Breaking Bad's Top 20 Characters: A Definitive Ranking

Breaking Bad's 20 Best Characters, Ranked

Jesse looking paranoid in Breaking Bad

By Ben Sherlock Published 1 hour ago Ben Sherlock is a Tomatometer-approved film and TV critic who runs the massively underrated YouTube channel I Got Touched at the Cinema. Before working at Screen Rant, Ben wrote for Game Rant, Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop. He's also an indie filmmaker, a standup comedian, and an alumnus of the School of Rock. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Add Us On Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

When Vince Gilligan created Breaking Bad, he introduced a handful of television’s most iconic characters to the world. His central antihero, Walter White, might just be the greatest TV character ever created — he’s certainly up there with Tony Soprano and Homer Simpson. And Walt is just the tip of the iceberg; this show has dozens of memorable characters.

Gilligan is such a great writer (as we’ve seen most recently with Pluribus) that some of the supporting players in Breaking Bad give Walt a run for his money. Gus Fring is arguably TV’s greatest villain; Saul Goodman provides unparalleled comic relief. These are the most complex, well-rounded, and (in some cases) lovable characters from Breaking Bad.

20 Steven Gomez

Steve Gomez with a shotgun in Breaking Bad

Hank’s partner at the DEA, Steven Gomez, was both a great comic foil and an interesting moral center for the show. Steve is a good, honest lawman who does things (mostly) by the book and just wants to bring bad guys to justice. He’s a true hero; the opposite of Walt.

Steven Michael Quezada is a terrific actor in his own right — a charming everyman — but he also shared spectacular chemistry with Dean Norris. You really believed their long-time friendship; they had the kind of social shorthand that comes with years of male bonding.

19 Skinny Pete

Skinny Pete looking concerned in Breaking Bad

Jesse’s friends Badger and Skinny Pete mostly provided comic relief, but they were also a good sounding board for Jesse. Walt was always trying to manipulate and outsmart Jesse, so he could rarely confide in him. But with Badger and Skinny Pete, Jesse was the smartest guy in the room.

Badger is more memorable as a character because he had the funnier lines and the more eccentric actor, but Skinny Pete has a heart of gold. We see this more clearly than ever in El Camino, when he tells Jesse, “You’re my hero and s***.”

18 Hector Salamanca

Hector looking furious in Breaking Bad

When we first met Hector Salamanca, all he could do to communicate was ring a bell attached to his wheelchair. Better Call Saul would expand on Hector’s character significantly, but Breaking Bad gave him an unforgettable introduction.

Mark Margolis does wonders with the power of body language. Without a word of dialogue, he can convey immense rage or grief. Hector is one of the show’s funniest characters, too; he has a sense of humor: “S-U-C-K M-Y D...”

17 Andrea Cantillo

Andrea looking concerned in Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad had a habit of making awful things happen to the people that Jesse loved. His first major romantic partner in the series overdosed on heroin — and she got off easy. Andrea Cantillo would meet one of the most unjust fates in Breaking Bad, but she was a great character while she lasted (and a great partner for Jesse).

Dating Andrea and hanging out with Brock was the closest Jesse got to having a family of his own. It’s a shame that Andrea had to meet such a tragic end, because Jesse was genuinely happy when he was with her.

16 Gale Boetticher

Gale inside the laboratory in Breaking Bad

David Costabile is one of those actors who seem to pop up in all the best TV shows. We’ve seen him in The Wire and Damages and The Office and Flight of the Conchords — and, of course, in Breaking Bad.

Gale Boetticher is an interesting reflection of Walt. He’s every bit the chemistry nerd that Walt is, and he’s smart enough to figure out the most lucrative way to monetize it, but he doesn’t have Walt’s malicious streak. Walt is like a caged animal, but Gale is more of a domesticated pet.

15 Patrick Kuby

Kuby wearing a headset in Breaking Bad

Patrick Kuby is one of the most talented members of Saul Goodman’s troupe of tricksters. He’s essentially an improv performer in the criminal underworld. He’s paid to play whatever part is required for a particular scheme or heist.

He played an environmental inspector to strongarm Bogdan into selling the car wash; he played a guy whose car broke down on the railway tracks during the train robbery. Kuby is a fast-talking, sharp-witted ball-buster, so he was the perfect role for Bill Burr.

14 Jane Margolis

Jane holding a drawing in Breaking Bad season 2

Jane Margolis might not have been the best influence on Jesse, but Krysten Ritter had the best chemistry with Aaron Paul out of all his love interests. Jesse fell hard for Jane, and the relationship had both a positive and negative impact on his life.

Jane was the best thing that ever happened to Jesse, because she broadened his horizons and recognized Walt’s manipulative tactics and encouraged Jesse to stand up to him. But she also got him addicted to heroin, so she was also the worst thing that ever happened to him. Complicated relationships make for compelling drama, and it doesn’t get much more complicated than that.

13 Walt, Jr.

Walt Jr yelling on the phone in Breaking Bad

Walt, Jr. didn’t find out about his dad’s criminal enterprise until the last couple of episodes, so he spent the bulk of the series oblivious to the most exciting things that were happening in the show. But he was still a great character, because he acted as an innocent counterbalance to his dad.

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No matter how evil Walt got, he could always access his sweet side to have a heart-to-heart with his son. That’s not to say he was a perfect father — far from it — but he always wanted to do right by Walt, Jr.

12 Tuco Salamanca

Tuco holding a picture of Walt's family and looking up in Breaking Bad

The first truly memorable villain to appear on Breaking Bad was Tuco Salamanca. Tuco was Walt and Jesse’s gateway into a larger criminal underworld. He was the first gangland kingpin to acquire their blue meth for distribution.

Tuco’s storyline had to be cut short, because actor Raymond Cruz had to return to his TNT cop drama The Closer. But even in just a couple of episodes, Cruz made a lasting impression with this psychotic drug lord.

11 Badger

Badger talks to an undercover cop in Breaking Bad

Any time Badger showed up, you could expect Matt Jones to do something delightfully silly with the character. He celebrates a meth high by tapdancing around Jesse’s living room. He goes on extended rants about Star Trek and zombies.

Badger is front and center in one of Breaking Bad’s greatest cold opens. His back-and-forth with the undercover cop on the public bench is a captivating two-hander building to a perfect ending.

Breaking Bad

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