Within the world of Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, it is widely known that incurring the wrath of the Corleone family is bad for one’s health. Typically, any act against the Corleones receives a prompt and unambiguous response. When Paulie betrays his employers, for instance, the young gangster is rewarded with a one-way trip to buy some cannoli. When the Tattaglias are found responsible for the attempt on Vito’s life, Sonny quickly pays them back by ᴀssᴀssinating Bruno Tattaglia.

In a world where fear, intimidation, and respect are vital, the Corleone family cannot be seen as weak. It is surprising, therefore, that Carlo Rizzi survives so long. Connie’s husband turns physically and verbally abusive, then betrays his in-laws by conspiring to have Sonny murdered. One might ᴀssume that Carlo’s death would be a priority for the Corleone family, especially since The Godfather‘s ending sees Michael admit to knowing about Carlo’s involvement for a long time. Oddly, Michael doesn’t act upon that knowledge until much later, when he finally orders Clemenza to have his abusive brother-in-law garrotted.

Michael Delays Carlo’s Death As Part Of His Bigger Plan

Michael Played The Long Game Against Carlo Rizzi

The symphonic climax of The Godfather sees Michael arrange for every single one of his enemies to be killed in one fell swoop – the heads of the other families, those who stood in his way and insulted his family (looking at you, Moe Greene), and the bad apples from his own side. This is a masterplan Michael begins cooking up soon after returning from exile in Sicily and ᴀssuming control of the Corleone family, and it only succeeds because the fresh-faced don takes the other members of The Godfather‘s Five Families completely by surprise.

Vito’s death is ignorantly perceived by the other dons as the death of the Corleone family itself. The fact that his replacement, Michael, is a softly-spoken university student and former civilian only cements the idea that the Corleones will be vulnerable without their deceased figurehead. Barzini attempts to exploit that, ultimately seeking to bring the Corleone family under his own umbrella via Tessio – another turncoat – and this demonstrates how the other dons view Michael as a meek leader ready to be overthrown.

In truth, Barzini is the one being exploited. Michael deliberately allows his enemies to think of him as a pushover, then performs an unprecedented orchestra of violence when it’s least expected, wiping out the rivals who originally thought Vito’s death would work in their favor. If Michael had killed Carlo earlier in The Godfather, however, he would have jeopardized the entire plan.

Why Killing Carlo Earlier Would Have Ruined Michael’s Grand Plan

Keeping Carlo Alive Was Useful (Until It Wasn’t)

Only during Carlo’s last moments of life does Michael reveal he knew about his brother-in-law’s treachery all along. Prior to that, Carlo perhaps ᴀssumed his crimes would go unnoticed and unpunished, and Barzini likely held a similar view – that his infiltration of the Corleone family through Connie’s husband had remained a secret.

If Michael had murdered Carlo immediately after figuring out the truth, the ᴀssᴀssination would have signaled to Barzini that Michael was an intelligent don, and not to be underestimated. Barzini may have realized Michael was a step ahead, causing The Godfather‘s villain to raise his guard against the Corleone family’s new leader, consequently making the movie’s bloody finale impossible to pull off.

Vito’s peace agreement with the other New York families puts another obstacle in the path of killing Carlo. Following the deaths of Sonny Corleone and Bruno Tattaglia, the dons broker a peace arrangement, part of which involves Vito swearing to forego further vengeance. Vito only does this, of course, to ensure Michael can return home from Sicily without fear of ᴀssᴀssination. Once Michael is safely returned and in command of the family, the planning for revenge begins in earnest. Vito’s ruse of peace is, however, crucial in maintaining the element of surprise.

Carlo isn’t part of another mafia family, so killing him would not mean the Corleones breaking their end of the peace agreement, but it certainly would demonstrate Michael and Vito’s lingering desire for retribution over Sonny. Given that the entire scheme hinges on maintaining the element of surprise, the wisest strategy is luring Carlo into a false sense of security, making him feel like a valued member of the Corleone family, keeping Barzini believing the peace agreement is genuine, then killing them all in one go.

Did Michael Really Wait Until His Father Died Before Killing Carlo?

Was Connie Right About Michael’s Plan?

After Michael’s machinations come to pᴀss and Carlo has been dealt with, Connie fires a barbed accusation at her brother: “You waited until Papa died so nobody could stop you, and then you killed him!” Connie raises a fascinating point here – was Vito really the one protecting Carlo from execution? Did Michael ignore his late father’s wishes by making Connie a widow? It’s possible that Connie is speaking the truth to some degree.

Carlo was a monster, and Vito would have seen that from the very beginning. At the same time, Vito doted on his children. Killing Carlo would have made his daughter a window and left her children without a father. It must also be taken into consideration that The Godfather‘s story is set in the 1940s and ’50s – a time when domestic violence was not treated as seriously as it is today – and Vito was a man who adhered to a very traditional family structure. The Corleone boss might have believed Carlo’s death would hurt his daughter more than it would help her.

In that sense, one could certainly argue that Connie was right, and Vito would not have openly agreed to having Carlo murdered while he was still alive. On the other hand, it seems implausible that Vito died without any idea what Michael’s plans for Connie’s husband would be.

Not only is Marlon Brando’s character fiercely intelligent, he possesses a deep understanding of what makes his children tick. As he and Michael plot their final act against the Five Families, Vito surely knows Carlo Rizzi is one of the names on Michael’s “must-whack” list. While Vito may not ᴀssent to his son-in-law’s demise in any explicit terms, therefore, Connie claiming that her father would have protected Carlo from The Godfather‘s chopping block feels a little wide of the mark.