Michael 'Mike' Ehrmantraut

An ex-cop turned fixer, Mike does cleanup and security work for the criminal underworld of Albuquerque, favoring quiet competence over violence. He's laconic, precise, and visibly unimpressed by amateurs like Walter White. A doting grandfather off the clock, he seems to want nothing more than to protect the people he loves and keep his hands clean of unnecessary mess.

Banks plays Mike with a stillness that makes every word land like a verdict. The writing gives him a code — a professional's contempt for sloppiness and cruelty alike — and Banks communicates whole histories of regret and discipline through pauses and half-glances, making a hired gun feel like the most weary, moral adult in the room.