“I need to do something about that”: Bryan Cranston’s Breaking Bad Role Pushed George R.R. Martin to Create a New Game of Thrones Villain After Accepting Defeat

On a regular day, Walter White would make anybody run for the hills, screaming in terror. But, when faced with George R.R. Martin’s despicable imagination, it is a serious dilemma. Which tyrant from the land of Westeros would be best suited to go toe-to-toe with Bryan Cranston’s terrifying villain? The answer it seems is not Joffrey Baratheon.

The question of television’s greatest villain was not a matter to be taken lightly George R.R. Martin realized it after witnessing the unraveling of Walter White as Bryan Cranston carved his name in the upper echelons of television history. Renowned for being blessed with a unique set of skills – skills that can manifest nightmares into realities, the author of A Song of Ice and Fire set out to do what Vince Gilligan had already achieved with Breaking Bad.

George R.R. Martin Set Out to Defeat Walter White

When an author as remarkably gifted with the power of imagination, creativity, world-building, vocabulary, and a knowledge of history sets out to craft one of the most powerful stories in fantasy literature, their work is bound to be recognized as a classic. George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire is a modern one that stands on par with J.R.R. Tolkien’s opus, Lord of the Rings.

When such an unparalleled work gets called into question by a mere television villain played by a comedic actor whose only other notable role was that of a dimwitted, dysfunctional, and suburban dad, it is an insult to George R.R. Martin’s very reputation as a writer. He would not accept defeat at the hands of a neurotic, tightie-whities-wearing high school Chemistry teacher going through an extended mid-life crisis.

As such, after watching a certain gut-wrenching and jaw-dropping Season 5 episode titled Ozymandias, George R.R. Martin set out to best Walter White, claiming, “Walter White is a bigger monster than anyone in Westeros. (I need to do something about that)” [via Not A Blog].

Game of Thrones Steals a Villain From Breaking Bad

Where George R.R. Martin failed, the showrunners and writers of Game of Thrones succeeded marvelously. The live-action adaptation of the lore-heavy novels may not have an equivalent of Walter White, but when it comes to pure unadulterated cruelty and sociopathic sadism, Ramsay Bolton comes very close to resembling a Westerosi Heisenberg inflicting pain and suffering upon whoever he chooses.

However, writer Bryan Cogman had other ideas after watching Breaking Bad and it was Giancarlo Esposito’s Gus Fring who inspired him rather than Bryan Cranston’s villain. In a podcast interview, Cogman revealed Mark Gatiss’ role as Braavosi banker, Tycho Nestoris, was directly modeled after Gus Fring:

We based Tycho’s clipped mannerisms on Gus Fring. The only thing that was missing was him asking them [Davos and Stannis] if they need refills on their soft drinks. Whenever we can steal from Breaking Bad we will.

Referring to Esposito’s dangerously subdued, calm, and polished villain, and his role as the perfect host of a restaurant, Cogman’s invention of this entirely new Braavosi character played by Mark Gatiss does lean well into his peculiar eccentricities.

A true fan of the world of Westeros would not, however, consider him a threat equal to George R.R. Martin’s much more nightmarish inventions.

Game of Thrones Season 1-8 are available to stream on Max.