A Gus Fring Spinoff Could Explain 1 Breaking Bad Mystery

Breaking Bad still has one big mystery left open after Better Call Saul and a Gus Fring spinoff would be the perfect way to explain it. Better Call Saul tied up many of Breaking Bad‘s loose ends, with the prequel series bringing back various members of the original show’s beloved cast. Despite expanding on many of Breaking Bad‘s characters and stories, however, one major Gus Fring mystery remains completely unsolved with hopes of it possibly being addressed if the franchise continues with a Gus Fring spinoff story.

While Gus Fring is already incredibly powerful in Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul filled in some of the gaps left by the original series, showing Gus Fring’s calculated and bloody rise to power. Many thrilling details were revealed about the Los Pollos Hermanos owner, with Better Call Saul confirming Gus Fring as gay, explaining his relationship to the Salamancas, and giving a better look at how his operation ran. However, there still feels like a lot left to be explored with the fascinating and reserved character which suggests Better Call Saul may have intentionally left one Gus Fring question unanswered.

Gus Fring’s Superlab Has A Major Loose End

A Gus Fring spinoff could touch on the superlab which is one of Breaking Bad‘s most iconic sets, but it still has a major loose end after the events of Better Call Saul. The prequel spends a lot of time covering the development of Gus Fring’s superlab, with Better Call Saul season 4 following Mike as he recruits, trains, and supervises a team of German construction workers for the project. While they do get the basic structure of the superlab prepared, Mike ends up having to kill engineer Werner Ziegler before construction can be completed. After this, the superlab’s construction is never resolved.

The superlab returns in Better Call Saul season 6, with Lalo Salamanca and Howard Hamlin’s dead bodies being stored in the still-unfinished compound. The next sighting of the superlab in the Breaking Bad timeline comes in a season 4 flashback, where Gale Boetticher visits the recently-completed lab. There is a clear gap here, as it is never explained how the superlab went from an empty cave in Better Call Saul season 6 to a ready-to-use facility in Breaking Bad. Gus does make an offhand comment about finding another engineer, but this feels like a story in its own right.

Mike Finishing The Superlab Would Be Perfect For A Gus Spinoff

The completion of the superlab is not just a plot hole – it would be perfect for a Gus Fring spinoff. Gus Fring and Mike Ehrmantraut planning the superlab was undeniably stressful, with the duo implementing a tedious and secretive process in order to complete the project. Since it did not work out with the German crew, they would have to go back to square one, creating an even more complicated set of rules for the next construction team. There is still much work to be done on the superlab in Better Call Saul season 6, and a story about Mike and Gus completing it could easily be told through another spinoff.

This spinoff would be able to explore more of Gus’ history, as he did not appear until Better Call Saul season 3, and many questions about his origins remain. It would also continue to expand on Mike’s story. The concept does not lend itself to another five or six season show, but could work as a movie similar to the Jesse Pinkman story in El Camino or as a miniseries. If the completion of Gus Fring’s superlab is not explored in a spinoff, this would be a shame, as it is the perfect way to expand the narrative of Breaking Bad.

The Gus Spinoff Is Unlikely To Happen

As mch as fans might want to see a Gus Fring spinoff to answer those lingering questions and dive deeper into the layered character, the chances of it happening do not seem likely. Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan returned to his franchise for Better Call Saul and expended it even further in the one-off movie El Camino. While that might suggest that Gilligan is keen on building a Breaking Bad universe, he seems ready to wrap it up after the Better Call Saul ending, with these three individual stories serving as enough exploration into this world and these characters Gilligan shared (via Deadline):

“You can’t keep putting all your money on red 21. I feel like we probably pushed it doing a spinoff to Breaking Bad [but] I could not be more happy with the results. Then I did El Camino and I’m very proud of that too. But I think I’m starting to sense you’ve got to know when to leave the party, you don’t want to be the guy with a lampshade on your head.”

As beloved as these shows have been, it is not hard to see things from Gilligan’s perspective. Returning to the same story again and again risks the possibility of eventually draining it of its life and diminishing something that was once special and unique. As soon as one of these Breaking Bad spinoffs fails, the whole universe might be compromised. However, Gilligan also acknowledged that just because he feels that way now doesn’t mean that’s how he’ll always feel:

“I don’t have any plans right now to do anything more in this universe. I know I probably gave the same answer at the end of Breaking Bad. I gotta prove to myself that I got something else in me. I’m not a one trick pony, that’s what I’m hoping.”

Gilligan’s desire to venture out into new projects is admirable and exciting for fans of his storytelling, but he also poits out that the idea of following up Breaking Bad with a spinoff once seemed like a terrible idea. Breaking Bad was hailed as one of the best shows of all time. However, there are now people who suggest Better Call Saul is the better show. Its massive success could inspire Gilligan to take another look at this world, and possibly Gus Fring, once he’s explored other projects.