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'{{Short description|Breaking Bad character}} {{For|his son|Walter White Jr.}} {{Good article}} {{Use American English|date=July 2022}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}} {{Infobox character | series = [[Breaking Bad (franchise)|Breaking Bad]] | image = Walter White S5B.png | caption = [[Bryan Cranston]] as Walter White | creator = [[Vince Gilligan]] | portrayer = [[Bryan Cranston]] | first = {{Plainlist| * '''''[[Breaking Bad]]''''': * "[[Pilot (Breaking Bad)|Pilot]]" (2008) * '''''[[Better Call Saul]]''''': * "[[Breaking Bad (Better Call Saul)|Breaking Bad]]" (2022) }} | last = {{Plainlist| * '''''Breaking Bad''''': * "[[Felina (Breaking Bad)|Felina]]" (2013) (series final appearance) * ''[[El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie|El Camino]]'' (2019) * '''''Better Call Saul''''': * "[[Saul Gone]]" (2022) }} | nationality = American | occupation = {{Plainlist| * [[Drug lord]] * Co-founder of Gray Matter Technologies * High school chemistry teacher * Car wash cashier, proprietor, and manager }} | spouse = [[Skyler White]] | significant_other = [[Gretchen Schwartz]] (formerly) | children = {{Plainlist| * [[Walter White Jr.]] (son) * [[Holly White (Breaking Bad)|Holly White]] (daughter) }} | relatives = {{Plainlist| * [[Hank Schrader]] (brother-in-law) * [[Marie Schrader]] (sister-in-law) }} | lbl21 = Date of birth | data21 = September 7, 1958 | lbl22 = Date of death | data22 = [[Felina (Breaking Bad)|September 7, 2010 <br>(aged 52)]] | alias = Heisenberg | full_name = Walter Hartwell White Sr. | nickname = Walt | home = 308 Negra Arroyo Lane, [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]], United States<br>[[New Hampshire]], United States (Remote) | affiliation = Gray Matter Technologies<br>[[Gustavo Fring]]'s drug empire<br>His own drug empire | lbl23 = Alma mater | data23 = [[California Institute of Technology]] | lbl24 = Cause of Death | data24 = Shot by his gun connected to the inside of the trunk of his car }} '''Walter Hartwell White Sr.''', also known by his [[pseudonym|alias]] '''Heisenberg''', is the fictional [[Protagonist#Antihero|antihero]]{{efn|Attributed to multiple sources: <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/breaking-bad-walter-white-antihero/|title=With Breaking Bad, Vince Gilligan Created a New Kind of Antihero|last=Raftery|first=Liz|date=January 19, 2018|website=[[TV Guide]]|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://slate.com/business/2014/04/breaking-bad-s-walter-white-branding-lessons-from-the-series-antihero.html|title=Breaking Bad's Walter White: Branding lessons from the series' antihero.|last=James|first=Geoffrey|date=April 13, 2014|website=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/555697/breaking-bad-10th-anniversary/|title='Breaking Bad' Was The Last Great Antihero TV Show|last=Spiegel|first=Josh|date=January 18, 2018|website=[[Slashfilm]]|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/broadcast-thought/201309/rise-the-antihero|title=Rise of the Antihero|last=Bender|first=H. Eric|date=September 29, 2013|website=[[Psychology Today]]|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/breaking-bad-creator-vince-gilligan-turned-walter-white/|title=Breaking Bad Creator Has Turned on Walter White|last=Dickey|first=Josh|date=August 22, 2022|website=[[TheWrap]]|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref>}} turned [[villain protagonist]] of the American [[crime drama]] television series ''[[Breaking Bad]]'', portrayed by [[Bryan Cranston]]. White is a skilled [[chemist]] 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]], barely making ends meet with his family: his wife [[Skyler White|Skyler]] ([[Anna Gunn]]) and son [[Walter White Jr.|Walter Jr.]] ([[RJ Mitte]]). At the start of the series, the day after his 50th birthday, White is diagnosed with [[Cancer staging#Overall stage grouping|Stage III]] [[lung cancer]]. After this discovery, White decides to manufacture and sell [[methamphetamine]] with a former student, [[Jesse Pinkman]] ([[Aaron Paul]]), to ensure his family's financial security after his death. Due to his expertise, White's "blue meth" is purer than any other on the market, and he is pulled deeper into the illicit drug trade. White becomes increasingly ruthless and unsympathetic as the series progresses, as series creator [[Vince Gilligan]] wanted him to turn from "[[Mr. Chips]] into [[Tony Montana|Scarface]]". He adopts the alias "Heisenberg", which becomes recognizable as a kingpin figure in the Southwestern drug trade. White struggles with managing his family while hiding his involvement in the drug business from his brother-in-law, [[Drug Enforcement Administration|DEA]] agent [[Hank Schrader]] ([[Dean Norris]]). Although [[AMC (TV channel)|AMC]] officials initially hesitated to cast Cranston due to his previous comedic role on ''[[Malcolm in the Middle]]'', Gilligan cast him based on the actor's past performance in ''[[The X-Files]]'' episode "[[Drive (The X-Files)|Drive]]", which Gilligan wrote. Cranston contributed greatly to the creation of his character, including White's backstory, personality, and physical appearance. Both the character and Cranston's performance have received critical acclaim, with Walter White frequently being mentioned as one of the greatest and most iconic television characters of all time. Cranston won four [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series|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 Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series|Critics' Choice]], [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor&nbsp;– Television Series Drama|Golden Globe]], Primetime Emmy, and [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series|Screen Actors Guild Award]] for his performance. Cranston reprised the role of Walt in a flashback for ''Breaking Bad''{{'}}s sequel film ''[[El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie|El Camino]]'', and again in the sixth and final season of the prequel series ''[[Better Call Saul]]'', making him one of the few characters to appear in all three, alongside Jesse Pinkman, [[Mike Ehrmantraut]] ([[Jonathan Banks]]), [[Ed Galbraith]] ([[Robert Forster]]), and [[Austin Ramey]] (Todd Terry). == Concept and creation == {{Quote box |width=30em|align=right|salign=right|quote =You're going to see that underlying humanity, even when he's making the most devious, terrible decisions, and you need someone who has that humanity – deep down, bedrock humanity – so you say, watching this show, 'All right, I'll go for this ride. I don't like what he's doing, but I understand, and I'll go with it for as far as it goes.' If you don't have a guy who gives you that, despite the greatest acting chops in the world, the show is not going to succeed.| source =—[[Vince Gilligan]], about [[Bryan Cranston]]<ref name="Sepinwall0306" />}} Inspired by [[Tony Soprano]], ''Breaking Bad'' creator [[Vince Gilligan]] had wanted his lead character to be a [[protagonist]] that turned into an [[antagonist]] over the course of the show,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://grantland.com/features/bad-decisions/|title=Bad Decisions|date=August 2, 2011|author=Chuck Klosterman|website=[[Grantland]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021192914/http://grantland.com/features/bad-decisions/|archive-date=October 21, 2020|url-status=live|access-date=July 17, 2011}}</ref> or as he described, turning [[Goodbye, Mr. Chips|Mr. Chips]] into [[Tony Montana|Scarface]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/breaking-bad-dark-side-dream-210786|title='Breaking Bad': Dark Side of the Dream|date=July 13, 2011|first=Tim |last=Goodman|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021193106/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/breaking-bad-dark-side-dream-210786|archive-date=October 21, 2020|url-status=live|access-date=July 17, 2011}}</ref> In the aftermath of the death of [[James Gandolfini]] (who portrayed Soprano) in 2013, Gilligan said, "Without Tony Soprano, there would be no Walter White."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Vince Gilligan: Without Tony Soprano There Would Be No Walter White|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/james-gandolfini-death-vince-gilligan-574556|access-date=January 6, 2021|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=June 26, 2013|archive-date=January 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108015125/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/james-gandolfini-death-vince-gilligan-574556|url-status=live}}</ref> Gilligan needed to have this character come into a [[midlife crisis]] 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]] had come up with of driving around in an RV making [[methamphetamine]], Gilligan made White a chemistry teacher, one who, until the start of the show, would have never violated the law.<ref name="Segal0706" /> Gilligan cast Bryan Cranston for the role of Walter White based on having worked with him in "[[Drive (The X-Files)|Drive]]" from ''The X-Files'', on which Gilligan worked as a writer. Cranston played an [[antisemite]] with a terminal illness who took [[Fox Mulder]] ([[David Duchovny]]) 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."<ref name="Sepinwall0306">{{cite news |last=Sepinwall |first=Alan |author-link=Alan Sepinwall |title=Sepinwall on TV: Bryan Cranston talks 'Breaking Bad' season two |newspaper=[[The Star-Ledger]] |location=Newark, New Jersey|date=March 6, 2009 |url=http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2009/03/sepinwall_on_tv_bryan_cranston.html |access-date=July 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111116005902/http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2009/03/sepinwall_on_tv_bryan_cranston.html |archive-date=November 16, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Segal0706">{{cite news |first=David |last=Segal |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/magazine/the-dark-art-of-breaking-bad.html?_r=2&pagewanted=4|title=The Dark Art of 'Breaking Bad' |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |location=New York City|date=July 6, 2011|access-date=July 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130809032441/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/magazine/the-dark-art-of-breaking-bad.html?_r=2&pagewanted=4 |archive-date=August 9, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> AMC officials were initially reluctant with the casting choice, having known Cranston only as the over-the-top character [[List of Malcolm in the Middle characters|Hal]] on the comedy series ''[[Malcolm in the Middle]]'' and approached actors [[John Cusack]] and [[Matthew Broderick]] about the role.<ref>{{cite news |first=Leigh |last=Weingus|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/breaking-bad-john-cusack-matthew-broderick_n_1676856.html |title='Breaking Bad': John Cusack, Matthew Broderick Turned Down Walter White Role |work=[[The Huffington Post]] |publisher=[[Huffington Post Media Group]]|location=New York City|date=July 16, 2012 |access-date=October 9, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605231714/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/breaking-bad-john-cusack-matthew-broderick_n_1676856.html |archive-date=June 5, 2013 }}</ref> When both actors declined, the executives were persuaded to cast Cranston after seeing the ''X-Files'' episode.<ref name="Rosenblum0313">{{cite news |first=Emma |last=Rosenblum |url=https://nymag.com/arts/tv/features/55303/ |title=Bleak House |work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |date=March 13, 2009 |access-date=July 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207052959/http://nymag.com/arts/tv/features/55303/ |archive-date=February 7, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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, the actor wrote his own backstory for the character. At the start of the show, Cranston gained 10 pounds to presage the character's gradual physical deterioration. He had the natural red highlights of his hair dyed brown. He collaborated with costume designer Kathleen Detoro on a wardrobe of mostly neutral green and brown colors to make the character bland and unremarkable, and worked with makeup artist Frieda Valenzuela to create a mustache he described as "impotent" and like a "dead caterpillar".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/295246908|title=From Walter White To LBJ, Bryan Cranston Is A Master Of Transformation|date=March 27, 2014|author=Terry Gross|website=[[NPR]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021194954/https://www.npr.org/transcripts/295246908|archive-date=October 21, 2020|url-status=live|access-date=October 21, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/2009/03/breaking_bad_bryan_cranstonvin.html|title=Breaking Bad: Bryan Cranston/Vince Gilligan Q&A|date=March 6, 2009|author=Alan Sepinwall|website=[[NJ.com]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021195143/https://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/2009/03/breaking_bad_bryan_cranstonvin.html|archive-date=October 21, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> 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, [as if] the weight of the world is on this man's shoulders".<ref name="Segal0706" /> Gilligan has said it has been difficult to write for Walter White because the character is so dark and morally questionable.<ref name="Segal0706" /> As the series progressed, Gilligan and the writing staff of ''Breaking Bad'' made Walter increasingly unsympathetic.<ref name="Bowles0713">{{cite news |first=Scott |last=Bowles |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2011-07-12-breaking-bad-season-4_n.htm|title='Breaking Bad' shows man at his worst in Season 4 |work=[[USA Today]] |location=Mclean, Virginia|date=July 13, 2011 |access-date=July 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718011532/http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2011-07-12-breaking-bad-season-4_n.htm |archive-date=July 18, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Cranston said by the [[Breaking Bad (season 4)|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."<ref name="Ginsberg0716">{{cite news |first=Merle |last=Ginsberg |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/breaking-bad-star-bryan-cranston-212262|title='Breaking Bad' Star Bryan Cranston on Walter White: 'He's Well on His Way to Badass' (Q&A) |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |location=Los Angeles, California|date=July 16, 2011 |access-date=July 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720085936/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/breaking-bad-star-bryan-cranston-212262 |archive-date=July 20, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Regarding White's fate in the series ending, Cranston foresaw it as "ugly [with no] redemption",<ref name="ds">{{cite web|first=Morgan|last=Jeffery|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/s166/breaking-bad/news/a461319/bryan-cranston-on-breaking-bad-end-theres-no-redemption.html|title=Bryan Cranston on 'Breaking Bad' end: 'There's no redemption'|website=[[Digital Spy]]|publisher=[[Hearst Magazines]]|location=London, England|date=February 25, 2013|access-date=March 20, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130331072514/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/s166/breaking-bad/news/a461319/bryan-cranston-on-breaking-bad-end-theres-no-redemption.html|archive-date=March 31, 2013}}</ref> although earlier, Gilligan divulged his plans to "end on a high note, in a way that will satisfy everyone".<ref name="ds1">{{cite web|first1=Morgan|last1=Jeffery|first2=Jamie|last2=Wotton|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/s166/breaking-bad/interviews/a380786/breaking-bad-vince-gilligan-qa-i-want-uk-fans-to-see-the-show.html|title='Breaking Bad' Vince Gilligan Q&A: 'I want UK fans to see the show'|website=[[Digital Spy]]|publisher=[[Hearst Magazines]]|location=London, England|date=May 14, 2012|access-date=March 20, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130228041519/http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/s166/breaking-bad/interviews/a380786/breaking-bad-vince-gilligan-qa-i-want-uk-fans-to-see-the-show.html|archive-date=February 28, 2013}}</ref> == Character biography == === Background === When Walter White was six years old, his father died of [[Huntington's disease]]. He studied chemistry at [[California Institute of Technology]] and, after graduate school, worked as a researcher at [[Sandia National Laboratory]]. There he conducted research on proton radiography that helped a team win a [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] in 1985.<ref name="Gustini0713">{{cite magazine |first=Ray| last=Gustini |url=http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2011/07/you-can-totally-still-catch-breaking-bad-premiere/39931/|title=You Can Totally Still Catch Up on 'Breaking Bad' Before the Premiere |magazine=[[The Atlantic]] |location=Boston, Massachusetts|date=July 13, 2011 |access-date=July 23, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717001958/http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2011/07/you-can-totally-still-catch-breaking-bad-premiere/39931/ |archive-date=July 17, 2011 }}</ref><ref name="Woodward0720">{{cite web |first=Richard B.| last=Woodward |title=''Breaking Bad'': Better Television Through Chemistry |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-b-woodward/breaking-bad-better-telev_b_904484.html|website=[[The Huffington Post]] |publisher=[[Huffington Post Media Group]]|location=New York City|date=July 20, 2011|access-date=July 23, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113222542/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-b-woodward/breaking-bad-better-telev_b_904484.html |archive-date=November 13, 2012 }}</ref> Using some of the prize money, Walter then founded the firm Gray Matter Technologies with [[Elliott Schwartz (Breaking Bad)|Elliott Schwartz]] ([[Adam Godley]]), his former classmate and close friend.<ref name="Hughes0225">{{cite web |first=Jason |last=Hughes |title=Breaking Bad: Gray Matter |url=http://www.aoltv.com/2008/02/25/breaking-bad-gray-matter/ |website=[[Weblogs, Inc.#TV Squad|TV Squad]] |date=February 25, 2008 |access-date=July 22, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513194024/http://www.aoltv.com/2008/02/25/breaking-bad-gray-matter/ |archive-date=May 13, 2012 }}</ref> Around this time, Walter began a relationship with his lab assistant, [[Gretchen Schwartz|Gretchen]] ([[Jessica Hecht]]), who soon after became a partner at Gray Matter. However, after a disastrous 4th July 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 $5,000.<ref name="Woodward0720" /><ref name="Bowman0412">{{cite news |first=Donna |last= Bowman |url= https://www.avclub.com/breaking-bad-peekaboo-1798206186 |title= Breaking Bad: 'Peekaboo' |work=[[The A.V. Club]] |date= April 12, 2009 |access-date= March 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021191507/https://tv.avclub.com/breaking-bad-peekaboo-1798206186|archive-date=October 21, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Gretchen and Elliott later married and made billions, much of it from Walter's research.<ref name="Bowman0412" /><ref name="Amitin0413">{{cite news |first=Seth |last=Amitin|url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/972/972021p1.html | title=Breaking Bad: "Peekaboo" Review |website=[[IGN]] |date=April 13, 2009 |access-date=July 24, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110621090646/http://tv.ign.com/articles/972/972021p1.html |archive-date=June 21, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Though they remain friendly, Walter secretly resents both Gretchen and Elliott for profiting from his work.<ref name="Amitin0413" /><ref name="Sepinwall0413">{{cite news |first=Alan |last=Sepinwall |author-link=Alan Sepinwall |title=Breaking Bad, 'Peekaboo': Jesse collects a debt |url=http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2009/04/breaking_bad_peekaboo_jesse_co.html|work=[[The Star-Ledger]] |date=April 13, 2009 |access-date=July 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712225200/http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2009/04/breaking_bad_peekaboo_jesse_co.html |archive-date=July 12, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> At the age of 50, Walter works as a high school [[Chemistry education|chemistry]] teacher in [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]], providing instruction to uninterested and disrespectful students.<ref name="Gustini0713" /><ref>{{cite news |first=Alan| last=Sepinwall |author-link=Alan Sepinwall |title=Breaking Bad: This guy walks into an oncologist's office... |url=http://blog.nj.com/alltv/2008/01/breaking_bad_this_guy_walks_in.html |newspaper=[[The Star-Ledger]] | date=January 20, 2008 |access-date=July 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915014239/http://blog.nj.com/alltv/2008/01/breaking_bad_this_guy_walks_in.html |archive-date=September 15, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |first=Donna| last=Bowman |title=Breaking Bad: "Pilot" |url=https://www.avclub.com/breaking-bad-pilot-1798203677|work=[[The A.V. Club]] |date=January 22, 2008 |access-date=July 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110731022855/http://www.avclub.com/articles/pilot%2C17025/ |archive-date=July 31, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> Walter and his wife [[Skyler White|Skyler]] ([[Anna Gunn]]) have a teenage son named [[Walter White Jr.|Walter Jr.]] ([[RJ Mitte]]), who has [[cerebral palsy]]. Skyler is also pregnant with their second child, [[Holly White (Breaking Bad)|Holly]], who is born at the end of season two.<ref name="Owen0120">{{cite news |first=Rob|last=Owen |title=Tuned In: 'Breaking Bad' |work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] |date=January 20, 2008 |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08020/849968-237.stm |access-date=July 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012055922/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08020/849968-237.stm |archive-date=October 12, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Walt's other family includes Skyler's sister, [[Marie Schrader]] ([[Betsy Brandt]]); her husband, [[Hank Schrader|Hank]] ([[Dean Norris]]), who is a [[Drug Enforcement Administration|DEA]] agent; and his mother, who [[unseen character|is never seen]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Rick|last=Porter |url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/07/breaking-bad-betsy-brandt-says-marie-and-hank-have-a-tough-road-in-season-4.html|title='Breaking Bad': Betsy Brandt says Marie and Hank have 'a tough road' in Season 4 |website=[[Zap2it]] |date=July 16, 2011 |access-date=July 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722001304/http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/07/breaking-bad-betsy-brandt-says-marie-and-hank-have-a-tough-road-in-season-4.html |archive-date=July 22, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> === 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 ==== {{Further|Breaking Bad season 1|l1=''Breaking Bad'' season 1}} On his 50th birthday, during his [[surprise party]], Walt watches a news report about Hank arresting [[methamphetamine]] dealers. Walt 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, Walt 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 Schrader|Hank]] busts a [[crystal meth]] lab, taking cook [[Emilio Koyama]] (John Koyama) into custody. Walt sees Emilio's partner fleeing the scene, and realizes it is one of his former students, [[Jesse Pinkman]] ([[Aaron Paul]]). Looking to secure his family's well-being by producing and selling meth, Walt tracks Jesse down and [[blackmail]]s him into selling the meth that Walter will cook. Walt gives Jesse his life savings to buy an [[recreational vehicle|RV]] that they can use as a [[rolling meth lab]]. After their first cook in the RV, Jesse brings a sample of the extremely pure meth to 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. Walt pretends to start a cook but instead produces toxic [[phosphine]] gas which kills Emilio and incapacitates Krazy-8. Walt and Jesse secure Krazy-8 to a structural post in Jesse's basement with a [[U-lock]] around his neck, and Walt struggles with the decision on whether to kill him. After realizing Krazy-8 has hidden a piece of plate broken when Walt passed out due to a coughing fit, he realizes he has no choice and must kill Krazy-8. Walt goes to unlock Krazy-8's lock and as Walt does so, he confronts him about the plate, causing Krazy-8 to grab the plate to stab Walt with as soon as he is freed. Walt panics and [[garrote]]s him to death with the lock while Krazy-8 wildly attacks behind him in an attempt to harm Walt. The experience shakes Walt, and he tells Jesse he will not cook meth anymore. Walt eventually tells his family about his cancer diagnosis, and they urge him to undergo expensive [[chemotherapy]]. 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, Walt pushes him to sell it in bulk to local drug lord [[Tuco Salamanca]] ([[Raymond Cruz]]), who has taken over Krazy-8's former territory. Discovering that Tuco stole the meth and savagely beat Jesse, Walt visits Tuco's lair with another bag of crystals, claiming to be "Heisenberg" (a reference to the theoretical physicist [[Werner Heisenberg]]).<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/gallery/breaking-bad-cultural-references-z-guide/|title='Breaking Bad' Cultural References: An A-to-Z Guide|date=September 29, 2013|author1=Lanford Beard|author2=Hillary Busis|author3=Samantha Highfill|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021215557/https://ew.com/gallery/breaking-bad-cultural-references-z-guide/|archive-date=October 21, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> After Tuco mocks Jesse, refuses to pay for the bag, and implies that Walt will suffer the same fate as Jesse, Walt 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. Walt 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, Walt and Jesse switch from using [[pseudoephedrine]] to [[methylamine]] as a precursor. This tints their meth blue, which becomes a signature of Walt'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 (Breaking Bad)|No-Doze]] (Cesar Garcia). ==== Season 2 ==== {{Further|Breaking Bad season 2|l1=''Breaking Bad'' season 2}} Walt's "blue meth" becomes incredibly popular, to the point that Hank takes notice and raids Tuco's operation. A paranoid Tuco evades the bust, [[carjacking|carjacks]] Jesse, and kidnaps Walt. 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. Walt takes off all his clothes in a grocery store in order to explain his disappearance by claiming that he had gone into a [[psychogenic fugue|fugue state]] as a result of his cancer medication and simply wandered off. Walt finds out that his cancer is in remission, and plans to leave the meth business again after selling the final 38&nbsp;lb (17&nbsp;kg) of meth. He hires unscrupulous criminal attorney [[Saul Goodman]] ([[Bob Odenkirk]]) to cover his involvement in the drug trade and [[money laundering|launder]] his drug money. The ''Better Call Saul'' episode "[[Breaking Bad (Better Call Saul)|Breaking Bad]]" expands on Walt and Saul's first meeting where Saul quickly deduces Walt is Heisenberg and urges him to seek higher goals with his meth business. Saul also has his fixer, [[Mike Ehrmantraut]] ([[Jonathan Banks]]), investigate Walt's background; Mike warns Saul that Walt is unreliable and a bad risk, but Saul goes into business with him anyway. Seeing that Walt and Jesse need a new distributor to sell the large quantity of product they have remaining, Saul arranges a meeting at a [[Los Pollos Hermanos|local restaurant]] with a mysterious meth kingpin. Jesse shows up for the meeting high on [[heroin]], and leaves when the kingpin does not show. Walt realizes that the restaurant owner, [[Gus Fring]] ([[Giancarlo Esposito]]) was the man they were supposed to meet. Walt meets with Gus, who says that he will not do business with an addict. However, a few days later he gives Walt a chance to prove himself by delivering all the meth to a truck stop within an hour. Walt breaks into Jesse's apartment where the meth is stored and finds him passed out with his girlfriend and fellow heroin addict [[Jane Margolis (Breaking Bad)|Jane Margolis]] ([[Krysten Ritter]]). Walt finds the meth and makes the delivery on time, but misses the birth of his daughter. Walt 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 Margolis|Donald]] ([[John de Lancie]]) – Walt again breaks into Jesse's apartment to find the lovers passed out in a heroin stupor. Walt attempts to wake Jesse and inadvertently rolls Jane onto her back; she subsequently vomits and begins to choke. Walt does nothing to help her and watches her die. Walt contacts Saul for help, who sends Mike over to clear any connection Jesse has to Jane's death. Walt convinces Jesse to enter [[Drug rehabilitation|rehab]]. Walt undergoes an operation to remove the remaining cancerous growth. Walt's 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 Walt's house; the accident was caused by Donald, who works as an [[air traffic control]]ler and was so overcome with grief that he was not paying attention to his work. Walt watches the accident in horror, unaware that he is indirectly responsible for it. ==== Season 3 ==== {{Further|Breaking Bad season 3|l1=''Breaking Bad'' season 3}} Walt 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, Walt 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 Walt have nothing to do with their children. After he discovers Jesse is cooking and selling his own version of the blue meth, Walt agrees to cook his meth for Gus. He is assisted by accomplished chemist [[Gale Boetticher]] ([[David Costabile]]) and the business begins running smoothly. Jesse continues to cook his own version of the blue meth, with his friends [[Skinny Pete]] ([[Charles Baker (actor)|Charles Baker]]) and [[Badger (Breaking Bad)|Badger]] ([[Matt Jones (actor)|Matt Jones]]) as his distributors, but this leads to Hank nearly catching Jesse and Walt while following a lead on an RV he believed was being used to cook meth. To avoid being discovered hiding in the RV, Walt and Jesse, aided by Saul, place a phone call to distract Hank, making him believe his wife [[Marie Schrader|Marie]] ([[Betsy Brandt]]) 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 Walt 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 Walt that if he is caught, he will make a deal to give up "Heisenberg". In an attempt to save Hank's career, Walt 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 Walt 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, Walt returns to his house. Skyler eventually comes to uneasily accept the situation and helps Walt [[money laundering|launder]] his drug money, but refuses to have anything to do with him outside of business. The rift in their marriage worsens when Skyler sleeps with her boss, [[Ted Beneke]] ([[Christopher Cousins]]). Walt 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 [[The Cousins (Breaking Bad)|Marco and Leonel Salamanca]] ([[Luis Moncada|Luis]] and [[Daniel Moncada]]) seek revenge against those responsible for his death and find out Walt's identity from their uncle [[Hector Salamanca]] ([[Mark Margolis]]). Believing that Walt 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 Walt, 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 Walt into paying for Hank's care and creates a cover story about Walt [[card counting|counting cards]] at casinos to explain how he made his money. Walt's relationship with Gus becomes strained when he kills two of Gus's dealers to protect Jesse, who planned to kill them in retaliation for murdering his new girlfriend [[Andrea Cantillo]]'s ([[Emily Rios]]) little brother, who was working for them. Gus responds by putting a hit on Jesse and re-hiring Gale as Walt's assistant, with the intention of replacing Walt as soon as possible. Walt plots to kill Gale to avoid becoming disposable, but Gus' henchman [[Victor (Breaking Bad)|Victor]] ([[Jeremiah Bitsui]]) lures Walt to the laundry facility, where Mike is waiting to kill him. Walt frantically calls Jesse, telling him that he is about to be killed and Jesse will have to take out Gale himself. ==== Season 4 ==== {{Further|Breaking Bad season 4|l1=''Breaking Bad'' season 4}} In the aftermath of Gale's murder, Mike holds Walt at the lab to await Gus' arrival. Victor arrives with Jesse and proceeds to start the cooking process himself to show Gus that Walt and Jesse are not indispensable. Gus, however, kills Victor in front of Walt, 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 Walt and Jesse, and Gus uses the opportunity to bring Jesse to his side by having Mike train him. Walt deduces that Gus plans to eventually kill him and replace him with Jesse. He gives Jesse homemade [[ricin]] with which to poison Gus, but Jesse never goes through with it. Walt shows up at Jesse's house and tries to convince him to betray Gus, but Jesse refuses and tells Walt they are finished. Meanwhile, Skyler buys the car wash where Walt 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 Walt's help in the investigation as a driver and tracker. Walt 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 Walt and threatens to kill Walt's entire family if he causes any more trouble. Walt 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, Walt resolves to kill Gus. When Andrea's young son [[Brock Cantillo|Brock]] (Ian Posada) falls desperately ill with ricin-like symptoms, Jesse attacks Walt, believing that he poisoned the boy. Walt manages to convince Jesse that Gus is the one responsible. After an attempt to kill Gus with a car bomb fails, Walt discovers from Saul that Gus has been visiting Hector in his nursing home, to taunt him about the cartel's defeat and the end of the Salamanca family. Walt 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 turning informant, Hector detonates a pipe bomb Walt built, killing himself, Gus's henchman [[Tyrus Kitt]] ([[Ray Campbell (actor)|Ray Campbell]]), and Gus. Walt 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]] berries, not ricin. Walt responds that killing Gus was still the right thing to do. Walt 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 Walt had poisoned Brock in order to regain Jesse's loyalty and spur him into action as part of Walt's plan to kill Gus. ==== Season 5 ==== {{Main|Breaking Bad season 5|l1=''Breaking Bad'' season 5}} ===== Part 1 ===== Walt disposes of the evidence linking him to Gus' death and Brock's poisoning. Mike intends to kill Walt 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]] company, using residents' homes to cook meth while they are fumigated, using methylamine provided by [[Lydia Rodarte-Quayle]] ([[Laura Fraser]]), 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]] ([[Jesse Plemons]]), one of the pest control workers, kills a young boy who had seen them. Horrified, Jesse and Mike resolve to leave the business. Later, Walt tells Jesse that he isn't afraid to go to [[Hell]]. A [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]]-based drug lord named [[Declan (Breaking Bad)|Declan]] ([[Louis Ferreira]]) offers to buy out the operation for $15 million in order to remove his competition. Walt convinces him to pay off Mike and begin distributing Walt's meth instead. Skyler becomes terrified of Walt 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 Walt delivers Mike's share of Declan's payment, Mike refuses to reveal these prisoners' identities and insults Walt, blaming him for all the problems they have encountered; Walt 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 (actor)|Michael Bowen]]), a criminal with ties to the [[Aryan Brotherhood]] 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, Walt has earned more than $80 million from meth, and Skyler convinces him to stop. Walter leaves the meth business, and the kids return home. During a family barbecue, Hank finds a copy of [[Walt Whitman]]'s ''[[Leaves of Grass]]'' in the bathroom, the same copy given to Walt by Gale; upon reading Gale's handwritten inscription referring to Walt as "the other W.W." Hank realizes that Walt 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, Walt deduces Hank has discovered his criminal activities. After confronting Hank at his house, Hank accuses him of being Heisenberg, which Walt neither confirms nor denies. Walt 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 Walt gives custody of his children to Skyler, Marie and Hank, but Walt refuses and tells Hank to "tread lightly". Walt attempts to discourage Hank from investigating him further by crafting a fake confessional videotape claiming Hank is Heisenberg. Walt buries his money in seven barrels on the [[Tohajiilee Indian Reservation]] and convinces Jesse to go into a relocation program. While waiting to be picked up, Jesse figures out that Walt poisoned Brock. Jesse attempts to burn Walt's house down in retaliation, but Hank stops him and suggests they work together to bring down Walt. With Hank's help, Jesse lures Walt into a trap by claiming to have found his money. Walt makes arrangements with Jack and his men to kill Jesse, in exchange for promising to help teach Todd how to cook meth. When Walt 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]]). Just then, Jack and his men arrive and fire on the group, killing Gomez and wounding Hank; Jack then executes Hank, despite Walt pleading for his brother-in-law's life. Jack's men take all but one barrel of Walt's money and abduct Jesse; as Jesse is taken away, Walt spitefully tells him that he watched Jane die. Walt 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. Walt then goes into hiding, along with Saul, waiting for Ed the "Disappearer" ([[Robert Forster]]) to set up a new identity for Walt. A scene in the final ''Better Call Saul'' episode "[[Saul Gone]]" shows Walt accusing Saul of always being a con artist and having no trust in him anymore. Eventually, Ed helps to set up Walt to live in isolation in [[New Hampshire]]. After several months alone, Walt 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, Walt calls the DEA and gives himself up. As he waits for them, however, he sees Gretchen and Elliott on ''[[Charlie Rose (talk show)|Charlie Rose]]'' downplaying his contributions to Gray Matter and resolves to return to Albuquerque to put things right. When Walt 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]] for Walter Jr. He then visits Skyler and provides her with the location of Hank 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. Walt then arranges to see Lydia, surreptitiously poisoning her drink with ricin. Walt 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, Walt 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 Walt to let him live, offering him the rest of his money, but Walt executes him with a gunshot to the face. Walt then asks Jesse to kill him, but Jesse tells him to do it himself. Walt 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. Walt 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, Walt collapses to the floor and dies with a smile on his face. ==== ''El Camino'' ==== {{Further|El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie}} Cranston reprises his role in the movie ''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. Walt and Jesse are sitting down at a buffet breakfast talking about how they are going to move a batch of recently cooked meth. Walt 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, Walt 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 Walt's massacre. In a news report Jesse listens to, Walt is confirmed to be dead with the same report mentioning an investigation of a [[Houston]] woman poisoned by Walt – presumably Lydia – who is in critical condition and not expected to survive. ==== Post-''Breaking Bad'' ==== {{see also|Breaking Bad (Better Call Saul)}} Walt is briefly mentioned in passing by Saul Goodman (now going by the alias Gene Takavic) as he attempts to explain to [[Jeff (Better Call Saul)|Jeff]] how crazy his life had become and how much money he could earn by getting into "the game". [[Francesca Liddy]] later tells Saul that Walt's death only made things worse for the surviving low-level players connected to his meth empire rather than better. As Walt had hoped, Skyler had succeeded in getting a deal with the federal prosecutors and the DEA was ultimately forced to release [[Huell Babineaux]], leaving only Jesse and Saul left for them to go after. Although Jesse has successfully managed to escape to Alaska while tricking the public into thinking he fled to Mexico, 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 Walt'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 Walt to goad the agent to start a plea bargain for a significantly reduced sentence until Saul learns that his involvement with [[Howard Hamlin]]'s death was already given to them by [[Kim Wexler]]. == 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/best-tv-characters-of-the-21st-century-ranked|title=The 100 Greatest TV Characters of the 21st Century|date=August 12, 2020|website=[[Thrillist]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021235202/https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/best-tv-characters-of-the-21st-century-ranked|archive-date=October 21, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/gallery/25-best-tv-characters/|title=25 Best TV Characters in the Past 25 Years|date=October 12, 2015|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021235721/https://ew.com/gallery/25-best-tv-characters/|archive-date=October 21, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theringer.com/movies/2020/10/20/21523663/movie-tv-twists-ranked-ranking|title=The 50 Best Movie and TV Show Twists of All Time|date=October 20, 2020|website=[[The Ringer (website)|The Ringer]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022000052/https://www.theringer.com/movies/2020/10/20/21523663/movie-tv-twists-ranked-ranking|archive-date=October 22, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> From ''[[TheGuardian.com]]'', Paul MacInnes lauded Walter White's character as a whole, noting his quick transformation into becoming Heisenberg.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/jan/20/breaking-bad-10-years-on-tv-is-still-in-walter-whites-shadow|title=Breaking Bad: 10 years on, TV is still in Walter White's shadow|date=January 20, 2018|author=Paul MacInnes|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021232430/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/jan/20/breaking-bad-10-years-on-tv-is-still-in-walter-whites-shadow|archive-date=October 21, 2020|url-status=live|access-date=October 21, 2020}}</ref> From the same website, Rebecca Nicholson wrote about Walt'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."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/sep/30/breaking-bad-series-finale-tv-review|title=Breaking Bad series finale – TV review|date=September 30, 2013|author=Rebecca Nicholson|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021232541/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/sep/30/breaking-bad-series-finale-tv-review|archive-date=October 21, 2020|url-status=live|access-date=October 21, 2020}}</ref> In their list for the "Top 100 Villains", [[IGN]] ranked Walt 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."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-villains/12|title=#12 Walter White|website=[[IGN]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021233124/https://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-villains/12|archive-date=October 21, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> The web magazine ''[[Grantland]]'' quotes Andy Greenwald as analyzing Walter White differently from some others, including Vince Gilligan. Greenwald states: {{Quote|I've been thinking a lot about Walter White, the 'shadow' on his recent [[CAT scan]], and the black cloud that has long since overtaken his heart. The closer we get to the end, the more Walt scrabbles around and lashes out like a rat when it's surrounded, the less I'm buying Vince Gilligan's whole 'Mr. Chips to Scarface' quote as an analogy for Walt's transformation... But I think the most horrifying part of ''Breaking Bad'' may be that Walt, at his core, didn't really transform at all. It wasn't greed or generosity or cancer or fear that fueled this reign of death and destruction. It was resentment. Every moment Walt spent in front of a classroom he was thinking about how beneath him it all was. He was a genius; he was meant to be a millionaire, not this castrated cross between stepping stone and doormat. When you got down to it, Walt desperately wanted to teach everyone a lesson, and I don't mean in the style of Mr. Chips.<ref>{{cite web |first=Andy |last=Greenwald |url=http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/_/id/85210/breaking-bad-season-5-episode-11-recap-cigs-lies-and-videotape-in-confessions |title=Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 11 Recap: Cigs, Lies, and Videotape in 'Confessions' |website=Grantland |date=August 26, 2013 |access-date=October 9, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829040416/http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/_/id/85210/breaking-bad-season-5-episode-11-recap-cigs-lies-and-videotape-in-confessions |archive-date=August 29, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>}} Similarly, Scott Meslow wrote in ''[[The Atlantic]]'' that Walt'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."<ref>{{cite web|first=Scott|last=Meslow|title=The Big Secret of 'Breaking Bad': Walter White Was Always a Bad Guy|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/08/the-big-secret-of-breaking-bad-walter-white-was-always-a-bad-guy/261833/|magazine=[[The Atlantic]]|location=Boston, Massachusetts|date=August 31, 2012|access-date=May 3, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140515174141/http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/08/the-big-secret-of-breaking-bad-walter-white-was-always-a-bad-guy/261833/|archive-date=May 15, 2014}}</ref> ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'' magazine writer Emma Rosenblum said Bryan 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".<ref name="Rosenblum0313" /> ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' 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."<ref>{{cite news|first=Tim|last=Goodman|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/breaking-bad-dark-side-dream-210786|title='Breaking Bad': Dark Side of the Dream|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|location=Los Angeles, California|date=July 13, 2011|access-date=August 10, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20131030200244/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/breaking-bad-dark-side-dream-210786|archive-date=October 30, 2013}}</ref> Robert Bianco of ''[[USA Today]]'' called Walt "one of the greatest dramatic creations ever to grace our TV screens".<ref>{{cite news|first=Robert|last=Bianco|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2013/08/08/bianco-combo-review-breaking-bad-and-low-winter-sun-august-9/2622023/|title='Breaking Bad': You'll be astonished – again|work=[[USA Today]]|location=Mclean, Virginia|date=August 8, 2013|access-date=August 10, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130810080144/http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2013/08/08/bianco-combo-review-breaking-bad-and-low-winter-sun-august-9/2622023/|archive-date=August 10, 2013}}</ref> In 2011, ''The New York Times'' named Cranston as one of the "eight actors who turn television into art".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/09/11/magazine/mag-11-EMMYSportfolio.html|title=The High Art of TV|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|location=New York City|date=September 8, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170117091659/http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/09/11/magazine/mag-11-EMMYSportfolio.html|archive-date=January 17, 2017}}</ref> Following the show's conclusion, actor [[Anthony Hopkins]] wrote a fan letter to Cranston, in which he praised the show and called Cranston's performance as Walter White the best acting he had ever seen.<ref>{{cite news |first=Alex | last=Moaba| url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/14/anthony-hopkins-breaking-bad-letter_n_4098441.html | title=Anthony Hopkins' Awesome Letter To 'Breaking Bad' |work=[[Huffington Post]] |location=New York City | date=October 14, 2013 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018050723/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/14/anthony-hopkins-breaking-bad-letter_n_4098441.html | archive-date=October 18, 2013 | df=mdy-all }}</ref> === Accolades === {{Further|List of awards and nominations received by Breaking Bad|l1=List of awards and nominations received by ''Breaking Bad''}} [[File:Bryan Cranston at the 73rd Annual Peabody Awards.jpg|thumb|165px|Bryan Cranston accepting the Peabody Award for ''Breaking Bad'' 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]] thrice consecutively, becoming the first actor to accomplish this feat since [[Bill Cosby]] for ''[[I Spy (1965 TV series)|I Spy]]''.<ref name="Emmys">{{cite news | first=Tom|last=O'Neal|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/awards/2011/03/breaking-bad-bryan-cranston-emmy-tv-news-story.html | title='Breaking Bad' tragedy: Bryan Cranston can't make Emmy history | date=March 14, 2011 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |location=Los Angeles, California| url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005171030/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/awards/2011/03/breaking-bad-bryan-cranston-emmy-tv-news-story.html | archive-date=October 5, 2011 | df=mdy-all }}</ref> Cranston was also nominated in [[64th Primetime Emmy Awards|2012]] and [[65th Primetime Emmy Awards|2013]] for [[Breaking Bad season 4|season four]] and the [[Breaking Bad season 5|first half of season five]], but lost out to [[Damian Lewis]] for ''[[Homeland (TV series)|Homeland]]'' and [[Jeff Daniels]] for ''[[The Newsroom (American TV series)|The Newsroom]]'', respectively. He also won his fourth [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series]], at the [[66th Primetime Emmy Awards]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/emmys/2017/09/09/how-many-emmys-did-breaking-bad-win/|title=How many Emmys did Breaking Bad win?|date=September 7, 2019|author=Chancellor Agard|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021205111/https://ew.com/emmys/2017/09/09/how-many-emmys-did-breaking-bad-win/|archive-date=October 21, 2020|url-status=live|access-date=October 21, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.emmys.com/bios/bryan-cranston|title=Bryan Cranston|website=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences|Emmys.com]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021205304/https://www.emmys.com/bios/bryan-cranston|archive-date=October 21, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> At the [[Golden Globe Award|annual Golden Globe Awards]], Cranston has been nominated for the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama|Best Actor – Television Series Drama]] accolade on four occasions for his role in ''[[Breaking Bad]]'', in [[68th Golden Globe Awards|2011]], [[69th Golden Globe Awards|2012]], [[70th Golden Globe Awards|2013]] and [[71st Golden Globe Awards|2014]], winning in 2014 for the second half of [[Breaking Bad season 5|season five]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/bryan-cranston|title=Bryan Cranston|website=[[Golden Globe Awards|Goldenglobes.com]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021205630/https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/bryan-cranston|archive-date=October 21, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> At the [[Screen Actors Guild Awards]], Cranston has been nominated for [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series|Male Actor in a Drama Series]] five times, in [[16th Screen Actors Guild Awards|2010]], [[17th Screen Actors Guild Awards|2011]], [[18th Screen Actors Guild Awards|2012]], [[19th Screen Actors Guild Awards|2013]] and [[20th Screen Actors Guild Awards|2014]], winning in 2013 and 2014, for both parts of [[Breaking Bad season 5|season five]]. Additionally, Cranston has been nominated with the rest of the cast for [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series|Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series]], in [[18th Screen Actors Guild Awards|2012]], [[19th Screen Actors Guild Awards|2013]] and [[20th Screen Actors Guild Awards|2014]], winning only in 2014.<ref name="imdb.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0186505/awards?ref_=nm_awd |title=Bryan Cranston: Awards |website=[[IMDb]] |url-status=live |access-date=April 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329105122/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0186505/awards?ref_=nm_awd |archive-date=March 29, 2014 }}</ref> In addition, Cranston has won the [[Satellite Award]] for [[Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama|Best Actor: Drama Series]] three times consecutively, in [[13th Satellite Awards|2008]], [[14th Satellite Awards|2009]] and [[15th Satellite Awards|2010]], for [[Breaking Bad season 1|seasons one]], [[Breaking Bad season 2|two]] and [[Breaking Bad season 3|three]], and has been nominated in [[16th Satellite Awards|2011]], [[17th Satellite Awards|2012]] and [[18th Satellite Awards|2014]] for [[Breaking Bad season 4|seasons four]] [[List of Breaking Bad episodes|and]] [[Breaking Bad season 5|five]]. He won the [[TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama]] in [[25th TCA Awards|2009]], and was nominated in [[26th TCA Awards|2010]], [[28th TCA Awards|2012]] and [[29th TCA Awards|2013]]; was nominated twice for the [[Prism Award]] for Best Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline; won two [[Saturn Award]]s for [[Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television|Best Actor on Television]] in [[38th Saturn Awards|2012]] and [[39th Saturn Awards|2013]] (tying with [[Kevin Bacon]] for ''[[The Following]]'' on the latter occasion), and was nominated in [[35th Saturn Awards|2009]], [[36th Saturn Awards|2010]] and [[37th Saturn Awards|2011]]; and won the [[Monte-Carlo Television Festival|Golden Nymph Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series]] in 2013.<ref name="imdb.com"/> {{clear}} == Legacy == === Cult following === [[File:Walter White al carrer d&#039;Antoni Suárez, València.JPG|thumb|upright=0.9|A Walter White graffiti in Carrer d'Antoni Suárez, [[Valencia]], Spain]] Over time Walter White developed a [[cult following]], spawning fan websites like "Heisenberg Labs", "Walt's Wardrobe", and "Save Walter White" (an exact replica of the website Walter White's son creates in the series to raise money to pay for his father's cancer treatments).<ref>{{cite news|first=Aaron|last=Couch|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/breaking-bad-amc-drops-worst-612717|title=AMC Drops 'Worst Charity' From 'Breaking Bad' Fundraising Website|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|location=Los Angeles, California|date=August 22, 2013|access-date=November 8, 2015|quote=AMC created the website in 2009 to mirror the one Walt Jr. (R.J. Mitte) made in a 2009 episode of Breaking Bad to help pay for Walter White's (Bryan Cranston) cancer treatments.|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331193849/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/breaking-bad-amc-drops-worst-612717|archive-date=March 31, 2016}}</ref> In 2015, series creator Vince Gilligan publicly requested fans of the series to stop reenacting a scene in which Walt angrily throws a pizza on his roof after Skyler refuses to let him inside; this came after complaints from the home's real-life owner.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Seth|last=Kelley|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/breaking-bad-house-pizzas-vince-gilligan-1201450839/|title='Breaking Bad' Creator Urges Fans to Stop Throwing Pizzas on Walter White's Roof|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|location=Los Angeles, California|date=March 11, 2015|access-date=November 8, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151103114525/http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/breaking-bad-house-pizzas-vince-gilligan-1201450839/|archive-date=November 3, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/superbowl-xlix-walter-white-returns-among-advert-extravaganza-10017104.html|title=Walter White returns: Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston stars in Super Bowl commercial|date=February 2, 2015|first=Andrew|last=Buncombe|website=[[The Independent]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405063657/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/superbowl-xlix-walter-white-returns-among-advert-extravaganza-10017104.html|archive-date=April 5, 2017|url-status=live|access-date=April 14, 2021}}</ref> ===Additional appearances=== Cranston reprised his role of the character in a commercial for [[Esurance]] which aired during [[Super Bowl XLIX]], one week before the premiere of ''Breaking Bad'' spin-off ''[[Better Call Saul]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/5695599/breaking-bad-pizza-scene-evolution/|title=How ''Breaking Bad''{{'}}s Iconic Pizza Scene Evolved From the Great Sliced Vs. Unsliced Debate to the Pizza Prank War|date=October 10, 2019|first=Megan|last=McCluskey|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106004106/https://time.com/5695599/breaking-bad-pizza-scene-evolution/|archive-date=November 6, 2020|url-status=live|access-date=April 14, 2021}}</ref> In December 2016, Bryan cameoed as White in an episode of [[Saturday Night Live]] in the cold open. The skit had White on a [[CNN]] broadcast where he is the front runner for [[Donald Trump]]'s cabinet nominee for the [[Drug Enforcement Administration]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parker |first=Ryan |date=December 10, 2016 |title=Bryan Cranston Brings Back Walter White for 'SNL' Cold Opening |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/bryan-cranston-brings-back-walter-white-snl-cold-opening-955033/ |access-date=June 18, 2022 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2023, Cranston again reprised his role in an ad for snack brand [[PopCorners]] during [[Super Bowl LVII]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/popcorners-super-bowl-commercial-bryan-cranston-aaron-paul-breaking-bad/wqjoiuqjeq5bnj5rdbzfq9zd |title='Breaking Bad' Super Bowl commercial: Inside the PopCorners ad with Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul |last=Sutelan |first=Edward |date=February 12, 2023 |website=Sporting News |access-date=March 12, 2023}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2014/08/26/showbiz/tv/breaking-bad-emmys-colombia|title=Where 'Breaking Bad' is just getting started|date=August 26, 2014|first=Jane|last=Caffrey|website=[[CNN]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111232255/http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/26/showbiz/tv/breaking-bad-emmys-colombia/|archive-date=November 11, 2020|url-status=live|access-date=April 14, 2021}}</ref> ===Albuquerque statues=== Bronze statues of White and Jesse Pinkman were commissioned and donated by creator Vince Gilligan and Sony Television Pictures to the city of Albuquerque in July 2022, which are housed in the [[Albuquerque Convention Center]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Samantha |last=Bergeson |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2022/07/breaking-bad-statues-new-mexico-1234741114/ |title='Breaking Bad' Statues Soon Unveiled in Albuquerque, New Mexico |website=IndieWire |date=July 12, 2022 |access-date=July 15, 2022}}</ref> They were made by former sculptor Trevor Grove<!-- Not the same man at the Trevor Grove page-->.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/07/breaking-bad-statues-unveiled-in-albuquerque-1235081707/|title='Breaking Bad' Statues Unveiled In Albuquerque With Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul Attending|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=July 30, 2022}}</ref> === Obituary and funeral === A ''Breaking Bad'' fan group placed a paid obituary for Walter White in the ''[[Albuquerque Journal]]'' on October 4, 2013.<ref name="abqjournal">{{cite web|first=Adrian|last=Gomez|url=http://www.abqjournal.com/275038/news/abq-news/it-provides-closure.html|title='Breaking Bad' Fan group places paid obituary for Walter White|work=[[Albuquerque Journal]]|date=October 4, 2013|access-date=January 11, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131229112052/http://www.abqjournal.com/275038/news/abq-news/it-provides-closure.html|archive-date=December 29, 2013}}</ref> On October 19, 2013, actor Jackamoe Buzzell organized a mock [[funeral procession]] (including a hearse and a replica of Walt's [[Rolling meth lab|meth lab RV]]) and [[funeral|service]] for the character was held at [[Albuquerque, New Mexico|Albuquerque]]'s Sunset Memorial Park cemetery. A [[headstone]] was placed with a photo of Cranston as Walt, located on an outside wall in [[Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico]]. 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.<ref name="cnn">{{cite news|first=Breeanna|last=Hare|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/21/showbiz/tv/breaking-bad-funeral-walter-white/|title='Breaking Bad': Walter White laid to rest with mock funeral|work=[[CNN]]|location=Atlanta, Georgia|date=October 22, 2013|access-date=January 11, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111133148/http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/21/showbiz/tv/breaking-bad-funeral-walter-white/|archive-date=January 11, 2014}}</ref><ref name="rollingstone">{{cite magazine|first=Kory|last=Grow|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/walter-white-laid-to-rest-in-breaking-bad-charity-funeral-20131021|title=Walter White Laid to Rest in 'Breaking Bad' Charity Funeral|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |location=New York City|date=October 21, 2013|access-date=January 11, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327013538/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/walter-white-laid-to-rest-in-breaking-bad-charity-funeral-20131021|archive-date=March 27, 2014}}</ref> === Alternative theory concerning death === Many fans of ''Breaking Bad'', including actor [[Norm Macdonald]] and ''[[New Yorker (magazine)|New Yorker]]'' magazine writer Emily Nussbaum,<ref name="vulture">{{cite web|first=Warren|last=Ellis|author-link=Warren Ellis|url=https://www.vulture.com/2013/10/warren-ellis-breaking-bad-heisenberg-theory.html|title=Warren Ellis on Breaking Bad and the Horrible Glory of Heisenberg|work=[[New York (magazine)#Digital|Vulture]]|date=October 3, 2013|access-date=January 11, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110092341/http://www.vulture.com/2013/10/warren-ellis-breaking-bad-heisenberg-theory.html|archive-date=January 10, 2014}}</ref> proposed a theory, in which most of [[Felina (Breaking Bad)|the series finale]] happened in Walt's mind, and he really died in the stolen [[Volvo 240|Volvo]] in the beginning of it.<ref name="buzzfeed">{{cite web|first=Dave|last=Stopera|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/was-the-breaking-bad-finale-all-just-a-fantasy-in-walter-whi|title=Was The "Breaking Bad" Finale All Just A Fantasy In Walter White's Head?|website=[[BuzzFeed]]|date=October 2, 2013|access-date=January 11, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204064134/http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/was-the-breaking-bad-finale-all-just-a-fantasy-in-walter-whi|archive-date=December 4, 2013}}</ref> While Nussbaum merely stated that it would be her preferred ending,<ref name="hufftwo">{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/03/breaking-bad-walter-white-fantasy-theory_n_4037297.html|title=Was The 'Breaking Bad' Finale A Fantasy Playing Out In Walter White's Mind?|last=Moaba|first=Alex|date=October 3, 2013|website=[[The Huffington Post]]|publisher=[[Huffington Post Media Group]]|location=New York City|access-date=January 11, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023200728/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/03/breaking-bad-walter-white-fantasy-theory_n_4037297.html|archive-date=October 23, 2013}}</ref> Macdonald emphasized the seemingly unreal scenarios of Walt's final day, as well as what he deemed as unreliable acting.<ref name="uproxx">{{cite web|url=http://www.uproxx.com/tv/2013/10/norm-mcdonald-breaking-bad/|title=Norm MacDonald Thinks The 'Breaking Bad' Finale Was A Fantasy That Played Out In Walter White's Sick Mind|website=[[Uproxx]]|publisher=[[Uproxx Media Group]]|location=Culver City, California|date=October 2, 2013|access-date=January 11, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111145250/http://www.uproxx.com/tv/2013/10/norm-mcdonald-breaking-bad/|archive-date=January 11, 2014}}</ref> However, series creator [[Vince Gilligan]] debunked this theory, explaining that Walt 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.<ref name="hollywood">{{cite news|first=Aaron|last=Couch|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/vince-gilligan-tackles-four-breaking-648899|title=Vince Gilligan Tackles Four 'Breaking Bad' Myths|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|location=Los Angeles, California|date=October 16, 2013|access-date=January 11, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140120085817/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/vince-gilligan-tackles-four-breaking-648899|archive-date=January 20, 2014}}</ref> 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 Walt is confirmed to have died.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/el-camino-ending-explained-breaking-bad-movie-walter-white|title=Here's What the Ending of 'El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie' Means|date=October 12, 2019|author=Dan Jackson|website=[[Thrillist]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021221047/https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/el-camino-ending-explained-breaking-bad-movie-walter-white|archive-date=October 21, 2020|url-status=live|access-date=October 21, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/breaking-bad-walter-white-death-confirmed-el-camino-movie/|title=Walter White's Breaking Bad Death Confirmed By El Camino|date=September 25, 2019|author=Craig Elvy|website=[[Screen Rant]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021221240/https://screenrant.com/breaking-bad-walter-white-death-confirmed-el-camino-movie/|archive-date=October 21, 2020|url-status=live|access-date=October 21, 2020}}</ref> === Snail species === In 2021, a new species of [[Stygofauna|stygobiotic]] [[freshwater snail]] in the genus ''[[Spiralix]]'' was described from eastern [[Spain]], and was named ''[[Spiralix heisenbergi]]'' after Walter White and his alias.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Quiñonero-Salgado |first1=Sergio |last2=Alonso |first2=Álvaro |last3=Rolán |first3=Emilio |date=2021-07-31 |title=New species of the genus Spiralix Boeters, 1972 (Gastropoda: Moitessieriidae) from Spain |url=https://raco.cat/index.php/Nemus/article/view/391575 |journal=Nemus. Revista de l'Ateneu de Natura |language=en |issue=11 |pages=107–112 |issn=2386-3803}}</ref> == References == === Notes === {{Notelist}} === Sources === {{reflist}} == Further reading == * {{cite news|access-date=July 15, 2012|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/19/on-character-bryan-cranston-in-breaking-bad/|date=March 19, 2010|title=On Character: Bryan Cranston in ''Breaking Bad''|author=Egner, Jeremy}} * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkB9VJdu27M VICE – The Real Walter White] == External links == * [https://www.amc.com/shows/breaking-bad/cast/walter-white--48905 Walter White] at AMC.com {{Breaking Bad}} {{Breaking Bad (franchise)}} {{Italic dab}} {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Walter}} [[Category:Breaking Bad characters]] [[Category:Better Call Saul characters]] [[Category:American male characters in television]] [[Category:Fictional American scientists and engineers]] [[Category:Fictional attempted suicides]] [[Category:Fictional blackmailers]] [[Category:Fictional characters from Los Angeles County, California]] [[Category:Fictional characters from New Mexico]] [[Category:Fictional characters with cancer]] [[Category:Fictional characters with respiratory diseases]] [[Category:Fictional chemists]] [[Category:Fictional crime bosses]] [[Category:Fictional drug dealers]] [[Category:Fictional fugitives]] [[Category:Fictional high school teachers]] [[Category:Fictional kidnappers]] [[Category:Fictional mass murderers]] [[Category:Fictional money launderers]] [[Category:Fictional scientists in television]] [[Category:Male characters in film]] [[Category:Male villains]] [[Category:Television characters introduced in 2008]]'