10 Times Mike Was The Best Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul Character

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and El Camino.

While Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul both feature some of TV’s most well-written characters, Mike Ehrmantraut has had plenty of scene-stealing moments in both shows that have solidified his spot as one of the best characters of all time. Played by veteran character actor Jonathan Banks, Mike is best known for his morally gray sensibilities, deadpan facial expressions and vocal delivery, and the surrogate father relationship he has with the likes of Jesse Pinkman and Ignacio “Nacho” Varga. Mike’s headstrong personality makes him one of Walter White, Saul Goodman, and even Gus Fring’s greatest foils, as seen on multiple occasions.

Furthermore, Mike’s status as a Marine Corps veteran and former career as a Philadelphia police officer makes him an incredibly intelligent and formidable presence throughout the show, as he boasts an impressive sense of bravery and duty. Even in his line of work as a career criminal, Mike displays loyalty and honor to those who earn his respect, and his insistence on not involving civilians in his criminal activity makes Mike one of the franchise’s most endearing characters in that universe. From Mike’s best quotes in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul to his more heroic actions, Mike has done a lot to cement himself as one of TV’s best characters.

10 Breaking Bad: Connecting Walt, Jesse, And Saul To Gus Fring

This decision would change everyone’s lives forever

While Saul Goodman suggests to Walt that he and Jesse get in league with Gus Fring’s methamphetamine empire, Mike ultimately arranges the meeting between Walt, Jesse, and Gus in a move that would both prove to be one of the best things Mike could have done and the worst. As seen throughout Breaking Bad, Walt and Jesse’s proclivities for producing high-quality meth makes them a valuable commodity in organized crime despite their incessant bickering. Although Mike’s decision to introduce Walt and Jesse to Gus results in both his and Gus’s deaths, it adds another layer to the show’s character dynamics while heightening the conflicts between warring drug lords.

9 Better Call Saul: Mike Laundering Gus’ Money With The Germans

Mike stands up to Gus in a shocking display of loyalty

When Werner Ziegler is introduced to audiences in the Better Call Saul Episode, “Quite a Ride,” it becomes apparent that he won’t last in the cutthroat world of organized crime, as he’s far too compassionate and sociable for the perpetually paranoid Gus Fring to trust. As such, MIke supervises Werner and the other German engineers as they work tirelessly on constructing his meth compound. Despite Mike and Werner developing something of a friendly relationship, Mike is ultimately tasked with killing Werner in the episode “Winner,” since he accidentally slips up the secretive nature of his partnership with Gus to his wife, Margarethe, over the phone.

However, the truly significant moment about Mike’s time with Werner is the sincere respect the two men develop for one another over the time spent working on Gus’s compound. Mike’s defining traits are his loyalty and strict adherence to his code, and the effect that killing a civilian in the name of keeping a ruthless meth dealer wealthy genuinely eats him up. Even when Gus ensures Margarethe will be handsomely compensated for Werner’s death, it disgusts Mike, and the argument that he has with Gus carries a lot of weight considering everyone is deathly afraid of him.

8 Breaking Bad: Refusing To Cooperate With The DEA

Displays Mike’s intelligence and reinforces his loyalty to Gus

In “Madrigal,” Hank and Gomie interrogate Mike about his knowledge of Gus Fring’s offshore accounts. Even though Mike knows way more than he’s letting off and Hank and Gomie know it, Mike can’t be arrested by the DEA agents without solid evidence. The brilliance of Hank and Gomie interrogating Mike lies in the amount of character work done, despite Mike’s minimal dialogue and reliance on his usual deadpan facial expressions. The interrogation is the DEA’s way of seeing who they can get a confession out of, and with MIke’s prior career as a cop, he knows the game and demonstrates how to play it.

7 Better Call Saul: Mike Attempts To Steer Daniel Wormwald Away From Crime

Uniquely reinforces Mike’s honor code

Early in Better Call Saul, pharmacist Daniel Wormwald takes a strong liking to the flashy veneer of the criminal underworld and jumps head-first into it after making enough money to purchase a garish Hummer. Although Daniel’s oblivious to the gravity of the criminal underworld. Mike isn’t, and he reinforces this to Daniel after the pharmacist hires him as his bodyguard. Mike attempts to steer Daniel away from a life of crime because he knows how it ends for its players. While it is unclear what becomes of Daniel post-Breaking Bad, Mike’s warnings against a life of crime reinforce the father-figure role he plays to some of the franchise’s young men.

6 Breaking Bad: Standing Up To Walter

This reinforces that Mike is a man of principle whereas Walter is a man of greed

In Breaking Bad‘s season 5’s “Say My Name,” Mike meets his unceremonious demise via gunshot from none other than Walt, and the moment serves as one of the saddest deaths in Breaking Bad. Before Mike’s death, he was one of the few characters in the Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul universe who stood up to Walt’s bullying, thus making himself one of the narcissist’s least favorite people. However, Mike standing up to Walt makes him one of the best characters in Breaking Bad because he’s able to do what Jesse can’t due to the nature of their toxic, yet necessary, relationship.

The episode highlights Mike’s proclivities for doing what is right on behalf of other people much weaker than himself, despite his criminal dealings. Additionally, Mike perpetually standing up to Walt once he figures out his character exemplifies Mike’s principled nature while putting a spotlight on Walt’s greedy and egotistical personality. Mike standing up to Walt has a profound effect on Jesse, as it helps give him the courage to defend himself against Walt’s bullying and even helps him commit to changing his life. Even though Mike standing up to Walt eventually becomes his undoing, seeing Walt get told the truth about himself more than makes up for it.

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5 Better Call Saul: Surrogate Father To Nacho

Mike tries to redeem his failure as a father to Matty

Mike’s relationship with career criminal Nacho Varga stands as one of the best pairings in TV history because it uniquely highlights Mike’s role as a fatherly figure once again. Although Mike’s son followed in his footsteps, thus leading to his death, Mike still carries on in life and helps others however he can. In the case of Nacho, Mike slowly yet surely develops a closer relationship, thus gaining the younger man’s trust. Their trust extends to the two of them devising plans to take down both Gus and the ruthless Salamanca family, while also securing safe passage for themselves and their families.

While this doesn’t work out quite the way either of them expects, Mike’s willingness to go out of his way for Nacho reinforces his surrogate father role to Jesse in Breaking Bad while simultaneously making Mike more endearing than before. Once Mike learns that Nacho is involved in organized crime as a means of supporting his father, he does everything in his power to help him. Even though Nacho’s death is one of the most shocking deaths in Better Call Saul, Mike’s commitment to keeping Nacho’s father safe for as long as he’s alive displays a loyalty rarely seen in the drug game, and it serves as Mike’s best trait.

4 Breaking Bad: Surrogate Father To Jesse

Mike helps Jesse realize his true potential

When Mike meets Jesse in Breaking Bad, he immediately develops a soft spot for him in his unique way. His compassion for Jesse grows after he witnesses firsthand how Walt abuses and mistreats Jesse, thus resulting in Mike looking out for Jesse’s future and well-being. Although Gus attempts to leverage Mike and Jesse’s relationship as a way to undermine Walt even further, their time spent together eventually develops into the men sharing a sincere respect for each other. While Mike sees an opportunity to steer a young man away from crime, it also helps give Jesse the confidence to improve his life.

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One of the strongest examples of Mike genuinely caring for Jesse occurs in Breaking Bad when he goes out of his way to help Jesse properly dispose of Jane’s remains after her fatal drug overdose. The scene is one of Mike’s earliest interactions with Jesse, and even though he’s terse with Jesse, it helps get him to a functioning state once again. Mike’s impact on Jesse is so profound that Jesse remembers him fondly in El Camino. Furthermore, Mike’s compassion and empathy directly affect Jesse’s ability to make it out of the criminal underworld alive, thus making him one of the few to so do.

3 Better Call Saul: Mike Rescues Saul

Despite their differences, Mike maintains his loyalty

Mike and Saul’s relationship is one of the franchise’s more tumultuous, as Mike is incredibly austere and somewhat aloof, and Saul’s a perpetual talker who constantly tries to one-up everyone he dislikes. However, the effectiveness of their partnership results in some of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul‘s finer moments, such as Mike introducing Walt and Jesse to Gus, and Walt saving Saul’s life in the season 5 episode, “Bagman.” While Mike’s Marine Corps past is alluded to on occasion, the episode sees Mike put his sniper skills to the test in a bold display of his efficiency and loyalty.

Moreover, the significance of Mike saving Saul’s life is that it strongly reinforces his commitment to his family. While the two men lug Lalo Salamanca’s $7 million through the hot desert, Saul elects to give in to the ruthlessness of their circumstances, but Mike delivers a pep talk that not only inspires Saul to keep moving, it perfectly sums up what he’s all about. Furthermore, Mike coaches Saul through his PTSD in the following episode, “Bad Choice Road,” by telling him that he’ll eventually process his emotions and move forward. Even with characters he’s not particularly fond of, Mike demonstrates compassion in their greatest time of need.

2 Breaking Bad: Mike’s Death

Mike’s death perfectly showed how low Walter would sink to be right

After everything Mike endures because of Walt’s ego and Jesse’s inability to stand up to Walt, Mike lashes out at the meth dealer in a way that is not only satisfying but indicative of Walt’s poor character. In addition to Mike’s loyalty and honor, he’s also an incredibly patient man, so seeing him lose his temper with Walt after Gus’s death hits hard. During their heated exchange, Mike eventually tells Walter he doesn’t want to see him again, thus resulting in Walt shooting him. When Walt catches up to the dying Mike, he attempts to apologize, but Mike shuts Walt down by telling him to let him die in peace.

What makes the death even sadder is the fact that it’s the least expected way for Mike to meet his end. He survived brushes with dangerous cartels, trained military personnel, and sociopaths, but the thing that gets him in the end is a bullet from a former high school chemistry teacher. Mike’s death is as sobering as it is sad, and it perfectly encapsulates Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul‘s depictions of life’s unexpected moments and the erratic nature of a life of crime. Once Jesse learns of Mike’s death, it becomes the last straw for the character, thus motivating him to leave the criminal life, and making it somewhat of a heroic sacrifice.

1 Better Call Saul: Mike’s Heartfelt Story About Matty

Perfectly shows audiences how Mike became the way he is

The sixth episode of Better Call Saul‘s first season sees Mike tell Stacey the truth regarding the death of his son/her husband, Matt “Matty” Ehrmantraut. In the flashback, viewers learn that Mike was a member of the Philadelphia Police Department, and despite knowing better, eventually participated in corrupt activities while on the force. When Matt decided to become a police officer as well, he initially committed to upholding the law instead of participating in corruption. However, under constant pressure from his colleagues and Mike’s advice, Matt eventually started doing the same thing. Still, he was killed anyway.

Mike continues the story by revealing he sought Matt’s former partners who murdered him, killed them, and then traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico for a fresh start. Mike’s revelation is powerful because it shows audiences why he is so staunchly committed to his code of ethics as seen throughout both series, and it gives the otherwise deadpan hitman way more character and depth than expected. Mike breaking down as he proclaims he convinced his son to debase himself before being murdered hits hard, but it also shows audiences how Mike became the way he is, and it reigns as his best moment in the Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul universe.