Walt truly begins as an official hero. He does not even notify his family of his sickness because he does not want to worry them or cause more stress on his wife Skyler. Walt is a mild-tempered man and really overall a nice guy, often times too nice; however, nice guys finish last and Walt felt like he is running out of time.
His beginnings of becoming the outlaw hero begins when Walt affiliates himself with his former student Jesse, as the decision of producing and distributing crystal meth becomes a solution. Cooking meth is the fastest way he can leave a substantial amount of money for his family even though his moral compass shifts him onto a slightly different path. As the series evolves, so does Walter's character and an outlaw hero is born. He creates an alter ego where he calls himself Heisenberg. Walt no longer has ".a tight mental allegiance to a morality"(Ray 350) as all classic official heroes do in nineteenth-century American fiction. After committing one crime after another, Walt is not only a loving father and a family man but is also a drug lord. With his new identity and added role in society, Walt is faced with many more decisions that will test his morality. Because Hank, the DEA is also Walt's brother-in-law, Walt often times finds himself finding ways to cover his tracks. The more he covers up the more of an outlaw he becomes, but he still remains a hero. Walt justifies all his actions as for the good of his family. This outlaw hero continues on only because he wants to make sure his family is taken care of once the cancer wins.
A defining moment in the series of the official hero in Walt dwindling away, is when he attempts to kill Krazy-8, another dealer. To their surprise, Krazy-8 is still alive so they then kidnap him, as he is a threat to their lives. Walt now faces the decision of freeing the enemy or killing him and after much internal debate and realization that one will die.