Summary
- Video games use red herrings to deceive players and keep plotlines unpredictable, challenging assumptions and questioning the lore.
- Characters like Lizbert, the Fireflies, and Akane initially seem suspicious or evil but are later revealed to have good intentions or misunderstood motives.
- Betrayal expectations are subverted in games like Resident Evil 5, Portal 2, Danganronpa V3, and Metal Gear Solid 3, where characters thought to be villains are ultimately working for the greater good or have more complex motivations.
Every so often, video games will throw in a red herring to throw players off, a clue or character that is intentionally portrayed in an unfavorable light, making them seem guilty or malicious. Including a character that seems suspicious or secretly evil keeps players on their toes, reminding them that they should be questioning the lore given to them as it might just all be a lie.
Video game plotlines becoming more and more predictable is a real issue, and intentionally deceiving the player can keep things feeling fresh and more original. Here are some video game characters that players thought for sure were traitors but weren't in the end.
Warning: Major spoilers ahead!
8 Bugsnax - Elizabert Megafig (Lizbert)
It's clear from the very beginning that Snaktooth Island is shrouded in mystery, so it's only natural that players are suspicious of everyone and everything from the very start of Bugsnax.
The mystery about the delicious Bugsnax, where they originated from, and why they seem so addictive is the entire reason why the player character (the journalist) decided to visit Snaktooth Island. However, many players felt like the adorable game had a dark twist and began to suspect the island's hero, Lizbert, of secretly having a hand in the downfall of the town of Snaxburg as she is the only Grumpus absent for the majority of the game.
However, it is revealed that the bugsnax themselves were the evil ones and that poor, mutated, Lizbert was trying her best to warn the residents of Snaxburg and save them from their impending doom! Sometimes, self-sacrifice is a thankless deed.
7 The Last Of Us - The Fireflies
The Last Of Us protagonists Joel and Ellie were at odds after first meeting, Ellie simply being cargo that Joel had to safely get to a specific destination. However, after making it through hell and back with Ellie, Joel finally realizes that he's developed a genuine love for her, seeing her as his own daughter. By the same token, Ellie relied on Joel as her protective father figure.
For a good portion of TLoU, the Fireflies remain a mystery, with leader Marlene only making an appearance at the beginning and the very end. Many players had their doubts about the Fireflies, assuming that the rebel militia group was going to betray the duo somehow. However, in many players' eyes, it is Joel that is the one that betrays them instead. The Fireflies were willing to sacrifice Ellie for the greater good, but Joel couldn't bear losing someone close to him again. The Fireflies had one mission, which was to find a cure. They didn't mean to "betray" Joel's trust, but Joel definitely betrayed theirs in the end.
6 Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (999) - Akane Kurashiki (June)
Right from the beginning of Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, it is clear that the mysterious masked figure, Zero, is the (supposedly) evil mastermind behind the entire operation of the Nonary Game where all the unlucky participants must work together, solve puzzles, and find a means to their escape, with any rule-breaking leading to their untimely deaths.
Akane, conveniently being a childhood friend of protagonist Junpei, seemed like a suspicious character from the beginning, even disappearing in certain instances with no explanation. Eventually, it is revealed that Akane was Zero all along. However, Akane's true intentions weren't malicious (except towards the heartless, greedy, and inconsiderate Cradle Pharmaceutical C.E.O. Ace) and she had intended for all participants to live, merely using Junpei to help her survive the very first Nonary Game that happened in the past.
5 Resident Evil 5 - Jill Valentine
After being absent throughout all of Resident Evil 4, beloved RE hero Jill Valentine finally made a dramatic appearance in RE5. However, Jill doesn't appear by the side of newcomer Sheva or fighting alongside long-time buddy, Chris Redfield. Jill (who now had a full makeover, including fresh bleach-blonde hair) was now Wesker's ally and had taken the role of a powerful new antagonist.
Just when things seemed grim and the fandom had lost one of their favorite characters to the dark side, it was revealed that Jill hadn't actually betrayed her friends (or at least willingly). Jill had been turned against her comrades by the hands of Wesker and his mind-control device. Once Chris and Sheva bested Jill and deactivated the device, Jill was herself again and all in the RE universe was good.
4 Portal 2 - Glados
After the success of Portal 1, fan-favorite AI antagonist Glados made a return for the sequel, once again as protagonist Chell's snarky enemy after being accidentally reactivated.
Chell also meets a friendly and talkative personality sphere named Wheatley, who helps her navigate the Aperture Science facility to find freedom. However, after a big turn of events, Wheatley gains access to the entire testing facility, leaving Glados' consciousness in a simple potato. The two then switch roles as Wheatley runs mad with power and tries to kill Chell, and Glados is now forced to cooperate with Chell before Wheatley destroys the facility.
Eventually, Chell is given no choice but to give Glados back control of the facility after getting rid of Wheatley. At that point, the player realizes their fate, assuming that Glados would toss their former alliance aside and finally off Chell for good. However, instead of betraying her, Glados decides to simply give Chell (and her beloved Companion Cube) the freedom she had been fighting for the entire time.
3 Danganronpa V3 - Kokichi Oma
For the majority of Danganronpa V3, Kokichi Oma, Ulitmate Supreme Leader is antagonized, but who could blame the player for thinking poorly of him? Kokichi first presents himself as an evil, conniving mastermind that genuinely enjoys lying to others for the sake of making the infamous Danganronpa Killing Game "more fun." Throughout the first few hours of the game, Kokichi paints himself as a malicious prankster, always toying with and manipulating those around him just to make things more interesting to him.
However, in a huge reveal towards the end of the game, Kokichi reveals he hated the Killing Game all along and his only true goal was to end it, using his lies and scheming to nullify the rules or create a contradiction to bring the game to a halt, even sacrificing himself to achieve this.
2 Resident Evil 8 - Chris Redfield
At the beginning of Resident Evil 8, players were astounded that longtime hero, Chris Redfield, had finally turned into a villain after all the horrific things he had experienced throughout the years. It was clear that the game intentionally made Chris look like the newest Resident Evil villain as he seemingly betrays the newest RE protagonist, Ethan Winters, in front of his face, killing his wife, Mia, in cold blood and kidnapping his newborn daughter with not a single word of explanation.
After a long journey fighting off the likes of Lady Dimitrescu and friends, Ethan finally discovers that the woman Chris had shot was not his wife, Mia, but instead the evil Mother Miranda in disguise.
Chris probably could have caught Ethan up on the situation a bit sooner, but that would have killed all the suspense!
1 Metal Gear Solid 3 - The Boss
One of the most heartbreaking moments of the Metal Gear Solid series is easily Naked Snake's final fight with The Boss. After years of mentoring and teaching Naked Snake all that she knows, he was forced to kill his master for her egregious betrayal of the United States. The events of MGS3 begin with The Boss announcing her decision to defect to the USSR. For the duration of Snake's entire time in Tselinoyarsk, he is under the assumption that The Boss had thrown her loyalty to the wind and selfishly decided to aid the tyrannical Colonel Volgin take the Shagohod for his own use.
However, after defeating The Boss and reluctantly taking her life in battle, Naked Snake learns from Eva that The Boss had simply been following orders to infiltrate Volgin's ranks to retrieve The Philoshoper's Legacy. Due to Volgin's decision to set off a nuclear shell in the USSR, The Boss was left with no choice but to appear as a traitor and die at the hands of Naked Snake to prove the U.S.'s innocence.