The Godfather's Sonny Corleone: If He Survived, Would Vito Have Taken Over and Made Peace?

Imagine a scenario where Sonny Corleone, the hot-tempered and impulsive eldest son in The Godfather, survives the assassination attempt. How would this have affected the dynamics of the Corleone family and their dealings with rival families? Would Vito Corleone still have taken over and made peace?

Different Dynamics If Sonny Survived

It's likely that sonny's survival would have led to continued violent confrontations with rival families, especially after the attempted assassination on Vito Corleone. Despite this, Vito, as a seasoned and strategic leader, may have been able to regain control of the family and influence Sonny towards a more diplomatic approach. Vito valued peace and stability, often preferring negotiation over violence. A prolonged period with both Vito and Sonny alive could have created opportunities for negotiation while also balancing the risks of conflict given Sonny's temperament.

Vito's Strategic Leadership and Possible Peace Agreement

If Sonny had been willing to listen, Vito could have steered Sonny towards making peace with other families, leveraging his experience and connections to broker a truce. However, the outcome would strongly depend on Sonny's willingness to change his approach. Vito would have likely valued any negotiation opportunities, but Sonny's impulsive nature and aggressive tactics may have created significant challenges. The delicate balance of tension in the mafia world would have made peaceful coexistence a delicate and potentially unstable proposition.

Revenge and Future Conflict

Chances are, even if Sonny had survived, there would have been vengeance against the Five Families sooner or later. The assassination of Vito would have opened the door to war, and the Five Families would likely have sought to avenge the hit on their respected don. In such an environment, maintaining peace would have been extremely difficult, especially if Sonny continued to engage in violent confrontations with the rival families.

Michael's Inevitability

Given Sonny's tendency towards violence and lack of strategic planning, it's unlikely that he would have survived long. Sonny's single-minded focus on low-level targets and his inability to see reason, even with Don Vito's intervention, suggests that his survival was improbable. The eventual ascension of Michael to the head of the family was inevitable, as he had the combination of intelligence and strategic thinking necessary to continue the Corleone legacy.

The Terms of Peace

After Sonny's death, Vito made a peace agreement that gave up all thoughts of vengeance against the Five Families and compromised on the drug trade, punishing the Corleone family for rejecting the Sollozzo deal. Barzini's warnings about the consequences of rejecting the alliance with the Five Families demonstrated the strategic weaknesses the Corleone family faced. The terms of the peace were unfavorable, reflecting the Corleone family's vulnerable position at the time.

Conclusion: The Corleone Legacy

The harsh reality of the mafia world, with its complex relationships and evolving power structures, suggests that maintaining peace would have been challenging with both Vito and Sonny alive. Sonny's violent nature and lack of strategic thinking would have made it difficult to achieve a lasting peace, while Vito's strategic leadership would have been essential for negotiation. In the end, Michael's ascension to the head of the family was a more logical and strategic approach, ensuring the survival and growth of the Corleone organization in a world of constant conflict and rivalries.