How Nacho Put Hector Salamanca In A Wheelchair

Warnings! SPOILERS for Better Call Saul ahead.How did Better Call Saul’s Nacho put Hector Salamanca in a wheelchair? Bryan Cranston donning his Heisenberg disguise aside, few Breaking Bad sights are as iconic as Hector Salamanca furiously dinging a bell from his wheelchair, but that’s not the character viewers first encounter in Better Call Saul. When the prequel begins, Mark Margolis’ Hector is walking and talking freely. Only in Better Call Saul season 3’s finale does Hector adopt his more famous Breaking Bad guise – and it’s all Nacho Varga’s fault. It’s also why Nacho died and didn’t make it to the Better Call Saul series finale.

During the fiery three-way desert showdown between Nacho, Gus Fring, and the Salamancas in Better Call Saul season 6’s “Rock & Hard Place,” Nacho gleefully admitted to Hector’s face that he was responsible for putting the indomitable mob boss in a wheelchair. Hector (who believed his condition was just a medical mishap) was incandescent at the revelation, while Nacho took great delight in the anguish his admission caused. Better Call Saul has been building towards this moment for 3 entire seasons, and while the long-term storytelling is commendable, viewers won’t necessarily remember how and why Nacho committed this slight against Hector Salamanca. At the beginning of Better Call Saul season 3, Nacho Varga was a rapidly-rising enforcer for the Salamancas, touted for big things by the head honcho himself. Nacho’s high-flying lifestyle came crashing down to Earth when Hector wanted access to the upholstery business owned by Nacho’s father Manuel – the perfect legit front for cartel activity. Not only is Nacho’s dad a civilian, but he also stood staunchly against his son’s involvement with the cartel. The more Nacho’s dad pushed back against being dominated, the closer Hector inched to killing him. Nacho was left with no choice but to take his boss down.

At this point in Better Call Saul’s timeline, Hector Salamanca was prescribed nitroglycerin for some form of angina – pain caused by the narrowing of blood vessels leading to the heart. Nacho stealthily stole Hector’s pills and replaced them with Ibuprofen inside identical empty cases sourced from Daniel Pryce, the clueless prescription drug smuggler. This was the most crucial turning point in Hector Salamanca’s backstory in Better Call Saul. Ibuprofen can actually increase blood pressure, so the next time Hector got stressed out, he suffered a stroke. Nacho undoubtedly hoped that switching Hector Salamanca’s meds would’ve killed him outright, and although the gangster survived, his physical capability was vastly reduced. Hector Salamanca became a wheelchair user, lost his ability to talk and became much less of a threat.

How Gus Used Nacho In Better Call Saul

Nacho’s tablet gambit was successful in the sense that Hector lost interest in Manuel Varga, as the stroke obviously created bigger worries than a stubborn upholsterer. On the other hand, Nacho paid a hefty price for his assassination attempt. Though the Salamancas didn’t uncover the truth of his involvement until Better Call Saul season 6, Gustavo Fring immediately realized Nacho was the man responsible for depriving Hector of his life-saving meds. In fact, this was how Gus blackmailed Nacho into serving as a double agent.

Why Nacho Won In Better Call Saul (Even Though He Died)

Better Call Saul may have ended tragically for Nacho Varga, but considering how he never got punished for what he did to Hector, Nacho essentially came out on top against the Salamancas despite his suicide. When Nacho finally admitted to switching Hector’s medication, it was too late for the Salamancas to do anything, while Hector remained imprisoned inside his own body. With no one left alive to torture, Hector made do by shooting Nacho’s already lifeless corpse – a futile gesture. Moreover, by sticking to the part of the plan about covering Gus’ tracks, Nacho ensured that Gus would have no reason to target Mike, who was the one who finally convinced Gus to trust Nacho. As Mike fulfilled his promise to Nacho about protecting his dad from the cartel, Nacho also got what he wanted out of that situation. By longer being in the game, Nacho won it, even though he paid the ultimate price to protect his father.