What if Franklin had betrayed Michael in GTA 5's ending?

Time of India

5 hours ago

(Image via Rockstar Games)
We all remember the final mission of
GTA 5
when Franklin is faced with a wild choice: kill Trevor, kill Michael, or take the chaotic 'Deathwish' route. Most players chose the team-up ending, saving both Michael and Trevor.
Most of us picked the wild 'Deathwish' ending. But imagine if Franklin had pulled the trigger on Michael instead. Let's break down how that would've changed everything.
Franklin's Loyalty Put to the Test
Franklin had two paths: stick with his mentor or do what the FIB (and Devin Weston) told him. Michael was the guy who gave Franklin his
first real taste
of the big leagues. He taught him the game, gave him purpose, and pulled him out of Simeon's shady dealership gigs.
If Franklin had turned on him, it wouldn't just be betrayal, it would've been
a full character flip
. Everything he stood for, loyalty, growth, ambition, would've gone out the window.
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Trevor Would've Gone Full Psycho
You think Trevor was unhinged
before
? Imagine what he'd do after finding out Franklin killed Michael. He already had trust issues with both of them, but this? This would've sent him into full rampage mode.
The game hints at this in the 'Kill Michael' ending when Trevor basically tells Franklin he's dead to him.
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But if Rockstar had gone deeper, we could've seen a full-on Franklin vs. Trevor war. Los Santos wouldn't have survived that chaos.
Franklin Loses More Than a Friend
Michael wasn't just a crime partner; he was
family
to Franklin. Killing him would've left Franklin with
nothing
solid to hold onto. No mentor, no crew, no future. Sure, he might get a fat payout from Devin Weston or the FIB, but what's money when your soul's wrecked?
In the 'Kill Michael' ending, you can literally see the regret on Franklin's face. He climbs the Vinewood sign with Michael and
lets him fall
.
The silence after? That's not peace, it's guilt.
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GTA 5 Would've Ended on a Sour Note
Rockstar gave us the 'Deathwish' ending for a reason. It's chaotic, it's messy, and it gives every character a shot at redemption. Killing Michael? That would've made the game's final act feel hollow.
Franklin was always the moral centre of the trio. If
he
broke that, the entire dynamic would collapse.
Franklin betraying Michael wouldn't just change the ending; it would
ruin the vibe
. No epic three-man heist, no poetic closure, just loss and regret. Rockstar knew that the trio had to stick together for the story to hit the way it did. Sometimes, loyalty > logic. And in GTA 5, that loyalty made history.