I liked johnny, but he's already lived his life and knew the risks when he died, in the case of V, he realized his mistake and did everything to fix it, johnny after the resurrection, will continue to do the same thing, I don't think it's right to take the life of the V in favor of a man who chose his own death, especially when V is dying is a blow not only for him but also for his friends and family
Haven't taken that ending, but Johnny took his own life essentially, and those of many innocent people. And whilst upsetting, it was all in the name of revenge for Alt and a personal vendetta against corpos. V lived the life of NC and played by it's rules. Worked as a merc/thief and died as a result of a botched gig and poor decisions, often out of their control. Even with the heartbreak of Jackie dying, they didn't set out on strict path of revenge. They set out to change their own life for the better, not for grandeur or vengeance, just survival.
I think the more we discuss and delve into the various endings, the more we see (whether intentional or not) that the prospect of Legend status is a pipe dream indicative of NC; product of the environment. Something mercs instinctively aspire to because there is nothing else.
At many junctures in the journey, V shows that really, when the chips are down, they want to survive, to live and maybe be 'somebody' . Not 'somebody' to everybody, not 'somebody' in NC, just 'somebody'. Whether that's to themselves or quite beautifully, to someone else (Panam, Judy, River or Kerry). Survival is the primary goal, but loneliness, identity, companionship, freedom and stability are the driving forces.
The endings ultimately rob the story of any meaning or purpose. Death, surrender or AI storage set scenes where V is stuck with what has driven their journey. They are alone and with no freedom or significant other to be their 'light' in the dark of NC.
Suicide has been an option for V throughout, whether a gun in the mouth or a tablets to speed up the end. And with that came many breaking points where somebody with less to live for would have taken the release of suicide.
As with suicide, death is an unwanted passenger on our journey. An amicable car jacker. Who presents itself at many turns. Where these endings unravel is in providing outcomes that V has fought insurmountable odds to escape. To believe V would navigate such dark adversity with such determination to abandon their values requires ignoring the entire story and journey.
Allowing V to return on borrowed time does lend itself more to what has driven V all along. But presenting it as an ending and not an act 4, decapitates our story. Their is more in V than just survival, the driving forces behind that wish, those that ultimately replaced the urge to be a legend, are still prominent. With everyone else's wishes (Johnny, Takemura, VDB, Alt) detached from V's survival we have a real taste of that freedom, companionship, stability and identity independant of NC. And these driving forces are now unhindered. Expecting us to accept 'something happened, or maybe it didn't. Use your imagination, food for thought' is pointless, as we may as well not have played the game. Just read it as a book or graphic novel and then contemplate the implications and intricacies.
