Some people think Michael loved Apollonia more, other people think he loved Kay more. I believe he loved them both. It's there in the books and the movies, clear as the day. But some people misinterpret Michael's relationship with Apollonia on purpose (to the point of saying Francis Ford Coppola was wrong!) just to validate his relationship with Kay more. Childish, really.🙄
Oh, I know, haha. It's like Centralia; it's one of those fandom fires that keeps on burning. I'm just surprised that people are fighting about it when both are canon. Puzo co-wrote the script with Coppola and approved all changes to the original story, so I don't think that one perspective is more valid than the other. It's just a matter of preference and which one you're discussing. You can't always use one to prove a point about the other.
Since it's not a direct page-to-screen adaptation, it's good to distinguish between book and film, especially now that more people have read it. In the past, say four or five years ago, it was easier to argue that they were one and the same and harder to prove otherwise because it wasn't as widely read (on tumblr). The novel seems to have enjoyed a renaissance since.
I've always felt that, in the movie, he loved them both, but only Kay was a viable long-term love. His relationship with Apollonia is 100% about lust and control in the book. That part should not be up for debate or considered open to personal interpretation, lol.
Where I think people go wrong (and I'm not saying this to call anyone out, I'm just sayin') is in dismissing her entirely. Whatever her role is, it's not insignificant. You couldn't take her out and still have a strong story or maintain Michael's vital arc. He would just end up fuckin' about and drinking wine out there in the Sicilian countryside.
