2) He had to die. Because his character is considered sinfully flawed in todays society. How dare he be somewhat of a player. They killed him off like they would a protagonist that has flaws seen as a no no. Think Scarface. The whole movie was about him but since he snorted a little stuff here and there the writers were like, We cant idolize this guy by letting him live. Wow. Think about that... in 2021, being too macho is the 1983 equivalent of snorting coke and being a drug lord. God damn.
They're just gonna reboot it with a new actor.
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I have no idea whether or not he's a racist, but apparently there are recordings of him using racial slurs so it's a distinct possibility.