Breaking Bad is one of the best TV shows of all time and the perfect anti-hero story. The show revolves around Walter White (Bryan Cranston) going down the criminal path out of necessity to provide for his family after being diagnosed with cancer. But, like many anti-hero stories, he eventually becomes the villain himself.
Throughout Breaking Bad, Walt and Jesse (Aaron Paul) face many dangerous and terrifying odds. As such, they encounter many incredibly well-written villains that have become iconic in pop culture. Here are all of the villains in Breaking Bad ranked from worst to best.
9. The Cousins
The Cousins (Daniel Moncada/Luis Moncada) are members of the Salamanca family and are used as enforcers and hitmen for the Cartel. They do have prominent roles in the series, although are seen more in Better Call Saul. Following the death of Tuco (Raymond Cruz), the Cousins set off to get revenge on Walter (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse, which leads to the reveal that Gus (Giancarlo Esposito) plans to double-cross Walt. But, outside of them being used to take out enemies, they’re not very important characters which is why they are at the bottom of this list.
8. Tuco Salamanca
Tuco is the first real villain in Breaking Bad, first appearing towards the end of season 1 and being prominent throughout season 2. This is the first time Walt gets a look at the inner workings of the drug trade and is toeing the line between building his business and trying not to be killed by Tuco. It is meeting Tuco that leads Walt to adopt the Heisenberg alias and helps take Walt down the path of becoming a drug kingpin. Tuco plays a larger role in Better Call Saul so if you enjoy his character in Breaking Bad, watch the prequel because it helps expand on the Salamanca family much more than Breaking Bad gets the chance to.
7. Jack Welker
Jack (Michael Bowen) is the leader of a neo-Nazi group and the uncle of Todd (Jesse Plemons) which is how he becomes connected to Walt and Jesse. Although their relationship is at first beneficial, things soon go south between Jack and Walt and he eventually kills Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) and steals Walt’s money. This leads to Walt killing him and his gang in his final act before his death.
6. Lydia Rodarte-Quayle
Lydia (Laura Fraser) is a key figure in the meth industry while behind the scenes. Over the years she has been vital to Gus’ business by supplying him with stolen methylamine from her company Madrigal Electromotive GmbH. Following his death in season 4 she joins up with Walt and Jesse and continues to supply them with the ingredient in order for them to cook. Her anxiety and lack of clear thinking eventually make her a liability and Walt poisons her in order to kill her as he wraps up his affairs before dying at the conclusion of the show. She is only in the show for a few episodes but it becomes clear immediately how important she has been to the entire show up until the point she was first seen on screen.
5. Krazy-8
Krazy-8 (Maximino Arciniega) is the first villain Walter and Jesse encounter in Breaking Bad, although he feels more like an obstacle to deal with rather than a character such as Tuco. He tries to rob and kill Walter and Jesse before being subdued by a chemical explosion that ended up killing his cousin Emilio (John Koyama). Krazy-8 then spends the remainder of his life as a hostage in Jesse’s basement so he doesn’t try to get revenge or go to the police. Although he only appears for a few episodes he is really pivotal to the story as this is when Walt passes the point of no return after being forced to take a life for the first time. Once Krazy-8 is dead, Walt decides to go all in on the meth business as there is no going back from what he has done.
4. Todd Alquist
When thinking of all of the villains in Breaking Bad, Todd is certainly one of the most hated, which certainly makes him an effective villain. Todd is the nephew of Jack Welker and is only seen in season 5, but he is the final villain along with Jack that we see before the conclusion of the show. He is recruited to work in Walt’s meth empire and studies how the product is made, later introducing Walt to Jack which eventually led to the downfall of his business and the death of numerous key characters. On the surface he appears to look innocent and just a regular person, but he is sadistic and has no problem killing children to get what he wants, thankfully he eventually gets what was coming to him.
3. Hector Salamanca
Hector (Mark Margolis) is one of the bosses of the Cartel and a key figure in the drug trade. By the time we first encounter him in Breaking Bad, he is a shell of his former self due to his age and ailments, now communicating by ringing a bell. He is a long-time rival of Gus and this feud would continue right until the death of both drug bosses in one of the best scenes of the entire show. The best use of Hector is in Better Call Saul as he hasn’t suffered from the stroke that removed his ability to speak, which allows him to be a much more engaging character.
2. Gustavo Fring
Gus Fring is a perfect Breaking Bad villain and a true Jekyll and Hyde character, which makes the imagery of his death so much more compelling. On the surface, Gus is a mild-mannered owner of a fast-food restaurant. But, behind closed doors, he is a ruthless drug kingpin that won’t think twice about killing someone whether they are an enemy or not.
Throughout the show, we get to see the vast drug empire hidden away behind the closed doors of a fried chicken fast food chain. Gus has long been engaged in a gang war with the Salamanca crime family which eventually leads to his downfall. Despite the endless evil acts, Gus likes to portray a kind and professional outward appearance and this is even true in death.
1. Walter White
Despite Gus being a perfect villain, there is one character that is a cut above, Walter White. While he started as a sympathetic anti-hero, that soon changed as the money rolled in and he began to crave power and forgot the original reason why he went down the path of crime. Over the course of the seasons, viewers watch Walter White slowly become evil and witness him enjoy the devastation he inflicts in order to build his empire.
When Breaking Bad began, Walter White was given the devastating news that he only had a couple of years to live. This led to him turning to cook meth as a means to ensure his family would be financially secure once he was gone. It was also very apparent early on that he was in over his head when he encountered the likes of Krazy-8 and Tuco, so viewers, who sympathized with the situation White found himself in, were rooting for him and hoping his plan would work out.
This all changed after both of these villains were killed and Walter first began to show signs of the Heisenberg character he would morph into. Over the coming seasons, he would turn into a monster, killing anyone that stood in his way, whether at his own hands or by ordering the hit. Excluding the 167 victims of the plane crash, Walter White has been responsible for 34 deaths whether directly or indirectly, making him responsible for more deaths than any other character on the show. It is difficult to know if White was always a villain just waiting to be freed or whether he became a product of his environment, but one thing we can agree on, he is one of the best villains in TV history.Gus Fring
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