Breaking Bad: I didn’t think Walter White had anything in common with The Punisher, until I realized they’re somewhat alike

Breaking Bad has the kind of storytelling and character arc that's not easy to come across. It did something different than the rest of the shows. Hence, it is still remembered as one of the best shows ever written. Walter White’s transformation from just a school chemistry teacher to a kingpin set a high bar for antihero storytelling.

But there's another broken man with a moral compass as unique as his. And it's Frank Castle, aka The Punisher. For the longest time, I kept them in separate boxes. Walt is the one with a brain who thought he was a hero, and Frank is the vigilante who knows he’s not.

But when I was rewatching Breaking Bad, I realized they’re somewhat alike.

They both start with a tragedy. They both get let down by the system. And then they both decide to become the system. Neither of them just decided one day to go down that path. They evolve. And every choice they make slowly leaves them with nothing but a mission and a sense of self-righteousness that can only be described as dark.

The root of all this is the same. It's pain that's turned into power.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's opinions. Reader discretion is advised.

Breaking Bad and The Punisher: Walter White and Frank Castle are two sides of the same coin

When I first watched Breaking Bad, I remember sympathizing with Walter White. I genuinely believed he was doing it all for his family, just like he said. But by the time I got to the part where he confessed that he did it for himself, I realized he was not just lying to himself but everyone.

Frank Castle does the same thing. He tells himself (and us) that he’s on a quest for justice. But if you look deep into his psyche, you'll realize he’s addicted to violence. That’s when I realized they’re not very different. They’re both just men who lost something. And then chose to burn everything else down instead of grieving.

Walter’s weapon is his brain in Breaking Bad. Frank’s is his body. One cooks meth. The other crushes skulls. But they’re both trying to fill the same bottomless pit. They don’t trust the world to make things right. So they take that job for themselves.

They become the judge, jury, and executioner. And there’s something disturbingly satisfying about watching them do it. I found myself rooting for them way past the point of redemption. These characters make you complicit before you even realize it.

Also, Walter keeps saying that everything’s "for the kids," but he was slowly becoming someone his kids wouldn’t even recognize. Frank sees ghosts of his wife and children every time he closes his eyes. But instead of healing, he turns those visions into fuel. Both of them weaponize their grief. They feel the need to.

I think what makes their arcs so devastating is that neither of them wants forgiveness. They don’t care about being saved. All they want is to be understood and remembered.

Frank wants the world to know he didn’t let his family’s death go unanswered. Walter from Breaking Bad wants the world to know he was somebody. They’re both obsessed with rewriting the narrative so they’re not just victims.

These are two men who looked at their pain and decided it permitted them to take the law into their own hands. And I kind of get why they did it.

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