Better Call Saul: How old is Mike in the AMC crime drama series? Details explored

Jonathan Banks' Mike Ehrmantraut was one of the many characters who appeared in Better Call Saul, the prequel series of Breaking Bad.

Originally a police officer in Philadelphia, Mike relocated to Albuquerque to support his daughter-in-law and granddaughter after his son's death.

Mike was first introduced in the Breaking Bad Season 2 finale as the head of security and a hitman working for Gus Fring. His introduction to Walter White and his deadly world led to his death in Season 5. However, this was certainly not the end for Banks' character as he reprised his character in the spin-off series, which explored the origins of his relationship with both Gus and Saul Goodman.

Since Mike is in his early 60s in the parent series, he should be about 55-57 years old in Better Call Saul.

Mike also appears during a flashback scene in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, making him among the only five characters to appear in all three projects in the Breaking Bad Universe.

More on Mike in our story.

Exploring Mike Ehrmantraut's age in Better Call Saul

Better Call Saul, the prequel series to Breaking Bad, is set six years before the flagship show and aims to fill the gap between Saul Goodman's years before he first met Walter White and is introduced in the deadly universe of the show.

Since Breaking Bad is set between 2008-2010 (as Episode 1 begins with Walter White's 50th birthday in September 2008), the prequel series is likely set in 2002 or the early 2000s. While neither of the shows explicitly refers to Mike Ehrmantraut's age, he is considered to be in his late fifties or early sixties. Mike is a retired police officer in Breaking Bad and is approximately 60-62 years old, which makes him 55-57 years old in Better Call Saul.

Since the sequel series is set six years before Breaking Bad, Mike should be in his mid-fifties when he meets with Saul Goodman in the spin-off.

Better Call Saul: Why Mike Ehrmantraut's age was not believable in the spin-off?

Mike Ehrmantraut's age is a hot topic among Breaking Bad fans, who think the actor was too old for his character's age in Better Call Saul. Banks was 62 in 2008 when he started shooting for Breaking Bad, which is quite close to his character's age on-screen. By the time the show concluded in 2013, Banks was 66 years old.

In Better Call Saul, Mike's character is in his mid-fifties, but Banks was already 75 years old, which led some viewers to believe that the character felt too old in the spin-off. Since Mike was an iconic character in the parent series (partly due to Jonathan Banks' impressive portrayal), it was not possible to recast a younger actor for the character.

However, many fans expressed their confusion over Mike's age in the spin-off:

''Better Call Saul took place in 2002, meaning Mike's age was to be more or less 55. While the actor's age, by the end, was actually 75. I always had to remind myself that the person he was portraying was in his mid-50's. Particularly difficult because the Banks looks even older in my estimation.''

''Jonathan Banks portrayal of Mike Ehrmantraut is fantastic, hands down. But does anyone ever feel like Mike's age breaks the immersion of the show? I've always had this nagging feeling since BB that Mike is about 10 years too old to be realistic.'' another Reddit user added.

Since the prequel series was shot after Breaking Bad, the actors were naturally older for their characters. However, Banks had already become too iconic for any other actor to portray Mike Ehrmantraut. While some viewers thought he was too old for Better Call Saul, some also believed Banks' acting made up for it.

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