Hank Schrader

The extroverted DEA supervisor who hunted Heisenberg without knowing the kingpin was his own brother-in-law.

Henry R. Schrader is a DEA special agent in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the brother-in-law of protagonist Walter White. As a special agent who rose to supervise all investigations for his office, he spends most of the series hunting the enigmatic drug lord "Heisenberg," unaware that it is Walt.

Quick Facts

Series: Breaking Bad
Creator: Vince Gilligan
Portrayed by: Dean Norris
First minor: Pilot
First date: January 20, 2008
Last major: Better Call Saul
Last minor: Namaste
Last date: March 9, 2020

Lore & Background

Hank started as an ambitious, fearless agent under ASAC George Merkert and SAC Ramey. Though tough on the outside, he struggled with vulnerabilities like cold feet before marrying Marie and later developed PTSD after killing Tuco Salamanca and surviving a shootout in El Paso where an informant's head was used as a bomb. He found solace in home brewing "Schraderbräu" beer and, after being shot by the Salamanca cousins, took up mineral collecting. His investigation into Heisenberg led him to wrongly arrest a school janitor, assault Jesse Pinkman leading to his suspension, and eventually connect Gale Boetticher's lab notebook to Gus Fring.

His pursuit of truth was dangerous; he killed one Salamanca brother and was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot by Leonel and Marco. While recovering, he leaned on Walt to investigate the Los Pollos Hermanos chain, unaware that his discovery threatened both his life and Walt's secret identity.

Reader's Guide

Henry R. Schrader served as a special agent and supervisor of investigations for the DEA in Albuquerque. He is married to Marie and has no children. He is close to his family-by-marriage: Walter White, Skyler White, and Walter Jr. Initially, Hank viewed Walt as a mild-mannered teacher and teased him regularly. After learning Walt was dying of terminal lung cancer, he promised to care for the family.

His investigation into blue meth led him through various dead ends, including the wrongful arrest of a janitor and a failed attempt to get Badger to reveal Heisenberg's identity. Following his shooting by the Salamanca cousins, Hank struggled with paralysis and PTSD, using mineral collecting as a hobby. He eventually used Gale Boetticher's murder notebook to connect the dots between Gale, Gus Fring, and the Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant chain, relying on Walt's help to investigate while remaining unaware that Walt was the target he sought.