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"Mature Content!" |
| “ | You are screwed. You want the Cartel to blame me for Lalo. But if they catch me, and make me talk? Ooh... That is not good for you, is it? Even if I disappear, everyone's gonna smell your stink all over it. The only way that this works for you is with me dead. Alright. Whatever bullshit way you want the story to go, I will make it go. But... I need one thing. [...] My dad. I need to know that he will be safe. | „ |
| ~ Nacho offering his own life in exchange for his father's. |
| “ | Him? You think the... Chicken Man? What a joke. Alvarez has been paying me for years. Years, but you know what? I would've done it for free, because I hate every last one of you psycho. Sacks. Of shit. I opened Lalo's gate. And I would do it again, and I'm glad what they did to him. He's a soulless pig. And I wish I'd killed him with my own hands, and you know what else, Hector? I put you in that chair. Oh, yeah. Your heart meds? I switched them for sugar pills. You were dead and buried, and I had to watch this asshole bring you back. So when you are sitting in your shitty nursing home, and you're suckin' down on your Jell-O night after night for the rest of your life, YOU THINK OF ME. You twisted fuck! | „ |
| ~ Nacho's last words to the Salamancas before his suicide. |
Ignacio "Nacho" Varga is a major character in Better Call Saul, the prequel to Breaking Bad.
Originally a ruthless criminal and right hand man of Tuco Salamanca, he becomes more disillusioned with the life of crime as both his and his father's lives are put in danger by the Cartel. Eventually forced by Gustavo Fring to be his pawn, Nacho has to face off against Lalo, the most dangerous of the Salamancas.
He was portrayed by Michael Mando.
His Good Ranking[]
What Makes Him Admirable?[]
In General[]
- Despite being a hardened criminal, Nacho is in general the lighter shade of black when compared to almost everyone, being much more honorable, polite and protective of those who aren't in the game - When he becomes leader of the Albuquerque Salamanca turf in Season 4, it's shown that while he's not a perfect boss, he's still much better than his predecessors.
- Deeply loves his father Manuel and spends much of the show protecting him.
- He feels genuine remorse for his crimes and wants to leave the game to pursue a normal life, away from the dangers of the Cartel.
- Overall, even the creators described Nacho as the only character who "breaks good" through becoming a better person as the series goes on, while everyone else "breaks bad" through becoming worse and worse.
Better Call Saul[]
Season 1[]
- He plays a part in convincing Tuco Salamanca to spare Jimmy McGill's life, as well as the two skateboarders, Cal and Lars.
- This is suggested by Michael Mando to have not been simply pragmatic.[1]
Season 2[]
- Helps Mike Ehrmantraut in getting Tuco arrested (although Nacho himself wanted him dead), and while it's mostly pragmatic and self-serving, it doesn't change the fact Tuco is a dangerously psychotic individual who could've taken many more lives if he wasn't dealt with.
- There was also an element of revenge of, Dog Paulson, whom Tuco killed for no reason and even left part of his skull inside Nacho's shoulder.
- Nacho also has genuine standards here, as he claims Mike would have "done the world a favor" if he just killed Tuco instead.
Season 3[]
- Let a woman and her child leave Los Pollos Hermanos once Hector Salamanca had everyone inside it held hostage.
- Was remorseful after Hector forced him to beat up his childhood friend Domingo Molina.
- After Hector plans to force Manuel into joining the drug trade, he tries to kill Hector to save his father, not wanting to see him join such a lifestyle.
- Even when he very briefly tells his father to accept Hector's offer, it's only because he cares for him and doesn't want him to get in trouble, and changes his mind shortly afterwards.
- Succeeds in crippling Hector.
Season 4[]
- After Gus forces him to work under him, one could make the argument the majority of his villainy is not done willingly, especially with the aforementioned desire for redemption.
Season 5[]
- Helps Gus take down Lalo Salamanca, even if the attempt fails.
- Shows genuine concern over the innocent people living in Lalo's house, knowing they might get killed during the assassination attempt.
Season 6[]
- Is grateful towards the shop clerk gives him a rag to clean himself with, and leaves him some money.
- Sacrifices his own life by giving himself up to Gus and the Cartel, knowing he might or might not get tortured, in exchange for his father being kept safe.
Breaking Bad and El Camino[]
- Although he is only mentioned once by Saul in Breaking Bad and is not at all even mentioned in El Camino, his tragic fate still had a profound posthumous impact on Mike, as he became very protective of Jesse during the former and even gave him an advice to quit the criminal life in a flashback in El Camino inspiring Jesse to start a new life after the events of the film.
What Makes Him Inconsistent?[]
- He is overall an anti-hero:
- Even his most heroic acts are questionable, such as arresting Tuco or getting rid of Hector using contentious methods, such as making the latter have a stroke and leaving him crippled as a result (although he did deserve it for everything that he has done at that point).
- Even after being borderline-forced into villainy by Gus and despite later on redeeming himself, Nacho frequently commits crimes, though he does feel remorse for his worst actions.
- He participates in a brutal shootout against the Espinosa gang after they were falsely framed for attacking him, and he allows assassins into Lalo's home knowing full well innocent people may get harmed or killed.
- He's lethal, as he is willing to both assault and kill people, even while a hero.
- His redemption in the end is not enough to outweigh the many corrupting qualities he has throughout the series, although it is mainly due to his lack of agency.
References[]
External Links[]
- Nacho Varga on the Breaking Bad Wiki
- Nacho Varga on the Heroes Wiki
- Nacho Varga on the Villains Wiki
- Nacho Varga on the Villainous Benchmark Wiki
- Nacho Varga on the Guile Heroes Wiki
[]
 Inconsistently Admirable
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Animated Features Live-Action Features Live-Action Television See Also | ||
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Heisenberg's Empire Other | ||