It is not difficult to argue that Breaking Bad is one of Bryan Cranston’s best works. Walter White remains a chilling household name 11 years after the show’s end. That enduring popularity is largely due to the strength of the central characters, developed by the talented Vince Gilligan and his team of writers, who have ensured Breaking Bad aged well. The series features many complex and morally ambiguous characters, but it is often accepted that Gus Fring is the Breaking Bad the best villain in the universe. However, a scene from Season 5, Episode 5 reveals a darker antagonist.
Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) commits heinous crimes across the world. Breaking Bad timeline, and his calculated cruelty ensures that he is hailed as the series’ most formidable antagonist. From interrupting a rival’s medical treatment to cold-bloodedly murdering his most loyal employee, Gus is responsible for many of the series’ darkest moments. Its sustained manipulation throughout Breaking Bad often overshadows brutal moments at the hands of other villains. Most notable is the murder of a child executed by Todd Alquist (Jesse Plemons), which shows that Todd is actually Breaking BadThe most sinister villain.
Todd was Breaking Bad’s most sinister villain, not Gus
Todd’s lack of empathy sets him apart from Gus Fring
It’s obvious throughout Jesse Plemons’ screen time in Breaking Bad that Todd is completely devoid of empathy, enabling his greater ability to kill and making his actions unpredictable and horrific. It quickly becomes evident that Todd can commit the most horrific crimes with little remorseapparently with little understanding of the consequences of their actions. Todd is desperate for his uncle’s approval, and being eager to please makes him that much more dangerous – as he will stop at nothing to achieve it.
Todd’s inherent characterization puts him one step ahead of Gus. Giancarlo Esposito’s villain has increasingly complex motivations, which, combined with his sense of honor, make him a master of manipulation and corruption. While Gus’s more strategic methods benefit him in the long run, Todd’s simplistic approach makes him more disruptive. He is unfiltered and involved in a dangerous criminal organization, ready to carry out any order. Ultimately, this makes him a greater threat to Walter and Jesse (Aaron Paul), and his presence in the series negatively affects the characters, even after his eventual death.
Todd presented Breaking Bad’s most sinister moments
Jesse Pinkman suffered the most because of Todd’s actions
There are many excellent Breaking Bad scenes that define the show, and the series deftly masters the pacing, building tension and releasing it at the perfect moments to subvert expectations. The shocking deaths in Breaking Bad They include heroes and villains, but the smaller deaths signal a greater degree of complexity in the narrative. Although sometimes expected of villains, their crimes are still frightening. Yet no scene in Breaking Bad corresponds to Todd shooting a child after witnessing the group’s assault.
This scene alone establishes how dangerous Todd’s character truly is, and Jesse’s reaction to the boy’s death makes the scene even scarier. This singular moment indicates Todd’s true brutality, foreshadowing his later crimes. Todd shoots Andrea (Emily Rios) in front of Jesse because he refuses to cooperate and helps his uncle imprison and torture Jesse for months. The accumulation of his actions, while contained within Season 5, outweighs most of the other sinister moments of Breaking Bad.