| “ | If you try to interfere, this becomes a much simpler matter. I will kill your wife. I will kill your son. I will kill your infant daughter. | „ |
| ~ Fring threatening Walter White's family |
Gustavo "Gus" Fring is the overall main antagonist of the Breaking Bad franchise. He is a powerful figure in the Juarez drug cartel in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He is portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito.
Little is known of Gus's past. In the late 80s he and his partner Max Arcinega started a chain of low pillow hermano restaurants in Mexico in order to use them as cover for a meth operation catching the attention of the Juarez cartel.
At the time the cartel were only interested in distributing cocaine. As punishment for his impertinence Don Eladio had his enforcer Hector Salamanca kill Max right in front of Gus. Gus later immigrated to the United States and formed an uneasy alliance with the cartel who agreed to allow meth after all.
Gus was arranged to make a deal With meth distributors Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, however after seeing Jesse high he chose not to engage them. Walt later realized this and confronted Gus at his restaurant praising him for his caution expressing the belief that they were similar. Gus questioned this and told him Jesse was a liability. Walt was able to make some money after accomplishing Gus' task of delivering some meth in under an hour.
Gus offered Walt $3 million to cook for him, but Walt refused, as he wanted to focus on mending relations with his family. Gus's interest in Walt was sparked when his only cook Gale Boetticer noted the purity in Walt's meth. Because of this Gus used his influence to have the cartel delay their revenge on Walt for the death of Hector's nephew, Tuco.
Gus pretended to collaborate with Jesse hoping it would make a jealous Walt agree to work for him. When Walt realized this he said he not be manipulated so easily. Gus then baited Walt to agree to do the work by appealing to his pride in providing for his family. Gus re directed the attention of Tuco's cousins towards Walt's brother-in-law Hank Schrader as he was the DEA are agent who had killed Tuco. Gus then arranged for Hank to be tipped off allowing him to kill the cousins and survive the attack.
It was also at this time Gus arranged the murder of Cartel Don Juan Bolsa. Problems arose When Jesse discovered two of Gus's dealers were behind of the death of his friend Combo and was further angered that they'd used a kid to do it. Jesse plotted to Kill the dealers but Walt told Gus of his partner's plan. When Jesse got angered Gus dismissed him and claimed he would handle the situation in a very different manner if not for Walt.
Gus instructed his dealers to stop using children as he needed to appease Jesse. When the kid turned up dead (likely on Gus's order)Jesse went to Kill the dealers. Just as Jesse was about to be killed Walt arrived running one of them over in his car and shooting the other dead before sending Jesse into hiding. When Walt was being held at gunpoint by Gus's henchman Victor and Mike Ehrmantraut he offered to give Jesse up but instead ordered him to kill Gale which made Jesse and him the only Two cooks Gus had.
When Gus arrived at the lab Walt nervously explained that he was the only one capable of running the lab and stated he would not do so if Jesse Was killed. Gus then killed Victor to send a message as well as tie up loose ends as Victor had been to Gale's apartment. Following this Gus plotted With Mike to turn Jesse against Walt in an attempt to get his consent in Killing Walt. Gus had two of his guys fake an attempt on Mike's life so Jesse could "save" him. Things were more complicated by Hank's investigation into Gus(which Walt tried to discourage). Gus got some satisfaction when he was able to poison the cartel and killing Eladio, the man responsible for Max's death.
Gus had his men drag Walter into the desert ordering him to refrain from protecting Hank and putting Walt's immediate family under threat of death if he intervened. Walt learned of the history between Gus and Hector from his attorney Saul Goodman and went to see Hector. Walt got Hector(who had been taunted regarding his family's death by Gus) to agree to a partnership allowing him to kill the man he hates most - Gus.
Hector went to the DEA as part of Walt's plan. Though Tyrus Kitt offered to handle it Gus was adamant he kill Hector himself. Gus went to see Hector referring to him as a "crippled little ratta". Hector then suicide bombed himself which Killed Gus in the process.