The Scrooge Connection You Missed In Breaking Bad
When it premiered in 2008, few could have predicted the effect "Breaking Bad" would have during its five-season run. The show took a high school chemistry teacher sick with cancer and his young accomplice and asked what would happen if the two got into the business of producing and selling meth. The result was an onscreen transformation of "Mr. Chips into Scarface" and a highly acclaimed television series that spawned college courses examining it (per Syracuse).
"Breaking Bad" provided some of television's most memorable moments, from Walt's iconic "I am the one who knocks" monologue to Jesse's cathartic escape in the show's ending. But one of the smaller scenes we can't forget about is Huell (Lavell Crawford) and Kuby (Bill Burr) pausing to lie on Walt's large pile of money — Scrooge McDuck style — in Season 5's "Blood Money." It's probably one of the most relatable moments for anyone who's spent their last four bucks on a lotto scratch-off, and it's also a humorous breather for a series that could submerge into its bleakness. As it turns out, a comically large pile of money isn't the only connection Walt has with the famous miserly Disney character.
Walter White and Scrooge McDuck have a lot in common
While Kuby reminds Huell that they are not supposed to "channel Scrooge McDuck," he soon gives in to temptation and joins in on contently relaxing on a large pile of money. Kuby's line references the famous image of Disney's Scrooge McDuck going into his money bin of gold and literally diving in for a swim. And while Kuby and Huell do their own best impression of McDuck, it's really Walt who has the most commonalities with Scrooge.
Entertainment Weekly highlighted some of Walt and Scrooge's similarities, like the fact that the two both have nemeses that are meant to mirror them, or as EW put it, "Flintheart Glomgold, meet Gustavo Fring." Walt and Scrooge both keep their money close to them by storing it in big piles instead of banks. And of course, the two also appeared onscreen without any pants.
As rich as Walt became before his demise, he still didn't have nearly as much as the Disney character. According to Live Science, Scrooge's impressive fortune pool is estimated at $5.4 trillion. The current top four wealthiest people in the world only top out at $191 billion (via Forbes). That's a lot of meth Walt would have had to make to catch up to McDuck.