Tony Soprano vs Walter White

[1987_Lakers]

Which is the greatest character in TV History?

http://media.salon.com/2013/07/soprano_white.jpg

[LongLiveTheKing]

Heisenberg.

[TylerOO]

Tony Soprano

[KingBeasley08]

Never seen The Sopranos. Probably gonna hit that up after I catch up on Boardwalk Empire

[TheReal Kendall]

Marlo, Omar, Avon, Stringer, and Hannibal >>>>>>>>>> Tony and Walter

[DonDadda59]

Marlo, Omar, Avon, Stringer, and Hannibal >>>>>>>>>> Tony and Walter

The Wire never had a 'main' or central character (except arguably McNulty), so no one from that show can hold the honor seeing as how they were all role players basically. They're the '04 Detroit Pistons of TV.

And Walter White isn't even top 10 all time, let's be serious. Not even the greatest on his own network right now.

[KingBeasley08]

The Wire never had a 'main' or central character (except arguably McNulty), so no one from that show can hold the honor seeing as how they were all role players basically. They're the '04 Detroit Pistons of TV.

And Walter White isn't even top 10 all time, let's be serious. Not even the greatest on his own network right now.
Walt is easily better than Don and he's def top 10. Performance alone may be GOAT which means the character's gotta be near the top

[TheReal Kendall]

The Wire never had a 'main' or central character (except arguably McNulty), so no one from that show can hold the honor seeing as how they were all role players basically. They're the '04 Detroit Pistons of TV.

And Walter White isn't even top 10 all time, let's be serious. Not even the greatest on his own network right now.

True.

They where still better characters than Walt imo

The show was good but he always came across as somebody who was in way over his head.

I only seen a few episodes of the Sapranos. I couldn't get in to it.

But I could name a lot of main characters that's better than Walt


I think people are overrating him because the show just ended.

Gus was had more of an impact to me

[DonDadda59]

Walt is easily better than Don and he's def top 10. Performance alone may be GOAT which means the character's gotta be near the top

No way. Cranston is great no doubt, but the character is basically just MacGyver if he had cancer and sold meth :lol

Don Draper is much more intriguing and better written character, if not necessarily better acted. But Tony Soprano was the original of the cable anti heroes and still the best.


I think people are overrating him because the show just ended.

Gus was had more of an impact to me

Completely agree on both counts. I was actually more affected by Gus' death than by Walt's. Esposito killed that role.

[miller-time]

Marlo, Omar, Avon, Stringer, and Hannibal >>>>>>>>>> Tony and Walter

I was disappointed with Stringer Bell. After seeing Luther with Idris Elba and the hype around the Wire I thought he was going to be an awesome character, but he was just good. He has nothing on Luther as a character.

Tony is such a complex character because he is explored in depth. None of those other guys are. They remain mysterious and therefore we only see their "cool" personas. They aren't better characters they are just better hidden.

[DonDadda59]

I was disappointed with Stringer Bell. After seeing Luther with Idris Elba and the hype around the Wire I thought he was going to be an awesome character, but he was just good. He has nothing on Luther as a character.

I think Elba was great in both roles, which were very different characters. That was the first thing I had ever seen him in (The Wire) and was blown away to find out he was from London and not born and bred in Baltimore, that's how convincing he was. But yeah, he's crazy good as DCI John Luther.


Tony is such a complex character because he is explored in depth. None of those other guys are. They remain mysterious and therefore we only see their "cool" personas. They aren't better characters they are just better hidden.

And that's where the difference is IMO. Tony is the only one of the bunch who was a fully fleshed out, 3 dimensional character, not just a caricature trying to play 'badass'. Hell, we even got into a whole other dimension with the dream/purgatory stuff. Never saw a character like that before and haven't since. Just cheap imitations, some more successful than others.

[Bless Mathews]

Walt was way more strong minded. He started off a geek, story lines and situations of bb not as real as sopranos, but Walt's persona and values more gangster. Tony was crying to a shrink, having panic attacks n shit. ..

[andgar923]

I'm going with the man that scored 4 touchdowns in a single football game for Polk High.

[andgar923]

Which is the greatest character in TV History?

http://media.salon.com/2013/07/soprano_white.jpg

Tony was a better character without a doubt.

But Walt is the more badass one.

Special shoutout to my boy Linus.

[mika]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzhHrVY8L3I

[Budadiiii]

Tony was always overrated to me.

Better debate would be Walter vs. Carmela.

[1987_Lakers]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr4M-w5LmOM

[Tarik One]

True.

They where still better characters than Walt imo

The show was good but he always came across as somebody who was in way over his head.

I only seen a few episodes of the Sapranos. I couldn't get in to it.

But I could name a lot of main characters that's better than Walt


I think people are overrating him because the show just ended.

Gus was had more of an impact to me

Walt's character is top 5 and it has nothing to do with his character being the most recent.
I'm gonna start a thread with top 10 or 20.

[DukeDelonte13]

Walter is more of an interesting character but i think the sopranos > breaking bad.

[CeltsGarlic]

Tony was a better character without a doubt.

But Walt is the more badass one.

Special shoutout to my boy Linus.

Who the hell is Linus?

[Fresh Kid]

i would say Tony soprano since i don't know who tha hell Walter iz:confusedshrug:

[rknine15]

Walter White and it's not even close :facepalm

[DonDadda59]

But Walt is the more badass one.

Uhhhh... how? :wtf:

Walt was in the meth business for only a year and he spent like 90% of that time getting herbed by the likes of Tuco and Gus. He was 'the king' for like a month and then he got punked by the Aryans and they took his business and most of his money.

You put Tony Soprano and Walter White in a locked room... who do you think is coming out?

Unless Walter somehow finds the time to make a light saber out of the lint in his pocket and his shoelaces or some other stupid Inspector Gadget shit and 'Heisenbergs' his way out as usual, he's getting curb stomped :lol

[johndeeregreen]

The Wire never had a 'main' or central character (except arguably McNulty), so no one from that show can hold the honor seeing as how they were all role players basically. They're the '04 Detroit Pistons of TV.

And Walter White isn't even top 10 all time, let's be serious. Not even the greatest on his own network right now.
This!

This shit has just crossed over into the absurd now. Has a show ever went from being slept on to egregiously overrated in such short order before?

[andgar923]

Uhhhh... how? :wtf:

Walt was in the meth business for only a year and he spent like 90% of that time getting herbed by the likes of Tuco and Gus. He was 'the king' for like a month and then he got punked by the Aryans and they took his business and most of his money.

You put Tony Soprano and Walter White in a locked room... who do you think is coming out?

Unless Walter somehow finds the time to make a light saber out of the lint in his pocket and his shoelaces or some other stupid Inspector Gadget shit and 'Heisenbergs' his way out as usual, he's getting curb stomped :lol

You put them in a room and Walter would have already figured out a way to get to Tony somehow.

He was smarter

Walt would find a way out somehow. And even if he wasn't prepared he found a way to improvise.

I don't see how calling him McGuyver is an insult.

You're underrating Walt's biggest attribute

[KingBeasley08]

Walt's gotta some nice ass lines though.

That whole exchange with Declan was :bowdown: :bowdown:

[DonDadda59]

This!

This shit has just crossed over into the absurd now. Has a show ever went from being slept on to egregiously overrated in such short order before?

Not that I've seen. It's funny that like 80% of the people proclaiming it 'GOAT' didn't even know the show existed like a month ago :lol

I think the hype created via the internet and media will be used as a masterclass in the future in media marketing classes. It's amazing how it went from niche to blockbuster in its last handful of episodes, really remarkable.

I think I read that the 4th season finale (best season of the show IMO) had like 2.9 million viewers, averaged 1.9 for the run. The finale had 10.3 million and AMC was charging advertisers like $400K for commercial slots. I've never seen anything like it.

[DonDadda59]

[QUOTE=andgar923]You put them in a room and Walter would have already figured out a way to get to Tony somehow.

He was smarter

Walt would find a way out somehow. And even if he wasn't prepared he found a way to improvise.

I don't see how calling him McGuyver is an insult.

You're underrating Walt's biggest attribute

[andgar923]

Who the hell is Linus?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPvL1l3bBWo

Smarter and more ruthless than both of them.

He would play mind games with them, have them both kill each other.

[KingBeasley08]

Jack Bauer could probably take everyone mentioned so far with a pistol and a pocket knife

[alenleomessi]

Who the hell is Linus?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBuuT6x4IL4

he is in contention for sure

[andgar923]

Right, if we're going by BB 'logic', he would've had some outlandish and unrealistic plot contrivance and ungodly luck on his side. Like Hank would show up out of the blue somehow to save him at the last second after his initial plan to ricin up Tony's gabagool went awry.

But if we're going with the more reality based Sopranos universe, he gets curb stomped :lol

He wouldn't need none of that.

He'd just play with Tony's head.

You also forget that every show is contrived and has coincidences, that's not an excuse on BB's behalf, that's just reality. We can analyze every show/movie and we'll always have a coincidence.

What makes BB's stick out was the spectacle of it all.

[guy]

The Wire never had a 'main' or central character (except arguably McNulty), so no one from that show can hold the honor seeing as how they were all role players basically. They're the '04 Detroit Pistons of TV.

And Walter White isn't even top 10 all time, let's be serious. Not even the greatest on his own network right now.

Umm let's be serious? Is there really that many great shows and great characters that saying walter white is top 10 is not serious?

[RedBlackAttack]

Unless Walter somehow finds the time to make a light saber out of the lint in his pocket and his shoelaces or some other stupid Inspector Gadget shit and 'Heisenbergs' his way out as usual, he's getting curb stomped :lol
:roll:

True story. Tony was literally the definition of a badass.

***Possible Spoilers***

Case in point, following his being shot and recovering, he was being driven around by that body builder-esque guy. Tony felt he was starting to lose some of his power because he wasn't quite as strong as normal. So, he set up a situation wherein he beat the dogshit out of the jacked up guy in front of his whole crew.

Harkening back to the scene between Walt and Elliott where Elliott was threatening him with a paring knife, Walt is the one who would need "something bigger than that" against Tony Soprano.

Tony is the greatest antihero in television history. Can't think of anyone who even compares, quite honestly.

[DonDadda59]

He wouldn't need none of that.

He'd just play with Tony's head.

You act like Soprano was some dumb henchman goon. Dude was sharp as a tack, had an IQ of 136. May not have the high school chemistry teacher ability to build a remote controlled M-60 turret (:lol ). But he can hold his own in criminal politics. Tony was a MUCH more apt criminal than Walt and his incredibly lucky 1 month at the top.

The only thing that even saved MethGyver from a dumb henchman goon like Tuco was the aforementioned plot contrivance. And as far as physical abilities go, dude got his ass handed to him by punk ass Jesse Pinkman on more than one occasion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0Rs8xoijQo

You're not much of a 'bad ass' if Jesse Pinkman can kick your ass :lol

[andgar923]

You act like Soprano was some dumb henchman goon. Dude was sharp as a tack, had an IQ of 136. May not have the high school chemistry teacher ability to build a remote controlled M-60 turret (:lol ). But he can hold his own in criminal politics. Tony was a MUCH more apt criminal than Walt and his incredibly lucky 1 month at the top.

The only thing that even saved MethGyver from a dumb henchman goon like Tuco was the aforementioned plot contrivance. And as far as physical abilities go, dude got his ass handed to him by punk ass Jesse Pinkman on more than one occasion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0Rs8xoijQo

You're not much of a 'bad ass' if Jesse Pinkman can kick your ass :lol

YOu're arguing this as if they're real people :lol

[DonDadda59]

Umm let's be serious? Is there really that many great shows and great characters that saying walter white is top 10 is a joke?

Off the top of my head:

Tony Soprano
Don Draper
Homer Simpson
Archie Bunker
George Costanza
Cosmo Kramer
Ralph Kramden
Fred Sanford
Lucy Ricardo

Last spot/honorable mention: Omar Little, Ari Gold, The Fonz. I'm sure there's a bunch of iconic characters I missed, especially females. Speaking of which, Roseanne should be up there somewhere.

IMO the Jesse Pinkman character was the best on BB until they turned him into a crying mannequin in the final run.


Tony is the greatest antihero in television history. Can't think of anyone who even compares, quite honestly.

Yup, easily. Like I said before, the rest just feel like (and really, are) just cheap imitations. I think the closest has been Draper, which makes sense considering his creator learned from the best.

[guy]

Off the top of my head:

Tony Soprano
Don Draper
Homer Simpson
Archie Bunker
George Costanza
Cosmo Kramer
Ralph Kramden
Fred Sanford
Lucy Ricardo

Last spot/honorable mention: Omar Little, Ari Gold, The Fonz. I'm sure there's a bunch of iconic characters I missed, especially females. Speaking of which, Roseanne should be up there somewhere.

IMO the Jesse Pinkman character was the best on BB until they turned him into a crying mannequin in the final run.



Yup, easily. Like I said before, the rest just feel like (and really, are) just cheap imitations. I think the closest has been Draper, which makes sense considering his creator learned from the best.

Fair enough. I was mainly thinking about just dramas, cause I don't really know where to begin when comparing Walt to someone like Kramer. It's like comparing Barkley to LT.

Either way, it's all opinions right? Who's more entertaining to a viewer or not right? Or is there some actual objective measure like in sports?

[CelticBaller]

Are The Sopranos on HBOgo?

[Myth]

Which is the greatest character in TV History?



Marie.

[EMERE]

Yup for me Walter is definitely the greatest tv character ever

The way he utilizes things to his advantage is impressive, the ending was just another reason why I think he's the greatest.

[TylerOO]

Off the top of my head:

Tony Soprano
Don Draper
Homer Simpson
Archie Bunker
George Costanza
Cosmo Kramer
Ralph Kramden
Fred Sanford
Lucy Ricardo

Last spot/honorable mention: Omar Little, Ari Gold, The Fonz. I'm sure there's a bunch of iconic characters I missed, especially females. Speaking of which, Roseanne should be up there somewhere.

IMO the Jesse Pinkman character was the best on BB until they turned him into a crying mannequin in the final run.



Yup, easily. Like I said before, the rest just feel like (and really, are) just cheap imitations. I think the closest has been Draper, which makes sense considering his creator learned from the best.

Don't forget Uncle Jesse.

[Bless Mathews]

I'm going with the man that scored 4 touchdowns in a single football game for Polk High.
Al Bundy is kinda g'ed out.
.?

[TylerOO]

Yup for me Walter is definitely the greatest tv character ever

The way he utilizes things to his advantage is impressive, the ending was just another reason why I think he's the greatest.

Prisoner of the moment...

[kNicKz]

Tony Soprano >>>>

Some people don't realize that Breaking Bad uses the Sopranos blueprint

[stax]

It's a toss up between Kenny Powers and Jake the Dog.

Honorable mentions:

Richard Harrow
Nelson Muntz
Paulie Walnuts
Randy Marsh
Niles Crane
Tyrion Lannister
Evil Abed
Susie Essman (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Morbo (http://pool.theinfosphere.org/images/b/b9/Morbo_6ACV10.jpg)

(Seriously though my vote would go to Tony Soprano)

[Nastradamus]

Tony Soprano >>>>

Some people don't realize that Breaking Bad uses the Sopranos blueprint

There is some truth to this, but they are completely different shows at the same time. Regardless, nobody denies that Sopranos laid the groundwork for all the great shows today. That doesn't mean it will always be the best ever.

Both are great shows with different qualities. I consider Walter White a better character, as I feel we got to know him and every intricacy about him better. I just generally find him more interesting and relatable(in certain aspects). That's not a disrespect to Tony though.

Don Draper is my personal favorite TV character