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| “ | Mike: The lesson is, if you're gonna be a criminal, do your homework. Daniel: Wait. I'm not a bad guy. Mike: I didn't say you were a bad guy. I said you're a criminal. Daniel: What's the difference? Mike: I've known good criminals and bad cops. Bad priests. Honorable thieves. You can be on one side of the law or the other. But if you make a deal with somebody, you keep your word. You can go home today with your money and never do this again. But you took something that wasn't yours. And you sold it for a profit. You're now a criminal. Good one, bad one? That's up to you. |
„ |
| ~ Daniel Wormald and Mike Ehrmantraut on the difference between criminals and villains. |
| “ | I'm glad you like my car, but I think we're looking through the wrong end of the telescope here! The priority is my baseball cards. | „ |
| ~ Daniel Wormald to the police. |
Daniel "Danny" Wormald, also known as Pryce, is a minor character in the crime drama series Breaking Bad and its prequel series Better Call Saul.
He is a quirky and comparatively innocent IT specialist employed at a pharmaceutical firm, who eventually steals pills from his company to sell to Nacho Varga. He enlists Mike Ehrmantraut as a bodyguard and Jimmy McGill as his attorney, and later becomes the proprietor of Lazer Base. He is characterized by his naivety, lack of preparedness in dealings with seasoned criminals, and an unawareness of the complexities and subtleties of life beyond legality.
He is portrayed by Mark Proksch.
Personality[]
Daniel Wormald is a somewhat awkward and naive individual who lacks street smarts. Despite his involvement in crime, he is genuinely affable and friendly to those he encounters but is also portrayed as unprepared for and unaware of the brutality and calculated nature of the criminal underworld. His conspicuousness makes him easily manipulated and used by others in the drug trade, such as Nacho.
He also stands out among other criminals in the series for being uniquely geeky and eccentric, given his interest in collecting baseball cards, his purchase of a flashy Hummer with flame decals on it, his profession in IT, and his stereotypically nerdy appearance. He can be a bit arrogant or self-assured at times, such as when he becomes annoyed at Mike, even though Mike is usually just looking out for him.
Biography[]
Better Call Saul[]
Mike, newly arrived in Albuquerque and seeking work, learns of a $500 per job bodyguard gig through Dr. Caldera. He joins two other men in a multi-story parking garage, awaiting their client, Daniel, a naive new player in the criminal world. One bodyguard named Sobchak, scoffs at Mike's lack of a weapon, carrying only a pimento cheese sandwich. Daniel, arriving under the alias "Pryce" (actually his nephew’s name), faces resistance from Sobchak, who insists Mike be excluded from the deal unless he arms himself. Calmly, Mike disarms Sobchak with ease, proving his capability. When Daniel agrees to pay Mike as if he hired three guards, the two proceed to a secluded power plant where Daniel, anxious about the transaction, fumbles his approach. Mike takes control, instructing Daniel to handle payment before delivering pills. The deal, involving Nacho, nearly derails over a missing $20, but Mike insists on exact payment out of integrity. Afterward, Mike advises Daniel to research his associates, knowing that Nacho was operating under the radar of his boss, Tuco Salamanca.
Daniel later returns to meet Mike in a flashy new yellow Hummer, complete with red flames and spinning rims, purchased with his new earnings. Mike, seeing it as a liability, declines the ride and cautions Daniel to show restraint in this regard. Daniel proceeds to the deal alone, where Nacho takes advantage of Mike’s absence and Daniel's lack of forethought to inspect the Hummer and secretly gather Daniel’s real identity and address. Daniel later reports a burglary, but when detectives find evidence of a hidden compartment, they grow suspicious. Mike intervenes, arranging the return of Daniel’s stolen baseball cards from Nacho in exchange for the Hummer. With the police still probing, Jimmy McGill, Daniel’s lawyer, concocts a ruse, claiming Daniel creates bizarre “squat cobbler” fetish videos, which explains the hidden compartment as a stash for these tapes, not illegal items. As a result, he is not arrested.
One evening, Daniel returns home to find Nacho waiting, requesting empty pill capsules for a plan to harm his boss Hector Salamanca. Though initially hesitant, Daniel agrees but later contacts Mike, who reassures him after confirming Nacho’s intentions. Mike even leverages the situation to gain information about a murdered truck driver, enabling Daniel to complete the sale.
Pre-Breaking Bad[]
Reflecting on his risky ventures, Daniel invests in a laser tag business, "Lazer Base," to potentially launder money. When the 2007 stock market crash strains his finances, he reaches out to Jimmy, now known as Saul Goodman, for help, proposing his business as a money-laundering front, and Saul considers him reliable for discretion.
Breaking Bad[]
Daniel, although unseen, is mentioned as a trusted ally of Saul's. Saul frequently recommends Daniel’s Lazer Base as an ideal money-laundering site, describing him as a “Danny” – someone trustworthy to keep quiet. Despite Saul’s advocacy, Walter White and his wife, Skyler, ultimately dismiss the idea, opting for a car wash instead. Later, after a violent encounter with Rival Dealers, Saul briefly hides Jesse Pinkman at Lazer Base.
In efforts to establish a new meth empire, Saul again urges Walt and Jesse to consider Lazer Base, but they refuse. Saul argues that Daniel has prepared the space, yet the offer is declined.
Post-Breaking Bad[]
Francesca Liddy later informs Saul that the DEA has seized Lazer Base, along with Saul’s other assets, though she leaves Danny’s current status unclear.
External Links[]
- Daniel Wormald on the Breaking Bad Wiki
