Breaking Bad's Most Confusing Moment Explained: Why Did Gus Warn Hank?

Breaking Bad is widely regarded as one of the greatest television shows of all time, and for good reason. Thanks to Vince Gilligan, the show kept viewers on the edge of their seat with intricate plotlines, complex characters, and suspenseful moments.

One of the most memorable scenes in the series was when Gus Fring, the seemingly unflappable drug lord, warned Hank Schrader, a DEA agent and the brother-in-law of the show's protagonist, about an assassination attempt.

But have you ever wondered why he did that? Let’s find out.

First, we need to remember why the Salamanca twins wanted to kill Hank Schrader. Initially, Walter White was supposed to be the one who dies, as he was responsible for Tuco Salamanca's death.

However, Gus simply couldn't allow this, as he needed Walter to cook for him.

Gus suggested that the twins kill Hank Schrader because he was the one who pulled the trigger and killed Tuco. So the twins agreed, but why did Gus eventually warn Hank?

Well, as we’ve previously broken down another questionable Fring’s decision to murder Victor, the same applies to this case: Gus killed two birds with one stone.

First, it would benefit Gus a lot if Hank managed to take out the twins (and he eventually did). Thus, he undermined the Salamanca family's power they had in the cartel. Secondly, Hank's death would reflect badly on Gus for obvious reasons:

Gus knew that eliminating Hank would likely lead to an all-out war with the DEA, resulting in increased scrutiny and obstacles to his criminal enterprise.

Or if that wasn’t the case, there still was another aspect. At this point, Gus was probably aware of the family ties between Walter and Hank.

So if Walt found out that Gus was responsible for Hank’s death, he would probably leave the operation, which Gus wasn’t ready to afford.

Just another piece of evidence of how well-written Giancarlo Esposito 's character is. He once again managed to turn a potentially dangerous situation into something that benefited him and allowed him to continue his operation, and later take out the rest of the cartel.