What do you think Vito would have thought about Michael killing Fredo? Do you think it would have happened if he had been alive?

Edit* I'm not asking whether or not Michael would have waited for Vito to die before having Fredo killed. This is strictly "What Vito would have thought about one of his son's killing/wanting to kill the other.. and do you think he would have ever let it happen, whether Fredo tried to have Mike set up or not.

Note that Michael IS still the acting Boss.

If vito was alive and in power Michael wouldn't have had the power to put a hit out on Fredo. Second, if Vito was alive and in power, Fredo wouldn't have been "stepped over" when it came to succession so he **might not** have done what he did.

If vito was alive and not in power. Then just look at the reason Fredo lived as long as he did.

I should edit this..

I meant if Vito was still alive, perhaps still as Consigliere, perhaps not.. but ultimately, if he hadn't died that day in the garden.

I can't imagine Michael ever going ahead with it.

I would just look at how Michael told Al or Tom I'm blanking on who but he said I don't want him touched as long as my mother is alive. I would imagine that would hold true for his father as well.


edit: nevermind I see what you are saying now. I'm not very good at what you are asking so I'll graciously bow out of this conversation now lol

haha, I think it's something a father would have to answer. But then again, Vito was also a murderer. Could he ever have said "Mike, you are right."?

**Jumping back into the conversation**

I think its one of those situations where Mike would say to Vito, this guy that works for me did this etc.. so I had him killed. Vito would say good job you are learning sorta thing
Then Michael would say well it was Fredo and I think judging from what kind of a family man Vito was he wouldn't have approved of it.

I think vito would have avoided the hit on michael in the first place. I think he would have sensed Fredo scheming against michael. Remember how vito predicted "whoever comes with the Barzini meeting is a traitor"...

That's the kind of answers I'm looking for. I salute you!

That might be true, but it's not what I'm asking!

Vito never would have approved of the hit. And if Michael had done it without his knowledge, he would have been heartbroken. He would have blamed himself because, as he said in the garden scene, "I never wanted this for you, Michael..."

The logical part of Vito might have agreed that a traitor should never get a pass. But the fathter part of Vito would never have approved of a brother killing a brother for any reason. He would have concluded that the fraticide was an inevitable outgrowth of his own life of crime.

Vito would have HATED it and no, it would not have happened while Vito was alive.

If Michael wanted nothing to happen to Fredo as long as their mother was alive...don't you think he would've afforded that same gesture to their father? Fredo had to go...but Michael would not have either of his parents suffer the loss of another son at his hands.

Apple

This leads to another question - Given the opprotunity, would Fredo have betrayed Mike while Vito was alive? Bear in mind that he was already "passed over" while Vito was living.

For the first question-Absolutely flipping not. No way would Vito have let a hit on one of his sons go through(especially by his other living son)and sit idley by,doing nothing.
As for the second question(good question by the way)I think those events still would have played out. If you believe Fredo in Havana and the boathouse, he didnt know it was going to be a hit. Vito would have probably seen Roth and Ola schemeing and notified Michael of it.

No, for two reasons:
1. "Hope springs eternal..." As long as Vito was alive, Fredo would have deluded himself into thinking that he had a shot at being named the Don eventually, even with Michael taking day-to-day control of the family. We saw an example in the Moe Green scene, when Fredo suggests going over Michael's head to the Don to settle the affair. Remember, too, that Fredo knew that the Don never wanted Michael to be involved in the "olive oil business." So he could have hoped that Michael's stewardship was just temporary. Not realistic, but Fredo was no rocket scientist.
2. Fredo didn't plan to betray Michael: he reacted to an opportunity in which he saw something to gain. He didn't have that opportunity when the Don was alive. Barzini approached Carlo to betray Sonny, and Tessio to betray Michael--he didn't approach Fredo. Roth would never have made a move on Michael while the Don was alive. But with the Don gone and Michael moving in on his Western and Cuban gambling empires, Roth made Fredo "an offer he couldn't refuse." That's when the opportunity for betrayal knocked on Fredo's door.

Good answers here, people.

There would have been no need to kill Fredo if Vito was still alive.

Fredo was the dutiful son, and he would have been concentrating on serving his father's wishes (regardless of what role his father held in the Family). There never would have been an opportunity (or need) for Fredo to deal with Johnny Ola if Vito was alive.

Vito would have been horrified at the very thought. He realized his middle son's lack of the right stuff to conduct the family business (remember his halting references to Fredo in the Garden scene). But, he would have contiued to use Fredo in a less than salient position in the family. Michael was like the bad superman - he had his father's intelligence, but little of his warmth and character.