His execution of the heads of the "Five Families" was,to me, not revenge but an attempt to spring himself and his organization from the web; to do away with the forces that would suck him back in.
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A perfect example of how he never really wanted "out," despite his words (and even intentions) to the contrary. Sure, he had the heads of the other families whacked prior to moving to Nevada. Then, when II opens, we see that he's still right in the middle of the New York rackets via Frankie Pentangeli, his underboss, and he's adjudicating a territorial dispute between Frankie and the Rosatos.
"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in," he complains in III after the AC machine gun attack--that occurred while he just happened to be presiding over a Commission meeting...
