
Don Hector "Tio" Salamanca is one of the two overarching antagonists (alongside Don Eladio) of the crime drama series Breaking Bad and one of the two secondary antagonists of its prequel series Better Call Saul.
He is a ruthless, elderly drug lord who serves as the Don of the Salamanca Family and a high-ranking member of The Cartel, serving this role alongside Juan Bolsa under the command of Don Eladio. An utterly sadistic and depraved crime lord who deeply values his family, Hector would relentlessly abuse and groom many of his nephews into becoming successors for his criminal leadership, moulding them into ruthless killers and cartel distributors whilst also teaching them that family is everything.
In 2003, Hector would end up paralyzed and unable to speak following a stroke caused by poison pills to amplify his medical issue as part of a plan orchestrated by his former subordinate Nacho Varga. Although he would end up wheelchair-bound and unable to verbally communicate for the remainder of his life, Hector would continue to carry a feared reputation and have the family business continued by his equally evil nephews, including Lalo Salamanca. He is also the business rival and arch-nemesis of Gus Fring, whose drive for revenge was created by Hector when he murdered his boyfriend, Max Arciniega, in front of him under Don Eladio's orders.
Double Life Emergence[]
Act 1[]
Episode 1[]
Hector being the head of the Salamanca fraction of the Cartel takes action against Bender, Slade and their friends upon hearing they had a hand in killing his nephew Tuco, so upon getting help from Eladio's asssassin Anton, Hector manages to find members of The B Team where they live and tries to have them killed while using the cousins to intimidate Bender, Wile E and G-LO as well.
He welcomes their newest Cartel Head Professor Chang to the Cartel, though reminds him to know his place.
Episode 2[]
Suspsecting Professor Chang is up to something, he decides to send his nephews the Cousins to tail into the university Chang's allies is, and they come across Deathstroke and Gus's allies. Hector decides to take this opporunity to plot to expose Gus to the Cartel seeing both Gus and Chang beneath him. Despite what the latter has done for Don Eladio.
Episode 3[]
Hector unhappy with Midas's favor with Eladio, decides to expose and ruin him and Chang's work by having the Cousins and his own enforcers go to the university Professor Chang is conducting his work at.
Episode 4[]
Hector calls a meeting with Frank and Jack Horner and vents to his frustration about Milton Midas's favor with Don Eladio and how he will be allowed to do what he wants like what he should be doing. Frank and Jack both show a bit of annoyance for Hector's petutalce as Hector wants to bring the eagle's actions to light to Eladio which Frank is able to do so. For the group though, Eladio refuses to let his top earner be let go and tries to encourage them to be more like Midas.
Angered by jealously more than his fellow Cartel leaders, he takes some actions of his own and with Titan and El Mar Verde follow Bender and his friends when they look at the reservoir and sends Titan to send a message to them. He also gets the Cousins to do so, but informs them to restrain themselves as well.
Episode 5[]
He and the Cousins arrive at Lake Chapala to oversee what Midas and his goons are doing as Pi-Pi is orchestrating MIdas's latest project for his company. Their presence is enough to cause alert in Carmen, Maria and Camilta Fox who are aware of how dangerous he and his family are. Hector isn't pleased with the protection job as Midas is clearly getting too much leaveway and tells his Cousins to keep an eye out for the eagle. Hector does manage to spot Daffy Duck and tries to get take a shot at Daffy but misses, he also discovers that he has found something and has a camera.
Hector decides to just listen to what is going with Midas and his emissary Pi-Pi about their plan so he can rat the eagle out later. During the Cartel meeting later, Hector attempts to rat Midas out to Bolsa to tell Eladio. Bolsa isn't having any of it and tells Hector to calm down as Eladio knows of Midas's operation near Lake Chapala and approved of it. Hector angered decides he needs to proof to make sure Bolsa and Eladio kiss his and his family's butt and remembers the camera from Daffy.
Episode 6[]
Hector is followed by Leon and Tiger Claw as are the Cousins so they can deal with him without The Salamancas interferring. He and Jack Horner eventually find them and decide to go after Leon and Tiger Claw. Due to his age, he isn't able to do much but he is able to find the Camera Daffy Duck used and claims it for himself forgetting Big Jack Horner and Frank Underwood as they're his rivals as much as Midas.
Act 2[]
Episode 7[]
Hector is the cartel leader in charge of where he tails Leon and the kids to see what they know as he is aware of them having the camera he found. He decides to have Riff Raff use his smell senses to see if they can discover who knows something. Hector discovers that Doug Judy and the Bunnies have been leaking info to the heroes, so he orchestrates their capture and intends to hand them to the other cartel to be killed for their treachery
Episode 8[]
Hector decides to defy what Underwood wants and decides to see if Milton Midas's new drug is as potent as he says it is. So in turn he with Jack Horner's associates as he drugs their treacherous allies with Bliss to see it's effects. Hector does consider the idea to see if he can blackmail Milton with it as if it shows a particularly deveasting effect, then he can ensure Midas loses the spot of Eladio's favorite
He and Frank Underwood are later seen at a courthouse as they watch Midas get sued by Deathstroke and his associates. As it's not in the Cartel tradition to rat out associates, he doesn't help either side as he is content to watch Midas take a blow at the hand of Deathstroke's associates.
Episode 9[]
Hector is told that like his other associates he must amp giving tributes and making money schemes for Eladio like Midas. Hector tries to rat Gus out for aiding the heroes, but Bolsa tries to convince Hector to work with Gus. Hector then gets involved into a mexican stand off in the school area against Jack Horner, The Heroes and Midas when it comes to Bliss which Hector decided to do to piss on Midas for one upping him.
He brings in The Cousins which do a lot of the heavy lifting before having to escape afterwards deciding it's not worth the risk to engage against Midas after he gloats that he can keep making Bliss.
Episode 10[]
Titan, Glowface and Lorenzo find themelves having to get more protection moneys and loans for Machine Head and Hector Salamanca to help with their production. Hector decides to take some of the money so he can present it to Eladio. This to cut some of Midas's profits.
Gus, Deathstroke, Felciity and Merlyn all end end being called by MIdas, Professsor Chang and Hector who are taunted and gloated to by Midas who says that he and the Professor have managed to make something spectacular so he can take revenge on all of them As Well as Hector being able to sabotage Gus's own business.
Hector and Jack Horner are brought to speed on Holden and what happened and they decide to make some of their own decisions when it came to trying to kill the heroes.
Episode 11[]
Hector and The Cousins are not too far behind as Riff Raff managed to see this and that Hector is deciding to take advantage of this and use the fact Maria did this to get leverage over them and he needs the Cousins and Riff Raff for this. As he is intend to target the kids and the group and decides to use their families as leverage to get the cops off their backs
Episode 12[]
Carmen, Maria and Caremlita have a showdown with The Salamancas who are intend to use the kids's parents as leverage. With Guns akin from them and Riff Raff who taken on Carmen who and Carmelita who are also using guns and Maria using her glove to defend against them. As everyone is intend to defend each other.
- As the others go against the Salamancas and Riff Raff, this is when Judge Holden arrives and causes the Salamancas to flee yet again as he intends to arrest and kill the heroes just like the Salamancas who flee as their intend to kill him to no avail. Hector is himself beaten up and arrested by Judge Holden and then he learns of Midas betraying the Cartel and decides to have The Cousins go after him and then Hector collapses from something.
Act 3[]
Episode 13[]
Hector discovers that Midas has been taking over his operations and with the Cousins he swears vengenace on him as Riff Raff with Rocky and Mugsy telling him the news.
Episode 15[]
Nacho, Captain Hero, Bean, Elfo, Luci visit Hector and Jack Horner and try to learn anything from what they know about Midas and his plots. They also try to get the two to help them take out Milton Midas and Professor Chang.For all of Hector's hatred of Midas, he is not a snitch and will not snitch out anyone. For his troubles, he and his Cousins are visited by Midas who later feeds them his own food which turns him into a lizard/chicken hybrid.
Act 4[]
Episode 23[]
Hector is restored like The Cousins and he is brought to a meeting with Don Eladio, where MIdas's actions caused Hector to have a stroke and now he needs a wheel chair and a bell. Despite this, Hector is still allowed to have his territory from Bolsa as the Salamancas have done a good amount of good for the Cartel.
Chronicles of Zaragoza[]
Chapter 8: Earth X's Last Stand[]
Hector leads the Cartel and his family to kill Bender and Slade's Empire for revenge for killing Tuco. He has The Cousins take care of them and decides to burn down the hotel as well. He is intent to chase down Mike and his crew respectively and takes leadership of them. Eventually he and the Cartel are defeated and he is taken away by The Bad Guys and Mike so he can be dealt with by Gus.
The Bad Guys and The Boys[]
Hector was confirmed to gave died at the hands of Gus, though Gus Fring was also killed himself by an unknown assailant alongside Mike