Mike Ehrmantraut

Mike Ehrmantraut is a former Philadelphia police officer turned parking booth attendant at the Albuquerque courthouse, hiding a lifetime of violence and regret beneath a gruff, no-nonsense exterior. Better Call Saul reveals the backstory only hinted at in Breaking Bad: Mike was a corrupt cop who killed the men responsible for murdering his son Matt, also a police officer, and fled to New Mexico to be near his daughter-in-law Stacey and granddaughter Kaylee.

Mike's arc in Better Call Saul is defined by his gradual slide into the criminal underworld as a means of providing for his family. He begins by doing security work and odd jobs, then becomes an enforcer and fixer, eventually becoming Gus Fring's most trusted operative. Each step deeper into criminality is rationalized as necessary to protect and provide for Kaylee, but the show reveals the lie at the center of Mike's self-image: he is not merely a good man doing bad things for good reasons but a man drawn to the work.

Mike's relationships with Jimmy, Nacho, and Gus reveal different facets of his character. He serves as a reluctant mentor to Nacho, a skeptical ally to Jimmy, and a loyal soldier to Gus. His fate in Breaking Bad — killed by Walter White in a moment of petulance — is made more tragic by the depth of characterization Better Call Saul provides.