Darth Heisenberg Needs No Introduction, But Say His Name Anyway
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“Walter White Jr. A.K.A. Flynn, I am your father.” Not that Walt Jr.’s lineage is a secret within the dark, brooding world of AMC’s Breaking Bad, but I couldn’t think of any more fitting way to start this story. The above image is called “Darth Heisenberg,” and it’s one of the latest masterpieces from artist PJ McQuade, perfectly mixing the worlds of Star Wars and Walter White, as portrayed with gut-wrenching aplomb by Bryan Cranston. Rarely do fan-created mash-ups work so, so well.
Formerly Jedi master Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader was swayed to the Dark Side (mostly because Hayden Christenson was a big puss), and ruled the roost with an iron fist and a Force Choke. Similarly, Walt used to have all of his values intact as a high school chemistry teacher, but that was before cancer came along and forced him to rethink his options, leading him into the criminal-heavy world of methamphetamine cooking and distribution. Not content with his limited role, Walt soon created the pseudonym “Heisenberg” to represent the biggest of the baddest in the drug game, and spent the next two seasons slowly working his way up (or down) to embodying the epithet himself. Walt’s virtues have been replaced by a pride-filled ugliness that you’d be advised to tread lightly around. And though half of Breaking Bad‘s fifth and final season has yet to air, I’d easily call Walt/Heisenberg one of the greatest and most well-rounded character arcs in all of fiction. That’s something that Darth Vader can’t really call his own, even though I’d much rather be in a room with Walt than Vader. Unless his mask is off. Then I can take him.
Not only is McQuade selling prints of this 13×9 gem (or a cropped 8.5×11 version), but he’s also selling 3×4 stickers of just the headpiece. My car/refrigerator/bathroom mirror are in need of these things.
I’ll have to check the crawlspace under the house to see if my wife left me enough money to order this print and about 10 stickers. You may recall that McQuade is the artist who made those awesome Star Wars Christmas cards, as well as zombie Obi-Wan Kenobi, so you know he’s a legit guy.
This is the second sci-fi Breaking Bad story we’ve done this week, as last weekend’s premiere showcased a scene where the aloof Badger rattled off his idea for a Star Trek screenplay that involved a pie-eating contest and teleporting blueberries. Relive that scene below and don’t forget to watch the show every Sunday night. Or Heisenberg might come looking for you.
