Breaking Bad: Each Main Character Ranked From Worst To Best

Gustavo Fring was the best villain Breaking Bad ever had (outside of Walt himself), the leader of a vast drug empire which he shrouded from the authorities by using his restaurant chain as a front for his criminal activities. Played with twisted delight by the excellent Giancarlo Esposito, Gus was at once the most brilliant tactician, vicious killer and brutal businessman in the entire series.

His manipulation skills were the stuff of TV legend, first working with the Cartel just so he could kill them all when they least expected it, and then making Walt and Jesse his puppets in the drug trade. His years-long hatred for the ruthless, wheelchair bound Hector Salamanca also added further air to the image of terror and evil that Gus hid and used so well.

In the end, though, his rivalry with Hector proved his downfall, as Walt used their feud to see Gus killed, in what might just be the most haunting and iconic death scene in TV history. A scary joy to watch, Gus really was one of the very best characters on the show.