Did the Wire botch Mikes character by making him a stick up kid

[Hitman's Shades]

Mike was basically Omar's prequel without them actually doing a true prequel. He was messed with as a kid, had heart, became a corner boy, and then stick up kid. He basically told you why Omar was the way he was.

 

[Rhapscallion Démone]

He got a taste of the gang life and saw that their was no security or honor. Everyone was ultimately in it for themselves so him deciding to go the way of Omar made sense. Dukie going the way of bubbles. Randy going from selling candy to most likely selling drugs. Namond ironically will most likely end up in politics or law enforcement like his adopted dad.

 

[pawdalaw]

I think he would have grew up to be Cutty.

 

[Trav]

Didn't but the actor himself tryna pull his best Omar impression but I let it slide for the full circle shyt they were going for

 

[Genos]

That's the point OP, the system is overwhelming

 

[big bun]

Did you really think he was going to see the light and become a productive member of society…a police officer or youth counselor, maybe?

 

[Ol’Otis]

That's the point OP, the system is overwhelming

And it failed them

 

[Tasha And]

He had no choice. He murked snoop and Marlo’s people knew about his betrayal and they was going to get at him one day. He had no other crew to hook up with so he had to make a living and keep bouncing from vacant to vacant. He was in survival mode.

“What you think they gonna get a job? You think these nikkaz gonna quit this game here or go to college? Nahhhh”

Adding on to this, the streets probably think Michael is a snitch.

He stood tall with a snitching boy. And Marlo put the hit out on him due to suspecting he could be a snitch. After the shyt with Snoop and with how street gossip spreads and transforms, all of the crews probably saw him as a snitch by the end of the series, leaving him as a pariah that has to make his own way.

 

[DaPresident]

Nah, that was his natural progression. He got in the game because he really, had no other choice.

Kinda how you probably saw Omar. That he was just too smart/wise to be doing what he was doing

just my take