Who Will Die? Breaking Down All the Breaking Bad Finale Theories
September 25, 2013
by Maria Mercedes Lara
Breaking Bad is coming to an end this Sunday, and fans around the world are anxiously wondering how the series will come to an end. To shine some light on the upcoming finale, we've rounded up some of the most intriguing and realistic fan theories that are floating around online and broken them down to see what will actually take place this weekend. Anything can happen, so leave your ideas in the comments!
Warning: if you aren't all caught up on Breaking Bad, there are major spoilers ahead.
Walt Will Die
One thing many of the popular theories have in common is that Walter White will die in the series finale. The question is how Walt will pass away. He has broken bad more than ever, seems to be at a very low point, is clearly quite sick, and has made many enemies.
Walt Will Go Out in a Blaze of Glory
One realistic theory is that Walt, armed with his guns and ricin, will bust into the Aryan Brotherhood's compound to take them all out in a violent blaze. Somehow during the destruction, Walt will be killed.
Why It Might Happen: While working the red carpet at the Emmys on Sunday, Bryan Cranston hinted that there will be a lot of death in the episode. When asked if there is an opportunity for a sequel, Bryan said, "If we manage to survive the holocaust."
Why It Won't Happen: It just seems a little too obvious, doesn't it? Plus, Walt getting ahold of the ricin implies that he might not be taking a guns-blazing approach in his revenge run.
Walt Will Kill Himself
Another theory is that Walt will kill himself using the ricin from his bedroom, possibly when he starts to feel the walls closing in on him either by Uncle Jack's crew, the police, or some other force. He already knows he is dying, so why not control his own death?
Why It Might Happen: We know Walt has the ricin and he is controlling enough to want to be in charge of how he will go out.
Why It Might Not Happen: Ricin takes hours, if not days, to kill someone. Even if Walt did use it as a way out, he would be languishing for some time, so it wouldn't be a quick way out of a bind. And if he was going to kill himself, wouldn't he have done it already?
Walt Will Die From His Cancer
It seems like the most obvious, and least satisfying, end for Walt to die from his cancer. Walt may plan for his revenge, only to die, alone and disgraced, because of the illness that forced him into this mess in the first place.
Why It Might Happen: It would be the ultimate blow to Walt's ego if he was taken away by something beyond his, or anyone else's, control. Plus, wouldn't it be one final way to catch the audience off guard if they are prepared for Walt to get murdered or kill himself, only to have him die because of his cancer?
Why It Might Not Happen: Having Walt go out quietly would not be enjoyable for the audience. Despite Walt's descent into evil, we still want his death to mean something. Plus, dying from cancer is a long process, and he would presumably kill himself if he saw the end on the horizon.
But What About Jesse?
The central arc of Breaking Bad is Walt's and Jesse's relationship. Right now, the two are separated, both physically and emotionally, so the audience really needs to see the two of them interact at least once before the end of the series.
Walt and Jesse Will Team Up One Last Time
Last week's episode broke Jesse down — he was enslaved, forced back into cooking, physically assaulted, and watched Andrea die. This may be enough for Jesse to team back up with Walt for one final plot against Todd's gang.
Why It Might Happen: A reunion between Jesse and Walt would be very satisfying for the audience, especially after we watched them essentially "break up" over the past season. Plus, now the two have a reason to want Todd and his crew dead as they killed Hank (which marked Walt against them) and murdered Andrea (which destroyed Jesse).
Why It Might Not Happen: Before the showdown in the desert, Walt had ordered a hit on Jesse, signifying that their relationship may not be able to be repaired. Plus, sharing a common enemy with Walt may not be enough to bring Jesse back around to his side.
Jesse Will Kill Walt
Even if Walt and Jesse do reunite, one theory floating around is that Jesse will ultimately take Walt's life, most likely in a cinematic showdown.
Why It Might Happen: Jesse is scared of Walt, and fear is enough of a motivator for Jesse to want him out of his life. Plus, Jesse has good reason to want Walt dead especially now that he knows the truth about Jane.
Why It Might Not Happen: Jesse is scared of causing death, as evidenced by his reaction to Walt killing Mike and to Todd executing that child near the train tracks in the beginning of season five. Even though Jesse hates Walt, he probably isn't willing to take his life.
Walt Will Save Jesse but Poison Him With the Ricin
One theory from Reddit is that Walt will save Jesse from the Nazis' compound but will use the poison to quietly murder him.
Why It Might Happen: Walt has the ricin and, despite still having a fondness for Jesse, also has a good reason to want him dead as he attempted to turn on him and burn down his home. Jesse may be too much of a live wire for Walt to keep around, and he knows Jesse too well to want to kill him with a gun. Poison would be the softer, less confrontational route. Plus, if both Jesse and Walt are dead, there will be no more blue on the market and Heisenberg's legacy can finally end.
Why It Might Not Happen: Walt still loves Jesse, despite wanting to have him killed. Plus, Jesse is one of the only people that Walt can realistically have contact with since he has been cut off from his family. Their relationship may be too important to end with murder.
Who Else Is Going to Die?
Aside from the obvious characters like Walt, Jesse, Todd, and Uncle Jack, fans are theorizing about who else will bite the dust in the final episode.
Walt Will Poison Lydia With the Ricin
The ricin is most likely not going to be used on Uncle Jack's crew, as there is really no way for Walt to get close enough to them to poison them without there being a violent showdown. So, who gets the ricin? Fans on Reddit suspect that Walt may be saving the poison for Lydia, as he knows that she has access to blue again and is thus working with Jesse.
Why It Might Happen: It would be good to see Lydia get what's coming to her, especially after the destruction she has caused with Jesse and having Walt's family threatened. Lydia is also one of the few characters that Walt could easily get close enough to for poisoning. Plus, killing Lydia may be good revenge on Todd, as he is harboring a serious crush on her.
Why It Might Not Happen: Lydia may not be a big enough character to get the ricin treatment, as its presence has been teased around for nearly a year.
Walt Jr. or Holly Will Die
A writer for The Telegraph theorizes that Walt Jr. will die in the last episode. His reasoning? Walt Jr. is the only truly innocent character, and, thus, it would be the most painful to Walt and the audience if he was killed. There are also people out there who think Baby Holly will be a victim here, especially after the episode in which Walt kidnapped his own daughter.
Why It Will Happen: If Todd's gang knows that Walt is on the warpath, they might pick Walt Jr. as their victim to send a message to Walt. We've already seen the Nazis beat up Jesse, kill Andrea, kill Hank, and threaten Skyler — what's stopping them from killing his kids?
Why It Won't Happen: If Todd's crew is going to pick someone to kill, they might pick Skyler, not Walt Jr. or Holly.
Marie Will Commit Suicide
The death of Hank would be the one thing that finally pushes the unstable Marie over the edge. She may commit suicide in the final episode, further sending Skyler into a shame spiral about her involvement with Walt's meth dealing.
Why It Might Happen: Marie was an emotional wreck before Hank died, so it would make sense if she completely lost it after he was gone.
Why It Might Not Happen: While Marie is a major player in the show, she may not be important enough to warrant her own storyline in the final episode. There are so many other loose ends that we need tied up; we don't necessarily need to know what happens to Marie.