Vincent Corleone

Vincent Corleone, born Vincent Mancini was a character from the movie The Godfather Part 3. He was the the illegitimate son of Sonny Corleone and his mistress Lucy Mancini. Vincent suceeded his uncle Michael Corleone as the Don of the Corleone family.

By the late 1970s Vincent had come to the attention of his aunt Connie. Seeing serious potential in the young man she brought him to the attention of her brother Michael. Michael for his part was not impressed at first, and was angered when his nephew attacked Joey Zasa, but decided to take him under his wing.

Vincent helped save his uncle's life when the Commission meeting they were at was attacked by Joey Zasa, resulting in the deaths of many very powerful Mafia figures. Shortly after the attack, when Michael was incapcitated by a diabetic stroke, Vincent and Al Neri took out Joey Zasa at a festival in Little Italy. Even though the pair had received permission from Connie, Michael was furious and ordered them to never do anything like that again as long as he lived. Speaking to Vincent privately, Michael warned Vincent how his hot headed father had come to a bad end because he let his anger get the best of him.

Meanwhile Vincent and Michael's daughter Mary became friends, and soon this friendship blossomed into more than friendship. Michael disapproved of this, mainly because he feared for his daughter's safety as Vincent became more involved in the family business. He did make use of this, having Vincent approach Don Altobello and ask for help in running away with Mary to start their own family. Vincent refused to hurt his uncle, which satisfied Altobello, who in turn introduced him to Don Licio Lucchesi - who had masterminded the whole campaign against Michael.

After the death of his old friend Don Tommasino Michael decided to retire from the family business. He elevated Vincent to be the new Don of the Corleone family, telling him that going forward he was to call himself Vincent Corleone. As a price for his elevation, Vincent agreed to give up his relationship with Michael's daughter. As Michael left the room he watched as Tommasino's bodyguard Calò and Al Neri both offer their loyalty to the new Don.

The family gathered at Teatro Massimo to watch Anthony's debut performance in the opera Cavalleria Rusticana. During this time several murders were carried out, with Calò eliminating Lucchesi, Al Neri killing the corrupt Archbishop Gilday, and Altobello being poisoned by his goddaughter Connie. Unfortunately after the opera an assassin named Mosca attempted to kill Michael. One of the bullets injured Michael, but the other hit Mary directly in the heart, killing her. This act broke Michael, who retired to Tommasino's old villa, where he died in 1997.

Trivia

 * Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo envisioned Vincent playing a key role in a fourth Godfather film. The storyline would have had Vincent involving the family in the drug trade that his uncle and grandfather had eschewed.  The Corleone crime family would meet its end as Vincent died in a shootout with police.  Coppola and Puzo were in the early stages of developing this fourth film when Puzo passed away in 1999.  The project was abandoned after Puzo died.


 * Coppola felt Vincent was supposed to be an amalgamation of the Corleone men, with his grandfather Vito's cunning, Michael's ruthlessness, the sensitivity of his uncle Fredo, his father's temper, and Tom Hagen's loyalty.