What were Michael's plans?

He told Tom I have my own plans for my future. This is after he had just quit College and enlisted in the Marines.

Had things turned differently,I think Mike would have settled down with Kay, raised a family,and pursued a very successful career in business,(perhaps Wall Street),or even in politics.

According to some articles I've seen,Mike expressed an interest in politics,even in childhood,and,wondered if there would ever be an Italian President.

The path he chose,(and some may argue,the one that he was forced into),while noble, in the sense of protecting the Corleones, turned out to be the great tragedy of his life.

He lost everything, his brothers,his wives,his children,and eventually,his beloved daughter,gave the Corleone Family business to Vincent, and died broken and alone.

Nothing in life is sadder than wasted talent.

The only thing we know for sure, per the movie, is in a deleted scene, after Connie's wedding, when Vito and his sons visit the dying Genco in hospital. Vito asks Michael what his plans are, and Michael, obviously uncomfortable, says, "Finish school." Vito says he approves, and tells Michael to come to him after graduation. Michael turns away from Vito.

There wasn't enough time, for Michael, wasn't enough time....to even enrol, to "Finish school" because of this Sollozzo business

Vito's Grand plansIs it fleshed out in the novel that Vito had no stomach for vengeance? that “it was Michael's initiative” deliberately playing weak, to take Barzini and everyone, by surprise, with their brilliant Great Massacre [with “Vito's guidance and counsel”]

I find this perplexing that Vito would let Sonny's murder [machine gunned like a Swiss cheese] and Michael's attempted murder, resulting in his new wife, Apollonia's death [car bombed] go unanswered by Carlo and Barzini respectively

Sure thing Lou this Sollozzo business turned things on its head

However as Michael and Kay met at Dartmouth, Michael 'abandoned' Kay twice

First when Michael “quit College” and went to war after the Pearl Harbour attack
Michael and Kay must have reconnected on Michael's return from the war

Second when Michael fled to Sicily after murdering Sollozzo and McCluskey
Michael only contacted Kay after being back longer than a year

Yet Kay still married Michael after all this time? Here -- Kay was calling and writing....

Is this in one of the followup novels? My sense is that Kay is clearly younger than Michael, probably in high school when the war started. The novel says she intended to finish school after marrying. The novel also says Michael "entered' Dartmouth after the war, "and so left his father's house.' So I think that Michael attended Fordham or some such before the war, and lived at home.

It is not the path he was forced to choose, It is the wife he chose that done him in

Vito, having no other suitable blood Corleone to succeed him, had Michael under his tutelage [with “Vito's guidance and counsel”] and that's why it took longer than a year for him to get around to seeking Kay and settling for her

The novel says: "When Michael Corleone was discharged early in 1945 to recover from a disabling wound, he had no idea that his father had obtained his release. He stayed home for a few weeks, then, without consulting anyone, entered Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and so left his father's house. To return for the wedding of his sister and show his own future wife to them, the washed-out rag of an American girl." I take that to mean that Michael had no connection with Dartmouth or Kay before the war.

I may be misunderstanding what you're saying.but is it your position that Michael choosing Kay somehow caused him to kill Sollozzo and McCluskey?

longer than a year and Mama couldn't find Michael a nice Italian origin bride, suitable Mob Boss wife!

Success?

Sonny's initiative bankroll hotel, send Fredo to learn legitimate casino business

what articles

How Kay know he married Apollonia

why Michael obviously uncomfortable, to "Finish school." Tom did

The Godfather Wiki Fan Page is one.

I don't think that Michael is uncomfortable about what he's telling Vito. He's uncomfortable about what he's concealing, about Kay and his relationship with the family.

Vito would have already seen him with Kay when he came to the wedding late and in his Marine uniform Nobody missed that!

Don't know Pete he may have disapproved of his American Girlfriend but I reckon there was nothing to conceal as their relationship was out in the open

I meant choosing to marry her after returning from Sicily

True he lost his first wife killed by the car bomb planted for him and Fredo because Vito stepped over him for his kid brother but no other grief if she had been like Carmela she'd have kept the family together no matter what

1. Anthony would have been at Law school
2. they wouldn't have been at the Opera where Mary was killed

As hot headed as he was, his forward thinking set their legitimacy wheels in motion

I didn't think anyone other than Vito knew about Apollonia but Kay for someone who was banished, knew a lot of inside stuff even that Michael killed Fredo

As soon as Michael heard about Vito's shooting, Michael is the one 'unchoosing' Kay and then ended up having to kill Sollozzo and McCluskey

The most significant difference between Michael's wife Kay and Vito's wife Carmela is, Carmela never questioned Vito about the business and Carmela's love, loyalty and support for Vito was unconditional

So Vito never had to worry about their blood family at all and it is worth noting when Vito and Carmela married Vito was a law abiding shop employee in a Grocery store and only became Mafia after as opposed to when Michael and Kay married, Kay knew Michael was Mafia

What would Sonny's role be, in their 'legitimate' world?

I reckon Sonny would have been boss in Nevada and de facto Don of Clemenza and Tessio

Tom family lawyer

Fredo would have had no problem, taken care of by his older brother

Mike as Lou_Para said would have settled down with Kay, raised a family,and pursued a very successful career in business,(perhaps Wall Street),or even in politics.

Though what to do with Carlo?

Carlo's a tough call. He's pretty much a goofus. I would think that the Corleones would want to make sure that Connie lived comfortably,and raised a nice family.
So here's some speculation:

1) Set him up in a (legitimate) trucking or waste management business. Even as a front man,he could show income,pay taxes,etc.

2) This next one is a bit off the wall,but how about a Casino Host in one of Sonny's properties? Before you laugh too hard,consider this:

Casino Hosts are the guys that recruit and cater to the "Whales" meaning the top high roller gamblers.
Carlo has the wheel and deal personality,and could certainly develop connections to score high demand sold out tickets to sports or entertainment events.
Other perks include luxury suites with a Butler and Personal Chef,private chopper flights to the Grand Canyon for romantic picnics with their female friends,
24 hr use of a Limo and Chauffeur, 5 figure "gifts" for Mr & Mrs Whale,etc,etc. The list goes on.

This job would keep him under the watchful eye of Sonny,provide a comfortable living for him and Connie,and generate a nice additional income in the way of tips.
Hosts are legitimate hustlers in the Gaming Industry,and I think Carlo could do OK.

What do you all think?

What was he concealing about Kay? He brought her to the wedding and dragged her into the family photo.

All this begs a question: Was Michael a natural-born criminal? "A man has but one destiny," Vito said in the novel (about Sonny). Was Michael destined to lead a life of crime?

I've argued many times that Michael had choices at each and every crossroads in his life. He chose the criminal path every time. The shooting of his father impelled him to start on his life of crime by killing Mac and Sol. It did not compel him to kill them. He was not "forced" to protect Vito by killing them.

If Vito hadn't been shot, if the peaceful status quo prevailed, Vito lived a long life, and Sonny lived to succeed him, Michael probably would have married Ky, had kids, graduated from college, chosen a non-criminal career (law, teaching, perhaps) and generally kept at arm's length from his family. His criminal tendencies may have remained dormant for the rest of his life. But, Vito's shooting ignited the lust for power that was deep inside Michael. I don't think he relished violence, but he never shied away from it in pursuit of the power that led him down the criminal path. The personal tragedy of Michael's life was his obsession with legitimizing his criminal activities--he never accepted the reality that he was a criminal. It tormented him and made him live a life of lies for himself, his wife and his children.

There is the classic slow motion gradual close-up shot of Michael,outlining his plan to kill Sol and Mac.
This is the moment when we realize that the old idealistic Michael is gone forever.
I do agree with Turnbull that Mike had choices,but only before he crossed the line.
Afterwards, as with any Mob Chief,there were killings that he had to do to protect his empire,
I will concede that he probably went too far with some i.e. Fredo,Roth.
As for the 5 families murders,I don't know many options he had.
Had he merely executed Tessio as a traitor,he still would have Barzini and his puppet Dons to deal with.
I do feel that Mike fell in love with the power and fear he generated,so it wasn't always "just business"
Even Tom,at one point asked Mike 'Do you have to wipe everybody out"?
Bottom line,IMHO, Michael was a bad seed who was psychologically pre-disposed to becoming the sociopath that he was.

He was "forced" to protect Vito by killing them. the only one because Sol only meet Michael to proposition

Mike had choices,but only before Sonny was killed