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Some do it for gold. Some do it for love. Some do it for patriotism. Some do it because the developers decided they needed an arbitrary twist. Whatever their reasons, there are few ways to make a previously loved character universally despised faster than having them turn traitor.
Urdnot Wrex (Mass Effect)
From the first time we laid eyes on the hulking, battle-scarred krogan there was no question we wanted him on our side. His brusque demeanor and zeal for blood letting was a refreshing change of pace from the other Chatty Cathys aboard ship. There’s just one problem: just because he doesn’t talk much, doesn’t mean he is without an opinion… or feelings. When Commander Shepherd leads the team to Virmire, Wrex will take issue with the fact one of the objectives is to destroy a krogan cloning facility. Yes, it’s producing ‘evil’ krogan, but it could just be the answer to the ‘genophage virus that has all but sterilized the krogan populace. So passionate are his convictions, that he’s willing to put a bullet in Commander Shepherd’s head to stop the mission – except Chief Williams puts a bullet in Wrex’s first.
The most heartbreaking part of Wrex’s betrayal is he didn’t want to do it. He wasn’t evil all along or even being coerced. He simply believed bringing the krogan back to their former status was more important than Commander Shepherd’s mission – or even Commander Shepherd for that matter. If you play your cards right, you can avert this entire crisis, but if you’re lacking in Paragon points… it’s a sad day to die.
Zevran (Dragon Age: Origins)
Born to a prostitute and sold into slavery, Zevran’s story is a real tear jerker. Mere survival was all that mattered in his formative years. He never wanted to be an assassin and he really never got anything out of it; he simply had no other choice and happened to be quite good at it. Surprisingly, such circumstances had not dimmed his outlook on life. Even as he finds himself at the sword-tip of the very Grey Warden he was sent to kill, he asks for mercy in a charming devil-may-care aplomb. None is more surprised than Zevran when the Grey Warden grants him the mercy he requests, and he endeavors to make himself a useful ally in the Grey Warden’s party.
But bad habits die hard. Despite the fact he witnessed the Grey Warden fell ogres, hordes of dark spawn and similarly outfitted mercenary bands, when offered a chance to rejoin the Antivan Crows –the assassin guild that had enthralled him in the first place- Zevran keeps with his character and makes the choice he believes is best suited for survival. It was the wrong choice, but it what made it hurt was the fact he felt he had no other. This hurt more than other betrayals because Zevran was delivering himself right back into the very arms of those who had denied him his childhood, his freedom, and his purpose in defeating the Blight. Stockholm’s syndrome at its finest.
Big Smoke (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas)
It’s hard to make a sympathetic character out of a gang-banger, but Big Smoke was just… fun. Always sporting a hat that would look absolutely ridiculous on any other head, the delightfully rotund lay-about was the life of every party. He always kept his cool, making sure to polish off his food (and everyone else’s) even when under heavy fire. Everyone was happy for him when he moved out of the Grove Street cul de sac…though the fact he had no visible means of support should have raised some red flags from the get-go.
As it happened, Big Smoke’s taste of the good life came courtesy of a corrupt LSPD C.R.A.S.H. unit, and the price was to instigate a street war between the Grove Street families and the ‘Ballas’ street gangs. The price was indeed high, as it required him to play a part in the murder of the protagonist’s mother, and stay silent as his childhood friends fell victim to a brutal ambush from their rival gang.
While certainly motivated by greed, Smoke was also after something else: self preservation. For him, there was no longer any point in risking life, limb and freedom for the sake of ‘turf,’ particularly because the end result would probably be him dead in a gutter or keeping a tight grip on the soap in a federal prison. His betrayal wasn’t just an ‘upgrade’ in status; it was a logical choice. His one mistake, however, was failing to finish the job. And all the multi-storied penthouses, 10-foot statues or bulletproof vests in the world couldn’t stop a determined Carl ‘CJ’ Johnson from returning the favors in kind.
And yet, once the mortal wound was struck, CJ and Smoke sat and talked for a bit. Smoke confesses power and the prestige got the best of him, and falls just short of an apology. And even with the dying words of “The whole world will remember my name!” we couldn’t help but notice he was still wearing his Grove Street greens. In the end, Smoke didn’t die a villain – but yet another unwitting pawn (along with CJ) in Officer Tenpenny’s schemes.
