MovieChat Forums > Breaking Bad (2008) Discussion > Why did gus kill victor

Why did gus kill victor


Was it because he was sloppy and seen at the scene of Gail's murder.victor didn't really seem to fit in the show tbh he seemed outta place

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The show never gives you any definitive answer, but the prevailing theories are:

A) he was spotted at the scene of Gail's murder, and Gus saw a description of him on the wall at the dea office. He knew if they got victor, it could lead back to him.

B) he took it upon himself to cook meth in the lab, possibly without Gus's permission. He tried to do something when it wasn't his place to do so, and that didn't sit well with Gus.

C) Gus may have suspected or even believed that victor had been stealing meth from the lab, when it was in fact Jesse who had been stealing. And Gus may have used the opportunity to show what happens to people who cross him, so he chose to make an example out of Victor.

D) Gus may have simply wanted to show that he wasn't one to be *beep* with. And he possibly killed Victor as a scare tactic to show Walt and Jesse how ruthless he could be.

They never actually explain Gus's true motives, but one of those, or even more than one, are the reason(s) he killed Victor. I think the writers likely wanted to let the viewer come to their own conclusions. And it fit perfectly with Gus's mysterious nature throughout his storyline.

If anyone knows any other possibilities, they can feel free to add them.

One other theory I remember hearing somewhere that seems absolutely ridiculous to me was that Gus and Victor were lovers, and things didnt work out (obviously) lol

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I like to think that while Gus's main motive was A), he did it in a way to get across D).

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Agree with that, but would also throw B into the mix.

"A" gave him just cause...not that he really needed it, being Gus. But this was Mike's first question when Victor returned. It needed to be done, to remove any ties to Gus.

"D" was what the whole box cutter killing was about. He could have just had Victor quietly killed by Mike, if part "A" was all that mattered.

"B" was one more factor - another side benefit of having him killed in front of the guys. As Walt later told Jesse, in
the shop...he thought Gus was sending a message...that like Icarus & his wax wings, Victor was flying too close to the sun...taking liberties, etc.

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Thats something I forgot to mention, thanks for bringing that up. I like how Walt seemed to be drawing parallels between Gus and victor to himself and Mike.

I wonder what mike was thinking when he watched Gus kill victor, and if he knew Gus was planning to do that.

And I wonder if Tyrus knew about what happened to Victor. He may have been less inclined to be part of the team if he did, with the knowledge of Gus's firing policies towards employees that screw up lol

Off topic here, but it struck me as odd that a guy who was so friendly with the dea, and did his best to look like a respectable businessman, would often be going around with a couple henchmen. I'm sure some of those guys were likely known criminals.

I think about bb way too much lol

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Think Mike had an idea that Victor might end up dead, but he was still stunned that he was killed, right then. But even more so, think Mike looked stunned because of the way he was killed. Mike had killed people, but it was typically quick and clean, like a bullet to the head...and it's over.

This killing was gruesome. Not just getting his throat cut, but then Gus holding him up, allowing the blood to flow as they all looked on, Gus staring them down, while holding Victor up as the life literally drained out of him.

Think VG wanted us to see just how ruthless and evil Gus was, by having us witness it thru the shock on Mike's face. Gus really was the guy who would kill children...even an infant daughter. Have no doubt, he would have carried that threat out too, if it came down to it.

For Tyrus, perhaps he knew his job description was to replace the guy who stepped out of line and got his throat cut...and perhaps that's why he hardly ever spoke, except when spoken to, by Gus.

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That was definitely one of the most graphically violent and horrible deaths ive ever seen in any movie or show, period. The worst part was definitely as you mentioned, how he holds the wound open to make him bleed out, and how long it seemed to take for him to die. Such a brutal scene.

Get back to work...the only thing he says...that was chilling.

I'm sure mike had seen a lot of stuff over the years, so you know its bad when even he's stunned. That look on his face said it all.

I like that theory about why tyrus rarely spoke, it definitely makes perfect sense. Tyrus definitely took his job very very seriously. He was not going to risk saying something he shouldn't.

Cool theory swolbach.

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Great reply by Lief below.

The whole "boss killing his henchman" angle has to be carefully done or it beckons ridiculous. Look at Largo in Thunderball. first he feeds a henchman to the Sharks for being outdone by Bond, then when one of his henchmen wrestle an Inurturer into the pool - rather than assisting his man, he feeds both to the Sharks.

This is like a comic book villain (the joker for example) who keeps killing his own men for his amusement. It's bad for business. In reality, these men often go missing so no one ever knows what happened to them....

Here, however, Mike was his top guy and Jesse and Walt were 2 men he didn't trust and needed to scare the hell out of. So it worked with the scene and never stretched credibility

Gus was a very scary guy up until we saw that bizarre flashback in Mexico that made zero sense. After that, he was harder to take seriously. (And poison angle as well)

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