Is Gus Fring gay? Better Call Saul Pretty Much Proves It!

Since Giancarlo Esposito’s first appearance in Breaking Bad, fans have wondered Is Gus Fring gay? Better Call Saul season 6 almost proves that Gus is gay. People have thought about everything about Gus Fring, even his sexuality. Outside of the fact that Gus was both a drug lord and the owner of a fast-food restaurant, he had no friends, family, or lovers.

But Breaking Bad did leave some hints. Gus had a grudge against the cartel for killing his business partner Max Arciniega for many years, and the passion with which he got his revenge showed that his feelings for Max were more than just business.

Better Call Saul added fuel to the fire by showing the fountain Gus built in honor of Max. Hector and Lalo Salamanca have also made veiled homophobic comments by making fun of Fring for looking while he urinated and by calling Max “Gus’ boyfriend.”

Breaking Bad made people wonder about Gus Fring’s sexuality, but “Fun & Games,” episode 6 of Better Call Saul, finally proves that Gus Fring is gay. Gus goes to a wine bar after a brutal interrogation that clears him of killing Lalo Salamanca. Staff interactions show that he is a regular, and Gus seems to have his eye on one employee, David.

After Gus first watches from a distance, David comes over to say hello, and the two start talking about how much they both like wine. David keeps talking, and Gus seems to be hypnotized by his friend. As if that wasn’t enough, Gus tells David that he once bought an expensive bottle of wine because David told him a fascinating story. This act visibly moves David. The only point of this scene is to show that Gustavo Fring is romantically interested in this wine expert.

How long did Gus and Max date before Better Call Saul?

After the wine bar scene in season 6 of Better Call Saul, it’s safe to say that Gustavo Fring loved Max, as many viewers already thought. That love motivated him to get back at the cartel gangsters, especially Hector Salamanca, who pulled the trigger. But were the Chicken Brothers a couple in the years before Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad?

In a flashback in season 4 of Breaking Bad, Max stands up for Gus in front of the cartel and says, “I know Gustavo like a brother.” This line could mean that Gus liked Max from a distance but never did anything about it. Or maybe Max did know, but she didn’t love him back. Max’s “like a brother” comment could have just been distracting.

In Breaking Bad, the cartel isn’t exactly a safe place for LGBTQ characters, so Gus and Max probably would have tried to hide any romantic feelings they had for each other in front of Don Eladio and the Salamancas. Max’s passionate defense makes it clear that he cares about Gus just as much as Gus cares about him. Hector Salamanca’s fate was set when he brutally killed Max in front of Gus.

Better Call Saul’s reveal that Gus is gay adds some diversity to the Breaking Bad universe and gives us a fuller picture of his character. During the time of Breaking Bad, the loss of Max makes him even more determined, but in Better Call Saul, Gus’s relationship with David is so distant that it makes him seem surprisingly sad. Gustavo Fring had a lot of money, power, and intelligence, but he could never get one simple thing he always wanted.

Gus Being Gay Is A Big Deal

The fact that Gus is gay was finally confirmed in Better Call Saul. This was a big step for LGBTQ characters in the Breaking Bad universe and for gangster dramas. The saddest thing about shows like “Breaking Bad,” “Better Call Saul,” and “The Sopranos” is that their toxic, overly masculine “anti-heroes” are often seen by confused fans as people to look up to. It was important for Better Call Saul to finally clear up the confusion about Gus’s sexuality, even though part of what makes Gus Fring so powerful on screen is that he is a mystery.

By confirming that Gus is gay, the fandom has to deal with the fact that one of their possible idols doesn’t fit their ideas of what a man should be like. Better Call Saul also subverts the old practice of “queer-coding” villains to please straight audiences by confirming that Gus is gay.

This keeps the character’s integrity as a real threat, and it’s a big deal that the only LGBTQ character in Breaking Bad’s macho-driven world is also one of its most dangerous and cruel.