Better Call Saul: What Happened To Mike’s Son, Matty
Mike Ehrmantraut’s early life has been put in focus during Better Call Saul, and in turn, more details about his son, Matty, were revealed. Mike, played by Jonathan Banks, first appeared in Breaking Bad before the character became a crucial figure to the prequel series. Much of Mike’s tragic past shaped who he became by the time he first encountered Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. Sadly, much of Mike’s past traumas centered around the fate of Matty.
When Mike made his Breaking Bad debut in season 2, he was a private investigator connected to Saul Goodman while also acting as a skilled hitman. It was clear that he had a connection to Gus Fring but that wouldn’t be fully explained until Better Call Saul. The same went for Mike’s family. It was known that Mike assisted in supporting his daughter-in-law, Stacey, and his young granddaughter, Kaylee, following the death of his only son but the details behind the event were much more heartwrenching than first thought.
By putting Mike back in the spotlight with Better Call Saul, there was an opportunity to look deeper into the complicated man’s past. The prequel unearthed the fact that Mike was a Vietnam War vet and shed more light on his time as a member of the Philadelphia Police Department. Though the latter wasn’t a new revelation, the reason why he left his career behind was finally answered. It turned out that Mike was a corrupt cop that took bribes in exchange for protection. Unfortunately, Matty followed in his footsteps, but it didn’t end so well for him.
Matty Was Killed By Corrupt Cops Before Better Call Saul
Well before the events of Better Call Saul, Matty decided to become a police officer just like his father. He joined the Philadelphia Police Department where he was quickly pressured into taking dirty money. Before accepting, he asked for advice from Mike, who worried that if Matty took a moral stand, he might be viewed as a liability. His worry was justified because fellow cops ambushed Matty. They believed he could become a whistleblower so they killed him.
The ambush was staged and there was no evidence that police officers were involved, but Mike knew better. He eventually tracked down the cops who killed his son and murdered them in the same fashion. Mike then relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico to be with Stacey and Kaylee, the only family he had left. Detectives from Philadelphia eventually caught up with him but Saul (who still went by Jimmy McGill at that point), helped him out of the situation.
It was no question that the death of Matty hardened Mike until his dying day. His son was put in a difficult decision and Mike couldn’t save him. This was probably why he took a liking to Jesse, another young man trapped in a lose-lose situation. As Mike’s earlier life continues to unfold on Better Call Saul, it wouldn’t be surprising to get more insight into his past with Matty, including more flashbacks of Matty as a child. Mike always carried Matty’s death in Breaking Bad but it’s a fresher wound in the prequel.
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