Walter White

Walter "Walt" Hartwell White, also known as "Heisenberg", is a chemist, a former teacher, and recently, a producer of illicit methamphetamine. After being diagnosed with an inoperable lung cancer, Walt decided to provide money for his family after his impending death by producing crystal methamphetamine. He partnered up with his former student, Jesse Pinkman (also a meth "cook") as manufacturing and dealing duo.

Soon after his 50th birthday, Walt passed out while working at the car wash. He was then reluctantly rushed to the hospital via ambulance where he was eventually diagnosed with stage-three terminal lung cancer and given less than two years left to live. This grim prognosis causes a dramatic change in Walt's usual mild-mannered demeanor, and he decides he must take extreme measures to provide for his family's long-term financial security. After being invited by his DEA agent brother-in-law, Hank, to accompany him on a live raid on a methamphetamine lab, Walt has a circumstantial encounter with one of his former students, Jesse Pinkman, whom he finds out is a meth dealer and manufacturer, also referred to as cook, who goes by the name "Captain Cook". With this information, Walt blackmails Jesse into helping him also enter the illegal drug trade on the production side, using his chemistry knowledge to cook remarkably potent and chemically pure "crystal" meth with Jesse to help him distribute it.