9 Most Shocking Betrayals In Marvel History

"Hail Hydra."

By Neil Gray /

Being a Superhero is a dangerous enough profession as it is. Having to fight off hordes of alien invasions or throwing down with some of the toughest villains to ever walk the earth means it's no picnic if you decide to put on a cape or pick up a shield.

Advertisement

But what happens when you can't see the threat that's coming at you? What happens when you turn your back, only to find a knife sticking out of it?

Betrayal and comic books go hand in hand and they have always had varying degrees of success. When they're done badly they just seem like a cheap cash in, or something that was done to generate interest in a flagging title. When they're done right, however, they can leave the reader gob smacked and desperate to find out what happens next. Over it's 72 year history, Marvel has had more than its fair share.

What follows is a look at the times Marvel have left jaws on the floor and hearts broken, as some of their most iconic characters have turned their backs on their closest friends.

9. Mr Sinister - Age Of Apocalypse

It's not just heroes who can make you have a slack jawed yokel moment, villains can have that effect as well. Taking place during the excellent Age of Apocalypse reality, the turn by Mr Sinister is one that very few people saw coming, though with hindsight, a lot more really should have.

Advertisement

After Legion accidentally kills Professor X and changes the timeline so that Apocalypse attacks 10 years earlier than he was supposed to, everything seems rosy for Nathaniel Essex in a world now controlled by En Sabah Nur. Convinced that they are both working towards the same goal for the advancement of mutant kind it soon dawns on him that the only thing that Apocalypse is truly interested in is death.

Turning to Nate Grey and getting his arse handed to him in the process, he lays out the truth about the X-Man's existence with the sole reason being to get him to fulfil his destiny and destroy the immortal one.

Perhaps not as shocking as some of the other betrayals on this list, it was still surprising to see Mr Sinister be the catalyst for Apocalypse down fall.

Advertisement