10 Most Gruesome Breaking Bad Deaths

Breaking Bad will easily go down as one of the greatest television series of the Peak TV era, cementing its legacy many times over thanks to a second life through streaming and the prequel series Better Call Saul. Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul captivated audiences as Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, a cancer-stricken former science teacher and his former student who build a meth empire in an RV out in the New Mexico desert. It spirals out of control from that point, with buckets of blood spilled due to Walt’s actions as a result of his descent into the abyss. Countless outlets have labeled it the greatest series in the past 30 years and it is hard to argue with that notion.

One reason the series resonates with fans is that it doesn’t shy away from showing the dark, uncomfortable side of Walt’s crimes, including how they infect those in his orbit. Countless deaths are peppered throughout the series, with some in gruesome fashion. And when we say gruesome, we mean the Oxford definition that defines gruesome acts as those “causing repulsion or horror.” You could also call it “extremely unpleasant,” which fully covers a ton of what we see in Breaking Bad.

But which deaths were most gruesome? Which deaths stick with the audience or draw out emotions you didn’t expect in the moment? Looking back, we’ve taken the spotlight to ten of the most gruesome, shocking, heartbreaking deaths in Breaking Bad. We’ve left Better Call Saul for another day, but go forth knowing there are plenty of characters dropping dead in that series as well. Scroll down to go through the 10 most gruesome deaths in Breaking Bad.

1) Donald Margolis

The first death technically happens off-screen in Season 3, but the reason it is gruesome is due to what precedes it. Played by John de Lancie of Star Trek: The Next Generation fame, Margolis kills himself off-screen after being held responsible for the crash of Wayfarer 515 and the 167 passengers who die in the skies over Albuquerque. One victim’s legs landed in a person’s front yard, while other debris spread across the city. Pretty gruesome on all fronts.

2) Victor

The second person to die for potentially replacing Walt as the main cook for Gus Fring’s operation, Victor’s ending is a bit messier than Gale Boetticher’s at the end of Season 3. After showing Walt and Jesse that he knows their process and the steps they take in the lab, Gus arrives and ruthlessly slits his throat with a box cutter for stepping out of line and for being spotted at Boetticher’s murder scene. No loose ends in the Breaking Bad universe.

3) Gustavo ‘Gus’ Fring

The kingpin of the fast food chicken game meets his end after consolidating his drug empire and murdering the entire cartel. Gustavo “Gun” Fring seemed untouchable throughout the series, but Walt got the last laugh against his former boss/nemesis by blowing him to bits with help from Hector Salamanca. The explosion is a shock and a great moment, but the aftermath is very gruesome. Salamanca is vaporized, it seems. Gus’s bodyguard is splattered on a ceiling fan. And Gus, he manages to walk out of the room, straightens his tie, and then reveals that half of his face is missing before collapsing.

4) Jane Margolis

Poor Jane’s death is gruesome because it is avoidable, tragic, and drawn out to an uncomfortable extent. If Walter White had blasted her with a gun or sold her out to the cartel, you could see it as an honorable mention. But his decision to just watch as she chokes on her vomit and struggles to breathe is just unsettling. It’s a dastardly act and hard to watch, especially on a re-watch, because you know what’s coming and still can’t get out of the way.

[RELATED – 7 Must-See Shows If You Loved Breaking Bad]

5) Tortuga

Danny Trejo’s appearance as Tortuga is more of a cameo for the veteran actor, but his end is the epitome of gruesome. After meeting with the DEA and agreeing to cooperate against the Cartel, Tortuga heads out to a bar where he is given a tortoise as a gift by his boss, in honor of his name. After he walks to the back, his boss reveals “Hola DEA” written on the tortoise’s shell. The shock gives him pause and he reaches for his gun, but the Salamanca twins dispatch him by chopping off his head. They then leave a surprise for the DEA by stuffing C4 into the skull, placing it on the tortoise, and then leaving the trap.

6) Andrea Cantillo

Much like Jane, Andrea’s demise is a major blow to Jesse. It coldly represents the nightmare he has entered by the end of the series. Creepy Todd Alquist, played by Jesse Plemons, is sent to kill Andrea after Jesse tries to escape his Uncle Jack’s Neo-Nazi compound after refusing to cook meth with him. He lures the former love of Jesse out to the front porch at her home, with Jesse forced to watch from a nearby car, and blasts her in the head with a silenced pistol. No blood, no gore, but the cries of Jesse and the callous murder are enough for this list.

7) Mike’s Prison Associates

After Gus Fring is taken down and Walt kills former partner Mike Ehrmantraut, the late enforcer’s prison associates are put on the chopping block to remove any connection to Walt. A violent montage follows, where men are stabbed, beaten, and left for dead in prison, all at the behest of Walt and his meth empire. The final kill is Dennis Markowski, his only real crime being in ownership of the laundry where Gus kept his meth lab. He is burned in his cell after being doused with rubbing alcohol.

8) Peter Schuler

Another piece of the fallout from Gun Fring’s death is Peter Schuler, the fast food head at Madrigal Electromotive and a close associate of Fring. Fans of the show likely remember his introduction due to his blank look while dipping tater tots into a selection of test dips, like Kranch! Once the DEA starts sniffing and German authorities come knocking, he heads to a bathroom, locks the door, and electrocutes himself with an automatic defibrillator. It’s such an unnerving segment, and his lack of emotion, even right before his death, plays up this fact.

9) Krazy-8

A rival drug dealer who recognizes Walt and his connection to the DEA through Hank Schrader, Krazy-8 and his associate Emilio confront Walt at his RV and ends up fighting for his life. After luring them into the RV and trying to kill them with gas, Jesse and Walt take the surviving Krazy-8 to Jesse’s home, tying him to a pole in the basement using a bike chain. Walt eventually strangles him after revealing he knows his real name, but the most gruesome part comes in the aftermath. To clean up the bodies, Jesse is put on disposal duty for both men and melts Emilio with hydrofluoric acid in his bathtub. This is a mistake because the acid eats through the tub, too, and sends the slurry of the body all over his floor.

10) Todd Alquist

Not all gruesome ends are unwelcome in the world of Breaking Bad. Todd Alquist quickly punched his ticket after shooting young Drew Sharp after he witnessed Walt and his gang’s train heist. He’s also responsible, directly, for other deaths in this list. Seeing him choked by Jesse to end the show, fighting for his breath until he’s gone, might be the most satisfying TV death in recent memory. Good riddance.

Do you agree with our list? Have your own thoughts on the deaths that are missing? Let us know in the comments.