Max Arciniega

For the actor, see Max Arciniega (actor).

Max Arciniega
Portrayed by	James Martinez
Character information
Full name	Maximino Arciniega
Fate
Status	Deceased
Date of death	1989
Social life
Occupation	Co-Founder of Los Pollos Hermanos
Relationships	Gustavo Fring (close associate) †
Appearances in Breaking Bad
First	"Hermanos"
Last	"Hermanos"
Appearances in Better Call Saul
First	——
Last	——
Appearance in El Camino
✘ No

“	Don Eladio, Gustavo didn't mean to offend. l know Gustavo like a brother. He's an honorable man. The most loyal man l have ever known. He rescued me from the Santiago slums. He made me the man l am today! Gustavo is a genius. He will make you millions! Just find it in your heart to forgive him this one small mistake. Please He's my partner. l need him! l swear to God!	„
	― Max's final words (In Spanish) before being murdered by Hector Salamanca for Gus' disrespectful actions towards Don Eladio.

Maximino "Max" Arciniega was a close associate of Gustavo Fring and co-founder of the Los Pollos Hermanos franchise. He held advanced degrees in biochemistry and chemical engineering. Max's education was financed by Gus after Gus rescued him from the slums of Santiago.

After attempting to establish a partnership with the Juárez Cartel, Max would be murdered by Hector Salamanca on the orders of Don Eladio as punishment for Gustavo's disrespectful actions of manipulating Eladio into a meeting by selling drugs to his men without consent.

History

Gus and Max are the hermanos ("brothers") in Los Pollos Hermanos. Gus paid for Max's education in chemistry at the "Universidad de Santiago de Chile" (USACH, University of Santiago in Chile). When the pair moved to Mexico and opened up a chain of Los Pollos Hermanos chicken restaurants together, Max provided the chicken recipe, but also cooked the crystal meth of which he and Gus began to give away samples.

Hector about to murder Max Arciniega

These samples gained the attention of Don Eladio Vuente, the druglord in charge of the Juárez Cartel, whom Max and Gus had approached in the hopes of convincing the Don to distribute their meth in addition to the usual cocaine. Don Eladio, unimpressed by these upstarts and nominally dismissive of selling methamphetamine, had Hector Salamanca kill Max on the patio of his mansion while Juan Bolsa restrained Gus. Gus was forced to watch the blood from his friend's fatal head wound drip into the swimming pool, a vision that stayed with him ("Hermanos").

It was following this that Gus vowed revenge on Hector, Bolsa, Don Eladio and the entire Cartel and would spend the next 20 years plotting a way to avenge Max's death.

Gus would later build a memorial fountain dedicated to Max in their Mexican Home Village. ("Dedicado a Max").

Better Call Saul

Season 3

After moving to the United States, Gus endowed the Max Arciniega Chemistry Scholarship at the Chemistry department at the University of New Mexico. Gale Boetticher was one of perhaps three dozen recipients; this paid for his education ("Something Beautiful",  "Problem Dog").

Gus saves Hector from being assassinated by Mike Ehrmantraut, later explaining that "a bullet to the head would have been far too humane," referring to his longterm plan to make Hector suffer and avenge Max's death ("Klick",  "Sabrosito").

Season 4

Later on, Gus saves Hector's life yet again, this time from a poisoning attempt from Nacho. Hector suffers a stroke and loses most of his mobility, so Gus takes an opportunity to draw out Hector's suffering by intentionally hindering his recovery ("Lantern",  "Something Stupid").

Season 5

In 2004, Gus and Mike, while in a small village in Mexico, talk about the differences between Gus and the Salamancas. Gus tells Mike that they both share the need for revenge. Gus is of course referencing Max's death murder at the hands of Hector in 1989 ("Dedicado a Max").

Breaking Bad

Season 4

As part of his long scheme of revenge against the cartel for the murder of his close friend, Fring torments Hector about the killing of Hector's nephews by Hank Schrader; Gus had told the Cousins of Hank's involvement in Tuco Salamanca's death, but then anonymously warned Hank that the Cousins were after him, giving him time to fight back. As part of this scheme, Gus turned the American and Mexican governments against the cartel, which resulted in the death of cartel drug lord Juan Bolsa (also present when Max was killed). ("One Minute",  "I See You",  "Hermanos").

Using a bottle of poisoned tequila, Gus eventually kills Don Eladio himself along with the rest of his cartel capos at the same poolside where Max was murdered. This mass poisoning meant the end of the cartel's influence and nearly the fruition of Gus's revenge ("Salud").

Ultimately however, Gustavo would be blinded too much by his desire to avenge Max's death, which would result in his own violent death as a result of Max's own killer, Hector who, with the aid of Walter White, suicide bombed Gus after luring him into a trap, derailing nearly 20 years of Gus' efforts to avenge his beloved partner's murder.

Appearances

Breaking Bad

Episodes	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4								✔
Season 5A
Season 5B

Trivia

• Max Arciniega is named after the actor who plays Krazy-8.
• Chronologically, Max is the first character to die on-screen, since his death occurred before both the pilot of Breaking Bad and the first episode of Better Call Saul.
• It is implied that Gus and Max's relationship may have been a romantic one, which Vince Gilligan has acknowledged, and decided against confirming or denying. However, this was further hinted in "Magic Man" of Better Call Saul, where Lalo Salamanca mockingly tells Juan Bolsa that Gus holds a grudge against the cartel after Hector murdered his "boyfriend."
• The fifth episode in season 5 of Better Call Saul is dedicated to Max, as it is entitled "Dedicado a Max". Furthermore, a fountain memorial in his honour has been established by Gus in a peaceful Mexican village that he secretly funds.