Breaking Bad were always a target of comparisons because of the similarities in tone and Breaking Bad fans' need for a show akin to filling the void left by the series' ending. Now that Ozark has also come to an end, the comparisons remain, even though the two shows are quite distinctive in of narrative and pacing: while Ozark is much more grounded in reality and works better as a psychological thriller, Breaking Bad is a dramatic, snowballing portrait of a man becoming the devil.
However, one major takeaway from both shows is the parallel between their respective characters; so different in of objectives but quite similar when it comes to their motivations. Here are 10 Ozark characters and their Breaking Bad counterparts.
Mel Sattem - Saul Goodman
Mel is one of the newest characters of the show, introduced at the beginning of Season 4. Playing the nice cop, his smart talk convinces anyone stupid enough to fall for his charms as he plays a concerned person who cares about duty, while he's only acting for his selfish purposes. The witty Saul isn't by any means different: walking around in his fancy suits, his easy-going ways of dealing with things are just a mask to cover his dirty connections and associations with criminals.
However, outside their egocentric tendencies and illegal links, both Mel and Saul have a good heart and aren't prone to be part of any dirty work. As long as they get away unscathed everything is fine. Unfortunately, Mel didn't find any comfort in his attempt at redemption.
Javi Elizonndro - Todd Alquist
Javi is an unpredictable villain but ultimately an evil psychopath. While he's a reliable partner as long as things happen in the way he plans, any misstep can make him turn against his associates. The same applies to Todd, who is just as spoiled and selfish as the latter and, similar to Javi being the son of Ozark's final villain, Todd is also related to Breaking Bad's final boss Jack, which grants them privileges over others.
Their impulsive, ruthless actions are what makes these two such scary villains capable of killing anyone, even children, in cold blood. On the other hand, their careless way to act is what ended up being their doom.
Maya Miller - Hank Schrader
Even though Walter was Breaking Bad's main character, most of the fans were cheering for Hank in the show's final episodes. On the other hand, Maya's involvement with Marty and his business offered a precious opportunity for the character to get out clean, and fans almost believed Marty could get away just fine with Maya's plan. Unfortunately, her patience fell short, which led her to act like the cop she is and get in Marty's way in a final, risky attempt to stop both the Byrdes and the cartel.
Likewise, Hank's friendship and love for Walter as a family member held him back from turning him right away to the police, but he never backed down. Maya and Hank's sense of justice was supposed to be their biggest strength, but it ended up being what doomed them, although Maya fortunately survived.
Buddy Dieker - Mike Ehrmantraut
While Buddy and Mike often seemed like spectators in all the chaotic events unraveling around them, they are always there in case the people pulling the strings miss something. Buddy doesn't want to have anything related to Marty's illegal practices, but even knowing something is off he doesn't tell the authorities and, as a friend of the family, he doesn't skimp on resources to save the Byrdes on more than one occasion, even if it means putting his own life at risk.
Mike's case isn't different, he's always there to clean up the mess but makes sure to get his boundaries straight. Mike isn't any cold-blood hitman and he shows comion for the people he's working it: maybe if he didn't, he probably would've lived a little longer, and the same applies to Buddy.
Ben David - Jane Margolis
Ben and Jane were more than the love interests of the main characters in their shows; they played a vital role in the season they were in and changed the lives of everyone who crossed paths with them before their inevitable death. While they both struggled with problems difficult to overcome, their heart was bigger than anything.
Showing up in season 3, Ben stopped taking his medication for bipolar disorder to be a better partner for Ruth, which caused him to have a heartbreaking mental breakdown. Jane was a skilled artist and caring woman who found comfort in Jesse, but her addiction to drugs put her on the line between life and death, and Walter opted not to save her in an upsetting scene. Ben's death is just as heartbreaking, as Wendy desperately realizes there's no hope for keeping him away from the problems he's caused, giving the green light for his assassination.
Darlene Snell - Jack Welker
Darlene and Jack might be the most chaotic villains in their respective series. Darlene was introduced in Season 1 alongside her husband Jacob, a charismatic, persuasive businessman. Darlene is impulsive and merciless toward anyone who might put her interests at risk, but that doesn't make her any less smart than her husband: when the couple clashed, she triumphed, killing him before he could put into practice the plan of shooting her. After his death, she went on to lead her prospering drug business and the poppy field, proceeding to do what she could to get in the way of the Byrde family.
Just like Darlene, Jack is totally unpredictable and severely stubborn; he's a violent, ruthless man who leads a dangerous gang of criminals. His impulsive actions turned Walter's life upside down in the final episodes of the show, making him the most dangerous villain of Breaking Bad, but not the smartest, letting greed get in the way.
Ruth Langmore - Jesse Pinkman
Ruth and Jesse share one thing in common: constant suffering. Played like puppets throughout the whole show, the two underdogs were the perfect crime partners, but in exchange for that, they had to witness every single person they loved to die. Ever since Jesse met Walter, his life became a perpetual cycle of tragedies.
Ruth's case isn't different. In the meantime she worked for the Byrdes, she lost pretty much all of her family, had to cover up her love interest's death, and was tortured and beaten more than once before inevitably dying at the hands of the Mexican cartel, while the Byrdes didn't move a finger to stop that from happening. Both Jesse and Ruth led a twisted, hopeless life with no chance of a happy ending, but at least Jesse made out alive.
Helen Pierce - Gus Fring
Two flawless villains that ended up defeated due to a tiny mistake. While both Helen and Gus didn't underestimate how dangerous their opponents were, they were so confident about their victory that they didn't even realize those opponents had already gotten the upper hand.
Introduced halfway through the show, Helen and Gus were unreliable partners of their respective show's main characters. While the Byrdes did everything they could to get Helen's trust, they never stopped questioning her intentions. On the other hand, Walter and Jesse helped Gus' business thrive, knowing it was just a matter of time until he turned against the duo. When the clash between them finally happened in both Ozark and Breaking Bad, the way these villains died came as a major twist.
Wendy Byrde - Walter White
In season 1 of Ozark, comparing Marty Byrde with Walter White seemed quite reasonable. They were both resolute guys, not much of confrontation, and too good at what they do for their good. As seasons went by, however, Walter's egocentric tendencies turned him into a ruthless criminal, just like the way Wendy started to show her claws in Ozark.
The more she got involved with Marty's business, the more callous she became. When she realized how good she was at her deceiving plots and clever manipulations, Wendy entered a point of no return, turning into a cold-hearted person with little to no regard for the people around her, similar to Walter White. While Walter found his redemption by saving Jesse at the end, Ruth's imminent death was what caused Wendy to snap, but it was too late to save her by then.
Marty Byrde - Skyler White
As Ozark went on, Marty turned into Wendy's doormat. His desperate attempts to step away from the money laundering business share clear similarities with Skyler's situation: she stayed for the sake of family.
Skyler ed Walter until the very end, only letting go of his hand when her family was in danger. Throughout five seasons she helped and listened to him, but more than once their marriage felt more like a competition where they both try to get the upper hand. The same applies to Marty, who engages with Rachel as payback for Wendy's infidelity, but at the same time holds himself back from letting Wendy go, in pointless attempts to save their relationship.