The "Dedicated to Max" Better Call Saul Easter egg is a dedication to a character previously introduced on Breaking Bad who holds special significance for Gus Fring. Situated at the center of a small and peaceful Mexican village is a luxuriously out-of-place yet tastefully designed memorial fountain with an inscription that reads “Dedicado A Max” or "Dedicated to Max." Though Better Call Saul gives no explanation as to what this means, clues are laid out in Breaking Bad that reveal more about the character of Gus Fring.
Gus Fring is introduced in Breaking Bad as a brilliant and ruthless drug kingpin who hides in plain sight thanks to his public persona as a successful and charitable business owner. However, Better Call Saul humanizes Gus Fring as the spinoff series dives deeper into his character and shows new aspects of her personality and motivations. This includes the tribute he has given to the character of Max, someone who holds a special place in Gus's heart and is key to his backstory.
Who Was Max In Breaking Bad
In Better Call Saul season 5, Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) started distancing himself from Gus' drug empire after Fring ordered him to kill the German engineer, Werner Ziegler (Rainer Bock). Weighed down by his guilt, Mike got into a fight with a local gang and was left for dead after the encounter. Later, Mike woke up in a secluded Mexican village where he was patched up by one of Gus Fring’s associates, Dr. Barry Goodman (JB Blanc). At the village where Mike was recovering, Gus tried to recruit Mike once more to come to work for him, alluding to Mike’s own appreciation for revenge.
As the memorial fountain with the placard reading “Dedicated to Max” is shown standing between them, the notion of revenge may remind Breaking Bad viewers of Max’s identity and his connection to Gus Fring. Better Call Saul's Max mystery is actually a poignant reminder of Gus and Hector Salamanca's dark backstory. Maximino Arciniega (James Martinez) was Fring’s business partner and the chef behind their co-owned restaurant chain Los Pollos Hermanos. Rescuing him from the slums of Santiago, Gus funded Max’s education in Chemistry, which gave Max the know-how to begin cooking meth on the side apart from their day jobs as restaurateurs.
Making only a single appearance within the Breaking Bad episode “Hermanos” from season 4, Maximino attends a meeting with Gus in order to propose a business deal with Don Eladio (Steven Bauer) of the Juárez Cartel to distribute their meth along with the Cartel’s usual shipment of cocaine. Offended by Gus’ boldness, Hector Salamanca shoots Max in the head, and Gus is forced to watch his close friend and partner bleed out in Don Eladio’s swimming pool. This is also why Gus Fring stares at the pool during a later meeting with Don Eladio in Better Call Saul season 6.
Was Max Gus' Romantic Partner?
Ever since Max was murdered by Hector Salamanca, Gus has made it his life's mission to honor Maximino’s memory, implying that they were more than just business partners. Indeed, the entire isolated Mexican community featured in "Dedicado A Max" was personally funded by Gus, along with the memorial fountain, as a tribute to Max’s legacy. This allowed Gus to give the children in the community the protection from outside negative influences like drugs and crime that Max never received growing up in Chile. Gus even established a scholarship in Max's name at the University of New Mexico’s chemistry department, which went on to fund the education of many future chemists including Gale Boetticher (David Costabile).
Notably, Gustavo Fring's sexuality has been all but confirmed in Better Call Saul season 6, which sees Gus flirting with his sommelier David. Though Gus ultimately left David hanging, the scene served to finally confirm that Gus was interested in men, which means that it's possible that Gus and Max were lovers. This would certainly explain why Gus Fring has devoted his entire life to the establishment of his own drug empire as a means of attaining revenge against Hector and the entire Juárez Cartel for Max’s murder.
Curiously, a remark from Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton) during Better Call Saul season 5, episode 1, “Magic Man” also suggests that this theory is true. While speaking with Juan Bolsa (Javier Grajeda), Lalo described his plan to keep a close watch over Gus’ movements, as he suspected that Gus wanted revenge against Hector for killing his “boyfriend.” This moment actually marks a turning point in the Lalo Salamanca vs. Gus Fring rivalry. While Lalo was clearly just being his usual childish shelf with the "boyfriend" remark, Lalo was actually spot-on about Gus and Max. Ultimately, this is indicative of how the deceptively clever Lalo was able to read the enigmatic Gustavo Fring, culminating in their final encounter in Better Call Saul season 6.
Better Call Saul season 5's tranquil memorial fountain is where Gus went to come and remember Max - but it also serves a darker purpose. Maximino was shot in the head over Don Eladio’s pool, after which Eladio's men held Gus down beside Max, forcing Gus to watch as his partner's blood flowed into the water. Gus basically took this horrible memory and turned it into a beautiful memorial as a way to process Max's death, and whether intentionally or not, also as a visceral reminder of his lifelong mission to get revenge.
How Gus Fring Avenges Max In Better Call Saul Season 6
In Better Call Saul season 6, Gus partially avenges Max's murder when he kills Lalo Salamanca. The tone of Lalo's "boyfriend" remark in Better Call Saul season 5 actually foreshadowed how Lalo would later underestimate Gus by prolonging his planned assassination. In classic Lalo Salamanca fashion, Lalo literally delayed killing Gus for clout, as he started vlogging the supposed execution, which is what gave Gus the opening to eventually get the upper hand. After finally getting rid of Lalo, Gus came closer to his long-term goal of avenging Max, which also pulled him closer to becoming the less emotional and more calculating mob boss introduced in Breaking Bad – although, as the original show demonstrated, one Salamanca was never enough.
Max's Memorial Is Just One More Reason For A Gus Fring Prequel
The "Dedicated to Max" Better Call Saul Easter Egg not only adds to Gus Fring's character but it also suggests there is far more to be explored with the character. Despite appearing in two shows within this universe, Gus has still remained something of a mystery in order to maintain his sense of menace. Though Gus is long dead in the current Breaking Bad universe timeline, the character's popularity and largely mysterious backstory have done more than enough to lay the groundwork for a potential Gus Fring Breaking Bad spinoff, which would finally settle the debate on whether Gus and Max were really a couple.
Luckily, this remains a possibility as Giancarlo Esposito has expressed hope for a Gus Fring prequel series. The actor admitted he still had the urge to explore more about Gus and suggested: "We could see where he had come from and maybe explore more of who he really is underneath the mask." Seeing how a man like Gus came to power and what role Max played in that journey would be fascinating and Esposito claims that when he suggests such ideas to Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould their responses have been, "It's not over till it's over" meaning there is hope for Gus Fring after Better Call Saul.