Summary

• Breaking Bad is full of hidden details and foreshadowing, leading to numerous fan theories about the characters and their secrets.
• Some theories propose Walt mimics traits of his victims, while others suggest Gus Fring may have alliances with the CIA in his quest for revenge.
• Wild theories that suggest Walt could be Hal from Malcolm in the Middle or the entire Breaking Bad series is just Jesse's dream face logical scrutiny.

With intricate storytelling and plenty of hidden references throughout the series, it is no surprise fans have adopted many Breaking Bad fan theories on their own. Though it has been over six years since the show ended, Breaking Bad is still a series that fans love to look back on. With Breaking Bad spin-off shows and movies, even more of this world has been explored, continuing the fascination with the story and inspiring some creative ideas that fans have come up with based on the show.

Breaking Bad is a show dense with foreshadowing and subtle callbacks so it's entirely possible some hidden details exist that fans may have uncovered. Like all fan theories, some feel more likely than others. Some of these theories point to possible secrets about the characters that can be backed up with real evidence while others introduce higher concept ideas that are fun but not very plausible. Exploring these Breaking Bad theories is a fun way of revisiting the show and might even make fans look at things a little differently.

Breaking Bad Theories That Make Sense

9 Ted Is Walt Jr's Real Father

Ted Beneke's Breaking Bad role was not an overly popular one with fans as many felt his storyline brought unnecessary melodrama into the show. However, a fan theory connecting him to the White family does make him a little more interesting. Ted is Skyler's former boss who she goes back to working for and has an affair with when she and Walt are feuding.

In one episode, Ted asks how Walt Jr. is doing and makes a comment about his "good genes." This could be taken as some flirting on Ted's part, but given his relationship with Skyler, some think he was hinting at the fact that he was Walt Jr.'s real father. It's hard to believe Skyler would have betrayed Walt like this earlier in their marriage but it's hard to ignore that comment.

8 Walt Mimics Those Who He Kills

Walt begins the show as a mild-mannered school teacher who is reluctant to resort to violence. However, as he gets deeper and deeper into the world of crime, Walt ends up killing a lot of people. While it pains him to take a life at first, it gets easier each time to the point that he seems completely cold-blooded. Fans even noticed a detail about Walt that suggests he takes on certain personal traits of his victims after killing them.

After killing Crazy-8, Walt begins cutting off the crusts of his sandwiches, just the way Crazy-8 asked Walt to do for him. After killing Gus, he begins driving a similar car and he even takes Mike's favorite drink as his own. This is never explicitly pointed out on the show, but it is a nice little detail that, if true, points to the sociopathic mind of Walt that becomes undeniable by the end of the series.

7 Gus Fring Works With The CIA

Gus Fring is certainly the most interesting antagonist in the series and his story continued in Better Call Saul. Though Walt eventually kills Gus in Breaking Bad, he is a villain who shows that he is often one step ahead of everyone else and an expert at going undetected. However, this calm yet frightening drug lord may have more up his sleeve than is seen according to some fans.

One popular theory suggests that Fring is working with the CIA to take down the Mexican drug cartel. Fring obviously has a personal vendetta against the cartel and he might go to extremes to get his revenge. The CIA may be backing Fring since he is a more business-minded man who avoids violence whenever possible, feeling like a safer option than the unpredictable and brutal cartels.

6 Gus And Max Were Romantic Partners

Fring's vendetta against the cartel is revealed in one episode of the series in which we see a flashback of Don Eladio and Hector Salamanca killing Fring's business partner, Max. Fring is heartbroken by this and dedicates his life to making them pay. This has led some to believe Gus and Max were more than just business partners and were also romantically involved.

It was rare to ever see Gus show emotion like he does in the scene in which Max is killed, suggesting this could be the reaction to losing the love of his life. Better Call Saul further suggested Gus was gay in his final appearance on the prequel show where he is seen flirting with a male bartender. However, Gus abruptly leaves the bar, perhaps due to him still carrying a broken heart for Max.

Breaking Bad Theories That Don't Make Sense

5 Walt Goes On To Become Hal In Malcolm In The Middle

Part of what makes Bryan Cranston's performance as Walter White so impressive is that many people previously knew him as the goofy dad on Malcolm in the Middle. Cranston played Hal in the quirky sitcom, the patriarch of a dysfunctional middle-class family. Both roles are iconic television performances from Cranston and it's even more impressive if considering that he's playing the same character in both shows.

This wild fan theory suggests Walt survives the finale of Breaking Bad and goes into witness protection. He takes a new identity of Hal from Malcolm in the Middle. The biggest problem with this theory is Cranston's range as these two seem like totally different characters despite some surface-level similarities. It is also quite noticeable that Hal is younger than Walter White as fun as the idea is. The proposed Malcolm in the Middle revival could clear up the theory.

4 It's All A Dream

It seems like every show and movie is susceptible to the theory that the entire story is just one big dream. Breaking Bad is no different as some fans suggested the entire series is dreamed up by Jesse after he fell asleep in Mr. White's science class. It is a funny theory that is most believable because of the relationship between Jesse and Walt but ultimately does not stand up to scrutiny.

Aside from the fact that this would make the entire series rather pointless, the theory has many other logical problems. It would suggest that Jesse dreamed up countless moments that didn't involve him at all. Better Call Saul also makes for an issue with the theory as it would suggest Jesse also dreamed up a spinoff that takes place across different time periods.

3 Mike Is Future Jesse

Mike Ehrmantraut is another fascinating character who was thankfully fleshed out even further in Better Call Saul. Though he initially has no patience or interest in Jesse in Breaking Bad, he came to represent a different kind of mentor to the young man as compared to Walter White. One interesting fan theory suggests that Mike is actually Jesse from the future who is trying to steer his former self away from the destructive road he is going down.

Breaking Bad certainly is not the kind of show that would include a time travel plot so it is very easy to throw the entire theory out just based on that reasoning. However, it also forces the audience to forget that Mike has an entire life of his own that has nothing to do with Jesse. it doesn't make sense that Jesse would grow up to be an ex-cop who ends up going back to being in the drug business anyway.

2 The Walking Dead Takes Place In The Same Universe

Breaking Bad was the first big hit on the AMC network, but then The Walking Dead came along to become one of the biggest shows on television. Over time, fans started to pick up on small details that seemed to suggest these two shows were set in the same universe. From glimpses of blue crystal meth to mentions of a drug dealer who sounds a lot like Jesse, there is some tempting evidence here.

However, it's hard to imagine the world of Breaking Bad turning into a zombie apocalypse, especially as they continue to tell more stories in this world. It serves as a good in-joke between the two series, but given that they both started on a similar modern-day timeline, the fact that there is no mention of a zombie outbreak by the time Better Call Saul ended shuts down the theory.

1 The Finale Is A Hallucination

The finale of Breaking Bad sees Walter White abandoning his life in hiding to take revenge on Uncle Jack and his gang of neo-Nazis while also rescuing Jesse. Along with that, Walt is also able to secure a financial future for his children which was his ultimate goal from the beginning of the series. After accomplishing everything that he set out to do at the beginning of the episode, Walt quietly dies from a gunshot wound.

Some fans thought that the ending wrapped things up too tightly for Walt and led to the theory that the finale is actually Walt's hallucination as he dies while alone in hiding. El Camino single-handedly dismantled that theory as the story picks up right where the finale ended to tell Jesse's story. Better Call Saul further destroyed it with confirmation that Walt died during the events that were depicted in the finale.