Character subpage for the Salamancas, a Juarez Cartel crime family in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. For the Salamancas when they appear in Breaking Bad, click here. For the main character page, click here.
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Tuco Salamanca
Tuco Salamanca
"They walked into my house. They disrespected my Abuelita. They called her "biznatch"! And they just walk? Huh?"
Played By: Raymond Cruz
A drug distributor in Albuquerque's South Valley.
- Ax-Crazy: True to form. He has all kinds of gruesome fates planned for the skateboarders who insulted his Abuelita.
- Bad Liar: Tuco thinks his Abuelita is unaware of what he does. Nope, sorry: she's well aware. From that determined hit-and-run, to the immediate solution of "go-to grandson with the two problems that followed me" and the club soda? Tuco hasn't fooled her in years.
- Blood Knight: Getting put into checkmark via a police audience? No reason to stop punching with an appreciative smile.
- Call-Forward: When No-Doze oversteps his boundaries Tuco gets in his face and threatens him. Breaking Bad fans know that Tuco will eventually beat No-Doze to death for this very reason.
- Disproportionate Retribution: He plans on brutally executing the Lindholm twins for insulting his grandmother. Jimmy has to talk him down so that he only breaks one of each of their legs. Later, Mike is subject to a beating for "accidentally" sideswiping Tuco's car (a gambit set up by Mike and Nacho to get Tuco out of the way without killing him). Although Mike did grab him and knock his gun away before he starts seriously beating on Mike but that's like beating someone for defending himself of a mugger.
- The Dreaded: While not as powerful as Gus, Lydia, or the Neo-Nazis, Tuco is still a force to be reckoned with. And he hasn't even found out yet that Nacho has been making deals behind his back.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Abuelitas: His love for his grandmother is completely genuine (compared to his uncle Hector, for whom it seems to be more out of fear), and he tries to hide his criminal activities from her. Insulting her in any way will get you a painful death.
- Greater-Scope Villain: He's the most powerful drug dealer featured on the show so far, but has only appeared in the first two episodes. Justified as his appearance was only meant to be an Easter egg for Breaking Bad fans.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Naturally. Just about anything will send him into a murderous rage. Nacho even puts a hit on him partly because he is sick of his kill-happy attitude. Heck, "continue punching the insulter even though police cars have me cornered"? One hell of a temper, dude.
- Large Ham: Though he's actually very calm when his Abuelita is around, as soon as he takes Jimmy out into the desert he turns back into the screaming, Ax-Crazy madman that we know and love.
- Meaningful Name: Carrying over from the original show, his name means "rat" or "little terrorist" in Spanish.
- Put on a Bus: Sent in prison for at least five years.
- Psychopathic Manchild: He has a very childish demeanor, and is an unstable and violent drug dealer. It's implied that this might be the result of his uncle Hector's unconventional methods.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red to Nacho's Blue.
- Saved by Canon: As a Breaking Bad character, it will be many, many years before he's killed by Hank.
- Soft-Spoken Sadist: When his Abuelita is around he speaks in a very low and frightening whisper, as he obviously doesn't want to disturb her in any way. When she's not around, however...
- The Unexpected: While most fans were expecting cameos from Breaking Bad characters other than Saul and Mike, nobody was expecting Tuco to make an appearance.
- Walking Spoiler: Mentioning that he appears on the show at all is a major spoiler if you've seen Breaking Bad.
Hector Salamanca
Hector "Tio" Salamanca
Played By: Mark Margolis
Tuco Salamanca's elderly uncle.
- An Offer You Can't Refuse: What he propositions Mike with.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He tries to have his nephew out of jail.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Seems sincerely angered that Tuco showed disrespect to elders by attacking Mike.
- Faux Affably Evil: He's much more fastidious than we're used to. He comes at Mike politely and attempts to bribe him into accepting the gun charge. Given what we would see of him in flashbacks in Breaking Bad, this is a surprise. The mask drops completely when Mike refuses his offer.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: This is what clued in Gus to the fact Lalo was alive. Rather than immediately blame Gus or threaten him after hearing of Lalo’s death at the compound, he instead tries to bury the hatchet with Gus And attempts to shake his hand. After the meeting Gus is horrified to learn that his worst enemy is now practically invisible to everyone.
- Suddenly Speaking: Sorta. In all present-day scenes in Breaking Bad, Hector's stroke had rendered him mute. Better Call Saul takes place before Breaking Bad and before Hector's stroke. So this is the first time we've seen Hector speak in a non-flashback scene in either show, and also the first time we've seen him speak in English (the two Breaking Bad flashbacks were in Spanish).
- Would Hurt a Child: Threatens to send Leonel and Marco to the motel where Stacey and Kaylee are shacked up to scare Mike
The Cousins
Leonel & Marco Salamanca
Played by: Daniel and Luis Moncada
- The Dreaded: Mike is scared shitless by them just appearing overlooking the pool while he's supervising Kaylee. Even moreso when Marco does a gun sign towards him.
- Would Hurt a Child: Hector is willing to send them after Mike's granddaughter if he doesn't comply.
