Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad series finale (AMC)

Vince Gilligan has confirmed the obvious: the fate of Walter White. During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show to promote this week’s direct sequel movie, El Camino, the creator debunked any theories spun by Breaking Bad fans.

“Yeah, I’m gonna give you that one, Rich, because I love you so much,” Gilligan shared. “Yes, Walter White is dead. Yes.”



To be fair, fans have certainly seen fuel tossed on such a rumor fire. Even Bryan Cranston told Conan in 2018, “Maybe Walter White did get away with it. Was there a coroner’s report? No. Was there a listing in the obituaries? No.” Let’s not forget, though, Cranston is no stranger to a devious scheme, going back to his days of playing Tim Whatley in Seinfeld.

(Read: Breaking Bad‘s 10 Most Brilliant Schemes)

But really, the proof was always there. Even beyond the whole thematic charm to Breaking Bad’s ending — the creator dying beside his true love — the first trailer for El Camino blatantly confirmed the death count at the Nazi compound. So, yeah, Walter has been dead since the series faded away to the sounds of Badfinger, and we’re A-OK with that.

Even so, that doesn’t mean White won’t appear in a flashback of sorts. After all, Cranston confirmed he was in El Camino, so don’t be surprised to see his glaring mug pop up on Friday. Just don’t expect him to take part in any of the action, which is less a problem for you, and more an issue for Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), who could use some ingenuity given his current situation. Rest assured, he’s learned a thing or two over the years.

We’ll find out on Friday when El Camino crashes right into your Netflix queue. In the meantime, enjoy all of the fine features as part of our Breaking Bad Week here at Consequence of Sound. Yesterday, Andrew Bloom caught us up on Pinkman’s arc, today we’re revisiting Skyler’s, and the rest of the days leading up to the movie will see us celebrating the show’s schemes and cold opens. You can also head over to Consequence of Sound Radio via TuneIn for all sorts of Breaking Bad-related programming.