User:TheJoebro64/drafts/Gus

Gustavo Fring is a character created by Vince Gilligan and George Mastras and portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito in the television franchise Breaking Bad. He appears as one of the main antagonists of Breaking Bad (2008–2013) and as a major supporting character in its spin-off series Better Call Saul (2015–2022). Gus is a Chilean-American businessman based in Albuquerque, New Mexico who runs several businesses, including the successful friend chicken restaurant Los Pollos Hermanos, as fronts to launder money for a vast drug trafficking operation. He maintains a positive public image as a booster for Albuquerque civic causes to mask his ruthlessness and Machiavellianism.

Though he works with the Mexican cartel to distribute drugs, Gus secretly plots revenge against its members over the death of his partner Max Arciniega (James Martinez) at the hands of don Hector Salamanca (Mark Margolis). In Breaking Bad, Gus hires the high school teacher-turned-drug manufacturer Walter White (Bryan Cranston) to produce methamphetamine for his operation. Breaking Bad's third and fourth seasons focus on the rise and collapse of their relationship, culminating in Walt collaborating with Hector to orchestrate Gus' assassination. Better Call Saul's prequel storyline explores Gus' efforts to build his drug empire and undermine the cartel in the six years preceding Breaking Bad.

Appearances

In the Breaking Bad franchise, Gustavo Fring, portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito, is a Chilean-American businessman based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, who runs two businesses: the fried chicken restaurant chain Los Pollos Hermanos and the industrial laundry facility Lavandería Brillante. He is also a major narcotics distributor, operating Los Pollos Hermanos and Lavandería Brillante as fronts to launder money. Gus is a main character in Breaking Bad (2008–2013) and Better Call Saul (2015–2022); he is one of three characters, alongside Jimmy McGill / Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) and Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), to appear in a main role in both series.

Backstory

Gus is a native of Chile who immigrated to Mexico in the 1980s. The Breaking Bad episode "Hermanos" (2011) reveals that Gus and his partner Max Arciniega (James Martinez) started Los Pollos Hermanos as a front to sell methamphetamine. In a flashback, they approach don Eladio Vuente (Steven Bauer), the leader of the Juárez Cartel, with an offer to expand their drug trade with cartel help; Eladio declines, as the cartel prefers to continue distributing cocaine. Eladio has Hector Salamanca (Mark Margolis) kill Max for selling meth in cartel territory without permission. Eladio spares Gus but forces him to cooperate with the cartel.

Beyond this, Gus's backstory is never explored in depth in Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul. Vince Gilligan, the creator of the Breaking Bad franchise, purposely left Gus's backstory ambiguous. He said that, like the briefcase in Pulp Fiction, "the audience's imagination as to who Gus was in his past life is potentially more interesting than any concrete answer we could give them". Nonetheless, the Breaking Bad writers developed a backstory in which Gus was part of Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship, a high-ranking member of either the Chilean Armed Forces or the Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional. Sam Catlin and George Mastras, who wrote "Hermanos", said that, in their mind, Gus had been an interrogator or torturer who became involved in the narcotics industry as part of Pinochet's black cocaine operation. They felt a background in the Pinochet regime explained many of Gus's characteristics, including his orderliness, deception, and involvement in the drug trade.

Gus's connections to the Pinochet regime are implied throughout the Breaking Bad franchise. A flashback during the Breaking Bad episode "One Minute" (2010) features Hector mockingly referring to Gus as "Big Generalissimo", and Eladio spares Gus in "Hermanos" because he is aware of his past. "Hermanos" implies "Gus Fring" is an alias, since neither the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) nor Mike Ehrmantraut can find any record of his existence before his arrival in Mexico. In the Better Call Saul episode "Magic Man" (2020), Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton) mentions a mysterious incident involving Gus that took place in Santiago. Catlin said returning to Chile and standing trial for the atrocities in which he was complicit, much like how the Nazi official Adolf Eichmann was tried and convicted in Jerusalem for his role in the Holocaust, would be Gus's only fear.

Breaking Bad

Gus first appears in "Mandala" (2009), the 11th episode of Breaking Bad's second season.

Development

• https://entertainment.time.com/2011/10/10/interview-talking-gus-fring-with-giancarlo-esposito/

Conception

• https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a380786/breaking-bad-vince-gilligan-qa-i-want-uk-fans-to-see-the-show/
• https://www.cbr.com/breaking-bad-the-closer-gus-fring-origins/

Casting

• https://www.reuters.com/article/idUS233462123820111009

Character

Gus maintains a positive public image: he is a booster for Albuquerque civic causes, including the local Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) office. Underneath his outwardly pleasant appearance, he is ruthless, cruel, and Machiavellian.