How Did These Breaking Bad Characters Die?
- by Johnny Gonzales
- – on
- in Movies and TV
It's been said many times before, and it bears repeating — Breaking Bad is one of the greatest television shows of all time, and for good reason. Whether it's the intricate yet impeccably written storylines, the visually stunning cinematography, or the emotionally brilliant acting from virtually the entire cast, fans and critics alike have plenty to praise about the series. While it's true that a show doesn't need to have constant action in order to be good, there's no denying that it had more than its fair share of action-packed, dramatic moments. And over the course of the series, viewers learned quickly that their favorite character could die off at any moment.
Because of its colorful cast of characters, most of which were getting into trouble in one way or another, there's been numerous different ways that people have been killed off during the series' run of 62 episodes. In fact, by the time the final episodes began airing, it became clear that even characters that have been around since the very first season weren't immune to being killed at any moment. Are you a big Breaking Bad fan? Do you think you can remember just how all these character deaths went down? Take the quiz, and find out just how well you remember!
Emilio Koyama
What better way to start off than the very first death in Breaking Bad? Emilio Koyama is introduced in the premiere episode of the series as Jesse's original partner in crime, first seen working in a homemade meth lab, shortly before being busted by the police. The hardened criminal winds up making bail later on, and confronts Jesse and Walt in the desert, alongside his cousin Krazy-8. Although intimidating, he doesn't last long, and winds up dead before the second episode.
Krazy-8
Krazy-8 was another of Jesse Pinkman's former associates, but higher up on the food chain in terms of the meth business. A bit calmer, but just as intimidating as Emilio, he suffered the same poison gas that his cousin did, but somehow managed to survive the attack. After this, Jesse held the drug distributer captive in his basement, while he and Walt tried to figure out what to do with him. In the end, Walt realized that Krazy-8 couldn't be released.
Gale Boetticher
Gale is often considered by fans to be "too good" for Breaking Bad. The eccentric chemist may have been a meth manufacturer, but look past his committed felonies, and all that's left is a lovable geek with a love for science and personal freedom. Of course, nothing good in Breaking Bad lasts long. So, when Walt found out that the quirky scientist was on the fast track to replace him as Gus Fring's head meth cook, he knew that Gale had to go.
Combo
Combo was one of Jesse's best friends, alongside fellow druggies Skinny Pete and Badger. Combo was a lot less fortunate than Jesse's other friends however, as he didn't manage to make it past season 2 of the series. Before his untimely end, Combo was hired by Jesse and Walt as a low-level distributor, tasked with taking their infamous blue meth and doing the grunt work of selling it on the streets. This line of work would quickly lead to his demise.
Max Arciniega
Not a lot is known about Max Arciniega, mostly due to the fact that we only actually see him in a single flashback during season 4. He is however, a significant character in the series, as he is the sole reason for the feud between Gus Fring and Hector Salamanca. The relationship between Gus and Max isn't explicitly stated, but it's obvious that their bond goes far beyond simple business partners, with creator Vince Gilligan suggesting that they may have been lovers.
Jane Margolis
Jane may have only been a recurring character during the second season, but she made a substantial impact to the show, particularly for Jesse Pinkman. Jesse was head over heels in love with the sarcastic tattoo artist that he was renting a room from, and he would never fully recover from her death. While her motives were a suspicious at times, and her heroin addiction did nothing to help Jesse's own dependency issues, it's clear that she loved Jesse as well.
Don Eladio
Don Eladio is the head honcho, the top dog, the boss. When it comes to the Juárez Cartel, no one ranks higher. So, as expected, he commands a great deal of respect both from his fellow Mexico drug dealers, as well as those on the other side of the boarder. Usually, the Don has a mutual peace between other drug operations, but when Gus starts distributing purer meth than anyone has ever seen before, Eladio decides he must have it for himself.
Mike Ehrmantraut
Working part-time as Gus' top guy, and part-time as a loving grandpa, Mike is one of the most beloved characters in all of Breaking Bad. While the show was full of characters that were making irrational decisions, losing their cool, or just being downright selfish, Mike was a breath of competent and logical fresh air. Unfortunately, even with his nearly endless array of skills (private investigator, hitman, grandfather), and his ability to stay sensible even under heated circumstances, Mike was unable to make it out of Breaking Bad alive.
No-Doze
Going all the way back to season 1, we have one of Tuco's two right-hand-men, No-Doze. Small and thin, he doesn't seem too imposing at first glance, but he seems to do his job pretty well. Or at least, he does up until his sudden death during the first season's finale. Walt and Jesse are doing a drug deal with the hot-headed Tuco Salamanca in a junkyard, which seems to go smoothly at first, but then things escalate, and No-Doze quickly ends up dead.
Marco Salamanca
Breaking Bad has plenty of intimidating baddies in its cast of characters, but it's hard to find anyone more frightening than Tuco's cousins. Marco and Leonel Salamanca somehow manage to be even scarier than the short-tempered Tuco, and that's with almost never uttering a single word. Their cold and emotionless expressions and actions speak for themselves. While their original goal is to hunt down and kill Walter White, their greatest moment in the show comes when they go up against DEA agent Hank Schrader.
Leonel Salamanca
Marco and Leonel work together almost like they share the same brain; they're cold killers, and efficient like machines. That's why Hank was lucky to get out of his encounter with the cousins alive. He wasn't the only one however, as Leonel managed to survive the battle as well. In the very next episode we see Leonel again in the same hospital as Hank, although he's badly injured and missing both of his legs. It seemed like nothing could put him down.
Victor
Victor had a very subtle introduction to the series, initially appearing in the second season as one of Gus' undercover goons. We find out later though, that he isn't just a simple lackey, but Mike's right-hand man. And Mike keeps him busy; when he isn't delivering payments to Fring's employees, he's watching over the super lab all day while Walt cooks. Young and loyal, the way he ends up dying is quite tragic, and even Mike is upset after losing his "guy".
Gustavo Fring
There really isn't anyone like Gus Fring. To the public he is a hero to the community, a successful fast food chain owner who gives regular donations to charities, and even considered a friend by police and firemen alike. But beneath all of that, he runs the greatest meth operation in the United States, associates with the cartel, and even has a dark hidden past that virtually no one knows about. Always ten steps ahead of his enemies, it was shocking to see Gus finally meet his end.
Declan
Declan was a meth distributor whose main operation was located in Arizona. He was a direct competitor with Gustavo, so you could imagine he was one of the few people happy to hear the news that the former drug kingpin of New Mexico was dead after Walt got to him. Things improve even more for him once Heisenberg quits the meth business altogether, and he starts creating his own knockoff brand of the blue sky meth. Too bad things go wrong for him when he starts doing business with the wrong crowd.
Spooge
Not only does Spooge have probably the sorriest name in all of Breaking Bad, he's also one of the most unpleasant characters as well. He and his wife are some hardcore junkies, who care more about murdering people and stealing money in order to get their fix, rather than raising their poor young child. Jesse experiences this firsthand when he breaks into their home to retrieve some stolen meth and cash, but what he ends up finding is a little boy who desperately needed to escape his awful mother and father.
Tuco Salamanca
Tuco is the first big protagonist in Breaking Bad, and for good reason. When the volatile drug lord isn't snorting his own product to get high, he's beating his clients within an inch of their lives. Poor Jesse wasn't aware of this when he first met up with the meth distributor for business, and learned firsthand just how dangerous it can be to work with a Salamanca. While he would only last until the beginning of season 2, Tuco made a lasting impression to everyone that encountered him.
Hector Salamanca
You might not think of a wheelchair-bound elderly man that can only communicate by ringing a bell as being very threatening, but you just haven't met Hector Salamanca. Hector was one of Don Eladio's head men, and he commanded a lot of respect, even in his withered old age. In a show where characters are killed off left and right, what's really impressive is that Hector even managed to die on his own terms. But then again, what did you expect from the uncle of Tuco, Marco, and Leonel?
Juan Bolsa
Juan Bolsa may not have had very much screen time, but he was a very powerful crime lord in his own right, ranking right up there alongside Hector and Gus. While Gustavo's operation was focused in the United States, and Hector was all but retired after being confined to a wheelchair, Bolsa was hard at work on Mexico's side of the border working for the cartel. With the ongoing tensions between Gus and the cartel, it was only a matter of time before someone would end up dead.
Steve Gomez
With a cast of characters that range all over the morality scale, Steve Gomez, affectionately called "Gomie" by fellow DEA agent Hank, may possibly be the only recurring character on the show that never actually breaks bad. Steve is a good guy through and through, who focuses mainly on his job, while also doing his best to help his buddy Hank whenever he needs it. Out of all the sad moments on the show, the death of fan-favorite Gomie is definitely one of the most tragic.
Walter White
He is the one who knocks. Introduced to the show as a struggling middle-aged man with a dead-end job and a boring life, one cancer-diagnosis later, and he would be set on a path to becoming the fearsome king of meth, Heisenberg. Given a death sentence in the very first episode, it wasn't too much of a surprise that Walt would end up dying by the end of the series, but no one would have been able to predict how he would actually go out.
Duane Chow
Chow is definitely one of the more unassuming characters in the series. On the surface, he's just a businessman who happens to associate with Gustavo Fring, but in reality, he's supplying him with one of the key ingredients used to make Heisenberg's famous blue sky meth. Although he doesn't get his hands dirty himself, he still gets involved with the cold war going on between Fring and the cartel, leading to him being held hostage, forcing Mike to come rescue him.
Tortuga
Played by the unmistakable Danny Trejo, Tortuga was a drug runner for the for that cartel, who worked under Juan Bolsa. He had a love for turtles, and claimed that he was named as such since he takes his time, but always wins. This would seem true for a while, but Tortuga would get greedy when he decided to become an informant for the DEA. It should go without saying, that snitching on the cartel is one of the last things you should do.
Tomás Cantillo
Tomás is the 11 year old brother of Jesse's girlfriend Andrea, and as luck would have it, also the kid who killed Jesse's friend Combo on orders by the Rival Dealers. Andrea explains her regret for what happened to Tomás, explaining that her brother was corrupted by gang members in their area at a very young age, and that she wishes to save her son from the same fate. The life of a young drug dealer would sadly lead to his death.
Gaff
Gaff is another character that we don't see a whole lot of, but in the few scenes he does appear in, it's clear that he's no pushover. He's the head enforcer of the cartel, and right-hand man of Don Eladio, trusted to be efficient on both a political and lethal level. He's shown to be an expert marksman from long distances, and also effective at sabotaging Fring's trucks, where others have failed. In a nutshell, he's basically the cartel's version of Mike.
Hank Schrader
Hank Schrader: macho funnyman, successful DEA agent, and brother-in-law to the most infamous meth cook that ever lived. The tragic part about Hank is that he was a proficient cop just trying to do his job, but he became obsessed with capturing the almost mythical "Heisenberg". It wasn't until near the very end of the series that Hank would finally figure out that his greatest adversary was in fact his brother-in-law the entire time. Of course by then, it was too little, too late.
Tyrus Kitt
Tyrus is one of Gus Fring's top enforcers. He first makes an appearance replacing Victor after his death at the hands of his own boss, and takes over most of his duties with great efficiency. He's trusted so much in fact, that he also temporarily takes over Mike's position as Fring's top guy, while he is incapacitated in Mexico after the attack on the cartel. Tyrus is a stoic and imposing figure, usually doing his work without speaking at all.
Andrea Cantillo
Jesse originally meets Andrea at a narcotics anonymous meeting, initially planning on selling her some meth, but after getting to know her better and realizing that she's a mother, he ends up dating her instead. While she has an addiction, she's a loving mother, and a caring person overall, suffering mainly due to the crime-ridden neighborhood that she resides in. Jesse does his best to help her and her son Brock, but by the end, her association with Jesse tragically leads to her death.
Lydia
Meek and skittish, Lydia doesn't appear nearly as threatening on the outside as she actually is on the inside. A former partner of the late Gustavo Fring, she ends up taking over his operation entirely, and even expanding it internationally. While it's hard for anyone to live up to Gus' level of menacing, she actually manages to be even more dangerous. This is due to the fact that every little thing makes her paranoid, if she believes there's even the slightest chance you could be a liability, then you're gone.
Drew Sharp
One of the most endearing things we learn about Jesse during the course of Breaking Bad, is that he has a soft spot for children. Whether it's their youthful innocence, or something deeper than that, he just can't stand the idea of a child being hurt, and is willing to go out of his way to avoid it. That being said, we know exactly how crushed Jesse was when 14 year old dirt bike rider Drew Sharp met his end right in front of him.
Rival Dealers
The Rival Dealers are two of the more mysterious characters in Breaking Bad. We never learn their names, and neither of their characters even speak a single line during their time on the show. What we do know about the two dealers is that they're street-level goons that work for Gus, and they have no issue about using children such as Tomás Cantillo, to do their dirty work for them. Side by side in every scene that they're in, they even meet their end together.
Gonzo
Gonzo was Tuco's right-hand man, right alongside his former partner No-Doze. While No-Doze was small and wiry, Gonzo is the complete opposite, a very large and imposing man. If it wasn't for Tuco's tendency to punch and kick anything that moves, it'd be easy to assume that Gonzo is the muscle of the group. That being said, he's visibly upset when Tuco accidentally beats No-Doze to death, and even expresses his disapproval with the fact that Tuco refuses to let him be properly buried.
Peter Schuler
Peter Schuler is proof that no matter how big you are, there's always someone even higher up on the food chain. Peter was the head of the fast food division of Madrigal Electromotive, the parent company of Fring's Los Pollos Hermanos. Peter is responsible for funding Fring's meth distribution network, something that the rest of the company, besides Lydia, had no knowledge of. When Gus was eventually exposed, it was only a matter of time that Peter would have police knocking on his door as well.
Jack Welker
After witnessing such characters such as Tuco, the Cousins, and Gus in action, it can be hard to live up to the standards of a great Breaking Bad antagonist. Jack Welker manages to meet expectations, and then some. The leader of a deadly neo-Nazi gang, Jack is a cold and ruthless killer who is willing to do just about anything for money. This includes: murdering innocent lives, stealing Walt's fortune, and even torturing and enslaving Jesse as his own personal meth cook.
Jack's Gang
Jack Welker's neo-Nazi gang. They're just as merciless as their leader, and they have a enough firepower to obliterate just about anything in their way. What's possibly even scarier, is that they actually know how to use their weapons too. When it was them versus Hank and Gomez in a shootout, the fight was over before it began, the gang easily took down the two overpowered DEA agents. It's hard to believe anything would be able to take this gang down.
Todd
The final death of the quiz, and what many fans would consider to be one of the most satisfying. Todd didn't seem like much at first, just a teacher's pet, who wanted to complete his job as best as he could, and impress Walt in the process. We learn later that Todd is a straight up sociopath, showing no remorse when murdering children or innocent mothers. As expected, he gets on Jesse's bad side very quickly, causing immense tension between the two.