An interview with Rhea Seehorn referred to Chuck McGill (Michael McKean) as the villain of Better Call Saul, but the character is far more complex than that. The Breaking Bad spinoff was designed to shed further light on criminal lawyer Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) by depicting how Jimmy McGill eventually embraced the Goodman persona. The introduction of Jimmy's brother Chuck added a new dimension to the show that perfectly flipped the premise of its parent show. "Slipping" Jimmy McGill is a former low-level criminal who wants to become an upstanding member of society by becoming a great lawyer like his brother.
However, there were many stumbling blocks on Jimmy's road to redemption, and the high standards of his brother Chuck were one of these stumbling blocks. That didn't necessarily make Chuck the villain of Better Call Saul as Rhea Seehorn suggested in her interview on The Rich Eisen Show. As with all the characters in Vince Gilligan's Breaking Bad universe, there were many layers to the character of Chuck that made him more of a self-destructive antagonist than a clear-cut villain in Better Call Saul.
Chuck Was Flawed In Better Call Saul - Especially To Those Around Him
In Better Call Saul season 1, Jimmy is essentially an apologist for Chuck, who defends him against medical professionals and colleagues who believe there's something else at the heart of Chuck's rare condition. Claiming that he had electromagnetic hypersensitivity, Chuck's self-diagnosis was disputed by hospital staff when he was admitted, but Jimmy defended his brother, and continued to follow the rigorous protocols for each house visit, despite the skepticism of those around them.
Sadly, this is the polar opposite of how Chuck sees Jimmy, who didn't believe his younger brother was capable of becoming a lawyer. The Chuck and Howard twist at the end of Better Call Saul season 1 revealed that Chuck not only vetoed Jimmy's employment at Hamlin, Hamlin, and McGill, but he also got him taken off the Sandpiper case. In a furious argument, Chuck told Jimmy that he wasn't "a real lawyer." It's this lack of belief in Jimmy, and Chuck's simmering resentment of his younger brother that would put him at odds with everyone from legal partner Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian) to his ex-wife Rebecca Bois (Ann Cusack) throughout his three seasons on Better Call Saul.
Jimmy Always Saw Chuck As A Villain (But Not At The End)
After Jimmy and Chuck's relationship soured in the wake of the Sandpiper case in Better Call Saul season 1, Jimmy saw Chuck as the villain of his story. However, this would ultimately lead to Jimmy's transformation into Saul Goodman, because Chuck's low opinion of his brother caused Jimmy to play to type. Despite his wife Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) believing in him, and Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian) even seeing potential in Jimmy, he couldn't escape the Saul Goodman character because he told himself that this was the role that Chuck had forced him to play. However, in Better Call Saul's finale, Jimmy finally revealed the truth of the matter.
Chuck had always seen Jimmy as a dishonest conman, and when his actions got Howard Hamlin killed, Jimmy's guilt forced him to fully embrace the Saul Goodman persona, thus proving that Chuck was right all along. Playing the role of Saul Goodman was essentially a strange kind of penance for Jimmy, living up to his brother's low expectations. However, at the very end, Jimmy finally did the right thing and realized that Chuck was only trying to push him in the right direction. It's why the finale featured the flashback to Chuck suggesting that Jimmy can change his path, and it's why Jimmy insists on being called James McGill, rather than Saul Goodman in his trial.
Chuck's Worst Better Call Saul Moments Weren't Villainous
One of the most telling Chuck McGill moments comes after his death, during a flashback in the Better Call Saul season 4 finale, "Winner". The Better Call Saul lawyers threw a party to celebrate Jimmy passing the bar exam, at which he called his brother Chuck on stage to sing ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All" on the karaoke machine. Despite being reluctant at first, Chuck takes over the performance and essentially leaves Jimmy to stand and watch from the side of the stage. Rather than a malicious and villainous attempt to overshadow his younger brother, it's a metaphor for Chuck and Jimmy's troubled brotherly relationship. Despite sharing a stage, Chuck's ego forbids him from being on equal footing with Jimmy, so he instead outshines his brother at his own party.
This is typical of Chuck's worst moments, which are often the actions of a bitter and resentful man rather than a cold and calculating villain. Forbidding his brother from sharing the same stage at Better Call Saul's main law firm, HHM, and rounding on Jimmy for not being a real lawyer is evidence of Chuck being vindictive rather than villainous. Even when he's trying to get Jimmy disbarred for tampering with the Mesa Verde files, Chuck is telling himself that he's acting virtuously because Jimmy has shamed the legal profession. However, in reality, Jimmy made Chuck look like a fool, and the senior McGill brother refused to let his younger brother get away with yet another scam.
Jimmy & Chuck Were Equally Responsible For Their Dysfunctional Relationship
Ultimately, Jimmy and Chuck destroyed each other in a biblical fashion during Better Call Saul. In defending himself against potential disbarment, Jimmy ruined the reputation of his brother, leading to Chuck's tragic suicide in the season 3 finale. Jimmy felt guilt for Chuck's death but was able to offload that onto Howard Hamlin, who became the target of Kim and Jimmy's tragic revenge plot. As for Chuck, in trying so hard to keep Jimmy from becoming a legitimate lawyer at his firm, he essentially forced his brother onto the path to becoming Saul Goodman.
Chuck knew that Jimmy had a good heart, but he also knew he was prone to making rash decisions and seeking the faster, easier route. In barring Jimmy from dealing with the more prestigious high-profile clients of HHM, Chuck gave Jimmy no choice but to associate with the very criminals that would bring out the worst aspects of his character. Both McGill brothers' inability to communicate with each other led to their resentments tragically bubbling over until there was no way back for either of them, making the McGill brothers one of Better Call Saul's most tragic stories.