Summary

• The first season of Breaking Bad contained numerous moments that hinted at Walter White's evil nature, even though he initially appeared tame and harmless compared to his later self.
• Walter's decision to start cooking meth, his blackmail of Jesse, and his willingness to manipulate and deceive others were early indications of the sinister person he would become.
• Walter's pride, lack of empathy, and disregard for innocent lives are evident in his actions, such as blowing up Tuco's office and ruining Hugo's reputation.

The Walter White seen in the first season of Breaking Bad seemed like an entirely different character from the ruthless and evil man he became later in the show’s run, but there were some hints of his evil nature even in the earliest episodes. While in later seasons Walter took no issue with orchestrating the simultaneous murder of ten prisoners and was heard carelessly whistling shortly after a child was shot due to his actions, in the first season he appeared tame and harmless by comparison. However, the clues were always there that the evil Heisenberg was buried inside him.

From Walter’s initial decision to contribute to the drug trade and start cooking methamphetamine through instances of blackmail, deceit, murder, and robbery, the first season of Breaking Bad was full of sinister Walter moments. In the earliest episodes, the audience’s sympathies were with Walter as they felt for his plight, cancer diagnosis, and desire to help his family. However, with the power of hindsight to the man he later became, it was obvious that Walter White was always an evil man, he just never had the opportunity to give in to his ego and sinister impulses.

10 When Walter Decides To Start Cooking Meth

Season 1, Episode 1, “Pilot"

It is hard to pinpoint the exact moment Walter White decided to enter a life of crime and start cooking crystal meth to make money for his family. The pilot episode of Breaking Bad featured several important moments in Walt’s sinister realization he could make a lot of money if he entered the meth game. From seeing the $700,000 Hank seized in a drug bust, Walter’s ridealong, and then spotting Jesse Pinkman fleeing the scene, Walter decides to embrace his evil side, slowly transform into Heisenberg, and add to the world’s suffering by manufacturing meth.

9 When Walter Attacked Walt Jr.’s Bullies

Season 1, Episode 1, “Pilot”

When Walt Jr. was shopping for clothes, an older bully was mocking his disability and joked about him needing help with his “big boy pants.” While this was a horrible instance of a teenager facing ridicule, Walter’s action of stomping on the bully's leg and provoking him in a confrontation showcased the pride and ego of Walter’s Heisenberg persona coming to the forefront. Walter always took issue with appearing weak and his willingness to attack this boy in broad daylight in front of witnesses showcased his reckless nature and most sinister impulses that would later have deathly consequences.

8 When Walter Blackmailed Jesse Into Cooking

Season 1, Episode 1, “Pilot”

Perhaps the first indication of the manipulative tactics of the man who became Heisenberg, Jesse Pinkman did not team up with Walter White willingly and was instead blackmailed into his association with him. While Walter appeared mostly sympathetic in the Breaking Bad pilot episode, his ultimatum to Jesse that he could either cook with him or get turned in to the police was incredibly calculated and conniving. This early decision acted as the inception point for every horrible thing Walter would subsequently do and forcing his former student to be an accomplice to his criminal plans was highly unethical.

7 When Walter Tells Jesse To Melt Emilio With Acid

Season 1, Episode 2, “Cat's in the Bag...”

After Jesse’s former partner, the drug dealer Emilio Koyama, was killed by Walter inside the RV using deadly phosphine gas, the two are left with the difficult question of how to dispose of Emilio’s body. Walter told Jesse he needed to dissolve Emilio's corpse with hydrofluoric acid, as this would ensure that no evidence would be left behind. This suggestion showed a complete lack of humanity on Walter’s part and the fact that he left the job for Jesse to do after a coin toss demonstrated Walter’s ability to compartmentalize his evil acts from his own self-perception.

6 When Walter Choked Krazy-8 To Death

Season 1, Episode 3, “"... And the Bag's in the River"

After Krazy-8 survived Walter’s gas attack in the RV, it was up to Walt to finish the job. While Walter did struggle with the morality of murder, even weighing the pros and cons of letting Krazy-8 go, the method through which Walt killed him was seriously hands-on. After realizing Krazy-8 was going to use a piece of broken plate as a weapon to escape, Walter conjured his most ruthless side and choked Krazy-8 to death with a bike lock. The graphic and painful way Walter ended Krazy-8’s life was an early indication of the evil he was capable of.

5 When Walter’s Pride Was Too Great To Accept A Job From Gretchen And Elliott

Season 1, Episode 5, “Gray Matter”

One thing Walter used to justify his horrible actions throughout Breaking Bad was that he was cooking meth for the good of his family and to ensure they would be looked after once he died. However, this argument fell apart when he refused Gretchen and Elliott’s offer for a job at Gray Matter, and was compounded even further when he did not accept their charity to pay for his treatment. The ego and showmanship of Heisenberg came to the forefront with this decision, as Walter would rather harm countless lives with meth than swallow his pride and accept help.

4 When Walter Lies To Skyler About Accepting Help

Season 1, Episode 5, “Gray Matter”

After refusing help, Walter later lied to his wife Skyler, and tells her that Gretchen and Elliot were paying for his cancer treatment. This willingness to deceive his wife and instead continue cooking crystal meth was a clue that, although Walter claimed everything he did was for his family, he was more than happy to shut them out, continuously lie, and put their lives in danger so he could continue cooking. Walter’s decision to keep Skyler in the dark would eventually lead to a situation where Gus Fring was threatening to murder their infant daughter in cold blood.

3 When Walter Blew Up Tuco’s Office

Season 1, Episode 6, “Crazy Handful of Nothin'”

While Walter’s reputation throughout Season 1 of Breaking Bad was as a mild-mannered chemistry teacher who’s in over his head with the cartel, his actions in “Crazy Handful of Nothin'” revealed a man capable of insanely reckless behavior. When Walt blew up Tuco Salamanca’s office with fulminated mercury disguised as meth he not only could have killed Tuco but also himself and any innocent bystanders in the area. The magnitude of the explosion was so great and could have had so many unintended consequences. This proved Walter did not care who he to hurt to get what he wanted.

2 When Walter Let Hugo The Janitor Get Fired And Ruined His Reputation

Season 1, Episode 6, “Crazy Handful of Nothin'”

A sad side effect of Walter’s decision to cook crystal meth was the people who suffered that had no part in organized crime. One of the forgotten victims of Walter’s behavior was Hugo the janitor, who was accused of stealing chemistry supplies from the high school where Walter worked. After the police found a small amount of marijuana in Hugo’s car, he was arrested and lost his job. Walter’s evil action had the unintended consequence of ruining a man’s career, livelihood, and reputation in one fell swoop, and the number of people destroyed by Walter would only continue to grow.

1 When Walter Decided To Steal Methylamine

Season 1, Episode 7, “A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal”

Upon realizing that they needed more methylamine than they could reasonably acquire, Walter and Jesse devise a plan to steal it from a chemical warehouse. This decision showcased Walter’s willingness to break into genuine facilities, tres in the darkness of night, and even lock a helpless security guard in a portable toilet. These decisions were an early indication that Walter had no issue exploiting everyday citizens to ensure he could keep cooking meth throughout Breaking Bad, and potentially putting another person’s job on the line for his own selfish needs.