10 TV Fan Theories Better Than We Actually Got
9. Gus Fring Has Worked With The CIA - Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad certainly got things mostly right throughout its incredible five-season run, though absolutely could've done even more with the iconic villain Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito).
Surely the most compelling fan theory convincingly floats the idea that Gus has actually worked with the CIA.
Let's look at the entirely circumstantial "evidence." Don Eladio memorably spared Gus' life because of the ambiguous declaration, "I know who you are," which might suggest Gus is untouchable for some reason.
What better reason than being in bed with the CIA?
Gus' backstory is kept intentionally vague throughout the show, but we know that he emigrated to Mexico from Chile in the '80s during Pinochet's dictatorship.
The theory suggests the possibility that Fring worked with the CIA to enable Pinochet's rise to power, but once the U.S. could no longer be seen to help Pinochet, they sent Fring to Mexico to help infiltrate Eladio's cartel, rise to the top, and help keep as much bloodshed off American soil as possible.
This would also explain how Gus was able to legally move to the U.S. despite his suspicious lack of a past, getting a greenlight from the CIA in exchange for his work.
It's up for debate whether he was still working with the CIA when he began building his meth empire, but the U.S. government has certainly done shadier things than turn a blind eye to large-scale drug operations.
All in all, Gus having a working relationship with the CIA would explain a lot of holes in his backstory, as well as his slippery ability to stay on top for so long.