Top 10 Shocking Breaking Bad Deaths

Walt sure has caused a lot of destruction. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 shocking Breaking Bad deaths.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the most disturbing and shocking deaths throughout all five seasons of “Breaking Bad”, and ranking them on pure shock value. In order to qualify as “shocking,” the death has to have been unpredictable, unexpectedly violent, or upsetting to witness.

#10: Gale

Poor Gale. He didn’t deserve this. Sure, he worked for a psychotic drug lord and made meth that probably led to debilitating addictions and overdoses . . . but he was so damn endearing! In the episode “Full Measure”, Jesse rudely interrupts Gale at home, in a desperate bid to save Walt’s life by making him irreplaceable. Gale begs for his life . . . but Jesse is out of options. The scene upset a lot of people not only because Gale was a fan favorite, but because this was the event that instigated Jesse’s downfall into PTSD and depression. You could even argue that it was a turning point in the series, the exact moment that it went from fun crime-comedy to full-blown drama.

#9: Krazy-8

So, here’s the situation: you’ve kidnapped a drug dealer, and you’re are about to let him go, when you realize that he plans to cut your throat the second you release him. What do you do? For Walt, the answer wasn’t easy, but it was necessary – strangle the crap out of him with a bicycle lock. It’s plain to see that Walt really didn’t want to kill Krazy-8, which makes for equal parts devastating and compelling viewing. It was only the third episode, and already we were getting bathtubs of gore and horrific murders. Welcome to “Breaking Bad,” everyone!

#8: Rival Dealers

Ah, yes, remember when Walt showed remorse after killing someone? Simpler times. In this incredibly powerful and unexpected moment, Walt runs over two child-murdering drug dealers with his Aztec, sending one flying and dragging the other under the wheels. The “holy shit!” expression on Jesse’s face says it all – it’s the same expression we all had. But it’s not over yet. Walt gets out of the car, grabs a gun, and shoots the maimed drug dealer straight in the face. Gone is the guilt-ridden and blubbering Walt of season one. Here is Heisenberg, a man who mangles and executes with complete determination. And it is terrifying - and yeah, maybe a little badass sometimes.

#7: Victor

We start season four with a bang - literally - in a flashback to Gale’s murder. Walt and Jesse are then taken to the lab where Gus remains silent, like a teacher trying to intimidate some disobedient students. Only this teacher has a box cutter, and he uses it on henchman Victor to both send a message and punish him for being spotted. The resulting explosion of blood is sickening, evident in Mike’s look of complete bafflement and disgust. It takes a particular brand of psycho to perturb Mike, and Gus is that particular brand of psycho. With this swift motion, we all saw Gus’s true evil nature.

#6: The Prison Inmates

In the fittingly-titled episode Hazard Pay, Walt learns - much to his annoyance - that Mike is sending “hazard payments” to henchmen doing prison time. This becomes Walt’s problem when he eliminates Mike, and to deal with it, he turns full Michael Corleone and has the men systematically murdered. It’s a savage sequence full of vicious stabbings, spurting blood, and burning bodies, set to the discordently soothing sounds of Nat King Cole. “Breaking Bad” has never been shy about depicting brutal violence, but this is something else. This is just downright nauseating.

#5: Mike

Speaking of Mike, his death was one of the most upsetting of them all. Not only was he never given the chance to say goodbye to his beloved granddaughter, but the manner in which Walt killed him was both petulant and completely unnecessary. As Walt demands the names of Mike’s associates in prison, Mike not only refuses, but details all of Walt’s mistakes. With his ego bruised, Walt flies into a rage and turns on him. Walt regrets his decision immediately - but too late for Mike. What makes Mike’s death so poignant is that he was so close to leaving it all behind. At least we have “Better Call Saul” to provide us with more Mike godliness.

#4: Jane

With this death, Walt’s true nature was revealed. When Jesse’s girlfriend Jane turns him onto heroin, and blackmails Walt, Walt decides to let her choke on her own vomit, rather than save her. We’d seen flashes of Heisenberg before, but this is when he fully emerged from his Walter cocoon. What makes the scene even more difficult to watch is the battle between Walter White and Heisenberg that plays out on screen. Walter panics and tries to help Jane, but Heisenberg holds him back. Walter cries, and Heisenberg composes himself. It’s only in the next episode that he witnesses the full consequences of his actions - when Jane’s father, an air traffic controller, is distracted by grief at the worst possible moment.

#3: Gus

Yeah, we all knew it was coming, but we didn’t know it would happen quite like this. This infamous scene began in chilling fashion with Gus’s last march to the nursing home, complete with that amazing, spine-tingling music. And then we were put through a rapid succession of emotions, from smug satisfaction at the plan’s success, to dread when Gus seemed to walk out the door unscathed, and finally to shock and disgust at the realization that, yep, half his head was indeed missing. Some may argue that Gus’s death was a little cartoonish, and we can understand that, but come on – that final tie fix is iconic.

#2: Drew Sharp

By season five, many viewers thought that Walt couldn’t possibly sink any lower. In season four, he’d intentionally poisoned a child for crying out loud! But then the episode Dead Freight happened. While Walt, Jesse, and Todd celebrate their successful train heist, an innocent kid happens upon the scene. Despite Jesse protests, Todd coldly shoots him in the heart. Yes, it wasn’t Walt who pulled the trigger, but he also didn’t really seem to care, something made even more evident when Jesse hears him whistling as he dissolves poor Drew’s body in acid. Remind us why we love this sick show again?


Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

No-Doze

Combo

Spooge

Tortuga

#1: Hank

As much as we all wished for the contrary, we knew deep down that Hank wasn’t going to make it to the end of the show. But that didn’t make his swift exit any more upsetting. Just as they finally arrests Walt, Hank and partner Steven Gomez are attacked by Jack's White Supremacist Gang. Gomez goes down first, and the gang surrounds Hank. Even shot and down in the dirt, Hank refuses to beg for his life, and is mercilessly executed mid-sentence. It all happens so fast and it could have been jarring for viewers who were expecting a more theatrical departure for the show’s hero. That said, he still went out like a badass, so at least we have that.