10 Greatest Villain Introductions In TV History
2. Gus Fring - Breaking Bad
Though he wasn't Breaking Bad's final villain, Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) is assuredly the series' fan favourite antagonist, a fact cemented in basically the first moment we met him.
Gus first appears in the late season two episode "Mandala," when Walt (Bryan Cranston) seeks a buyer for his meth and heads to a branch of the Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant chain to meet them.
As the restaurant approaches closing time, he realises the manager, Gus, is the man he wants to speak to, and asks him to sit with him for five minutes.
Walt asks Gus why he didn't meet him the day prior as planned, but Gus has a perfect poker face, playing dumb and claiming he has no idea what Walt is talking about.
Walt continues to try and convince Gus that he's worth getting into business with, at which point Gus' friendly demeanour suddenly drops and he reveals his true self, criticising Walt for being in business with Jesse (Aaron Paul) and then ending the conversation without confirming a deal.
There's no big Villain Moment here or any over-the-top acting - just a man briefly peeling back his meticulously constructed facade to show a sliver of who he really is underneath, superbly portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito.