Morality is as apparent in Breaking Bad as the hair on Walter White’s scalp from Season 2 onward; it’s not exactly a black-and-white situation among many characters.
There are characters who have broken many laws and committed many acts of malevolence to further their goals. As a result, we can consider them as evil or bad guys based on our debatable understanding of the social construct called morality. However, we’re not here to argue about that; we’re here to reveal which characters in Breaking Bad are the worst of the rotten eggs. So, here they are.
SAUL GOODMAN
Saul hasn’t actually killed anyone directly in Breaking Bad, but we all know that doesn’t insulate him from ethical and moral scrutiny. He’s a proud “criminal” lawyer, and thus helps felons of all sorts from low-level vandals to drug kingpins. Hence, even if Saul has never put a bullet in anyone’s gut or brain, you can bet that he’s responsible for countless of heinous crimes.
These crimes have led to deaths, betrayals, and many other negative things in society. Saul Goodman is just there to make it easy for the perpetrators and to profit from the criminal underworld. That’s all he cares about, that’s all he is.
LYDIA RODARTE-QUAYLE
Like Saul Goodman, Lydia Rodarte-Quayle prefers not to get her hands dirty from all that manual labor, and instead prefers the administrative side of things. She’s one of Gus Fring’s longest and most efficient associates, helping to distribute all the material required for manufacturing drugs from all over the world.
This does put Lydia in a spot higher — or is it lower? — than Saul since she directly works with the drug empire set up by the Juarez Cartel. Moreover, her lack of concern or empathy for anyone caught in the crossfire of the drug trade she profits from is just chilling.
THE COUSINS
Well, this is quite a big jump from a lawyer and a career woman, isn’t it? We’re moving on to people who kill others directly, and in this spot, we have The Cousins, Leonel and Marco Salamanca. These two are walking grim reapers with the fashion sense of Pitbull but deadlier. In any case, where these two go, a trail of bodies are left in their wake.
They don’t speak much (or at all), and they pray to Santa Muerte every time they carry out assassinations; that’s how dedicated they are. Moreover, they have shown no qualms about killing a truck full of witnesses just because they got made. Evil as The Cousins are, they’re still methodical and professional, acting only on Cartel orders and never falling prey to emotions or whims.
WALTER WHITE
Look, Walter White might have been the Big Bad by Season 5 or 6, but he still had plenty of people to look after. He certainly cares for the well-being of his family — especially when Hank died. To that end, Walter White isn’t really all that evil compared to some of the seasoned psychopaths here.
In fact, Walt has even proven that it’s not just family he cares about, but also some close friends like Jesse Pinkman. He’s saved Pinkman’s life many times over. Still, there’s no denying the fact that Walter White is a chemical reaction waiting to happen in the drug trade. He has no remorse, lacks empathy, and has no problem manipulating everyone around him. Also, yes, he’s a straight-up mass murderer.
DON ELADIO
All the drug troubles happening in Albuquerque? They can be attributed to one person: Don Eladio of the Juarez Cartel. He’s the biggest fish in the criminal organization, and everyone else is just following his lead. As the head of the Cartel, Don Eladio makes all the big decisions to keep the drug trade going, from extortion to smuggling to murder, and many other crimes.
Moreover, being at the top of his own world has made Don Eladio show his true colors. He openly killed Gus Fring’s business partner in an arrogant way just because he could, in one of the most exuberant displays of pure evil in the show.
TUCO SALAMANCA
Speaking of pure evil, Tuco Salamanca would be another perfect example. He’s also a member of the Juarez Cartel, though with a lower rank, working in distribution directly in Albuquerque. There’s really nothing right with Tuco, especially because he uses the product he sells.
This makes Tuco a walking time bomb and a danger to anyone he’s close to, ally or enemy. Moreover, Tuco just has no issue with killing a comrade just because of some harmless loose comments. Let’s not forget what he did in Better Call Saul, snapping two skaters’ legs in three places.
JACK WELKER
One of the final true villains of Breaking Bad, Jack Welker is one of the most ruthless factions ever after the Juarez Cartel went down in flames. Welker doesn’t even hide the fact that he’s helming a neo-fascist group and that he’s a white supremacist. In addition to that, he also likes to do some mercenary work from time to time, and has deep roots in the criminal underground.
Hence, Jack Welker became instrumental for Walter White’s plans, and his group even acted as his muscle for the drug trade. All this backfired after Welker got too greedy and started taking everything from Hank’s life to most of Walt’s money — even taking Jesse Pinkman hostage, forcing him to cook meth.
TODD ALQUIST
Working for Jack Welker is Todd Alquist, one of the most merciless psychos in the show. He has dead eyes, no emotions, and no guilt whatsoever, even after shooting a kid dead for being a witness. Todd did it without hesitation or much thought, and even considered what he did an achievement.
In addition to murdering a hapless kid, Todd also murdered Andrea, one of Jesse’s ex-girlfriends, in order to make him cook meth for Jack Welker’s gang. Being able to kill people in cold blood and exhibit no reaction or emotion while doing it makes Todd one of the most hated characters in the series.
GUSTAVO FRING
When it comes to cold, calculating evil in Breaking Bad, nobody can top Gustavo Fring. He initially wasn’t all that bad, but circumstances with the Cartel have forced him to become just as bad as they are. As a result, Gus Fring never cared for anyone else but himself and getting revenge against the Juarez Cartel.
Fring is a businessman who nearly took the drug kingpin crown if not for Walter White’s “intervention.” A shame, really, since Fring went out of his way to get to the top, even condoning the use of children for his operations. and killing anyone who gets in the way. The only thing that makes him shy of being in the top spot is that he can be bargained with.
HECTOR SALAMANCA
As head of the Salamanca family in the Juarez Cartel, Hector Salamanca is the devil incarnate. He cares little even for his own family and works directly for Don Eladio. The moment we saw him, Hector was already an eccentric and evil figure.
It wasn’t until a flashback where Hector showed his true self to the viewers. and just how messed up he was. If you can recall, Hector tried to drown one of The Cousins in order to condition them and teach them a “lesson.” Besides, the way Salamanca shot Gus Fring’s partner and tortured him afterward is just brutal.
