Andy Garcia’s Vincent Mancini took over from Michael in The Godfather Part III, but a completely different character might have proved a more fitting replacement. Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 gangster classic chronicled the handover of power from Vito Corleone to his son Michael. The story came full circle 18 years later when Michael himself pᴀssed the reins over in The Godfather Part III. His eventual successor was Sonny’s illegitimate child, Vincent, who had been serving the Corleone family under Joey Zaza but was looking for more responsibility and influence.

Upon proving himself to Michael, Vincent became next in line as the Corleone family don, and the entire Godfather saga concluded with Garcia’s newly-crowned protagonist promising to usher in a new era of prosperity for his inherited empire. While Vincent represented a fascinating addition to The Godfather‘s cast, he was far from the obvious choice to replace Al Pacino’s Michael. In hindsight, it’s surprising that a minor character from the first movie wasn’t picked instead.

Michael Francis Rizzi Should Have Replaced Michael Corleone As Don In The Godfather Part III

A Real Baptism Of Fire

Michael Francis Rizzi was Connie’s second child with the abusive Carlo Rizzi, but he was also the baby being baptized in The Godfather‘s ending. The cycle of family violence is one of The Godfather‘s biggest themes, played out between Vito and Michael across three movies. Michael tried desperately to escape the family business, and Vito secretly wished for the same thing, but destiny seemed to drag Michael into his father’s shoes regardless. In The Godfather Part III, Michael’s daughter, Mary Corleone, was then killed in a botched ᴀssᴀssination, continuing the cycle of bloodshed from parent to child.

Vincent gaining control of the Corleone family contributed little to this thematic motif. Despite being Sonny’s son, Vincent never appeared in the first two Godfather movies, and his ties to Michael were only loosely established. Because Vincent spent his entire life lamenting his status as an outsider among the Corleones, ascending to don was also more of a crowning achievement than a damning death sentence. Breaking away from his two predecessors, Vincent was absolutely delighted to be Godfather.

If The Godfather Part III had focused on Michael Francis Rizzi instead of Vincent, then ended with Michael Francis becoming don, the story would have gained a true full circle moment. The innocent child Michael held in his hands while a symphony of murders was carried out on his orders during the first The Godfather movie grows up to take Michael’s place as the man orchestrating bloody murder sprees of his own in the third movie.

That continuity would have perfectly portrayed the idea of crime corrupting purity, which was already at the heart of Michael Corleone’s narrative. Don Michael II would also have perpetuated the sense of destiny that haunted the entire Corleone clan. Just as Michael couldn’t escape replacing his father, the baby who was named after Michael, given Michael as a godfather, and baptized mid-mᴀssacre was destined to become his uncle’s successor.

What Actually Happened To Connie’s Children In The Godfather?

Victor & Michael Francis Escaped The Corleone Trap

Connie’s children were effectively ignored by The Godfather Part III, Michael Francis Rizzi included. It can probably be ᴀssumed from his absence that Michael Francis did not become a member of the Corleone crime empire, and that would follow the pattern set by his various cousins. Michael’s two children chose to pursue other interests such as opera and Sєxualized gnocchi rolling, while Sonny’s other children were implied to be living comfortable civilian lives in a deleted scene from The Godfather Part II.

It feels like most of Vito’s grandchildren took advantage of the wealth and opportunities afforded to them by the Corleone name and dodged the family business in favor of leading relatively normal, somewhat privileged, lives. It makes sense that Vincent, as an illegitimate child who wasn’t given the same opportunities, became the only Corleone child who had to make his name working for the mafia.

Curiously, Connie’s children did spend some time living with Michael during The Godfather Part II‘s timeline, as Connie herself was experiencing something of a wild phase following her husband’s ᴀssᴀssination. Michael Corleone was, therefore, a father figure of sorts to his godson, and that connection would have made Michael Francis an even more fitting successor in The Godfather Part III.

Michael Francis Rizzi Featured In An Earlier Draft Of The Godfather Part III

Little Mike Wasn’t Always Cast Aside

The notion that Michael Francis Rizzi should have become a major player in The Godfather‘s final chapter is not a new one. Dean Reisner’s early script for a potential The Godfather Part III had little to do with the finished film, but did incorporate many of Vito’s grandchildren and even put Anthony Corleone, Michael’s son, in a starring role. The script included Michael Francis Rizzi too, renamed as Frankie and working as an enforcer for the Corleone family. While not quite reaching the level of don, this unused script at least acknowledged Michael Francis’ thematic importance to The Godfather.

Because of Anthony’s presence, Michael Francis’ role was naturally minimized, so even the early draft of The Godfather Part III opted against using the first film’s iconic christening as foreshadowing for the future of Connie’s son. That’s unfortunate, because Andy Garcia could have played Michael Francis with barely any changes to his performance. All The Godfather Part III needed to do was switch Garcia’s character from Sonny’s illegitimate son to Connie’s second son, make a few dialogue tweaks, and the new don would have meant so much more.