The Film: Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The Traitor: Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams)

Who Do They Betray? Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and co.

Probably the second-most famous cine-switcher of all time pops up as the overseer of the cloud city of Bespin, and the source of some uncomfortable criticism for George Lucas early on, since one of the few black characters is quickly revealed to be a wrong 'un.

We're led to believe he was a huckster and a crook even before he took the job, but in reality, he's simply under pressure from the Empire and you could argue that he's just looking out for his citizens.

But as the mighty Spaced puts it, he's long since become a go-to for anyone who betrays you - "you Lando!"

Comeuppance? Lando sees the error of his ways after A) Darth Vader changes the conditions of the deal and B) he's nearly strangled by an enraged Chewbacca.

And Calrissian more than proves himself when he agrees to join up with the rebel alliance, having a hand in rescuing Han from Jabba's palace and blowing up the second Death Star in Jedi.



The Film: The Matrix (1999)

The Traitor: Cypher (Joe Pantoliano)

Who Do They Betray? Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Neo (Keanu Reeves), among others.

Sick of living in the brutal, post-apocalyptic "real world" Cypher has a hankering to be re-inserted into the fake universe of the mind created by the evil machine overlords to keep us all subdued.

So he strikes a deal with the snarky Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) and gives them the whereabouts of Morpheus and his team during one of their incursions into the virtual world.

Oh, and then he takes an electro-gun to Tank (Marcus Chong) and Dozer (Anthony Ray Parker) before he starts unplugging the rest of the gang.

Comeuppance? Tank manages to recover enough to give Cypher a little of his own medicine - and by "medicine" we of course mean "singes a massive hole through his chest with the electro-weapon."

Ouch!  But he had it coming - and his team should've known that anyone played by Joey Pants usually turns out to be dodgy.

Next: Carter Burke & Captain Dudley Smith