Those who have seen the award winning television series Breaking Bad will be aware of the character Walter White. The show documents Walter’s descent from an ordinary and seemingly unassuming high school chemistry teacher to one of America’s most notorious drug lords.
This is a blog exploring the character development of Walter from the main character of Breaking Bad to the notorious drug lord and his influence in society.
Heisenberg. The one who knocks. Mr White. These are all names that will forever be associated with Walter White, the subject of our blog series.
He was a chemistry teacher who was diagnosed with cancer, but instead of spending his final days in peace, he became a drug lord and started a crystal meth empire. But why? And how did he become the infamous man we knew from Breaking Bad? Those are some of the questions that we aim to answer through our blog series.
A lot of people think that people like Walter White are fictional, but these types of people do exist in real life. So not only is this an interesting topic to write about, but it’s also important to understand how people can become so radicalized and what triggers it.
We’ll start by exploring Walter’s early life and how his upbringing shaped him as a person before moving on to explore what turned him into the notorious drug lord Heisenberg. We’ll end by discussing his legacy and whether his actions were justified by his intentions and circumstances.
Breaking Bad is an American TV series that follows chemistry teacher, Walter White, and his transformation from a well-meaning family man to the ruthless drug kingpin known as Heisenberg. The series finale of Breaking Bad aired in 2013. It broke records for ratings on AMC, becoming the highest rated in the history of the network. In 2013, it won a Golden Globe for “Best Television Series – Drama” and was named by different entities as one of the best television shows of all time.
Bryan Cranston plays the lead character, Walter White. He received universal acclaim for his portrayal of Walter White, winning four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and the 2014 TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama.
Breaking Bad has become a cultural phenomenon but what makes it so great? For starters, Walter White has developed into one of the most iconic characters in pop culture. His transformation from good guy to bad guy has been one of the most exciting aspects of this series. Every episode is filled with suspense making you wonder how far Walt will go next to protect his family or get ahead in his empire.
Walter White was the main character of Breaking Bad.
Walter White, known by his alias Heisenberg, is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Breaking Bad. He was portrayed by Emmy Award-winning actor Bryan Cranston.
A man struggling with his midlife crisis, Walter finds new meaning in his life as a meth manufacturer and dealer.
The character has received critical acclaim and has been listed among the greatest television characters of all time.
Walter White, the main character of Breaking Bad and a high school chemistry teacher, begins to cook meth after finding out he has cancer. He starts making meth with Jesse Pinkman, a former student and local drug dealer. After Walter’s cancer goes into remission, he continues to cook meth to pay off the treatment bills. Walter becomes known in the drug underworld as “Heisenberg.” Walter’s brother-in-law, Hank Schrader, is an employee of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). As the story progresses, Hank uncovers Walter’s identity and subsequently tries to arrest him.
I recently finished watching the five-season TV show, Breaking Bad. I know, I’m late to the party. But despite this being a show nearly a decade old and having been off the air for years, it’s not too late to talk about Walter White: what he did and the person he really was.
The tale of Walter White is one that no doubt has kept many people up at night. It’s easy to watch Walter White become Heisenberg and wonder how it happened. How did a man who never wanted anything more than to be respected and recognized become so dangerous? And what led him to lead such a double life for so long?
Walter White was a man who constantly felt overlooked, yet always had the desire to do great things. By his own admission, he “chose… poorly” in his life, but he still wanted to leave behind something extraordinary with his life before he died.
But would Walter want any of this fame or recognition? Would Walter want any of this now as Heisenberg? I don’t think so. And here’s why:
Heisenberg was never supposed to happen!
That’s right; Heisenberg was never supposed to happen. When Walter White first came up with the idea of
Born in 1958, Walter White was raised in the Albuquerque area by his dad who worked as a research scientist and his mom who was a housewife. He married his high school sweetheart, Skyler and had a son, Walter Jr., or Flynn. He also has a second child on the way.
Shortly after graduating high school, Walt started dating Skyler Lambert (now White). They got married on May 25, 1989, about a week after Skyler’s graduation. Not much is known about their relationship until later on in the series when it becomes more complicated. However, we do know that Skyler has always been supportive of Walt’s dreams and goals, even if she didn’t understand them.
Walter White had big ambitions to become a scientist and to change the world through his work. After receiving a doctorate from CalTech University and working with Elliot Schwartz, Walt decided to leave science for unknown reasons at the time. It wasn’t until years later that viewers learned that Walt decided to pursue another career because he felt he wasn’t making enough of an impact on people’s lives.
Eventually, Walt gave up on doing what he loved most; science because he needed money to support himself and his family as
