History Characters / BreakingBadWalterWhite

*** In "Down", Walt is so wrapped up in his drama with Skyler that he ignores Jesse's plight and degrades him. More specifically, Jesse is evicted from his house, none of his friends can take him in, his money and his bike get stolen, he falls into a porta potty, and his force to sleep in and later steal the RV. When Jesse comes to Walt's house with the RV at the very end of his role, Walt becomes even more vicious in verbal abuse to Jesse until Jesse finally snaps, knocks Walt to the ground and almost strangles him to death. When Jesse backs off, Walt finally realizes he pushed Jesse too far and coughs up have of their remain money to Jesse.
*** In "Mandala", when Jesse's friend Combo is murdered, Walt strait up asks Jesse which one was Combo. Jesse is predicably not amused. Walt shows no concern when Jesse is clearly spiraling for the rest of the episode.

** A ''major'' one in "Say My Name". When Jesse tells him that [[spoiler:he wants out of the meth business, Walt tries to get him to stay. When Jesse insists on leaving, Walt starts belittling him by essentially telling him that he has nothing else of value in his life outside of cooking meth, and proclaiming that nobody outside of the business cares for his well-being. Walt then proceeds to twist the knife even further by attempting to use Jesse's murder of Gale in order to convince him that he's just as morally bankrupt as he is.]]
** In "Ozymandias", [[spoiler:just before Jack's crew takes Jesse to interrogate him on what he told Hank and Gomez, Walt tells Jesse that he let Jane die, just to spite him.]]
** Walter has shown that he cares about Skyler and Jesse but he is frequently an asshole to them and becomes downright abusive in the final season.

** Much of his character is loosely based on [[Characters/TheSopranosTonySoprano Tony Soprano]] from ''Series/TheSopranos''. According to both [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/james-gandolfini-death-vince-gilligan-574556/ Vince Gilligan]] and [[https://twitter.com/BryanCranston/status/347735374602321921 Bryan Cranston]]: "Without Tony Soprano, there would be no Walter White.

** Much of his character is loosely based on [[Characters/TheSopranosTonySoprano Tony Soprano]] from ''Series/TheSopranos''. According to both [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/james-gandolfini-death-vince-gilligan-574556/ Gilligan]] and [[https://twitter.com/BryanCranston/status/347735374602321921 Bryan Cranston]]: "Without Tony Soprano, there would be no Walter White.

* {{Expy}}: [[invoked]] [[WordOfGod Vince Gilligan]] has described his goal with Walter White as turning [[Literature/GoodbyeMrChips Mr. Chips]] into [[Film/Scarface1983 Scarface]].

* BadLiar: He turns into a sheet of cellophane whenever Skyler's around. [[spoiler:And to Walt Jr. after "Ozymandias". Eventually he's even this to Jesse after ''Blood Money''.]]

* AmbiguouslyEvil: There's no doubt that Walt isn't a moral person -- he cooks crystal meth. However, his reasons for doing so are understandable (he is in a terrible financial condition and he is dying of cancer), and the real question is whether his intentions are noble or not. Early on, it's clear he wants his family to have a stable financial future after he dies, but as time goes on it becomes more apparent that part of the reason why he's making drugs is to get revenge on the society that treated him like dirt for years. His questionable morality serves as a crux for the plot of the story. [[spoiler:In the end, he claims that he was really doing everything for himself, though he at least tries to redeem himself in the last episode. However, he is still completely unapologetic about his sins and makes it quite clear he would do it all over again if given the chance.]]

--->'''Walt''': '''WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!? WE'RE A FAMILY!!'''[[note]]He screams at Skyler after she pulled a knife on him for thinking he killed Hank and escaped[[/note]] [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone We're a family...]]

** Almost everything bad that happens in the series is due to Walt not being satisfied with Jesse's small-time operation and wishing to partner up with a major distributor. Had he listened to Jesse's suggestion and never got tangled up in the cartel, he would still have made more than his goal [[note]]He wanted $737,000. His share from the drug operation was $1,300 a day, which would have netted him $949,000 in two years, more than enough to pay for his cancer treatment and leave behind for his family[[/note]] without having to go through all the trauma, for both himself and those around him.

* AllForNothing: In "Buyout", Walt refuses to sell his share of the methylamine and exit the meth trade for 5 million dollars, the reason being that if he sells out, he'll miss out on the tens of millions he could earn with the methylamine. Walt ultimately exits the trade after earning 80 million dollars, but [[spoiler:in "Ozymandias", Jack Welker takes 70 million dollars of Walt's money and Walt never gets it back, leaving him with only twice of what he would have made had sold the methylamine, and even then, it gets reduced down even farther when Walt can only get it to his family by forcing Gretchen and Elliott to set up a trust fund for his children. And less you think an extra 4.5 million would make it worth, Jack also kills Walt's beloved brother-in-law Hank, irrevocably tearing apart the family Walt claimed to want the best for]]. Had Walt taken the deal, he still would have earned five times what his family needed and [[spoiler:Hank would still be alive]].

** Walt invents "Heisenberg", his criminal alter ego, as both a convenient pseudonym and a coping mechanism. As time goes on and his behavior becomes more flagrantly amoral, it begins to seem as though there may not really be a difference between the two, and maybe there never was.

* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: His whole arc. His first murder, of Krazy-8, leaves him in BrokenTears and he's visibly devastated. By the end of Season 3... not so much.

* VillainProtagonist: His actions have gradually become more extreme and immoral as his greed and pride increasingly influence his behavior, pushing the limit on how far he can go before he stops being a sympathetic AntiHero. Come Season 5, he has finally transitioned to full villain status, [[spoiler:murdering several people to secure his own safety, continuing to cook even though he has more money than he ever needed, and stating outright that with his family life in ruins, his goal now is to build a drug empire. Dials back ''slightly'' in the second half of the season when he finally gets out of the business for good and makes it clear that he still loves his family, but it may be too little too late in-universe by this point. By the end, he flat out admits that everything he did was all for himself, and while he admits this to his wife and is finally honest to her and himself, he is still completely unapologetic.]]
* VillainsDyingGrace: As is obvious from the other tropes, Walt swings back and forth between being a hero, villain, and everything in between. However, by his death, he has alienated Flynn and Skyler most of all and emotionally destroyed them. They both make it clear that he can't be forgiven for that - but he finally admits to Skyler the last time he sees her that he acted selfishly. Plot-wise, Skyler shows obvious relief and gratitude when he, on a bugged phone line, silently forgives her for turning on him, fully implicates himself, and frees her as much as he can so that she may still raise Flynn and Holly.
* VillainsOutShopping: During his first encounter with Gale, the two get along well by reproducing Gale's coffee and playing chess, stuff that has nothing to do with cooking meth.
* VillainousParentalInstinct: By the end of the series, Walt [[spoiler:has let Jane die and poisoned Brock.]] He's devastated when his son Flynn turns on him, though. While he briefly kidnaps his baby daughter Holly, he returns her to Skyler when she asks for her mother. His last act is ensuring that Gretchen and Elliot set up a fund for Flynn, even though it means going back on his pride, which was the big FatalFlaw that resulted in him getting into the drug trade in the first place.

** In the second half of season 5, [[spoiler:Walt ties up his loose ends and finally admits the truth to Skyler. Most notably is that he never truly apologizes to anyone, in the end, only giving a brutally honest admission of his motives.]]

* HateSink: Finally becomes this for the majority of Season 5 after fully embracing his Heisenberg persona. He proceeds to KickTheDog several times per episode, [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist loses any semblance of whatever good intentions he used to have]], and behaves like even more of a smug, manipulative, and abusive asshole than before. It gets to the point that the characters around him start to actively plot against him, viewing him as callous and narcissistic. [[spoiler:Subverted in Season 5B were he leaves the drug business, returns to being an {{AntiVillain}} when up against Hank and Jesse. In the final two episodes of the series, he becomes a dark version of TheAtoner.]]

** Of the InsufferableGenius: Make no mistake, Walt is brilliant... at chemistry, engineering, and IndyPloy schemes. At everything else, he's totally inept. He has no social skills, no sense of patience, limited combat abilities, and absolutely zero desire to get along with anyone on his road to becoming kingpin. While Walt is brilliant, he is a huge liability to Gus's operation, and the two of them clash multiple times. If Walt could rein in his ego he and Gus would probably be unstoppable, but since Walt wants to be the one on top, he ends up causing a huge amount of problems for the cast.

** In spite of all this, Walt seems to genuinely shift and bring his standards back to more human ones following [[spoiler:Hank's death.]] Walt didn't kill him, but he is arguably responsible for his death, and in the moment when someone from his family was physically harmed, he finally realizes the material results of his actions. Throughout the next three episodes, he finally drops the pretence and is more honest with himself and others.

** In a flashback during [[Recap/BetterCallSaulS6E13SaulGone "Saul Gone"]], Walt launches into a long, angry rant about the scientific impossibility of time travel when Saul asks what he would do with a time machine. While it's true Walter was likely stressed and depressed about his life being permanently ruined, Saul was clearly just making a cheeky lead-in to a hypothetical conversation about regrets, and Walt couldn't even let Saul have that without first lording his superior intellect.

* JekyllAndHyde: The difference between Walter White and Heisenberg is pretty much night and day and the entire theme of the series is Walt turning into Heisenberg.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Late in season 2, Walter refuses to give Jesse his share of the cut after completing a massive deal. Walt's primary motivation is likely greed and manipulation, keeping Jesse dependent on him, but it's true that Jesse has a massive drug addiction. That same addiction almost screws Walt from completing the very same deal. Walt even makes a point of saying that if he gets clean, he can get his share.

* HateSink: Finally becomes this for the majority of Season 5 after fully embracing his Heisenberg persona. He proceeds to KickTheDog several times per episode, [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist loses any semblance of whatever good intentions he used to have]], and behaves like even more of a smug, manipulative, and abusive asshole than before. It gets to the point that the characters around him start to actively plot against him, viewing him as callous and narcissistic. [[spoiler:Subverted in the final two episodes of the series where he becomes a dark version of TheAtoner.]]

->''"Doctor, my wife is seven months pregnant with a baby we didn't intend. My fifteen-year old son has cerebral palsy. I am an extremely overqualified high school chemistry teacher. When I can work, I make $43,700 per year. I have watched all of my colleagues and friends surpass me in every way imaginable. And within eighteen months, I will be dead. And you ask why I ran?"''

Walter White is a highly-intelligent yet underachieving high school chemistry teacher living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. When he is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer on his fiftieth birthday, Walt begins to worry what will happen to his family with his death now imminent and the treatments to keep him alive being very expensive.

* AllForNothing: In "Buyout" Walt refuses to sell his share of the methylamine and exit the meth trade for 5 million dollars, the reason being that if he sells out, he'll miss out on the tens of millions he could earn with the methylamine. Walt ultimately exits the trade after earning 80 million dollars, but [[spoiler:in "Ozymandias" Jack Welker takes 70 million dollars of Walt's money and Walt never gets it back, leaving him with only twice of what he would have made had sold the methylamine, and even then, it gets reduced down even farther when Walt can only get it to his family by forcing Gretchen and Elliott to set up a trust fund. And less you think an extra 4.5 million would make it worth, Jack also kills Walt's beloved brother-in-law Hank, irrevocably tearing apart the family Walt claimed to want the best for]]. Had Walt taken the deal, he still would have earned five times what his family needed and [[spoiler:Hank would still be alive]].

* AlliterativeName: In a famous scene, after reading Gale's notebook, Hank asks Walt who could Gale be referring to when he writes '''W.W.''' and jokingly says "Woodrow Wilson? Willy Wonka? Walter White?"

* AmbiguouslyEvil: There's no doubting that Walt isn't a moral person -- he cooks crystal meth. However, his reasons for doing so are understandable (he is in a terrible financial condition and he is dying of cancer), and the real question is whether his intentions are noble or not. Early on, it's clear he wants his family to have a stable financial future after he dies, but as time goes on it becomes more apparent that part of the reason why he's making drugs is to get revenge on the society that treated him like dirt for years. His questionable morality serves as a crux for the plot of the story. [[spoiler:In the end, he claims that he was really doing everything for himself, though he at least tries to redeem himself in the last episode. However, he is still completely unapologetic about his sins and makes it quite clear he would do it all over again if given the chance.]]

** He's also the victim of one in ''To'hajiilee''. [[spoiler:Jesse fools Walt into thinking he has found his barrels of money in the desert and is burning it. Panic-stricken, Walt leads Jesse and Hank straight to it. Just for good measure, Jesse also goads him into admitting to the many crimes he has committed, all recorded by Hank.]]

* BerserkButton: Attacking his {{Pride}} in any way is probably the most dangerous thing you can do, as [[spoiler:Mike]] found out. In ''Granite State'', [[spoiler:the Schwartzes bring Walt back from the very edge of the DespairEventHorizon from thousands of miles away simply by unintentionally smashing down ''hard'' on his BerserkButton regarding his role in Gray Matter]].

* ChronicVillainy: No matter how many times he's in danger, he would go back to his meth business just because he can. [[spoiler:He gives up his drug business after ''Gliding Over All,'' only to have Hank discover that he is Heisenberg, forcing him to go back into his criminal ways.]]

** When Skyler confronts him on his odd behavior, he tells her he's buying pot from Jesse.

** Also in ''Salud'' to Walt Jr. -- to explain his injuries, he lies that he's back into gambling.
* ConsummateLiar: Walter lies to everyone, including himself.

* SarcasticConfession: To Hank, twice - first in the season 3 premiere, the second time when Hank stumbles on [[spoiler:Gale Boetticher's notes, with a dedication to a "W.W.". It bites him in the ass in ''Gliding Over All''.]]

* ShouldntYouStopStealing: As early as the first season, Walt forsakes an opportunity to cover his cancer treatment legitimately and get a well paying job [[DontYouDarePityMe simply because he feels he was offered the job out of pity]]. And eventually, both Skyler and Jesse call him out on this, as he doesn't stop selling meth even after making more money than his family can safely launder (let alone spend) in a lifetime. [[spoiler:In ''Gliding Over All'', Walt finally listens to Skyler and plans to leave the meth business for good, only for Hank to discover his secret soon afterwords.]]

** He keeps an eye that came off the teddy bear from the plane crash in ABQ. It represented his morality and his regrets about what he was doing.

*** Additionally, his grieving pose in ''Ozymandias'' (lying face-first on the ground, beaten and humiliated) mirrors that of Gus when Max was killed.

* UnderestimatingBadassery: What he doesn't seem to realize himself at first, because of his ego and arrogance, is that his enemies have a tendency to underestimate how dangerous Walt really can be when he has to. This usually gives him an advantage to plot against them.
** He also seems to deliberately invoke this in ''Felina'', as his appearance and cough make him seem anything but dangerous, [[spoiler: to make Lydia and Jack plot to have him killed because they think he has nothing to protect himself with. They forget that he also has nothing left to lose.]]

** Saul has his own issues, wanting money and his brother's version of love again, it doesn't change the fact that Walt repeatedly dismisses him as a "two-bit lawyer", even though Saul has been consistently and insanely useful to Walt throughout the series. Walter White literally thanks the guy ''once'', in the whole show.

** Jesse also lampshades the "luck" bit when [[spoiler: trying to convince Hank and Gomez not to pursue him, as they ultimately decide to strike first by luring Walt with his money. Even ''that'' ends up backfiring against them, Walt, pissed off at Jesse, sics the Neo-Nazis after him (while not realising that he has allied with Hank and Gomez) and while the trio ''do'' successfully arrest him, he is immediately bailed out by Jack as they kill Hank and Gomez (the outcome Walt '''''least''''' wanted to happen), resulting which his family turn against him and his identity gets exposed.]]
* UnPerson: On the verge of becoming one in ''Granite State'': [[spoiler: his legal identity is erased, his character as a father and husband is denied, his contribution as a scientist in Gray Matter is discredited, and his reputation as the legendary Heisenberg is steadily diminished as his signature blue meth remains on the market despite his disappearance.]] This is what drives his actions in the finale. The tagline of the final season says it best: ''Remember My Name''.
* TheUnreveal: Why Walt has to work as a teacher at the start of the show is never addressed. He's shown having multiple lab jobs after leaving Gray Matters, one of which was well-paying enough that he considered buying a bigger house. What exactly happened since then to bar him from chemist jobs is left unclear.
* UnscrupulousHero: In [[spoiler:''Felina''. [[HeelRealization Having accepted]] that everything is his fault, Walt salvages anything that hasn't yet been destroyed. He ensures a hefty inheritance for his family and that Hank and Gomez's bodies are found. He avenges Hank by killing the Neo-Nazis and rescues Jesse before giving him the chance to kill him. Finally, he clears his family off any charges for good, or at the very least, puts them in good legal standing.]]

** He lets Jane die when he could have saved her, which quickly snowballs into a mid-air collision in ''ABQ''.
** Walt also tells Jack about [[spoiler:Jesse's relationship with Andrea and Brock. This leads to Todd killing Andrea in the Penultimate Episode.]]
* VictoryIsBoring: In ''Gliding Over All'', everybody who could pose a threat to Walt is dead and that combined with the meth business feeling like a 9-5 job, prompts him to finally leave the meth business [[spoiler:until Hank discovers his dark secret.]]

** Epically a mix of this and HeroicBSOD at the end of ''Crawl Space,'' when he fears his family has no way out of being murdered by Gus Fring's henchman, which also stresses his descent into total moral bankruptcy.

** Right before ''Ozymandias'', ''To'hajiilee'' sees Walt set up by [[spoiler:Jesse and Hank]] with a ruse to threaten his money, which results in Walt furiously ranting to [[spoiler:Jesse]] about how he earned all of that money and everything he did for it -- [[spoiler:the entire rant was recorded by Hank for the purpose of busting Walt]]. The last third of ''To'hajiilee'' through ''Ozymandias'' is one long breakdown for Walt.
* VillainProtagonist: His actions have gradually become more extreme and amoral as his greed and pride increasingly influence his behavior, pushing the limit on how far he can go before he stops being a sympathetic AntiHero. Come Season 5 he has finally transitioned to full villain status, [[spoiler:murdering several people to secure his own safety, continuing to cook even though he has more money than he ever needed, and stating outright that with his family life in ruins, his goal now is to build a drug empire. Dials back ''slightly'' in the second half of the season when he finally gets out of the business for good and makes it clear that he still loves his family, but it may be too little too late in-universe by this point. By the end, he flat out states that everything he did was all for himself, and while he admits this to his wife and is finally honest to her and himself, he is still completely unapologetic.]]

* VillainousParentalInstinct: By the end of the series, Walt [[spoiler:has let Jane die and poisoned Brock.]] He's devastated when his son Flynn turns on him, though. While he briefly kidnaps his baby daughter Holly, he returns her to Skyler when she asks for her mother. His last act is ensuring that Gretchen and Elliot set up a fund for Flynn, even though it means going back on his pride, which was his FatalFlaw all along and resulted in him getting into the drug trade.

** [[spoiler: This makes the rather tragic contrast in a {{Jerkass Woobie}} way of the few times he was a positive example of this. He really ''did'' intend to properly retire from the drug trade in ''Gliding Over All'', as shown when he rebuffs Lydia in the very next episode. And in ''Ozymandias'', he tried his hardest to save Hank, even with Hank arresting him, by being willing to give up 80 million. He not only fails at saving him but his family believes he meant to get him killed.]]
* WhenItAllBegan: [[spoiler:Walter's life as Heisenberg begins on his 50th birthday, the day Hank offered to take him on a ride-along for a meth bust, and ends on his 52nd.]]

* WhyCouldntYouBeDifferent: The flipside of him increasingly viewing and treating Jesse [[LikeASonToMe like a son]], is that he has somewhat of this trope going on towards Flynn. While Walt does love Flynn, it is also clear that he at the same time he at least subconciously views him as somewhat of a disappointment, being especially frustrated by his son's independent streak, which his lowkey irritation of him rejecting his birthname name of "Walter Junior" and some incidents, such as his dogged insistence that Flynn drives a car "the right way" rather than a way that allows him to compensate for his handicap, bears witness to. In a nutshell, it is frequently implied that the main reason why he favoritizes Jesse, is because of Jesse's whole WellDoneSonGuy complex, which makes more him more obedient and dependent towards Walt and allows Walt to act as a more "traditional" father figure, a relationship which he cannot have with his more strong-willed and free-spirited biological son.

* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: In the earlier seasons, it seems like his meth cooking and increasingly aggressive behavior is his way to get even with a world that had always treated him like dirt. Even after all the terrible things he's done, it's hard not to feel sorry for him in "Granite State" [[spoiler:when he has to go into hiding in complete solitude, pays someone 10 grand to be his friend for just an hour, and has his son yell at him that he needs to just die.]]

* BadLiar: He turns into a sheet of cellophane whenever Skyler's around. [[spoiler:And to Walt Jr. after ''Ozymandias''. Eventually he's even this to Jesse after ''Blood Money''.]]

* EvilIsHammy: He deliberately [[InvokedTrope invokes]] this in his phone call with Skyler in ''Ozymandias''. [[spoiler: Knowing that the police are listening to their conversation, Walt puts on a harsher tone when talking to Skyler in order to make her look like an innocent victim of a dangerous husband to the police so she can get off the hook]].

** {{Inverted|trope}} after the events in [[spoiler: ''Ozymandias'' where he loses ''everything'' - his empire, his money, and his family's love. He is forced to leave the state under a fake ID and live alone in a cabin in the middle of nowhere for half a year.]]

* HatedByAll: Achieves this at the end of ''Ozymandias,'' [[spoiler:after Skyler attacks him with a knife, thinking he killed Hank (which he indirectly did), Flynn calls the cops on him, and he flees with Holly. After that, the entire world learns who he is, he becomes the most wanted man in America, and when he returns home after his exile in New Hampshire, his mere presence is enough to scare the living shit out of anyone who recognizes him. Even the infant Holly seemed to want nothing to do with him, which is what prompted him to return her, and use Saul's identity eraser. His deliberately psychotic sounding tapped phone conversation with Skyler certainly didn't help him either. By the end of "Felina", the only characters who have even the slightest amount of respect for him are Skyler (for finally admitting to her that he did it all for himself), and Jesse (for freeing him from Todd and Jack, and eliminating Lydia to fully free him from the meth business).]]
* HateSink: Finally becomes this for the majority of Season 5 after fully embracing his Heisenberg role. He proceeds to KickTheDog several times per episode, [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist loses any semblance of good intentions]], and behaves like even more of a smug, manipulative, and abusive asshole than before. It gets to the point that the characters around him start to actively plot against him, viewing him as callous and narcissistic. [[spoiler:Subverted in the final two episodes of the season where he becomes a dark version of TheAtoner.]]

** [[spoiler:And finally, after lying relentlessly to himself as well as his family, pretending that everything that he did he did for his family, he finally, calmly acknowledges the truth in "Felina". It's [[DownplayedTroped downplayed]] though, since he never really seems to acknowledge that he's a bad person.]]

* TheHeroDies: [[spoiler:His fate in the final episode. Although the machine gun in his car mows down the neo-Nazis, he is hit as well and dies soon afterward. However, he was likely planning to die soon regardless.]]
* HiddenVillain: To Hank. [[spoiler:Until ''Gliding Over All''.]]
* HisOwnWorstEnemy: Many of Walt's problems and all of his failures in his life are because of Walt himself, who keeps sabotaging himself due to his pride. He blew up his chance to become rich and respected legally by leaving Grey Matter just because of him having an inferiority complex about Gretchen and her wealth, later refuses legal ways to fund his cancer treatment, and convinces Hank that Gale couldn't have been Heisenberg all because he can't stand the idea of relying on others' generosity or letting others taking credit for his work.
* HonorBeforeReason: A rare example that is portrayed as unambiguously negative, a matter of {{pride}} more than honor. He refuses to accept money from former friends, despite the fact that it would solve pretty much all his problems because he is still bitter about their success with a company he left. This is given as the first evidence of Walt's petty, selfish nature and shows just how prideful he is.
** A more positive example would be Walt's relationship with Jesse. Despite the benefits of allowing Jesse to be killed, Walt goes out of his way several times to save him even though it endangers him. [[spoiler:Ultimately, it indirectly leads to the demise of Walt and Hank.]]
* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: [[spoiler: He briefly becomes the biggest meth distributor in the US, but it's quickly undermined by his lack of criminal experience and Hank finding out the truth. After the events of ''Ozymandias'', he has completely alienated himself from his family and Jesse, Jack has stolen almost all his money and legacy, and he spends half a year in isolation to avoid a nationwide man-hunt]].
* HumiliationConga: In the pilot, he teaches chemistry to apathetic high schoolers, works a menial job in which he is disrespected, forced to stay late on his birthday, and mocked by his students, his brother-in-law casually (and likely unintentionally) belittles him, and his wife can't even be bothered to take her eyes away from her laptop while giving him a half-hearted handjob as a "birthday present." Happy birthday, Walt.

* ICouldaBeenAContender: Walt left Gray Matter, the multi-billion dollar company he helped found, on less than amicable terms, selling his stock for 5000 dollars. Making up for the money he lost this way is a secondary motivation for the entire series. By Season 5, this goal becomes his primary motivation to keep cooking despite having more than enough money laundered to provide for his family.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Always this trope. He even wanted to have a calm discussion with Jesse, [[spoiler:once he found out, about how necessary it was to poison Brock.]]

** His reaction to being told that his life saving isn't enough to buy an RV? Tell Jesse to just negotiate the price and leave him alone with the money. It never occurs to him that Jesse can just take the money and spend it on himself, which is exactly what happens. Fortunately (or unfortunately, in hindsight) for both of them, Jesse just so happens to have a friend who can snatch a free RV for him once the money is spent.
** Walt's paranoia over Gus murdering him causes him to pick it up in ''Thirty Eight Snub''. First he just drives up to Gus' house with the intention of killing him and is shocked to receive a phone call from Tyrus telling him to go home. Later he tries to goad Mike into helping him kill Gus, ''his employer'', and doesn't really offer Mike anything in return, receiving a beatdown from Mike for his troubles.

** Although the biggest example of him picking this up is him not getting rid of Gale's "Leaves of Grass" and keeping it in places where anyone can access it, leading to [[spoiler:Hank finding it and connecting the pieces together, eventually resulting in his fall.]]

** Judging by his behavior at the very end of ''Face Off''. Completely outsmarting the most powerful drug dealer in the whole state can have that effect on you.
** Both played straight and subverted in season 5. [[spoiler:Walt is immediately remorseful after killing Mike, but he quickly begins to justify it as a necessary action to Todd and makes no effort to even acknowledge what he did, let alone apologize, when Jesse and Saul catch on to him.]] However, when Skyler later confronts him about all the money he's made through his drug empire (which is more than they'll ever be able to safely launder, let alone spend), Walt actually does take her words to heart and leaves the drug business [[spoiler:only being dragged back in due to Hank discovering his secret and Jesse turning against him.]]

* ImportantHaircut: Shaves his head as a sign of his acceptance of cancer and part of his new criminal persona. "Badass, dad!"

** He launches into a long, angry rant about the scientific impossibility of time travel when Saul asks what he would do with a time machine. While it's true Walter was likely stressed and depressed about his life being permanently ruined, Saul was clearly just making a cheeky lead-in to a hypothetical conversation about regrets, and Walt couldn't even let Saul have that without first lording his superior intellect.

* ItGetsEasier: He becomes much bolder after killing Krazy-8, which only escalates with every crime: throughout the series, his schemes get more and riskier and he gets more carefree about killing, til in one scene he is able to [[spoiler:causally sip coffee while several men are being brutally murdered in prison under his orders. It culminates with the killing of Mike, the first truly pointless crime Walt commits.]]

** It's indicated as early as in season 1, when he turns down a high-paying job with an offer of having his medical bills covered because of his refusal to work for a company he left before it was big, essentially putting himself before his family.

** In ''Felina'', [[spoiler:he admits to Skyler that this was his main motivation for cooking meth, as he was [[BecauseImGoodAtIt good at it]] and [[ItAmusedMe enjoyed it]].]] This marks one of the only times the admission of this trope has ever been portrayed sympathetically, as he is finally being honest with both his wife and, just as importantly, himself.
* IvyLeagueForEveryone: He has a [[https://filmschoolrejects.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Screenplay-Breaking_Bad-Pilot.pdf master's degree]] from the '''California Institute of Technology'''. This trope is actually deconstructed. While another show might just throw out that a character studied at Caltech or other Ivy equivalent to mark them as intelligent [[ShowDontTell regardless of how they act or what their actual job is]], in Walter's case the fact that he graduated from such a prestigious institution and did such great work only to end up as a [[TheEveryman secondary school teacher]] is nothing less than maddening. Not to mention humiliating.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Late in season 2, Walter refuses to give Jesse his share of the cut after completing a massive deal. Walt's primary motivation is likely greed and manipulation, keeping Jesse dependent on him, but it's true that Jesse has a massive drug addiction. That same addiction almost screws Walt from completing the very same deal. Walt even makes a point in saying that if he gets clean, he can get his share.

** He seems to have always had a ego problem and some {{informed kindness}}, but he still worked two jobs to support his family and his son talks of how he used to be very fondly.
** For how low he has sunken, he still cares for his family and tries to be a good family man to them. [[spoiler: After he has fallen, he still ensures his family gets the remainings of his wealth, and helps Skyler avoid prosecution for no other reason than that he didn't think she deserved to be dragged into this mess. He also finally admits his criminal actions were entirely self-serving]].
** In a very dark sense, he is this to Jesse. For all of his constant belittlement, manipulation, and abusive, jerkass behavior to Jesse, Walt does genuinely care about him. Several times throughout the series, Walt saves Jesse's life despite being a dick to him not too long before. [[spoiler:Even after Jesse almost burns his house, Walt tries his best to resolve the situation without harming Jesse. When he realizes he has no choice but to kill Jesse, Walt is visibly heartbroken.]]

* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: His whole arc. His first murder, of Krazy-8, leaves him in BrokenTears and he's visibly devastated. By the end of Season 3...not so much.

* KarmaHoudini: ZigZagged. Walter definitely got a ''lot'' of well-deserved LaserGuidedKarma, his family and reputation ruined, and eventually dying alone surrounded by his beloved Blue Sky. But he definitely escapes formal justice, and the script even puts it plainly:
-->They're too late. He got away.
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Before Season 5b, he suffers consequences but no real punishment for his crimes. But after [[spoiler: Hank attempts to arrest him, it goes all downhill. His son finds out about his crimes and soon after, his family wants nothing to do with him and he is forced to retreat to a cabin in the middle of nowhere for six months to hide from law enforcement. He finally returns to Albuquerque in the finale to set things right, and dies on his own terms after securing his family's future and taking down Jack's gang.]]
* KarmicNod: Implied. While Walt never verbally admits it, the first line of Music/{{Badfinger}}'s Baby Blue (which plays as [[spoiler: Walt bleeds to death from a gun shot wound]]) is "Guess I got what I deserved", indicating that Walt knows deep down that he had it coming.

** When Walt is worried that there may be hitmen in his house who want to kill him he manipulates an elderly neighbour into going inside so he can know if he is in danger, knowing full well that they could end up dead because of him.

** Saul tries to cut ties with him twice. Both times Walt responds by attempting to coerce him into continuing under the threat of physical violence.
** His clumsy, cowardly killing of [[spoiler:Mike who was no immediate threat to Walt, when Walt could have got the names from Lydia anyway.]]
** His last scene in ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' is set during "Granite State", and using his ex-lawyer as an emotional punching bag. Even though he's unaware he's repeating the worst parts of Jimmy's relationship with Chuck, he still tries to demean the guy as much as possible.

** After finding out [[spoiler:his cancer is in remission]], Walt goads Walter Jr. into drinking tequila shots until he vomits. Hardly the worst thing he does in the series, but the first time he does something cruel for absolutely no reason.
** A ''major'' one in ''Say My Name''. When Jesse tells him that [[spoiler:he wants out of the meth business, Walt tries to get him to stay. When Jesse insists on leaving, Walt starts belittling him by essentially telling him that he has nothing else of value in his life outside of cooking meth, and proclaiming that nobody outside of the business cares for his well-being. Walt then proceeds to twist the knife even further by attempting to use Jesse's murder of Gale in order to convince him that he's just as morally bankrupt as he is.]]
** In ''Ozymandias'', [[spoiler:just before Jack's crew takes Jesse to interrogate him on what he told Hank and Gomez, he tells Jesse that he let Jane die, just to spite him.]]

* KickTheSonOfABitch:
** His early victims, such as the boys picking on his son or the obnoxious man in the bank, keep him from seeming too bad.
** He tells Jesse to let Tuco bleed out and die of blood loss. Ruthless move for sure but Tuco is the man who kidnapped Walt and tried to force him to abandon his family.
** He kills the Rival Dealers, who had just recently [[WouldHurtAChild murdered Andrea's little brother]] in cold blood, by running one over with his car and shooting the other in the head.
** [[spoiler:In ''Felina'', he finally avenges Hank's death by killing Jack. He also poisons Lydia with [[YourDaysAreNumbered ricin]].]]

* LaughingMad: An epic instance at the end of ''Crawl Space''.

** [[spoiler:In ''Confessions'' Jesse finally comes to realize that Walt poisoned Brock and is having no more of his manipulation, vowing to take him down.]]
** [[spoiler:The entirety of ''Ozymandias''. Walter directly endangers a family member, getting Hank killed. He loses most of the money he earned to feed his ego and protect his family. He destroys the last ounce of trust his family had for him and gets into a physical altercation with Skyler and Walt Jr. He realizes that he's been deceiving himself about his motivations all along. And to cap it all off, he embraces the Heisenberg persona fully, so he can protect Skyler from being complicit in his crimes.]]

* {{Leitmotif}}: ''The Long Walk Alone'' (Heisenberg's Theme), which often plays when he is in full Heisenberg mode.

* LossOfInhibitions: Instead of turning Walt evil, the cancer diagnosis can be seen as the point where the fear of social and legal consequences slowly stop holding him back, emboldening Walt to pursue the success he believes he's owed, lashing out against those who wronged him in increasingly brutal ways and driving him further into the world of crime with each step.

* ManlyTears: During [[spoiler:his phone call to Skyler in ''Ozymandias'', he manages to keep up the monstrous persona he's putting on for the police even though he is absolutely bawling his eyes out the entire time over having to exaggerate his abusiveness to his wife]].

** Unusually so for a main character, but examining Walt's actions throughout the series shows this to be true. There are dozens of times where Walt takes a bad situation and makes it worse through a combination of ego and greed. The first (and best) example of this is turning down Gretchen and Elliot's offer to return to their employ. This would have not only gotten Walt out of his cancer situation ''and'' set him up with a job he rightfully deserves out of the kindness of one of his oldest friends, but also would have stopped him from needing to deal meth at all. Walt declines, and drags his family down with him.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
** Averted for most of the series; he is really good at rationalizing his crimes and ignoring the consequences of his actions. He finally begins realizing his mistakes near the end of season 5 part one [[spoiler:after killing Mike and acquiring so much money that it can no longer be laundered or even spent.]]
** Goes through one in ''Ozymandias'' when [[spoiler:his kidnapped daughter's first word is "Mama"]].
** Happens to him in ''Salud'' following a very ugly argument with Jesse that results in a fight. When Jr asks his father how he got hurt, Walt breaks down in tears and begins apologizing to his son. Judging by the fact that Walt [[WrongNameOutburst calls his son "Jesse"]] shortly after Jr is able to calm him down and sedate him, it could be inferred that his apology was actually meant for Pinkman.
** A very subtle, non-verbal example occurs [[spoiler:in ''Felina'', when he realizes exactly how much torture Todd and Jack have put Jesse through. Prior to that moment, Walt had every intention of killing his former partner. When he sees that Pinkman has been turned into a slave, however, Walt's face expresses visible regret over the fact that he handed him over to them. His last act of compassion is tackling Jesse to the ground to shield him from the death trap he created for Jack's gang.]]

** While Walt does become very callous and reprehensible, he never directly kills anyone who wasn't part of the criminal underworld. Though he does ''hurt'' people outside of the underworld (and put them in situations where their lives are in direct danger), such as his poisoning of Brock.

** Subverted after [[spoiler:his attempted kidnapping of Holly]] in ''Ozymandias'', when [[spoiler:Walt makes a phone call to Skyler (which he knows is being intercepted by police) and seemingly blames her for everything that has led to his downfall. But what Walt is really doing is making himself look like an abusive spouse so that the extent of Skyler's complicity won't be uncovered and so she won't be shunned by the remaining family.]]

** Intentional cases include managing to exonerate Skyler via a phone call where he takes the blame for his crimes, he succeeds in securing a college fund for Walter Jr. so he might have a happier future than Walt or Skyler's, and while he initially kidnapped Holly to spite his family for turning on him, he ultimately leverages said kidnapping as part of his aforementioned gambit to exonerate Skyler and returns her of his own volition.
** Ultimately, thanks to Walt's involvement in the drug trade, ''four'' crime syndicates (Tuco's gang, Gus and Madrigal, Don Eladio's cartel and Jack's gang) are either eliminated or greatly diminished. With his death, nobody else will ever distribute Blue Sky again.

** There's a secondary, less-alluded to Noodle Incident in Walt's past that is essentially the reason he moved from research and full-time chemistry to teaching. It is stated on several instances that Walter had at least one laboratory job between Grey Matter and becoming a teacher; he was working at a lab when he met Skyler and was also at a lab when they purchased their first home on Negro Arroyo, when Skyler was pregnant with Walter Jr. It's never stated when or why Walter left chemistry to go into teaching, but one would have to assume – especially considering the younger Walt seemed to see his earning potential as having a high ceiling in the real estate scene – that Walt took a big pay cut to go into teaching, therefore, it would have had to be something dramatic.

* NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow: [[spoiler:Despite his seemingly weak body, he inexplicably survives for an extra six months past his doctor's original estimation (18 months) even though his cancer was ''very'' aggressive by this point and he was getting second-rate treatment. He also stays alive and able to move around for an impressive few minutes after being [[HoistByHisOwnPetard shot by his own machine gun]].]]

* NotSoHarmlessVillain: In the 5th season, [[spoiler:Jack's crew and Lydia completely underestimate Walter because he looks like a wreck and has no money left. They forget that he also has nothing else to ''lose'' and his mind is as sharp as ever]].
* NotSoOmniscientAfterAll: A lot. Especially visible in season 3, where the fact that he is hunted by the Twins and that Gus is playing a much more elaborate game than just selling meth completely flies over his head. Although he deduces it very quickly after events.

* ThePeterPrinciple: Walt is at his best as a criminal when he's doing low-level work: when he's cooking, or planning a small-scale scheme. His daring, ruthlessness and coldly self-centered nature made him a truly dangerous person who managed to shatter Gus' entire empire. However, when he becomes a druglord himself and tries to match that empire, all the flaws of his style come to the fore. His perfectionism and attitude problems make it impossible for him to manage people, causing his old allies to desert him and him to hook up with unsavory customers. His short-sightedness means that he accumulates lots of money while failing to expand the operation much or launder it effectively, all the while utilizing "allies" who are much harder to control than he expects, and then he abruptly retires without regarding the potential fallout. His refusal to share his secrets means that he becomes a valuable target after he attempts to retire. The result of all of this is that [[spoiler:his empire, which is described as the largest meth empire in US history, gets taken from him with minimal resistance, and he's soon able to completely dismantle it in a single night]].

** At the end of ''Gliding over All'', Walt realizes he'd like to end things on amicable terms with Jesse and decides to give him his 5 million dollars which he had previously withheld from him.
** In ''One Minute'' Walt offers Jesse an equal partnership with the motive of getting him to drop the charges against Hank. He was arguably partly responsible for putting Hank in the position, to begin with, but he still did take action to save his career when he didn't have to.
** In ''Fifty-One'', Walt sells his Pontiac Aztek to his mechanic at a drastically reduced rate of $50[[note]]"Insurance company shelled out $1900 for the parts alone."[[/note]] after the man mentioned how much he liked it.
** After Gus threatens to kill Hank Walt begs Saul to warn the DEA about the hit, feeling that Hank didn't deserve to die because of the issues between them. Also he actually thanks Saul when he agrees which is the closest he ever gets to treating his lawyer with the slighest bit of respect or appreciation.
** In "A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal" Walter tries to defuse the tension between Tuco and one of his henchmen by suggesting that he should "just relax". This seems to just have agitated Tuco even more however, who after a short pause then proceeds to beat said henchman to death and then some.

* PoisonIsEvil: His use of poison at the end of Season 4 is generally seen as the point where he crossed the line from AntiHero[=/=]AntiVillain to full VillainProtagonist. Though part of this involves [[WouldHurtAChild the fact that he poisoned Brock.]]
* PosthumousCharacter: Even after he dies in the Neo-Nazi meth lab, Walter's actions as Heisenberg still hang over the world into 2010 and onwards. Notably, both Jesse Pinkman and Jimmy [=McGill=] have to deal with hiding out from the authorities who want to catch both of them due to being known associates of Heisenberg. Jimmy in particular alludes to Walter's actions many times during the final few episodes of ''Series/BetterCallSaul''.

* PragmaticVillainy: Averted, and serves to deconstruct his EvenEvilHasLovedOnes attitude toward Jesse. True, not taking various characters' advice to off Jesse at various points does give Walt a humanizing side, but the fact remains that many times in the earlier seasons, Jesse is TheMillstone which causes trouble for Walt. The most poignant part is when Jesse, incensed at the street dealers who killed Tomas, is going to kill them and faces Gus' retaliation, thus necessitating Walt to bail him out. It's from thereon that Walt's relationship with Fring starts to unravel and things go downhill.
* PrepareToDie: Walt gives a good one to Tuco when he snaps on Walt and Jesse.

* PrecisionFStrike: Delivers a really hateful one to Gretchen when she tells him how much she feels sorry for him.
* {{Pride}}: Many of Walt's actions aren't rational, but he isn't supposed to be rational; he repeatedly takes the hard road for the sake of preserving his [[InferioritySuperiorityComplex fragile]] ego. One of his biggest {{Fatal Flaw}}s and the reason why he started cooking meth in the first place - he could've easily been bailed out by Elliot and Gretchen, but he views the act as "charity" and refuses to take their money. He even talks Hank out of believing that Gale is Heisenberg because he refuses to let another man take credit for his work, even though Hank was getting ready to close the investigation. After he kills Gus, Walt's pride reaches insatiable levels and he becomes convinced he can do no wrong, believing himself to be an untouchable criminal mastermind that no one will ever stop. [[spoiler:Mike makes the mistake of insulting his pride and gets murdered by an angry Walt for it.]] Even during [[spoiler:the confession video he makes to frame Hank]], touches of Walt's pride can still be seen; he makes a point that [[spoiler:Hank sought him out to be his chemist, believing him to be smart enough to make the best possible meth, and he still takes credit for building the bomb that killed Gus (while claiming it was under duress, of course)]]. This flaw above his others is what leads to his undoing, since [[spoiler:Jesse manages to trick him into admitting to all of his crimes over the phone while Hank and Gomez are listening]].

* PsychopathicManchild: Despite being a very [[EvilGenius intelligent and resourceful criminal]], Walt is still extremely [[{{Jerkass}} selfish, petty, stubborn, vindictive, hotheaded]], and [[{{Narcissist}} possesses a huge ego larger than Jupiter]]. He's basically an overgrown high-school nerd who watched a-few-too-many gangster movies, and it becomes obvious that [[EvilFeelsGood he chose a life of crime]] for two main reasons: feeling insecure about [[IJustWantToBeBadass his own perceived lack of masculinity]], and especially to [[EvilIsPetty spite everyone who ever angered him in any way]].

** After Hank beats the crap out of Jesse, Jesse (very temporally) rejects Walt's offer to get in on work for Gus and tears Walt a new for what disaster his life has become.
--->'' I'm not turning down the money, I am turning down you! You get it?! I want NOTHING to do with you! Ever since I met you, everything I ever cared about is gone! Ruined, turned to shit, dead, ever since I hooked up with the great Heisenberg! I have never been more alone! I HAVE NOTHING! NO ONE! ALRIGHT, IT'S ALL GONE, GET IT? No, no, no, why...why would you get it? What do you even care, as long as you get what you want, right? You don't give a shit about me! You said I was no good! I'm nothing! Why would you want me, huh? You said my meth is inferior, right? Right? Hey! You said my cook was GARBAGE! Hey, screw you, man! Screw you!''
** One from [[spoiler:Mike]], and [[spoiler:it doesn't end so well for him.]]

* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Somewhat in "Felina". Just before dying, despite still being completely unapologetic about the decisions he's made throughout the series, it's clear that Walt at least feels some guilt over the unintended consequences and had regained at least some of his lost humanity.]]

* RiseAndFallGangsterArc: Most of ''Breaking Bad'' is centered around how Walter begins to rise as the feared drug lord and killer known as Heisenberg. It's not until Season 5B that we begin to see the "fall" aspect, but ''by god'' does he fall hard.
* {{Sadist}}: In ''Ozymandias'', [[spoiler:Walt takes the incredibly pointless step of telling Jesse he watched Jane die, even after he's already being captured to be executed by the Nazis. It's the only one of his many heinous acts that can truly be considered a pointless act of sadism - appropriately, Walt takes a disturbing amount of glee in the act - and Vince Gilligan considers it his most evil deed as a result]].

* SevenDeadlySins: Envy, Greed, and Pride.

*** Averted in ''Kafkaesque'' when he is perfectly content with his $1.5 million deal with Gus, and it is Jesse who believes that he isn't being paid enough.
*** Subverted in ''Felina'', [[spoiler:when Jack's promises to return Walt's money do nothing to keep Walt from killing him, even as he claims Walt could never find it on his own]].
*** Once he [[spoiler:fills the void killing Gus Fring and Fring's wiping out of his rival cartel leaves in the drug manufacturing trade, Walt basically has a monopoly on the meth trade in the southeastern United States and becomes fabulously wealthy. Despite it being more than anyone could ever want (and more than he could ever realistically spend), he keeps all his ''millions'' locked up in a storage locker and just keeps going, seemingly just wanting more and more money for the sake of it, [[{{Pride}} in addition to the boost being a kingpin gives to his now massive ego.]]]]
** {{Pride}}: The prospect of claiming that his meth profits are a gift, inheritance, or randomly found money is so abhorrent that he pays 20% of his profits to Saul and slowly launders the remainder. In Season 4, he talks Hank out of believing that Gale was Heisenberg because he can't ''stand'' the idea of another cook being credited with his precious Blue Sky creation. In Season 5, he all but outright admits that [[spoiler:his ego and the boost it gets from cooking meth are why he stays in the meth business.]] In "Granite State", [[spoiler:seeing Elliott and Gretchen appearing on television and making him an UnPerson in Gray Matter's history is what drives him to go back to Albuquerque rather than turn himself in.]] Finally, in ''Felina'', [[spoiler:part of Walt's partial redemption involves letting go of his pride, making sure through Gretchen and Elliott that his children receive all the remaining millions he has left to him even at the cost of letting them think the money is from the generosity of his hated ex-business partners rather than through his work. He also finally admits, to himself and to Skyler, that his meth cooking was always much more about him than the family.]]

* SmugSnake: When his Heisenberg persona comes into play, Walt likes to think of himself as threatening and intimidating, but in reality, it's just his massive ego. Much like other fictional high-functioning smug snakes, Walt can be [[EvilGenius very smart and cunning]], but his pathetic {{Freak Out}}s, [[PsychopathicManchild childish tantrums]], extreme arrogance and overconfidence can and do cost him the sympathy of many, as well as potential victory. All these attributes prevent him from qualifying as a [[invoked]]MagnificentBastard. His dastardly schemes are very successful but they require as much luck as they do brains. [[spoiler:Marie]] described him very accurately:
-->'''[[spoiler:Marie]]''' (to Skyler): "That arrogant asshole thinks he's some criminal mastermind, but he's not."
* SplitPersonality: At first, Heisenberg seems like nothing more than a moniker to use while engaging in his criminal activities and to hide his real identity, but as Tuco and ''many'' others find out firsthand, Heisenberg isn't as meek as Walt/his physical appearance suggests. There are several moments throughout the series where Walt's entire body language, demeanor, and even his ''voice'' radically change (''I am the danger,'' ''Stay out of my territory,'' and very noticeable in ''Full Measure'' where Walt seems genuinely panicked and afraid until Heisenberg emerges and regains control of the situation,) to the point it's pretty easy to tell the difference between mild-mannered, family man Walt, and the ruthless drug kingpin Heisenberg. At least until Walt winds up BecomingTheMask.

* StrongerThanTheyLook: For an older man with a cancer he can throw Jesse around like a rag doll.

** Walt does the things he does because he comes to enjoy them and enjoy how important and potent being good at them makes him feel. It's this lack of pragmatism that proves his downfall, as his {{Pride}} and his {{Greed}} are taken to their logical conclusions.

* TakingTheHeat: After Walter [[spoiler:flees his home, he calls back while the Whites are under police surveillance to feed a story that he was solely responsible and forced Skyler to his will, so she isn't held accountable.]]

** [[spoiler:Deconstructed to all hell in ''To'hajiilee'' and ''Ozymandias''.]]

* ThenLetMeBeEvil: In reaction to [[spoiler:Hank's death and his family leaving him]] (''Ozymandias''), Walt submerges himself in the Heisenberg persona, barking out threats and gloating over the deaths he's caused. Not necessarily because he takes pleasure in it, but because [[spoiler:he wants to distance Skyler from being linked to his crimes.]] Most telling is that during the whole scene, despite his harsh tone, he is weeping profusely.

* ThrillSeeker: The real reason, deep down, that Walt decided to start cooking and distributing meth was because he was sick to death of languishing in unappreciated mediocrity and failure for fifty years, and wanted to actually put his brain to the test. To be challenged, to be hunted, to be feared, to be respected, even at the risk of his life and the lives of his family, it made him feel important and powerful for the first time in his life. Only when Walt's become the biggest drug kingpin in the country and eliminated anyone that could threaten him does he retire, [[VictoryIsBoring since it started feeling like a 9 to 5 job]]. Only in the last episode does he admit to Skyler that it was never about the money, he became a criminal because it made him feel alive.

* TookALevelInJerkass: Oh boy. The longer the series goes, he gains new and new levels of jerkassery, but after killing Gus, there's barely any humanity left in Walt [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes except when it comes to his family]].
* TooCleverByHalf: Walt's ingenuity often screws him up, since he is terrible at predicting consequences, mostly due to his exceeding pride and superiority complex. The way he sees it, any solution to a problem that he comes up ''is'' the best there is, [[CantTakeCriticism so he blows a gasket whenever he faces any pushback or criticism]], no matter how justified or constructive it might be. The [[spoiler:magnet ploy]] is the best example; it sets in motion much of the drama and complication of season 5.

** He keeps an eye from the furry toy from the plane crash in ABQ. It represented his morality and his regrets about what he was doing.

** A masterful example can be seen at the beginning of ''Felina''. He keeps his poker face on after breaking into [[spoiler:Elliott and Gretchen]]'s house, which probably greatly contributes to their panic.

* TroubledAbuser: Walter White uncovers absolutely terrible parts of his personality as time goes on, terrifies everyone, sexually assaults Skyler, manipulates his son into hating his mother, treating Saul like a slave reminds Saul of his equally troubled/abusive brother, and ruins any slight hint of Jesse's self-worth or self-esteem while being possessive and controlling like Jesse is a mix of his wife and son, but he knows full well he should have died earlier than he did, his pride and belief he has to be the man providing for his family traps him, and he has terminal cancer to contend with.

* AntiHero: {{Deconstructed}} and {{Subverted}}. He starts out as something of this status, and then goes through several scales of grey as the seasons come and go, with his actions becoming less and less excusable, and his true motive becoming more and more questionable. When exactly he crosses the line into VillainProtagonist is very much up to the viewer. [[spoiler:He returns to something of this status in ''Felina''.]]

** Gus Fring is one to him, though it more intense on Walt's end. At first, Walt was perfectly happy to work for Gus, but they have a falling out over Walt protecting Jesse and having [[spoiler:Gale murdered]]. Afterward, Gus makes it clear that he'd happily kill Walt when it becomes an option. Gus even goes as far as to turn Jesse against Walt and then cut Walt out of the business when he has Jesse's loyalty, only letting Walt live as a favor to Jesse. [[spoiler:When Saul warns the DEA of Gus' hit on Hank on Walt's orders]], one or the other has to go.
** Hank views Heisenberg as his white whale, single mindedly focused on the hunt for him above everything else, to the point of contemplating retiring when he temporarily believed him to be dead. [[spoiler:When Hank learns that Walt was Heisenberg all along, it becomes very personal and very important him to be the one who brings Walt in]].

* ArmorPiercingResponse: Happens several times in Season 5 that momentarily snap Walter out of his pride and recognize what he has done.
** Invoked by Skyler twice in Season 5, first during a fight in "Fifty-One", Skyler lists ways she can make the kids stay away from Walt. While Walt rebuffs them (in his Heisenberg voice), she declares that she will do everything until Walt dies of cancer. Later, and successfully, Skyler finally is able to get Walter out of the meth business by showing him the money he's made and demanding to know "how big does this pile have to be?" Walter finally does retire after this.

* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:An extremely dark version in ''Felina''. He doesn't show a whole lot of remorse for anything he's put his family and Jesse through, and still resorts to unscrupulous methods to do something that at least resembles atonement, such as threatening Elliot and Gretchen into sending money to Skyler]].

** In ''Felina'', [[spoiler:he finally admits to Skyler that this is why he went on cooking]].

** In ''Felina'', [[spoiler:he finally kills the Nazis, months after they killed Hank, stole Walt's money, and enslaved Jesse in ''Ozymandias'']].

* BigBadSlippage: His entire character arc in the storyline is this. As someone who has one of the longest, most complex [[FaceHeelTurn Face-Heel Turns]] ever put in television, he happens to be [[HeroAntagonist Hank]]'s main target after [[spoiler:he discovers that ''he is'' Heisenberg.]]
* BigBadWannabe: For most of the series, Walter is ''not'' as threatening or powerful as he thinks he is, being beaten by more experienced villains like The Juarez Cartel, Gus and Mike. He bumbles through the process and lands on his feet through cunning, dumb luck and his partner Jesse but he doesn't inspire the level of intimidation and respect he likes to think he does.
* BirthdayBeginning: The first episode begins on Walt's 50th, and it's also the last normal day of his life (he is diagnosed with cancer the next day). His 51st and 52nd birthdays are significant too: on 51, [[spoiler:Skyler turns on him for good, even to the point of wishing death on him]], and on his 52nd birthday [[spoiler:he returns to Albuquerque to die.]]

* BlessedWithSuck: How he views his cancer going into remission since it robs him of a convenient excuse for his awful deeds and convenient escape from their repercussions.

* BreakThemByTalking: Attempts one on Jesse in ''Say My Name.'' [[spoiler:It doesn't stop Jesse from leaving his business]].

** [[spoiler:Becomes one for Walter Jr. when he finds out who and what his father is. He even legally changed his name to ''Flynn'' after the events of ''Ozymandias'' because he's ashamed to share that name.]]

** The final shot of ''Crawl Space.'' The same shot recurs in the final episode, ''Felina'', [[spoiler:when he dies from blood loss as the police arrive]].
* CruelToBeKind: In ''Ozymandias'' [[spoiler:during the phone call that Walter knows is bugged, he begins to belittle and insult Skyler while at the same time making it look like Skyler had nothing to do with his activities at all. Initially confused at his words, she eventually catches on that he is trying to get her off the hook for all of his activities and that the act is for the DEA. He also makes it sound like he killed Hank, even though he didn't, so that Marie can know that her husband is dead and get some semblance of closure.]]

* DeathGlare: Surprisingly, a master of this. Just see his expression near the end of ''Over'', to Saul in ''Bullet Points'', to Bogdan in ''Cornered'' or to [[spoiler:Jesse in ''Ozymandias'']].
* DeathSeeker: [[spoiler:After he kills Jack and his gang in ''Felina'', he tells Jesse that he wants Jesse to kill him. By this time, he's not only dying from cancer but also has a fatal bullet wound.]]

** Of the AntiHero: At face value, Walt aims for a noble goal through sketchy means (getting enough money for his family before he dies); however, his untapped ego, his inability to think beyond a certain point and his rage ensure he's willing to go the extra mile in every aspect of the journey: Be the best at what he does? Obsessive, arrogant and demeaning toward any subordinate he has. Rebellious? His tantrums and lash-outs have the maturity of a 15-year-old, the intensity of 3 suns, and the deadliness of a lunatic. Well meaning? Up to a point, but it's hard when your line of work encourages you to be as heartless as possible. Counterculture? Crystal meth manufacturing is more of an illegal predatory business like the rest, even if it's more honest about it. Dangerous? Any trait he has, he can turn into a weapon in the blink of an eye. So watch out for the cold look behind the glasses. Strong? As much as a geeky chemist can be, which is not much considering he can strike with just the right elements with no fingers moved. Torn between good and evil in him? Both are part of the same person, who can and will ignore any kind of guilt as long as ''he'' can think he's doing the right thing. Not so heroic now, huh?
** Of the ButtMonkey: Walt views himself as an undeserving punching bag whose fate was decided the moment he turned his back on greatness, so he rationalizes his actions as a back-biting response. While he has endured a lot of bad luck (past and present), casting himself as one ignores the fact that much of his bad luck was due to his own arrogance and pride.
** Of the DiabolicalMastermind: He only has the confidence to pull off his audacious plans because he feels he has nothing else to live for. Once his justifications and the sword over his shoulder is removed, it only becomes a matter of time before his guarded dark side starts overtaking his personality.
--->[[spoiler:'''Marie]]:''' That [[SmugSnake arrogant]] asshole thinks he's a criminal mastermind but he's not.

** Of the InsufferableGenius: Make no mistake, Walt is brilliant... at chemistry, engineering and IndyPloy schemes. At pretty much everything else, he's totally inept. He has no social skills, no sense of patience, limited combat abilities and absolutely zero desire to get along with anyone on his road to becoming kingpin. While Walt is brilliant, he is a huge liability to Gus's operation, and the two of them clash multiple times. If Walt could rein in his ego he and Gus would probably be unstoppable, but since Walt wants to be the one on top, he ends up causing a huge amount of problems for the cast.

* DiesWideOpen: [[spoiler:From blood loss, in "Felina."]]
* DirtyCoward: ZigZagged - Although he's willing to storm into Tuco's lair and threaten to blow it up with the rest of his fulminated mercury, his cowardice is one of his glaring flaws when it leads to him poisoning a child. He even sends an old lady into the house to test if Gus' mooks are in there and then tries to have Jesse killed by proxy, leading to [[spoiler:Hank's death]]. It may be fairer to say that Walt is an extreme pragmatist. If there is no easy way to do something, he will do it the hard way like defying Tuco, taunting Mike in the Season 3 finale or staring his [[spoiler:brother-in-law]] in the face. However, if there is a cowardly alternative, he will do it no question asked.
** He fakes being one in the Season 3 finale by obstensibly selling out Jesse, when really he is getting Jesse ready to kill Gale and then smugly reciting Gale's address to Mike.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: [[spoiler:For Season 5 he's the BigBad of his own story until 'Ozymandias' when his brother-in law is murdered, most of his money is stolen, and he's outed to the public which forces him to go on the run.]]
* DissonantSerenity: His demeanor through the last episode, ''Felina''. Of note is the scene of Walt setting up his machine gun rig, humming the lyrics to a Music/MartyRobbins {{ear worm}} as he does it.

* TheDogBitesBack: Walt's default position should anybody back him into a corner, strip him of agency, threaten him from what they think is a relatively safe position of authority or manage to exert control for a time: he attacks when he gets an opportunity to and has been wound up enough. The series basically shows his bite getting better, more ferocious, and more on a hair trigger as he goes along. He goes from a Chihuahua to a toy poodle to German Shepard to mastiff... so beware the bite.

* DoNotGoGentle: His early motivation, when he learns he's got cancer, is to die on his own terms. He attempts it by initially refusing treatment and going into the meth business to provide for his family. This is partially because [[FreudianExcuse he saw his father die as a weak shell, struck down by his illness.]] [[spoiler:In ''Felina'', he dies from blood loss after being shot in the side by the M60 he rigs in the trunk of his car which he uses to kill Jack and his Aryan Brotherhood gang.]]
* DontYouDarePityMe: Walt is so obessed with the idea of become a SelfMadeMan through his intellect, that he is furious about any ideas that he might be falling short of something, and treats offers of help, charity, and even sympathy from others as personal insults. He refuses the offer to pay his medical expenses from two of his old colleagues. He also becomes quite angry when his son sets up a website to raise money for his surgery, only relenting when Saul persuades him to use it to launder his drug money.

* GildedCage: The Extractor takes him, along with [[spoiler:Saul]], out of the city when the DEA starts to close in. [[spoiler:Saul is deposited in Nebraska (to his obvious displeasure)]], while Walt is unceremoniously stuffed inside an empty gas tanker and driven to a desolate ranch in New Hampshire. The Extractor pitches it as a retirement retreat, advising Walt to use his solitude to contemplate things. Walt seems to have taken his advice, as he is more open to Skyler when he turns up again in ''Felina.''
* GoOutWithASmile: [[spoiler:In ''Felina,'' after setting up his kids' future, killing the Neo-Nazi group, and freeing Jesse, Walt dies in a meth lab with a content smile on his face.]]

* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:Attempted in ''To'hajiilee''. After discovering he'd been OutGambitted by Hank and Jesse, Walt is faced with the choice of calling in TheCavalry to bail him out or surrender. Not being able to bring himself to order the deaths of his brother-in-law and surrogate son (who wasn't out to kill him after all), he chooses the latter. Unfortunately for him, [[UnwantedRescue the backup he calls off arrives anyway.]]]]
* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler: He posthumously becomes this in the post-BB era, particularly the final episodes, of ''[[{{Series/BetterCallSaul}} Better Call Saul]]'' due to the entire circumstance of that era being because of Walt's actions. As Saul has been forced to leave the life of crime in Albuquerque when his and Heisenberg's crimes has become known to the public. Saul is eventually caught by the police and tries to make himself look like a victim of Walter White to get a shorter sentence, before he gladly admits having willingly helped him build his empire, which gives him 86 years in prison.]]
* GreenEyedMonster: He is jealous and possessive over a variety of things: his wife, his son, his meth formula, and, subtly, Jesse. He goes crazy when Skyler has an affair. He cruelly “punishes” Walt Jr. by forcing him to drink tequila after he sees him and Hank bonding in front of him. He attacks and insults Jesse whenever he tries to cook meth or imitate his formula on his own. Finally, [[spoiler:he poisons a child just to win Jesse's favor back from Gus, not as an equal, but always a subordinate. And he hints at this by suggesting that Victor was killed for "flying too close to the sun."]] He's also clearly angry and jealous when he sees the close and healthier bond that Jesse has with Mike.

* HatedByAll: Achieves this at the end of ''Ozymandias,'' [[spoiler:after Skyler attacks him with a knife, thinking he killed Hank (which he indirectly did), Flynn calls the cops on him, and he flees with Holly. After that, the entire world learns who he is, he becomes the most wanted man in America, and when he returns home after his exile in New Hampshire, his mere presence is enough to scare the living shit out of anyone who recognizes him. Even the infant Holly seemed to want nothing to do with him, which is what prompted him to return her, and use Saul's identity eraser. His deliberately psychotic sounding tapped phone conversation with Skyler certainly didn't help him either. By the end of ''Felina,'' the only characters who have even the slightest amount of respect for him are Skyler (for finally admitting to her that he did it all for himself), and Jesse (for freeing him from Todd and Jack, and eliminating Lydia to fully free him from the meth business).]]

** In ''Salud'' after his fight with Jesse. A tearjerking one, to boot. [[spoiler:Until it gets thrown out of the window in ''Crawl Space''.]]
** [[spoiler:Seems to finally get the message in ''Ozymandias'' when baby Holly's first words are "mama". It dawns on him that no matter how hard he bullshits himself into believing that he's doing it for family, it's no longer possible to convince them.]]
** [[spoiler:And finally, after lying relentlessly to himself as well as his family, pretending that everything that he did he did for his family, he finally, calmly acknowledges the truth in ''Felina''. It's [[DownplayedTroped downplayed]] though, since he never really seems to acknowledge that he's a bad person.]]

* HeroicBSOD: In the last scene of ''Crawl Space'', Walt is caught between tears of despair and manic laughter at his predicament.

* HateSink: Becomes in the first half of Season 5 after fully embracing his Heisenberg role. He proceeds to KickTheDog several times per episode, [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist loses any semblance of good intentions]], and behaves like even more of a smug, manipulative, and abusive asshole than before. It gets to the point that Jesse and Mike start to actively plot against him, viewing him as too callous and narcissistic to work with. [[spoiler:Subverted in the latter half of the season, as he returns to being an AntiVillain.]]

* TooCleverByHalf: Walt's ingenuity often screws him up, since he is terrible at predicting consequences, mostly due to his exceeding pride and superiority complex. The way he sees it, any solution to a problem that he comes up ''is'' the best there is, [[CantTakeCricitism so he blows a gasket whenever he faces any pushback or criticism]], no matter how justified or constructive it might be. The [[spoiler:magnet ploy]] is the best example; it sets in motion much of the drama and complication of season 5.

* DontYouDarePityMe: Refuses the offer to pay his medical expenses from two of his old colleagues. He also becomes quite angry when his son sets up a website to raise money for his surgery, only relenting when Saul persuades him to use it to launder his drug money.

* TooCleverByHalf: Walt's ingenuity often screws him up, since he is terrible at predicting consequences, mostly due to his exceeding pride and superiority complex. The [[spoiler:magnet ploy]] is the best example; it sets in motion much of the drama and complication of season 5.

* UnluckilyLucky: Walt avoids numerous misfortunes by sheer luck as well as his skills: [[spoiler: his disappearance at the hands of Tuco is treated as a fugue state, he avoids getting stranded in the desert by making a battery, he barely avoids getting killed by the Cousins due to getting Fring's call, he ultimately gets his assassination called off by Gus redirecting them towards Hank, he gets himself and Jesse saved because Jesse happened to be closer to Gale, Gus only fires him instead of killing him in the desert because of Jesse, as well as he just happened to be growing Lily of the Valley at his house when Gus and his men decided to target Hank and his family, enabling him to turn the tables. All of these events end up screwing him slowly one-by-one, by the end of which he has nearly destroyed his peaceful life as well as his morality, leading to Skyler and Jesse detesting his very presence.]]

** In "A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal" Walter tries to defuse the tension between Tuco and one of his henchmen by suggesting that he should "just relax". This seems to just have agitated Tuco even more however, who [[ BaitandSwitch after a short pause]] then proceeds to beat said henchman to death and then some.

** In "A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal" Walter tries to defuse the tension between Tuco and one of his henchmen by suggesting that he should "just relax". This seems to just have agitated Tuco even more however, who [BaitandSwitch after a short pause]] then proceeds to beat said henchman to death and then some.