There was no shortage of deaths over the course of Breaking Bad‘s five seasons, but according to showrunner Vince Gilligan, there was one character his writers simply wouldn’t let him kill off.
During an appearance on a special Breaking Bad 10-year anniversary episode of Conan filmed at San Diego Comic-Con on Wednesday, Gilligan revealed that his pitch to take out the breakfast-loving Walt Jr. was not well received.
“Early on, I pitched to my writers, I had this idea where Walter Jr. gets killed by this nasty guy that Walt is somehow in business with,” he explained. “And all my writers looked at me like I had completely lost my mind and was the most horrible person to ever live.”
Gilligan was joined by cast members Bryan Cranston (Walter White), Aaron Paul (Jesse Pinkman), Anna Gunn (Skyler White), Dean Norris (Hank Schrader), Betsy Brandt (Marie Schrader), R.J. Mitte (Walt Jr.), Giancarlo Esposito (Gus Fring), Bob Odenkirk (Saul Goodman) and Jonathan Banks (Mike Ehrmantraut), who all had their own memories to share from their time on the award-winning drama.
Watch the full clip here.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- Why We're Spending So Much Money Now
- The Fight to Free Evan Gershkovich
- Meet the 2024 Women of the Year
- John Kerry's Next Move
- The Quiet Work Trees Do for the Planet
- Breaker Sunny Choi Is Heading to Paris
- Column: The Internet Made Romantic Betrayal Even More Devastating
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com