Regarding Sal Marcano (SPOILERS!)...

[Iggy Wolf]

So I just saw Yahtzee's Zero Punctuation video review of Mafia 3. At one point, he basically asked the very same question that I got to thinking half-way through the game. Why are we supposed to hate Sal Marcano again? Oh, right, he killed Ellis and Sammy. But honestly, considering how many people you end up killing throughout the game, it's kinda hard to empathize with Lincoln. Even Father James points out as much. And since he clearly had an interest in taking over Sal's organization afterwards, he can't exactly claim the moral high ground or that he even did it as revenge anymore, not that he was anyway.

I mean, when I was given the choice to kill him, I let him commit suicide cause he was so pathetic at that point, having lost his son, who he cared about more than any of the other capos or family members. I chose to leave town cause it wasn't even worth taking his position, unless I wanted to be just as bad as him. While some people have compared the protagonist and game to The Punisher, I feel like Lincoln is far ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ from him.

He doesn't take revenge in the name of justice or the greater good. He did it simply because he lost his father figure and brother but apparently that stopped mattering halfway through the game, once Sal starts losing his ♥♥♥♥. In fact, killing Giorgi alone would have been enough to traumatize him without going through all the other racket bosses and capos. I'm just curious what other people here think though.

[cassiels]

First and foremost he did it out of revenge. Not just for killing his family but also because of the power the mob has over ordinary people trying to have a family life and to make a living to simply survive. That life is what he looked forward to during his time in the war.

The only way to do it, as they know from their time in Vietnam, is to take out the power structure Marcano's empire is built on. As is explained in the game, just walking into his office and killing him, will not change anything. It would probably mean all out war.

Initially Lincoln intended to go work in a harbour but after Marcano is gone he has (we have) three choices. Leave the city to his underbosses which creates at least a balance of power. Be the boss and make sure the city thrives. Be the next Marcano.

None of those are "happy endings" to me. I was disappointed with the choices. I thought he was going to be a priest. I thought the character of the Padre was the mirror image throughout the game and that was why we learned that he had also killed and why he had become a priest.

All those conversations with Father James turned out to be completely meaningless, and no more than casual moral filling. Perhaps as a counterweight for the racism that the devs, as they explained, put in reluctantly.

[Iggy Wolf]

That's a fair point. And to emphasize, I do know why he did it. Obviously there's no question about his motives here. The problem is when revenge becomes something more than what it initially was.

As the priest pointed out to him. the point was to remove Marcano, not take his place. By the end of the game, Lincoln had forgotten that he was doing it for that reason since he obviously had no problem taking over and becoming just like him. You would think that in the pursuit of one's revenge, the person taking it would avoid doing anything to become the very person they hate.

Lets also not forget that Marcano WAS trying to go legit. To leave his empire behind. He obviously didn't care who he'd ♥♥♥♥ over in the process, but he wasn't exactly intending to continue to destroy people's lives as a mob boss either.

It's actually strange how should Vito take over, he decides to legitimize gambling and turn New Bordeaux into the Vegas of the South. It's funny how Lincoln didn't consider that as an option should he take over as mob boss. Overall, I too was dissappointed with the choices but then again, I suppose it's meant to give a moral lesson about why revenge is bad.

At least, that's the way it ends up looking, especially since Lincoln could easily be seen as a bad guy as well, if not worse than Marcano. Most revenge stories end up being a moral lesson for the character him/her self. You at least expect them to learn that it's either a dish best served cold or not really as fulfilling as they though it would be.

At least Frank Castle from the Punisher made it a point to go and dispense justice in general to anyone who deserved it, rather than simply making it about his personal revenge. If anything, it was probably more satisfying to kill Remy Duvall and Richie Doucet than Sal Marcano. Of course, one need not take over ALL the neighborhoods just to do that.

[Tenshin51]

Simple his stupid son shot Lincoln point blank range in the head. Lincoln almost died in that event. If Lincoln had option to take a revenge why not take it?? Like Donovan helping him.