Walter Hartwell White Sr., also known by his alias Heisenberg, is the fictional

antihero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero or two words anti hero) or anti-heroine is a character in a narrative (in literature, film, TV, etc.) who may lack some conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism and morality. Al ...

turned

villain protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

of the American

crime drama Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

television series ''

Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan for AMC (TV channel), AMC. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Breaking Bad), Walter White (Bryan Cran ...

''. He is portrayed by

Bryan Cranston Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor. After taking minor roles in television, he established himself as a leading actor in both comedic and dramatic Bryan Cranston filmography, works on stage and screen. He has received ...

. Walter is a skilled

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

who co-founded a technology firm before he accepted a buy-out from his partners. While his partners became wealthy, Walter became a high school chemistry teacher in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

, barely making ends meet with his family: his wife,

Skyler The unisex given name Skyler or Skylar () is an Anglicized spelling of the surname and given name ''Schuyler (name), Schuyler''. ''Schuyler'' was introduced into America as a surname by 17th century Dutch settlers arriving in New York. By the 19 ...

(

Anna Gunn Anna Kathryn Gunn (born August 11, 1968) See also: * is an American actress. She is known for playing Martha Bullock on the HBO Western series '' Deadwood'' (2004–2006) and Skyler White on the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008� ...

), and their son, Walter Jr. (

RJ Mitte Roy Frank "RJ" Mitte III (; born August 21, 1992) is an American actor and producer. Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Mitte was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was three. He moved to Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, Hollywood i ...

). At the start of the series, the day after his 50th birthday, he is diagnosed with Stage III

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

. After this discovery, Walter decides to manufacture and sell

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug use, recreational or Performance-enhancing substance, performance-enhancing drug and less commonly as a secon ...

with his former student

Jesse Pinkman Jesse Bruce Pinkman is a fictional character in the American crime drama television series ''Breaking Bad'', portrayed by Aaron Paul. He is a crystal meth cook and dealer who works with his former high school chemistry teacher, Walter White (p ...

(

Aaron Paul Aaron Paul (born Aaron Paul Sturtevant; August 27, 1979) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Jesse Pinkman in the AMC series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013), for which he won several awards, including three Primetime Emmy ...

) to ensure his family's financial security after his death. Due to his expertise, Walter's "blue meth" is purer than any other on the market, and he is pulled deeper into the illicit drug trade. Walter becomes increasingly ruthless and unsympathetic as the series progresses, as the series' creator,

Vince Gilligan George Vincent Gilligan Jr. (born February 10, 1967) is an American screenwriter and filmmaker. He is best known as the creator, primary writer, executive producer, and occasional director of the AMC (TV channel), AMC crime drama series ''Brea ...

, wanted him to turn from " Mr. Chips into

Scarface Scarface may refer to: Gangster-related * Scarface, nickname for Al Capone (1899–1947), an American gangster and a businessman. * ''Scarface'' (novel), a novel by Armitage Trail, loosely based on Capone's rise to power ** ''Scarface'' (1932 ...

". He adopts the alias "Heisenberg", which becomes recognizable as a kingpin figure in the Southwestern drug trade. Walter struggles with managing his family while hiding his involvement in the drug business from his brother-in-law,

Hank Schrader Henry R. "Hank" Schrader Assistant Special Agent in Charge, ASAC () is a central character in the American crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' portrayed by Dean Norris and created by Vince Gilligan. An agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration ...

(

Dean Norris Dean Joseph Norris (born April 8, 1963) is an American actor. He is known for playing Hank Schrader on the AMC series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013), James "Big Jim" Rennie on the CBS series '' Under the Dome'' (2013–2015), Clay "Uncle D ...

), an agent of the

Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit Illegal drug trade, drug trafficking a ...

. Although

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

officials initially hesitated to cast Cranston due to his previous comedic role in ''

Malcolm in the Middle ''Malcolm in the Middle'' is an American television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 9, 2000, and ended on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons consisting of 151 episodes. The ...

'', Gilligan cast him based on his past performance in ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...

'' episode "

Drive Drive or The Drive may refer to: Motoring * Driving, the act of controlling a vehicle * Road trip, a journey on roads Roadways Roadways called "drives" may include: * Driveway, a private road for local access to structures, abbreviated "drive" * ...

", which Gilligan wrote. Cranston contributed greatly to the creation of his character, including Walter's backstory, personality, and physical appearance. Both Walter and Cranston's performance have received critical acclaim, and Walter has frequently been mentioned as one of the greatest and most iconic television characters ever created. Cranston won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, three of them being consecutive. He is the first man to win a Critics' Choice,

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

, Primetime Emmy, and

Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1995 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

for his performance. Cranston reprised the role in a flashback for ''Breaking Bad''s sequel film, '' El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'', and again in the sixth and final season of the prequel series ''

Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American legal crime drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould for AMC. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–201 ...

'', making him one of the few characters to appear in all three, alongside Jesse Pinkman,

Mike Ehrmantraut Michael Ehrmantraut () is a fictional character portrayed by Jonathan Banks in the television series ''Breaking Bad'' and its spinoff prequel ''Better Call Saul''. Mike is a private investigator, head of security, cleaner, and hitman who works f ...

(

Jonathan Banks Jonathan Ray Banks (born January 31, 1947) is an American actor. He played FBI Special Agent Frank McPike in the television series '' Wiseguy'' (1987–1990). For his role, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supportin ...

Ed Galbraith ''Breaking Bad (franchise), Breaking Bad'' is a crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan. It started with the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), and is followed by a prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Sau ...

(

Robert Forster Robert Wallace Foster Jr. (July 13, 1941 – October 11, 2019), known professionally as Robert Forster, was an American actor. He made his screen debut as Private L.G. Williams in John Huston's '' Reflections in a Golden Eye'' (1967), followed ...

), and Austin Ramey (Todd Terry).

Concept and creation

Inspired by

Tony Soprano Anthony John Soprano, portrayed by James Gandolfini, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the HBO crime drama television series ''The Sopranos''. He is a member of the American Mafia, Italian-American Mafia and, later in the series, ...

, ''Breaking Bad'''s creator,

, had wanted his lead character to be a

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

that turned into an

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.Mr. Chips into

. In the aftermath of the death of

James Gandolfini James John Gandolfini (; September 18, 1961June 19, 2013) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Tony Soprano, the Italian-American American Mafia, Mafia crime boss in HBO's television series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007 ...

(who portrayed Soprano) in 2013, Gilligan said, "Without Tony Soprano, there would be no Walter White." Gilligan needed to have this character come into a

midlife crisis A midlife crisis is a transition of identity and self-confidence that can occur in middle-aged individuals, typically 45 to 65 years old. The phenomenon is described as a psychological crisis brought about by events that highlight a person's grow ...

that would put him into seeking risky options and lead to more criminal activities. As the premise of ''Breaking Bad'' was based on a humorous idea that he and his fellow writer from ''The X-Files''

Thomas Schnauz Thomas Schnauz (born ) is an American television producer and television writer. His credits include ''The X-Files'', '' The Lone Gunmen'', '' Night Stalker'', '' Reaper'', ''Breaking Bad'', and ''Better Call Saul''. Personal life Schnauz was ...

had come up with of driving around in a

recreational vehicle A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans (also known as travel trailers and ca ...

and making

, Gilligan made Walter a chemistry teacher, one who, until the start of the show, would never have violated the law. Gilligan cast Cranston based on having worked with him in "

" from ''The X-Files'', on which Gilligan worked as a writer. Cranston played an

antisemite Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

with a terminal illness who took

Fox Mulder Fox William Mulder () is a fictional FBI Special Agent and one of the two protagonists of the Fox science fiction-supernatural television series ''The X-Files'', played by David Duchovny. Mulder's peers dismiss his many theories on extraterr ...

(

David Duchovny David William Duchovny ( ; born ) is an American actor, writer, and musician. He received his breakthrough with the role of Fox Mulder in The X-Files franchise, earning Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards a ...

) hostage. Gilligan said the character had to be simultaneously loathsome and sympathetic, and that "Bryan alone was the only actor who could do that, who could pull off that trick. And it is a trick. I have no idea how he does it." AMC officials were initially reluctant with the casting choice, having known Cranston only as the over-the-top character

Hal HAL may refer to: Aviation * Halali Airport (IATA airport code: HAL) Halali, Oshikoto, Namibia * Hawaiian Airlines (ICAO airline code: HAL) * HAL Airport, Bengaluru, India * Hindustan Aeronautics Limited an Indian aerospace manufacturer of fight ...

on the comedy series ''

'' and approached the actors

John Cusack John Paul Cusack ( ; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor. With a career spanning over four decades, he has appeared in over 80 films. He began acting in f ...

and

Matthew Broderick Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is an American actor. He starred in ''WarGames'' (1983) as a teen government hacker, and ''Ladyhawke (film), Ladyhawke'' (1985), a medieval fantasy alongside Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. He play ...

about the role. When both declined, the executives were persuaded to cast Cranston after seeing the ''X-Files'' episode. Cranston contributed a great deal to the character's persona. When Gilligan left much of Walter's past unexplained during the development of the series, Cranston himself wrote a backstory. At the start of the show, Cranston gained 10 pounds to presage Walter's gradual physical decline. He had the natural red highlights of his hair dyed brown. He collaborated with the costume designer Kathleen Detoro on a wardrobe of mostly neutral green and brown colors to make Walter's appearance bland and unremarkable, and worked with the makeup artist Frieda Valenzuela to create a mustache he described as "impotent" and like a "dead caterpillar". Cranston also repeatedly identified elements in scripts where he disagreed with how the character was handled, and would go so far as to call Gilligan directly when he could not work out disagreements with the episode's screenwriter(s). Cranston has said he was inspired partially by his father for how Walter carries himself physically, which he described as "a little hunched over, never erect,

s if S, or s, is the nineteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and other latin alphabets worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. ...

the weight of the world is on this man's shoulders". Gilligan has said it has been difficult to write for Walter because he is so dark and morally questionable. As the series progressed, Gilligan and the writing staff of ''Breaking Bad'' made Walter increasingly unsympathetic. Cranston said by the fourth season: "I think Walter's figured out it's better to be a pursuer than the pursued. He's well on his way to badass." Regarding Walter's fate in the series' ending, Cranston foresaw it as "ugly ith noredemption", although earlier, Gilligan divulged his plans to "end on a high note, in a way that will satisfy everyone".

Character biography

Background

When Walter was six years old, his father died of

Huntington's disease Huntington's disease (HD), also known as Huntington's chorea, is an incurable neurodegenerative disease that is mostly Genetic disorder#Autosomal dominant, inherited. It typically presents as a triad of progressive psychiatric, cognitive, and ...

. He studied chemistry at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

and, after

graduate school Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachel ...

, worked as a researcher at

Sandia National Laboratory Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), also known as Sandia, is one of three research and development laboratories of the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Headquartered in Kirtland Air Force Bas ...

. There he conducted research on proton radiography that helped a team win a

Nobel Prize in Chemistry The Nobel Prize in Chemistry () is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outst ...

in 1985. Using some of the prize money, Walter then founded the firm Gray Matter Technologies with Elliott Schwartz (

Adam Godley Adam N. Godley (born 22 July 1964) is an English actor. He has been nominated for two Tony Awards and four Laurence Olivier Awards for his performances on the New York and London stages, including ''Private Lives'' in 2001, '' The Pillowman'' i ...

), his former classmate and close friend. Around this time, Walter began a relationship with his lab assistant, Gretchen (

Jessica Hecht Jessica Hecht (born June 28, 1965) is an American actress known for her roles as Gretchen Schwartz on ''Breaking Bad'', Susan Bunch on ''Friends'', Carol Mannheim on '' The Boys'', and Karen on ''Special''. She is also known for her expansive ...

), who soon after became a partner at Gray Matter. However, after a disastrous

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

party, where they had intended to announce their engagement, Walter instead left both Gretchen and Gray Matter Technologies, selling his financial interest in the company for US$5,000. Gretchen and Elliott later married and made billions, much of it from Walter's research. Though they remain friendly, Walter secretly resents both Gretchen and Elliott for profiting from his work. At the age of 50, Walter works as a high school

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

teacher in

, providing instruction to uninterested and disrespectful students. Walter has a second job at a local car wash to supplement his income, which proves to be particularly humiliating when he has to clean the cars of his own students. Walter and his wife,

(

), have a teenage son named Walter Jr. (

), who has

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may b ...

. Skyler is also pregnant with their second child,

Holly ''Ilex'' () or holly is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...

, who is born at the end of season two. Walt's other family includes Skyler's sister,

Marie Schrader Marie Schrader (née Lambert) is a fictional character portrayed by Betsy Brandt in the American crime drama series ''Breaking Bad''. She is Skyler White's sister, Hank's wife, and Walter White's sister-in-law. In the series, Marie works as ...

(

Betsy Brandt Betsy Brandt (born March 14, 1973) is an American actress. She is known for playing Marie Schrader on the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and Heather Hughes on the CBS sitcom '' Life in Pieces'' (2015–2019). Early lif ...

); her husband, Hank (

), who is an agent within the

; and his mother, who is never seen.

Appearances

The following appearances are based on the chronological narrative in ''Breaking Bad''. Scenes from ''Better Call Saul'' fit into this chronology and are denoted appropriately.

Season 1

On his 50th birthday, during his

surprise party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...

, Walter watches a news report about Hank arresting

dealers. Walter is impressed by the monetary returns from the meth operation, and Hank offers to take him as a ride-along to a DEA bust. The next day, Walter faints at the car wash and is taken to a hospital; there, he is told he has inoperable lung cancer and will likely die within the next two years. During the ride-along, Hank busts a

crystal meth Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational or performance-enhancing drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity d ...

lab, taking cook Emilio Koyama (John Koyama) into custody. Walter sees Emilio's partner fleeing the scene, and realizes it is his former student

(

). Looking to secure his family's well-being by producing and selling meth, Walter tracks Jesse down and

blackmail Blackmail is a criminal act of coercion using a threat. As a criminal offense, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a thr ...

s him into selling the meth that Walter will cook. Walter gives Jesse his life savings to buy a

that they can use as a

rolling meth lab A rolling meth lab is a transportable laboratory that is used to illegally produce methamphetamine.Staff writerMethamphetamine, meth-lab assessment and clean-up." ''Forensic Applications Consulting Technologies Inc.'' Retrieved on 2009-02-14. R ...

. After their first cook in the RV, Jesse brings a sample of the extremely pure meth to the distributor Domingo "Krazy-8" Molina ( Max Arciniega) and then brings Krazy-8 and the now-released Emilio to see the cook site. Emilio recognizes Walter as accompanying the DEA during the bust and believes he is an informant. Krazy-8 forces Walter to show them how he cooked such pure meth or risk being killed. Walter pretends to start a cook but instead produces toxic

phosphine Phosphine (IUPAC name: phosphane) is a colorless, flammable, highly toxic compound with the chemical formula , classed as a pnictogen hydride. Pure phosphine is odorless, but technical grade samples have a highly unpleasant odor like rotting ...

gas which kills Emilio and incapacitates Krazy-8. Walter and Jesse secure Krazy-8 to a structural post in Jesse's basement with a U-lock around his neck, and Walter struggles with the decision on whether to kill him. After realizing Krazy-8 has hidden a piece of plate broken when Walter passed out due to a coughing fit, he realizes he has no choice and must kill Krazy-8. Walter goes to unlock Krazy-8's lock and as Walter does so, he confronts him about the plate, causing Krazy-8 to grab the plate to stab Walter with as soon as he is freed. Walter panics and

garrote A garrote ( ; alternatively spelled as garotte and similar variants)''Oxford English Dictionary'', 11th Ed: garrotte is normal British English spelling, with single r alternate. Article title is US English spelling variant. or garrote vil () is ...

s him to death with the lock while Krazy-8 wildly attacks behind him in an attempt to harm Walter. The experience shakes Walter, and he tells Jesse he will not cook meth anymore. Walter eventually tells his family about his cancer diagnosis, and they urge him to undergo expensive

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (list of chemotherapeutic agents, chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard chemotherapy re ...

. He initially does not want to go through the treatment, fearing that his family will remember him as a burden and a helpless invalid, much as he remembers his own father. Later he reluctantly agrees to undergo treatment but refuses Gretchen and Elliott's offer to pay for it, choosing to re-enter the drug trade with Jesse. He shaves his head to hide his chemotherapy-induced hair loss. Dissatisfied with Jesse's slow pace of selling the meth, Walter pushes him to sell it in bulk to a local drug lord named

Tuco Salamanca ''Breaking Bad (franchise), Breaking Bad'' is a crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan. It started with the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), and is followed by a prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Sau ...

(

Raymond Cruz Raymond Cruz (born September 10, 1964) is an American actor, best known for his starring role as Detective Julio Sanchez in the series ''The Closer'' and its spinoff '' Major Crimes'', as well as his recurring role as drug lord Tuco Salamanca i ...

), who has taken over Krazy-8's former territory. Discovering that Tuco stole the meth and savagely beat Jesse, Walter visits Tuco's lair with another bag of crystals, claiming to be "Heisenberg" (a reference to the theoretical physicist

Werner Heisenberg Werner Karl Heisenberg (; ; 5 December 1901 – 1 February 1976) was a German theoretical physicist, one of the main pioneers of the theory of quantum mechanics and a principal scientist in the German nuclear program during World War II. He pub ...

). After Tuco mocks Jesse, refuses to pay for the bag, and implies that Walter will suffer the same fate as Jesse, Walter blows up part of the lair; the bag contained fulminated mercury, not meth. Impressed by the boldness of "Heisenberg", Tuco reluctantly agrees to pay for his meth upon delivery in the future. Walter revels in his success and adopts the Heisenberg alias in his business dealings going forward. In order to make larger batches of meth to take advantage of their new arrangement with Tuco, Walter and Jesse switch from using

pseudoephedrine Pseudoephedrine, sold under the brand name Sudafed among others, is a sympathomimetic medication which is used as a decongestant to treat nasal congestion. It has also been used off-label for certain other indications, like treatment of lo ...

methylamine Methylamine, also known as methanamine, is an organic compound with a formula of . This colorless gas is a derivative of ammonia, but with one hydrogen atom being replaced by a methyl group. It is the simplest primary amine. Methylamine is sold ...

as a precursor. This tints their meth blue, which becomes a signature of Walter's product. The pair begin to fear for their lives when, after testing the purity of the meth they delivered by snorting some of it, Tuco senselessly beats to death one of his own men, No-Doze (Cesar Garcia).

Season 2

Walter's "blue meth" becomes incredibly popular, to the point that Hank takes notice and raids Tuco's operation. A paranoid Tuco evades the bust, carjacks Jesse, and kidnaps Walter. He brings them to an isolated house in the desert, planning to take them deep into Mexico where they would be forced to cook their blue meth for the cartel. After a failed attempt to poison Tuco, they manage to escape on foot. Hank, who had been searching for Jesse, spots his car at the house and kills Tuco in a gunfight. Walter takes off all his clothes in a grocery store in order to explain his disappearance by claiming that he had gone into a

fugue state Dissociative fugue ( ), previously referred to as a fugue state or psychogenic fugue,Dissociative Fugue (formerly Psychogenic Fugue) 'DSM-IV 300.13, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition'' is a rare psychiatric con ...

as a result of his cancer medication and simply wandered off. Walter finds out that his cancer is in remission, and plans to leave the meth business again after selling the final 38 lb (17 kg) of meth. He hires an unscrupulous criminal attorney named

Saul Goodman James Morgan Jimmy McGill, better known by his business name Saul Goodman, is a fictional character created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould and portrayed by Bob Odenkirk in the television franchise ''Breaking Bad''. He appears as a major c ...

(

Bob Odenkirk Robert John Odenkirk (; born October 22, 1962) is an American actor, screenwriter, comedian, and producer. He started his career as a comedian and comedy writer before expanding his career by acting in dramatic works. His List of awards and no ...

) to cover his involvement in the drug trade and

launder Launder or Launders may refer to: * Launder (surname) * Launders (surname) See also

* Laundering (disambiguation), several types of washing, literally or metaphorically {{Disambiguation ...

his drug money. The ''Better Call Saul'' episode "

" expands on Walter's and Saul's first meeting where Saul quickly deduces Walter is Heisenberg and urges him to seek higher goals with his meth business. Saul also has his fixer,

(

), investigate Walter's background; Mike warns Saul that Walter is unreliable and a bad risk, but Saul goes into business with him anyway. Seeing that Walter and Jesse need a new distributor to sell the large quantity of product they have remaining, Saul arranges a meeting at a local restaurant with a mysterious meth kingpin. Jesse shows up for the meeting high on

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

, and leaves when the kingpin does not show. Walter realizes that the restaurant owner,

Gus Fring Gustavo Fring is a fictional character portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito in the ''Breaking Bad'' crime drama franchise. Introduced in ''Breaking Bad'' season 2, he serves as the main antagonist in seasons 3– 4 of the series, and a major char ...

(

Giancarlo Esposito Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito (; born April 26, 1958) is an American actor and director. He rose to prominence by portraying Gus Fring in the AMC (TV channel), AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2009–2011), a role he reprised in ...

), was the man they were supposed to meet. Walter meets with Gus, who says that he will not do business with an addict. However, a few days later he gives Walter a chance to prove himself by delivering all the meth to a truck stop within an hour. Walter breaks into Jesse's apartment, where the meth is stored, and finds him passed out with his girlfriend and fellow heroin addict Jane Margolis (

Krysten Ritter Krysten Alyce Ritter (born December 16, 1981) is an American actress. After an early modeling stint, she appeared on the UPN noir mystery series ''Veronica Mars'' (2005–2006) and the CW comedy drama series ''Gilmore Girls'' (2006–2007). He ...

). He finds the meth and makes the delivery on time, but misses the birth of his daughter. Walter initially refuses to give Jesse his share of the drug money until he is clean, but Jane blackmails him into handing it over. After talking to a stranger at a bar about family – not knowing that the man is Jane's father

Donald Donald is a Scottish masculine given name. It is derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinter ...

(

John de Lancie John Sherwood de Lancie, Jr. (born March 20, 1948) is an American actor, best known for his role as Q in various ''Star Trek'' series, beginning with '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' in 1987 and leading up to the third season of '' Star Tre ...

) – Walter again breaks into Jesse's apartment and finds them passed out in a heroin stupor. Walter attempts to wake Jesse and inadvertently rolls Jane onto her back; she subsequently vomits and begins to choke. Walter does nothing to help her and watches her die. He contacts Saul for help, who sends Mike over to clear any connection Jesse has to Jane's death. Walter convinces Jesse to enter

drug rehabilitation Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin, and amphetamines. The general int ...

. Walter undergoes an operation to remove the remaining cancerous growth. His anesthesia-induced references to a "second cell phone" – the one he uses to deal drugs – makes Skyler suspicious, leading her to uncover many of his lies and leave with their children. Just after her departure, two passenger planes collide directly above Walter's house; the accident was caused by Donald, who works as an

air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled air ...

ler, and was still overcome with grief from Jane's death. Walter watches the accident in horror, unaware of his connection to it.

Season 3

Walter decides to get out of the meth business, refusing Gus' offer to produce meth in a state-of-the-art laboratory hidden under an industrial laundry for a million dollars a month. Now separated from Skyler and living in an apartment, Walter admits to her that he has been financing his treatment by cooking meth. Horrified, Skyler asks for a divorce in return for her silence and demands that Walter have nothing to do with their children. After he discovers Jesse is cooking and selling his own version of the blue meth, Walter agrees to cook his meth for Gus. He is assisted by an accomplished chemist named

Gale Boetticher ''Breaking Bad'' is a crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan. It started with the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), and is followed by a prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and a seq ...

(

David Costabile David Costabile (; born January 9, 1967) is an American actor. He is best known for his television work, having appeared in supporting roles in several television series such as '' Billions'', ''Breaking Bad'' and ''Better Call Saul'', ''Damages ...

) and the business begins running smoothly. Jesse continues to cook his own version of the blue meth, with his friends Skinny Pete ( Charles Baker) and

Badger Badgers are medium-sized short-legged omnivores in the superfamily Musteloidea. Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by their squat bodies and adaptions for fossorial activity rather than by the ...

( Matt Jones) as his distributors, but this leads to Hank nearly catching Jesse and Walter while following a lead on an RV he believed was being used to cook meth. To avoid being discovered hiding in the RV, Walter and Jesse, aided by Saul, place a phone call to distract Hank, making him believe his wife,

Marie Marie may refer to the following. People Given name * Marie (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** List of people named Marie * Marie (Japanese given name) Surname * Jean Gabriel-Marie, French compo ...

(

), has been injured in a car accident. Hank decides to leave the pursuit of the RV only to find out that Marie is fine, allowing Walter and Jesse to dispose of the vehicle. This enrages Hank enough to storm into Jesse's house and beat him so severely that he is hospitalized. Walter visits Jesse in the hospital and apologizes for Hank, while also urging him to leave the meth business for good. Jesse replies that he will continue to cook meth on his own and that he will sue Hank for all the money he has. He also tells Walter that if he is caught, he will make a deal to give up "Heisenberg". In an attempt to save Hank's career, Walter convinces Gus to hire Jesse to replace Gale as his assistant and give him a 50 percent share of the profits. Jesse finally accepts the job, and Walter fires Gale from the lab and gives Jesse the assistant's job. Assuming that Skyler will not turn him in to the police because it would traumatize their children, Walter returns to his house. Skyler eventually comes to uneasily accept the situation and helps Walter to

launder Launder or Launders may refer to: * Launder (surname) * Launders (surname) See also

* Laundering (disambiguation), several types of washing, literally or metaphorically {{Disambiguation ...

his drug money, but refuses to have anything to do with him outside of business. The rift in their marriage worsens when Skyler has sex with her boss,

Ted Beneke ''Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan for AMC (TV channel), AMC. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Breaking Bad), Walte ...

(

Christopher Cousins Christopher Maher Cousins (born September 27, 1960) is an American actor who has been acting in television since 1986. He is best known for playing conman Cain Rogan in forty-one episodes of the soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime d ...

). Walter attempts to get back at her by making a pass at the principal at his school, who puts him on indefinite suspension. Tuco's cousins

Marco and Leonel Salamanca ''Breaking Bad (franchise), Breaking Bad'' is a crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan. It started with the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), and is followed by a prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Sau ...

(

Luis Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archai ...

and Daniel Moncada) seek revenge against those responsible for his death and find out Walter's identity from their uncle

Hector Salamanca ''Breaking Bad'' is a crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan. It started with the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), and is followed by a prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and a seq ...

(

Mark Margolis Mark Margolis (, ; November 26, 1939 – August 3, 2023) was an American actor known for his portrayal of the character Hector Salamanca in ''Breaking Bad'' (2009–2011) and '' Better Call Saul'' (2016–2022). His performance in ''Breaking Ba ...

). Believing that Walter betrayed Tuco, they go to his house and prepare to kill him with a silver axe. Gus discovers this, and to protect his investment in Walter, he convinces them to instead target Hank, who actually killed Tuco. The cousins die in their attempt to kill Hank, but they manage to temporarily paralyze him from the waist down before he dispatches them. Skyler forces Walter into paying for Hank's care and creates a cover story about Walter counting cards at casinos to explain how he made his money. Walter's relationship with Gus becomes strained when he kills two of Gus' dealers to protect Jesse, who planned to kill them in retaliation for murdering his new girlfriend Andrea Cantillo's ( Emily Rios) young brother, who was working for them. Gus responds by putting a hit on Jesse and re-hiring Gale as Walter's assistant, with the intention of replacing Walter as soon as possible. Walter plots to kill Gale to avoid becoming disposable, but Gus' henchman Victor ( Jeremiah Bitsui) lures Walter to the laundry facility, where Mike is waiting to kill him. Walter frantically calls Jesse, telling him that he is about to be killed and Jesse will have to take out Gale himself.

Season 4

In the aftermath of Gale's murder, Mike holds Walter at the lab to await Gus' arrival. Victor arrives with Jesse and proceeds to start the cooking process himself to show Gus that Walter and Jesse are not indispensable. Gus, however, kills Victor in front of Walter, Jesse and Mike in a gruesome show of force. Gus puts the pair under tighter surveillance, including a camera being installed in the lab to monitor them. A rift slowly forms between Walter and Jesse, and Gus uses the opportunity to bring Jesse to his side by having Mike train him. Walter deduces that Gus plans to eventually kill him and replace him with Jesse. He gives Jesse homemade

ricin Ricin ( ) is a lectin (a carbohydrate-binding protein) and a highly potent toxin produced in the seeds of the castor oil plant, ''Ricinus communis''. The median lethal dose (LD50) of ricin for mice is around 22 micrograms per kilogram of body ...

with which to poison Gus, but Jesse never goes through with it. Walter shows up at Jesse's house and tries to convince him to betray Gus, but Jesse refuses and tells Walter they are finished. Meanwhile, Skyler buys the

car wash A car wash, or auto wash, is a facility used to clean the exterior, and in some cases the interior, of motor vehicle, cars. Car washes can be #Self-serve car wash, self-service, full-service (with attendants who wash the vehicle), or #Autom ...

where Walter used to work and uses it to launder his drug money. Evidence from Gale's murder leads Hank to suspect that Gus is involved in the blue meth business. With the DEA skeptical and Hank being unable to drive due to his condition, he enlists Walter's help in the investigation as a driver and tracker. Walter attempts to sabotage the investigation, but Gus blames him for drawing Hank's attention. Gus rids himself of the Mexican cartel's influence in the area with the help of Mike and Jesse. He then fires Walter and threatens to kill his entire family if he causes any more trouble. Walter tries to use one of Saul's connections to get him and his family relocated but finds that Skyler has used most of his drug money to pay off Ted Beneke's IRS fines to avoid having their own lives investigated. After arranging for Saul to report that Hank is being targeted for assassination again so that his family would be protected by the DEA, Walter resolves to kill Gus. When Andrea's young son Brock (Ian Posada) falls desperately ill with ricin-like symptoms, Jesse attacks Walter, believing that he poisoned the boy. Walter manages to convince Jesse that Gus is the one responsible. After an attempt to kill Gus with a car bomb fails, Walter discovers from Saul that Gus has been visiting Hector in his

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of older people, senior citizens, or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as care homes, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms ...

to taunt him about the cartel's defeat and the end of the Salamanca family. Walter makes a deal with Hector to draw Gus in by setting up a meeting with the DEA. When Gus comes to the nursing home to kill Hector for apparently becoming an

informant An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a "snitch", "rat", "canary", "stool pigeon", "stoolie", "tout" or "grass", among other terms) is a person who provides privileged information, or (usually damaging) information inten ...

, Hector detonates a pipe bomb Walter built, killing himself, Gus's henchman Tyrus Kitt ( Ray Campbell), and Gus. Walter rescues Jesse, who had been kept as a prisoner in the lab, and together they destroy all the evidence and burn down the lab. After Brock recovers, Jesse learns that the boy had likely been poisoned by accidentally eating

lily of the valley Lily of the valley (''Convallaria majalis'' ), sometimes written lily-of-the-valley, is a woodland flowering plant with sweetly scented, pendent, bell-shaped white flowers borne in sprays in spring. It is native throughout the cool temperate No ...

berries not ricin. Walter responds that killing Gus was still the right thing to do. Walter calls Skyler to tell her they are safe and that he has "won". The camera pans to a potted lily of the valley plant next to Walt's pool, revealing that Walter had poisoned Brock in order to regain Jesse's loyalty and spur him into action as part of Walter's plan to kill Gus.

Season 5

= Part 1

= Walter disposes of the evidence linking him to Gus' death and Brock's poisoning. Mike intends to kill Walter in retaliation for Gus's death, but Jesse intervenes and convinces them to work together to eliminate their connection to the destroyed lab. The trio use an electromagnet to wipe the lab camera footage off of Gus's laptop, which is in police custody. The three eventually start a new meth production system with the help of a corrupt

pest control Pest control is the regulation or management of a species defined as a pest (organism), pest; such as any animal, plant or fungus that impacts adversely on human activities or environment. The human response depends on the importance of the da ...

company, using residents' homes to cook meth while they are fumigated, using methylamine provided by Lydia Rodarte-Quayle (

Laura Fraser Laura Fraser (born 24 July 1975) is a Scottish actress. She has played Door in the urban fantasy series ''Neverwhere'' (1996), Kate in the film '' A Knight's Tale'' (2001), Cat MacKenzie in the BBC Three drama series '' Lip Service'' (2010–20 ...

), a representative for the conglomerate that owned Gus's chicken franchise. When her supply is discovered to be tracked by the police, she leaks them information about a train carrying the chemical so they can plan a robbery. The robbery is successful, but

Todd Alquist ''Breaking Bad'' is a crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan. It started with the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), and is followed by a prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and a seq ...

(

Jesse Plemons Jesse Plemons (; born April 2, 1988) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor and achieved a breakthrough with his role as Landry Clarke in the NBC drama series '' Friday Night Lights'' (2006–2011). He subsequently portra ...

), one of the pest control workers, kills a young boy who had seen them. Horrified, Jesse and Mike resolve to leave the business. A drug lord based in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

named Declan (

Louis Ferreira Louis Ferreira (born Luís Henrique da Rocha Ferreira; born 20 February 1966) is a Canadian actor. Ferreira is known for his roles in ''Stargate Universe'' as Colonel Everett Young, serial killer Ray Prager in the first season of ''Durham County ...

) offers to buy out the operation for $15 million in order to remove his competition. Walter convinces him to pay off Mike and begin distributing Walter's meth instead. Skyler becomes terrified of Walter and stages a suicide attempt to persuade Hank and Marie to take temporary custody of Walter Jr. and Holly. Hank connects Mike to the blue meth and begins pressing several of his associates, who are now in prison, to give information on the blue meth operation. When Walter delivers Mike's share of Declan's payment, Mike refuses to reveal these prisoners' identities and insults Walter, blaming him for all the problems they have encountered; Walter shoots him dead in a fit of rage. Obtaining a list of the prisoners from Lydia, he enlists Todd's uncle Jack Welker ( Michael Bowen), a criminal with ties to the

Aryan Brotherhood The Aryan Brotherhood (AB or The Brand) is a neo-Nazi prison gang and an organized crime syndicate that is based in the United States and has an estimated 15,000–20,000 members both inside and outside prisons. The Southern Poverty Law Center ...

prison gang, to kill the ten men simultaneously at multiple prisons to prevent the DEA from realizing that they were being targeted until it was too late. After a few months, Walter has earned more than $80 million from meth, and Skyler convinces him to stop. Walter leaves the meth business, and the children return home. During a family barbecue, Hank finds a copy of

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...

's ''

Leaves of Grass ''Leaves of Grass'' is a poetry collection by American poet Walt Whitman. After self-publishing it in 1855, he spent most of his professional life writing, revising, and expanding the collection until his death in 1892. Either six or nine separa ...

'' in the bathroom, the same copy given to Walter by Gale; upon reading Gale's handwritten inscription referring to Walter as "the other W.W." Hank realizes that Walter is the drug lord he has been pursuing.

= Part 2

= Realizing his copy of ''Leaves of Grass'' is missing and that a tracker has been placed on his car, Walter deduces Hank has discovered his criminal activities. Walter confronts him at Hank's house, and Hank accuses him of being Heisenberg, which Walter neither confirms nor denies. Walter says that his cancer is back and he will likely be dead in six months, making an arrest pointless. Hank says they can talk if Walter gives custody of his children to Skyler, Marie and Hank, but Walter refuses and tells Hank to "tread lightly". Walter attempts to discourage Hank from investigating him further by crafting a fake confessional videotape claiming Hank is Heisenberg. Walter buries his money in seven barrels on the

Tohajiilee Indian Reservation The To'Hajiilee Navajo Chapter (, ), also spelled To'hajiilee, formerly known as the Cañoncito Band of Navajo Indians is a non-contiguous section of the Navajo Nation lying in parts of western Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernalillo, eastern ...

and convinces Jesse to go into a relocation program. While waiting to be picked up, Jesse deduces that Walter poisoned Brock. Jesse attempts to burn down Walter's house in retaliation, but Hank stops him and suggests they work together to bring down Walter. With Hank's help, Jesse lures Walter into a trap by claiming to have found his money. Walter makes arrangements with Jack and his men to kill Jesse, in exchange for promising to help teach Todd how to cook meth. When Walter realizes Jesse is with Hank, he tries to call off the deal to protect Hank but is subdued by Hank and his DEA partner, Steven Gomez (

Steven Michael Quezada Steven Michael Quezada (; born February 15, 1963) is an American actor, comedian and politician. He played Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Steven Gomez, the level-headed partner of Hank Schrader, in the AMC series ''Breaking Bad'' fr ...

). Just then, Jack and his men arrive and fire on the group, killing Gomez and wounding Hank; Jack then executes Hank, despite Walter pleading for his brother-in-law's life. Jack's men take all but one barrel of Walter's money and abduct Jesse; as Jesse is taken away, Walter spitefully tells him that he watched Jane die. Walter tries to persuade Skyler and Walter Jr. to go on the run with him, but they refuse. He kidnaps Holly, but has a moment of conscience and leaves her to be found and returned. He calls Skyler, knowing that the police are listening in, and berates her for failing to follow his orders, as a way of clearing her of involvement in his crimes. Walter then goes into hiding, along with Saul, waiting for Ed the "Disappearer" (

) to set up a new identity for Walter. A scene in the final ''Better Call Saul'' episode, " Saul Gone", shows Walter mocking Saul's legal ability and saying Saul was always a sleazy lawyer; this dovetails with the scenes in final ''Breaking Bad'' scene between them, where Saul is shown coldly ignoring Walter's empty threats and severing ties between them before leaving for his new life in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

. Eventually, Ed helps to set up Walter to live in isolation in

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. After several months alone, Walter goes to a local bar, where he calls Walter Jr. and tries to give him money. Walter Jr. angrily rejects the gesture, however, and hangs up. Feeling hopeless, Walter calls the DEA and gives himself up. As he waits for them, however, he sees Gretchen and Elliott on ''

Charlie Rose Charles Peete Rose Jr. (born January 5, 1942) is an American journalist and talk show host. From 1991 to 2017, he was the host and executive producer of the talk show ''Charlie Rose (talk show), Charlie Rose'' on PBS and Bloomberg L.P., Bloombe ...

'' downplaying his contributions to Gray Matter and resolves to return to Albuquerque to put things right. When Walter arrives in Albuquerque – on his 52nd birthday – he confronts Gretchen and Elliott at their home and coerces them into putting his remaining money into a

trust fund A trust is a legal relationship in which the owner of property, or any transferable right, gives it to another to manage and use solely for the benefit of a designated person. In the English common law, the party who entrusts the property is k ...

for Walter Jr. He then visits Skyler and provides her with the location of Hank's and Steve's unmarked grave, which he suggests she use to barter for a deal with the prosecutor, and finally admits to her that he entered the meth business for himself, not his family. As a token of appreciation, Skyler lets him see his daughter one last time. Walter then arranges to see Lydia, surreptitiously poisoning her drink with ricin. Walter drives to Jack's compound and demands to see Jesse. When they bring Jesse, who has been chained up in a lab and forced to cook meth since his abduction, Walter dives atop him and knocks them both to the ground. Now out of range, he activates a remote machine gun mounted in his car that injures Jack and kills all of his men except for Todd, whom Jesse strangles to death with a chain. Jack pleads with Walter to let him live, offering him the rest of his money, but Walter executes him with a gunshot to the face. Walter then asks Jesse to kill him, but Jesse tells him to do it himself. Walter then finds that he has been wounded by a ricocheted bullet. He answers a call from Lydia on Todd's phone and coldly informs her that she is going to die as a result of the poisoned drink she consumed. He exchanges a knowing nod with Jesse, who escapes the compound. Walter calmly walks around Jack's lab and admires the equipment that Jesse had been using, as well as the perfect batch of his product that Jesse had produced. As the police arrive, Walter collapses to the floor and dies with a smile on his face.

''El Camino''

Cranston reprises his role in the sequel film ''El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'' in a flashback scene, taking place during the events of the episode " 4 Days Out" from the show's second season. Walter and Jesse are sitting down at a buffet breakfast talking about how they are going to move a batch of recently cooked meth. Walter asks Jesse what he would like to study if he went to college and encourages Jesse to find a life outside of cooking meth in the future. He suggests that Jesse should study business and marketing, remarking that Jesse has a natural talent and that he "could practically teach the class" himself using his vast knowledge. Afterward, Walter tells Jesse: "You're really lucky, you know that? You didn't have to wait your whole life to do something special." In the present, Jesse, Skinny Pete, and Badger see various news reports on the aftermath of Walter's massacre. In a news report Jesse listens to, Walter is confirmed to be dead with the same report mentioning an investigation of a

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

woman poisoned by Walter – presumably Lydia – who is in critical condition and not expected to survive.

Post-''Breaking Bad''

Walter is briefly mentioned in passing by Saul Goodman (now going by the alias Gene Takavic) as he attempts to explain to

Jeff Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given name Jefferson or Jeffrey, which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey. Music * DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ/turntablist record producer Jeffrey Allen Townes ...

how crazy his life had become and how much money he could earn by getting into "the game". Francesca Liddy later tells Saul that Walter's death only made things worse for the surviving low-level players connected to his meth empire rather than better. As Walter had hoped, Skyler had succeeded in getting a deal with the federal prosecutors and the DEA was ultimately forced to release

Huell Babineaux ''Breaking Bad (franchise), Breaking Bad'' is a crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan. It started with the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), and is followed by a prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Sau ...

, leaving only Jesse and Saul for them to go after. Although Jesse has successfully managed to escape to

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

while tricking the public into thinking he fled to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, the DEA has seized all of Saul's assets and is even following Francesca in an attempt to find him. Francesca admits that she does not know what has become of Patrick Kuby, another one of Walter's associates, and she does not answer Saul's questions about Ira and Danny. Saul is eventually discovered and interrogated by DEA agents. During their initial questioning, they bring in Marie, who is bitter at Saul for enabling Walter and leading to Hank's death. Saul shrewdly asserts he was also manipulated by Walter to goad the agent to start a plea bargain for a significantly reduced sentence until Saul learns that his involvement with

Howard Hamlin Howard Hamlin is a fictional character who appears in the crime drama television series ''Better Call Saul'', a Spin-off (media), spin-off prequel of ''Breaking Bad''. He is portrayed by Patrick Fabian and was created by Vince Gilligan and Peter ...

's death was already given to them by

Kim Wexler Kimberly "Kim" Wexler is a fictional character in the television series ''Better Call Saul'', a spin-off of ''Breaking Bad''. Kim is primarily portrayed by Rhea Seehorn, and was created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. An intelligent and pro ...

Reception

Critical response

The character development of Walter White, as well as Bryan Cranston's performance, has received universal acclaim, from both critics and audiences. Walter White is considered to be one of the greatest and most iconic characters in television history. From ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', Paul MacInnes lauded Walter as a whole, noting his quick transformation into becoming Heisenberg. From the same website, Rebecca Nicholson wrote about Walter's death, praising the fact that instead of facing the consequences, "Walter dies happy. He doesn't only get what he deserved; he gets what he wanted. It's the same for us viewers: we get the neatness and the uncertainty, which shows a Heisenberg level of mastery." In their list for the "Top 100 Villains", ''

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' ranked Walter as #12, stating that "Walter White is selfishness incarnate, and perhaps one of the greatest tragic figures to ever grace television, making his ultimate descent into villainy that much more compelling." The web magazine ''

Grantland ''Grantland'' was a sports and pop-culture blog owned and operated by ESPN. The blog was started in 2011 by veteran writer and sports journalist Bill Simmons, who remained as editor-in-chief until May 2015. ''Grantland'' was named after famed ...

'' quotes Andy Greenwald as analyzing Walter differently from some others, including Vince Gilligan. Greenwald states: Similarly, Scott Meslow wrote in ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'' that Walter's capacity for villainy was present well before the series even began, and that cancer was only the catalyst, stating that "all the elements that have since turned him into a monster were already in place." Emma Rosenblum of ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

'' magazine said Cranston "pulls off the unassuming White with flawless subtlety: a waxy pallor, a slump of the shoulders, and a sense of doom that is palpable". ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' writer Tim Goodman praised as courageous Vince Gilligan's decision to transform Walter White into an unsympathetic character: "You don't take your main character and make him unlikable. You just don't. Nobody does that. Nobody has ever really done that to this extent." Robert Bianco of ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' called Walter "one of the greatest dramatic creations ever to grace our TV screens". In 2011, ''The New York Times'' named Cranston as one of the "eight actors who turn television into art". Following the show's conclusion, the actor

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...

wrote a fan letter to Cranston, in which he praised the show and called Cranston's performance as Walter the best acting he had ever seen.

Accolades

Bryan Cranston at the 73rd Annual Peabody Awards

Cranston has received various awards and nominations for his performance as Walter White. For the first three seasons, he won the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series is an award presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Beginning with the 18th Primetime Emmy Awards, leading actors in drama have competed alone. However, ...

thrice consecutively, becoming the first actor to accomplish this feat since

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy ...

for ''

I Spy I spy is a guessing game where one player (the ''spy'' or ''it'') chooses an object within sight and announces to the other players that "I spy with my little eye something beginning with...", naming the first letter of the object. Other players a ...

''. Cranston was also nominated in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

and

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

for season four and the first half of season five, but lost out to

Damian Lewis Damian Watcyn Lewis (born 11 February 1971) is a British actor, musician and producer. He rose to prominence portraying U.S. Army Major Richard Winters in the HBO miniseries ''Band of Brothers (miniseries), Band of Brothers''. Lewis won a Prime ...

for ''

Homeland A homeland is a place where a national or ethnic identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethnic natio ...

'' and

Jeff Daniels Jeffrey Warren Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor. He is known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accolades, including two Primetime ...

for '' The Newsroom'', respectively. He also won his fourth

, at the

66th Primetime Emmy Awards The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in US prime time television programming from June 1, 2013, until May 31, 2014, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The ceremony was held on Monday, August 25, 2014, at the Peaco ...

. At the annual Golden Globe Awards, Cranston has been nominated for the Best Actor – Television Series Drama accolade on four occasions for his role in ''

'', in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

and

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, winning in 2014 for the second half of season five. At the

Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1995 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

, Cranston has been nominated for Male Actor in a Drama Series five times, in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

and

, winning in 2013 and 2014, for both parts of season five. Additionally, Cranston has been nominated with the rest of the cast for Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, in

and

, winning only in 2014. In addition, Cranston has won the

Satellite Award The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...

for Best Actor: Drama Series three times consecutively, in

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

and

, for seasons one,

two 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and the only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many ...

and

three 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

, and has been nominated in

and

for seasons four

and And or AND may refer to: Logic, grammar and computing * Conjunction, connecting two words, phrases, or clauses * Logical conjunction in mathematical logic, notated as "∧", "⋅", "&", or simple juxtaposition * Bitwise AND, a Boolean oper ...

five. He won the

TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama The TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama is an award given by the Television Critics Association. Winners and nominees Multiple wins ;3 wins * James Gandolfini (consecutive) ;2 wins * Andre Braugher (consecutive) * Jon Hamm * H ...

, and was nominated in

and

; was nominated twice for the

Prism Award The Entertainment Industries Council is a United States non-profit organization founded in 1983 that promotes the depiction of accurate health and social issues in film, television, music, and comic books. The Council provides guidelines on the depi ...

for Best Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline; won two

Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films bel ...

s for Best Actor on Television in

and

(tying with

Kevin Bacon Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. Known for various roles, including leading man characters, Bacon has received numerous accolades such as a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Bacon made his featu ...

for ''

The Following ''The Following'' is an American crime thriller television series created by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson, and jointly produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television. The The Following (season 1), first s ...

'' on the latter occasion), and was nominated in

and

; and won the Golden Nymph Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series in 2013.

Legacy

Over time Walter developed a

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

, spawning fan websites like "Heisenberg Labs", "Walt's Wardrobe", and "Save Walter White" (an exact replica of the website Walter's son creates in the series to raise money to pay for his father's cancer treatments). In 2015, the series' creator, Vince Gilligan, publicly requested fans of the series to stop reenacting a scene in which Walter angrily throws a pizza on his roof after Skyler refuses to let him inside; this came after complaints from the home's real-world owner. Many fans of ''Breaking Bad'', including the actor

Norm Macdonald Norman Gene MacdonaldThe capitalization of Norm Macdonald's surname has been inconsistently reported in publications such as ''TV Guide''. Books that discuss him, such as ''Shales'' (2003) and Crawford' (2000), as well as other sources such as ...

and the ''

'' magazine writer Emily Nussbaum, proposed a theory, in which most of the series finale happened in Walte's mind, and he really died in the stolen

Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...

in the beginning of it. While Nussbaum merely stated that it would be her preferred ending, Macdonald emphasized the seemingly unreal scenarios of Walt's final day, as well as what he deemed as unreliable acting. However, Gilligan debunked this theory, explaining that Walter could not possibly have known several things that happened, like Jesse being held in captivity by Jack's gang instead of being murdered by them, or that Todd had begun taking meetings with Lydia regarding the meth trade. This theory was further disproven with ''Better Call Saul'' following Saul's story before and after ''Breaking Bad'' alongside '' El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'' following Jesse's story after the finale, in which Walter is confirmed to have died. Cranston reprised his role in a commercial for

Esurance Esurance Insurance Services, Inc. is an American insurance company. It sells auto, home, motorcycle, and renters insurance direct to consumers online and by phone. Founded in 1999, the company was acquired by Allstate in 2011. History Esuranc ...

which aired during

Super Bowl XLIX Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 NFL season, 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2014 New England Patriots season, New Eng ...

, one week before the premiere of ''Better Call Saul''. In December 2016, Bryan cameoed as Walter in an episode of

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

in the

cold open A cold open (also called a teaser sequence) is a narrative technique used in television and films. It is the practice of jumping directly into a story at the beginning of the show before the title sequence or opening credits are shown. In North ...

. The skit had Walter on a

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

broadcast where he is the front runner for

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

's cabinet nominee for the

. In 2023, Cranston again reprised his role in an advertisement for the snack brand

PopCorners PopCorners is an American brand of snacks that is owned by PepsiCo. They are known for corn chips popped in a similar vein to popcorn. History PopCorners was founded in Liberty, New York, which was launched as a snack line for Medora Snacks (Ide ...

during

Super Bowl LVII Super Bowl LVII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2022 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football Confere ...

. In the Spanish-language remake of ''Breaking Bad'', titled '' Metástasis'', his character is renamed Walter Blanco (''blanco'' being the Spanish translation of ''white'') and is portrayed by Diego Trujillo. In 2024, he also appears in an anti-littering advertisement. Bronze statues of Walter and Jesse were commissioned and donated by Gilligan and Sony Pictures Television to Albuquerque in July 2022. They are housed in the

Albuquerque Convention Center Albuquerque Convention Center is a multipurpose convention center, convention and performing arts center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is New Mexico's largest convention center. The convention center hosts the Albuquerque comic book convention, ...

. They were made by the sculptor Trevor Grove. A ''Breaking Bad'' fan group placed a paid obituary for Walter in the ''

Albuquerque Journal The ''Albuquerque Journal'' is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of New Mexico. History The ''Golden Gate'' newspaper was founded in June 1880. In the fall of 1880, the owner of the ''Golden Gate'' died and Journal Publishing Company was ...

'' on October 4, 2013. On October 19, 2013, the actor Jackamoe Buzzell organized a mock

funeral procession A funeral procession is a procession, usually in motor vehicles or by foot, from a funeral home or place of worship to the cemetery or crematorium. In earlier times the deceased was typically carried by male family members on a bier or in a cof ...

(including a hearse and a replica of Walter's meth lab RV) and

service Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a ...

for the character was held at

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

's Sunset Memorial Park cemetery. A

headstone A gravestone or tombstone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. A marker set at the head of the grave may be called a headstone. An especially old or elaborate stone slab may be called a funeral stele, stela, or slab. The u ...

was placed with a photo of Cranston as Walter, located on an outside wall in

Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, also known simply as "Los Ranchos", is a village in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. The population was 6,024 at the time of the 2010 Census. Description Part of the Albuquerque metropolitan area, Los Ranchos is locate ...

. While some residents were unhappy with the makeshift grave-site for closure with the show, tickets for the event raised over $30,000 for a local charity called Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless. In 2021, a new species of stygobiotic

freshwater snail Freshwater snails are gastropod mollusks that live in fresh water. There are many different families. They are found throughout the world in various habitats, ranging from ephemeral pools to the largest lakes, and from small seeps and springs t ...

in the genus '' Spiralix'' was described from eastern

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, and was named '' Spiralix heisenbergi'' after Walter and his alias.

References

Notes

Sources

External links

Walter White
at AMC.com {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Walter Breaking Bad characters Better Call Saul characters American male characters in television Fictional American scientists and engineers Fictional attempted suicides Fictional blackmailers Fictional businesspeople in television Fictional characters from Los Angeles County, California Fictional characters from New Mexico Fictional characters with cancer Fictional characters with respiratory diseases Fictional chemists Fictional crime bosses Fictional drug dealers Fictional fugitives Fictional high school teachers Fictional kidnappers Fictional mass murderers Fictional money launderers Fictional scientists in television Male film villains Television characters introduced in 2008

Concept and creation

Character biography

Background

Appearances

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

= Part 1

= Part 2

''El Camino''

Post-''Breaking Bad''

Reception

Critical response

Accolades

Legacy

References

Notes

Sources

Further reading

External links