What happens when you put two extremely talented, cunning, and ambitious people on the same team? And to make things worse, the business they’re involved in is extremely dangerous and fast-paced? Well, competition would arise, sooner or later. Usually, competition and conflicting interests are solved amicably for the greater good of the organization, but certain businesses exist that end business relationships violently if you step on the nerves of the wrong people: Cartels and the Mafia.
That’s the scenario that plays out when Walter White gets on Gus Fring’s nerves. Walter, who invented the extremely popular Blue-Sky meth, starts working for Gus after Saul introduces the character in Season 02 of Breaking Bad. Though Gus is on watchful yet friendly terms with Walter when their relationship starts, things turn sour as the series progresses, sending both the characters on the warpath. So, what deteriorated this relationship that made Gus want to kill his top cook? After all, Walter was extremely profitable for his drug empire.
Why Does Gus Want to Kill Walt in Breaking Bad? The Two Towers
We’re introduced to Gus Fring via Saul Goodman after he mentions that he knows a guy who knows a guy. Since his inception, Gus has been an instant anti-hero character. He was a cold and brutal drug kingpin, but at the same time, he cared about his crew. Gus wasn’t thrilled about working with Walter at first. This was mainly because of Jesse, who was still grieving for his girlfriend and was constantly high.
However, as time progressed, Gus saw that not only was Walter an exceptional addition to the team, but he was also a great leader. These led Gus to reconsider his initial position and hire both Walter and Jesse. Once they were inducted, the duo began cooking their magnum opus, the Blue Sky.
But after Jesse decides to take out Gus’ dealers, Walter has no choice but to kill the dealers to save Jesse. This shows that no matter what, Walter liked Jesse on his own terms. However, Gus becomes enraged on the matter and decides to eliminate them, as they proved to be disloyal. Walter might be a good investment, but he’s also bad business. Besides, Gus isn’t thrilled at the idea of working with someone who has a brother-in-law in the DEA.
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Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth
Ultimately, Gus is a conscious, wary businessman who doesn’t want to ruin his life’s work over two imbeciles with drug problems. Walt kept putting his fragile relationship with Jesse ahead of Gus and his business, and this angered Gus, who was already running a highly profitable international drug empire.
As Walt posed an extreme risk to Gus’ operation, along with bringing major heat on his business, Gus had to consider taking him out. Especially after Hank, the DEA started to question it. And as Walt’s egoistic, cunning and unpredictable character became more apparent, Gus decided that Walter was no better than Jesse. Though Gus tries hard to pit Jesse against Walter so that he can retain the less ambitious one, it fails, as the duo remains loyal to each other.
As time progresses, Walter and Gus’ relationship deteriorates even further, especially their end goals. Walt decided to take out Gale, Gus’ cook, and also ordered hits with Jesse. He was also eyeing Gus’ empire and wanted to usurp Gus from the throne. Simply put, the two anti-heroes were too similar on multiple fronts. They had the same business mentality, trust issues, and ambitions. They both saw their own personal gains as the end result rather than a collective good while wanting the others to stay loyal to the business. And as the crew started to favor Walter over Gus, he decided Walter and Jesse were too much of a risk to be kept alive.
But again, the final straws were indeed Walt’s personal relationships with high-ranking DEA members and his loyalty towards Jesse that made Gus flip. Though Gus understands that Walter is still new to the drug world and he’s a natural prodigy, Walter’s business flairs are clouded by his ties to family and friends. And that Gus cannot accept. So that’s it, folks. Like good anti-heroes, both Gus and Walter have their moments of goodwill and wanting peace in the highly challenging industry. Unfortunately, when the interests of two highly motivated characters come into direct conflict, situations arise. And in the unforgiving world of cartels and drug peddling, motivations and ambitions are better to be crushed as buds.
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