Themes: Betrayal

Betrayal is a recurring theme in The Walking Dead. It occurs when a character or group turns on another person or party with whom they were previously allied with.

Comic Series

 * Shane turns on Rick Grimes and attempts to kill him after being called out by him and attacked by Lori Grimes. (Issue 6)
 * Lori cheats on her husband Rick with Shane, believing Rick to be dead. (Issue 7)
 * Hershel Greene turns on Rick's group after losing several members of his family. (Issue 12)
 * Dexter and Andrew, accompanied by Patricia, turn on the group after Dexter is unjustly locked up due to two murders. The group assumes that he is guilty due to his past. (Issue 18)
 * Otis snaps at Patricia and gets on to her for betraying the group and joining the prisoners. (Issue 19)
 * Tyreese cheats on Carol with Michonne. (Issue 22)
 * After helping Rick, Michonne, and Glenn escape, Caesar Martinez tries to get back to Woodbury to tell the Governor the location of the prison. (Issue 36)
 * Lilly Caul shoots the Governor in the back of the head after he has her kill Judith and Lori Grimes. (Issue 48)
 * Ben kills his brother, Billy. (Issue 61)
 * Gabriel tells Douglas that Rick's group are bad people that don't belong in Alexandria. (Issue 74)
 * Derek pushes one of his fellow scavengers into a horde of walkers to save him and four other scavengers. (Issue 75)
 * Abraham betrays Rosita by cheating on her with Holly. (Issue 80)
 * Amber cheats on Negan by having sex with Mark. (Issue 105)
 * Dwight offers to help Rick, Jesus, and Ezekiel defeat Negan. (Issue 108)
 * Kal briefly betrays Jesus and attempts to warn Negan of the impending attack by the Alexandria Safe-Zone, Hilltop Colony, and Kingdom. (Issue 110)
 * Spencer Monroe goes behind Rick's back and asks Negan to kill him so he can take over the Alexandria Safe-Zone. (Issue 111)
 * Gregory betrays the Alexandria Safe-Zone fighters and pledges Hilltop's allegiance with the Saviors. (Issue 115)
 * Negan offers Holly up to Alexandria as a peace-offering but actually mounts an attack. (Issue 119)
 * Dwight kills several Saviors during the assault on Alexandria. (Issue 120)
 * Rosita betrays Eugene by cheating on him with Siddiq. (Between Issue 126 and Issue 127)
 * Gregory offers Maggie a poisoned drink in an attempt to kill her. (Issue 137)
 * Brandon Rose frees Negan and attempts to warn the Whisperers about Rick's declaration of war towards them, so that both sides can be killed, in vengeance for his mother's and father's deaths. (Issue 153)
 * Negan betrays Brandon by stabbing him in the chest. (Issue 153)
 * Negan betrays Alpha's trust and kills her. (Issue 156)
 * The Saviors, led by Sherry, betray Rick by separating from the communities using violence. (Issue 166)
 * Dwight almost betrays Rick after the latter kills Sherry. (Issue 169)
 * Mercer and George talk about betraying Governor Milton and overthrowing her, though they claim this was just to blow off steam. (Issue 177)
 * Mercer is willing to betray Pamela and install Rick as the new leader of the Commonwealth. (Issue 185)
 * Michonne unwittingly betrays Rick and Dwight to Pamela Milton. (Issue 186)
 * Rick betrays Dwight and kills him in order to prevent a war. (Issue 186)

TV Series

 * Edwin Jenner traps the group in the CDC and tells them that the building is set to blow, believing that it would be the least painful way to leave this new world. (TS-19)
 * Shane Walsh shoots Otis in the leg and steals all his supplies. He then leaves him to be eaten by zombies. (Save the Last One)
 * Shane snaps Randall's neck after he asks him to bring him to his group. (Better Angels)
 * Shane attempts to kill Rick Grimes, believing that he can protect Rick's wife and son Lori and Carl better. (Better Angels)
 * Tomas quickly betrays Rick, Daryl, and T-Dog, attempting to kill Rick twice in hopes of taking over the prison. (Sick)
 * The Governor betrays Lieutenant Welles, having him killed after knowing the location of his men. (Walk With Me)
 * The Governor betrays Brady and his men, slaughtering them after waving a white flag. (Walk With Me)
 * Oscar betrays his fellow inmate, Andrew, by killing him, rather than Rick. (Killer Within)
 * Merle shoots Gargulio in the head after a brief argument. (Hounded)
 * The Governor uses Merle Dixon as a scapegoat for the attack at Woodbury and proclaims him a tyrant. (Made To Suffer)
 * In a fit of rage, the Governor massacres his army after they refuse to attack the prison in fear of dying. (Welcome to the Tombs)
 * Lizzie Samuels feeds the prison gate walkers rats. (Infected)
 * Lilly Chambler shoots the Governor in the aftermath of the prison assault. (Too Far Gone)
 * Lizzie kills her sister Mika. (The Grove)
 * Father Gabriel Stokes betrays Rick's group by warning Deanna Monroe that she made a mistake letting them into Alexandria and that they will put their own lives first and destroy everything the Alexandria residents have created. (Spend)
 * A group lead by Carter attempts to betray and overthrow Rick. (First Time Again)
 * Dwight betrays Daryl and steals his motorbike. (Always Accountable)
 * Spencer betrays Rick by asking Negan to kill Rick so Spencer can take leadership afterwards. Instead, Negan kills Spencer, unimpressed with his coward-like ways. (Hearts Still Beating)
 * Eugene Porter seemingly betrays Rick and Alexandria by working as Negan's Chief Engineer. (Hostiles and Calamities, The Other Side)
 * Tara Chambler betrays the trust of Cyndie and the Oceanside community by exposing their existence to Rick Grimes in order to take their weapons. (Something They Need)
 * Dwight betrays Negan and the Saviors by siding with Alexandria. (Something They Need)
 * Jadis and the Scavengers betray the Alexandria Safe-Zone by striking a deal with Negan and the Saviors. (The First Day of the Rest of Your Life)
 * Simon betrays Negan after questioning his leadership by defying his orders in exterminating the Scavengers, leaving Negan to die after being ambushed by Rick, ordering the extermination of the Hilltop and plotting to overthrow him once his leader returns. (The Lost and the Plunderers, The Key)
 * Rick and Morgan betray a group of Saviors who escaped from the Hilltop by killing them during a herd attack after promising them safety. (Still Gotta Mean Something)
 * Dwight betrays Simon, Gary and a few other Saviors by telling Negan about the coup. (Worth)
 * Eugene betrays Negan and the Saviors by tampering with the ammunition he produced, ultimately causing Negan's downfall and Rick's victory over the Saviors. (Wrath)
 * Anne betrays Gabriel. (Warning Signs)
 * Under Jed's leadership, the Saviors ultimately betray the other communities by resorting to violence to obtain firearms. (Warning Signs, The Obliged)

Webisodes

 * Before meeting Chase, B.J. killed an unknown amount of his fellow co-workers, including Lenny. (Cold Storage)
 * B.J. shoots Chase as he looks at the bodies of the walkers they had killed. (The Chosen Ones)

Video Game

 * Regardless of whether or not the player sides with him, Larry tries to leave Lee Everett to die in order to "protect the group" because of Lee's past as a murderer. (A New Day)
 * The St. John family tries to kill Lee and his group, turning to cannibalism for food. (Starved For Help)
 * Ben Paul fearfully betrays the motor inn survivors by giving the bandits supplies, firstly, in order to save his friend, a supposed hostage of the bandits, and later in fear of Lilly's reaction.  ( Long Road Ahead )
 * Out of rage and lack of sleep, Lilly shoots Carley for calling her out and defending Ben or will accidentally shoot Doug whilst trying to kill Ben for stealing the supplies. (Long Road Ahead)
 * Even if the player always sides with Lilly and trusts her with Lee's secret and lets her back into the RV after she shoots Carley/Doug, she will still selfishly reveal Lee's secret after killing Carley/Doug. (Long Road Ahead)
 * If the player doesn't abandon Lilly, she will steal the RV when she is alone inside of it, even if the player agrees to go with her. (Long Road Ahead)
 * Vernon betrays Lee's group by stealing their boat in Savannah, and, depending on the player's decisions, he could lock someone in the group in the shed with a shovel. (No Time Left)
 * Vince is forced to shoot one of his fellow prisoner's legs off in order to escape with the other. (Vince's Story)
 * Nate will deliberately stop his car just to get Russell to be attacked by a walker in response to Russell not answering one of Nate's petty questions. (Russell's Story)
 * Russell has the option to draw the pistol on Nate when the latter gives him his pistol to cover him. (Russell's Story)
 * Stephanie tries to make off with most of the Pitstop survivors' medicine and ammo. (Shel's Story)
 * Shel can decide to steal the camper and betray Roman and the rest of the group. (Shel's Story)
 * Bonnie, Mike, and Jane all betray William Carver by helping Clementine's group escape and later joining it. (In Harm's Way)
 * Jane betrays Troy by lying to him, telling him he can come with the escaping group of survivors, then shooting him in the crotch, and leaving him to be devoured by walkers. (In Harm's Way)
 * Clementine, Luke, and Jane can leave Sarah to be killed by walkers. (Amid The Ruins)
 * Mike, Bonnie (Determinant), and Arvo attempt to steal the groups truck and all of their supplies before shooting Clementine. (No Going Back)
 * Jane falsely claims that Alvin Jr. is dead in order to provoke Kenny. (No Going Back)
 * Conrad either attempts to or succeeds in capturing Clementine. (Ties That Bind - Part 2)
 * Javier can betray Clementine by giving her up to Conrad. (Ties That Bind - Part 2)
 * Eleanor betrays Javier and their group by telling Joan their plan to stop her. (Thicker Than Water)


 * Marlon betrays the group by killing Brody and falsely accusing Clementine of it. (Done Running)

Dead Reckoning

 * Shane Walsh can betray Leon Basset by attacking him instead of the zombified Patty Taylor. (Dead Reckoning)
 * Shane can betray Gary Taylor by letting the zombified Robb Spanner eat him. (Dead Reckoning)

Social Game

 * The player can betray his or her teammate by letting him or her get devoured to escape the herd on the highway camp. (Social Game)
 * The hero and the group betray Harlan and his gang after putting up with unfair rations, missions for their benefits and after they learn that Harlan plans on attacking Mauricio's family. (Social Game)
 * Harlan, after being wounded and persuading many members of the group that he killed Nathan to survive and to no ill reason and that his group is the new way of life, attempts to kill the hero and Sky after finding out the map they were given to the Living's camp led to an ambush of walkers, released by Harlan. (Social Game)

Novel Series

 * Philip Blake turns against his brother Brian and Nick Parsons and begins killing survivors to feed Penny. (Rise of the Governor)
 * Nick Parsons shoots his former friend Philip in the back. (Rise of the Governor)
 * Brian kills Nick after he fatally wounds Phillip and accidentally kills a teenage girl, whom Philip was about to rape or feed to Penny. (Rise of the Governor)
 * Joshua Lee Hamilton brutally murders Chad Bingham. (The Road to Woodbury)
 * Lilly Caul, Martinez, Stevie, Swede, Broyles and Taggert betray and kidnap The Governor and his bodyguards to be executed outside Woodbury. (The Road to Woodbury)
 * Stevens and Alice Warren supply them with a leather sap. (The Road to Woodbury)
 * Alice and Stevens betray Woodbury by helping Rick, Glenn and Michonne escape and joining them. (The Fall of the Governor)
 * Martinez betrays the prison survivors by running back to Woodbury to tell The Governor where the prison is located. (The Fall of the Governor)
 * Lilly Caul shoots The Governor in the back of the head after he has her kill Judith and Lori Grimes. (The Fall of the Governor)
 * Calvin Dupree betrays Lilly and Bob by joining Jeremiah's suicide pact and almost killing Lilly. (Descent)
 * The Pentecostal People of God betray Woodbury by participating in a suicide pact and unleashing walkers into the town. (Descent)
 * James and Molly Fraizer among others leave the Most Holy Redeemer Parish because of Jeremiah's new questionable leadership. (Invasion)
 * Norma Sutters and Miles Littleton betray the Most Holy Redeemer Parish survivors by telling the Woodbury residents about Jeremiah's plan. (Invasion)
 * Cooper Steeves betrays the communities by helping the Atlanta Medical Center survivors. (Search and Destroy)
 * Cooper betrays the Atlanta Medical Center survivors by helping Lilly Caul. (Search and Destroy)
 * Raymond Nalls betrays Lilly by proposing an insane idea for the cure which will result in both their deaths. (Search and Destroy)