brains into Black bodies. She seduces these people until they are captured and put into hypnosis by her own mother. So glad Chris got out and clipped his Rose for good measure.

“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy (2001-03)

This White Wizard is not so pure of heart. Once part of the Istari that worked against Sauron’s rise, Saruman’s greed and lust for power inevitably led him to work for Sauron instead. He is also, of course, after the One Ring of Power. When Gandalf realizes the Ring is now in Frodo’s possession, he goes to Isengard to meet Saruman, unaware of the wizard’s corruption and changed allegiance. He and Saruman duel, with Gandalf at last escaping Isengard. Saruman’s defection poses a great threat, which leads Lord Elrond to decide to destroy the Ring in the fires of Mount Doom.

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#4: Lando Calrissian

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“Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back” (1980)

No list would be complete without this cool rogue-turned-administrator-turned-traitor. Lando was the original owner of the “Millenium Falcon” before he lost a bet to Han Solo. Now one of Cloud City’s rulers, Lando graciously welcomed Luke, Han, and Leia… only to turn them in to Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire. Unlike many other fictional traitors, however, Lando had little choice in the matter, and in the sequel redeemed himself by joining the Rebel Alliance. Although Anakin’s betrayal may have been more consequential, Lando’s is much more bitter for its unexpectedness.

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#3: Harvey Dent

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“The Dark Knight” (2008)

District Attorney Harvey Dent, along with Batman and Commissioner Gordon, once fought against organized crime in Gotham City. But when he and his girlfriend Rachel are kidnapped by the Joker and tied to bombs, it sets in motion events that will have ramifications on the whole Batman mythos. Surviving with half of his face charred, Dent’s disaffection—and the Joker’s manipulation—leads him to become Two-Face. It isn’t long before he begins targeting Gordon’s family, blaming him for Rachel’s death. Not only does this about-face sting, but Batman’s willingness to cover up Dent’s corruption makes this betrayal a bitter one indeed.

“The Matrix” (1999)

Is it better to live in real life or fantasy? The choice may be depressingly clear-cut, but the latter still holds allure for many. Morpheus and the rebels rescue humans from the Matrix, a virtual prison designed by their supercomputer overlords to keep them in a sedated state. But one crew member, Cypher, decides living in the Matrix is preferable to messy reality. Cypher betrays Morpheus by tipping off Agents, exiting the Matrix and killing the other crew members in cold blood. It’s a lot of blood spilled for a fantasy.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

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Elsa Schneider, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989)

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Mr. Orange, “Reservoir Dogs” (1992)

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Alec Trevelyan, “GoldenEye” (1995)

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“The Godfather Part II” (1974)

The worst betrayals are somehow always Biblical in nature—Cain and Abel, to be exact. When an assassination attempt at his home fails, Michael Corleone suspects a rat in their midst. Little does he know that the traitor is his own older brother, Fredo. Jealous of Michael, believing that he should have taken over the family business after Vito’s death, Fredo made a deal with Hyman Roth, not knowing Roth would kill him. Michael keeps Fredo alive and seems to forgive him at their mother’s funeral… only to order a hit on Fredo. The number one rule of the family is, you don’t betray the family.