Breaking Bad: Why Gus Warned Hank About The Cartel Hit
Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) warned Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) about an impending cartel assassination attempt, despite being the one who ordered the hit in Breaking Bad season 3. Whereas Esposito portrayed one of the show's biggest antagonists for a multi-season arc, Norris played the brother-in-law of the central character, Walter White (Bryan Cranston), appearing in all five seasons. At first, both Gus and Hank served as an ally for Walt until both relationships went south.
While some of Gus' backstory was revealed in Better Call Saul, enough of the character's motivations were unearthed throughout his stint on Breaking Bad. Gus was a major drug kingpin with ties to the Mexican cartel that used his fast-food chain, Los Pollos Hermanos, as a front for his methamphetamine distribution. The cartel killed his former business partner, propelling Gus' long-term plan on getting revenge. As a business owner involved in the Albuquerque community, the criminal mastermind was able to hide in plain sight in the meantime. Gus even made philanthropic efforts by supporting the DEA so they would never be suspicious of his involvement in the drug trade. In fact, Gus had run-ins with Hank, a respected DEA agent, on various occasions regarding fundraising events.
In Breaking Bad season 3, Gus brought in Walt to serve as his lead meth cook. Around the same time, the cartel and the Salamanca family wanted revenge for the death of Tuco. Gus met with the cartel boss, Juan Bolsa, and members of Tuco's family, including "The Cousins," two hitmen for the cartel. The group wanted Walt killed for betraying Tuco, but Gus later reminded them that the DEA was the one who carried out the murder. In fact, Hank was the one who killed Tuco during a shootout. Gus then advised the Cousins to carry out a hit on Hank, giving them a pass since the DEA was usually off-limits. Before the Cousins could assassinate Hank in a shopping center parking lot, Gus called the man to warn him about the attack. A distorted voice was used to hide Gus' identity, but Hank had enough time to protect himself. Gus' warning, however, was never about protecting Hank directly, but instead, the protection of Walt and the event's repercussions.
The cartel was hellbent on targeting Walt as a way to get justice for Tuco. The skilled chemist was just hired by Gus to serve as his lead meth cook in a brand new superlab. Gus was well aware of Walt's importance to the operation, especially considering the quality of Heisenberg's pure product. Walt's death at the hand of the cartel would have been a huge blow to Gus' business, and the overall success of his drug distribution quota. By throwing Hank's name out there, the cartel diverted their attention to another target. Since Hank was given fair warning, the DEA agent was able to fight back, shooting one of the Salamancas dead and leaving the other near death, despite suffering a gunshot wound himself.
More importantly, Hank's enhanced chance of survival allowed for a more thorough investigation into the Salamanca family and their ties to the cartel. The assassination attempt led the DEA right to the door of Juan Bolsa and other members of the Salamanca family. Just as Gus had hoped, much of the cartel was taken out, and he finally got revenge for killing his longtime business partner. In doing so, Gus also gained more power in the region when it came to the drug trade until his explosive death in Breaking Bad season 4.