Howard Hamlin Murder

Lore & Background

Howard Hamlin is a skilled and affluent lawyer and one of the managing partners of HHM, a firm originally established by his father George and Chuck McGill. When George died and Chuck became housebound due to supposed electromagnetic hypersensitivity, Howard became the firm's managing partner. Initially a foil for and longtime antagonist of Jimmy McGill, Howard's hostility is later revealed to have been largely due to pressure from Chuck. His attempts to correct his past behavior toward Jimmy culminate in devastating consequences. In the series, Howard is portrayed as cocky, arrogant, and self-centered, though many fans believe he is actually a good person. Patrick Fabian commented that Jimmy called Howard 'Lord Vader' in the very first episode, and the audience saw him that way, but Fabian does not view Howard as an antagonist. Vince Gilligan said Howard was initially meant to be the series' antagonist, but as they filmed, the writing team made Chuck the antagonist while Howard became more supportive of Jimmy.

In Their Own Story

The fluorescent lights of the Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill office hummed with an eerie silence, broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the wall clock. Howard sat at his desk, unaware that the shadow looming over Albuquerque had finally found him. The door opened slowly, not with a knock, but with the deliberate grace of a predator entering its den. There was no negotiation, no demand for money—only the cold realization that a debt from a distant past had come due in the most brutal fashion imaginable.

Reader's Guide

The murder of Howard by Lalo Salamanca occurs in the season six episode "Plan and Execution." The writers explored dozens of possible ways for Howard's story to end. One idea they considered involved Lalo taking Howard, Jimmy, and Kim hostage but they thought Lalo killing Howard was "a perfect way to scare the ever-living shit out of Jimmy and Kim, to put a bullet in this stranger's head and move on to part two of his plan." Howard's attempts to correct his past behavior toward Jimmy culminate in devastating consequences. His character arc began as a foil and antagonist for Jimmy, but his hostility was later revealed to be largely due to pressure from Chuck McGill. Patrick Fabian has compared Howard to "sort of a Peter Pan, living a great existence..." before he meets Chuck and Jimmy McGill who "[muck] it all up."

Did You Know?

• Howard Hamlin is portrayed by Patrick Fabian and was created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould.
• Howard drives a dark green 1998 Jaguar XJ8 with the license plate 'NAMAST3' (namaste).
• Patrick Fabian has compared Howard to 'sort of a Peter Pan, living a great existence...' before meeting Chuck and Jimmy McGill.
• Vince Gilligan said Howard was initially meant to be the series' antagonist, but the writing team later made Chuck the antagonist instead.
• The writers explored dozens of possible ways for Howard's story to end before deciding on Lalo killing him.