One of the more intriguing characters in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the rogue homunculus Greed, who may be a child of Father, but not a loyal minion. Unlike the arrogant Pride, Greed is more interested in selfish ambitions, and he is also something of an opportunist.
It was Greed who was melted down and reborn in the body of prince Ling Yao, and he started to undergo a personal change that culminated in his friendship with Edward Elric and his willingness to face Father in single combat. What were five times when Greed made the right decision or had the right idea, and when were five times he was totally off the mark?
10 Was Right: Fighting Wrath For The Third Time
Greed did battle with his brother Wrath/King Bradley a few times, and in their final fight, Greed was finally fighting for the right reasons. The Promised Day had come, and Wrath had already defeated Captain Buccaneer and Fuu the bodyguard.
Now it was Greed's turn to fight, and he did a great job holding off Wrath. He also fought Wrath at his best, using tricks that Ling taught him to try and exploit Wrath's few weaknesses. It was a fine fight, even if Greed didn't win.
9 Was Wrong: Capturing Alphonse
When Greed first appeared, he had a little plan in mind for the Elric brothers. He wanted to become truly immortal, and he was under the impression that Alphonse Elric, the armor alchemist, held the secret that he needed.
So, Greed captured the younger Elric and dragged him to the Devil's Nest, and Edward Elric came looking for his brother. Greed then offered a trade, Alphonse's immortality for a Philosopher's Stone, and Ed rejected that deal out of hand.
8 Right: Trusting Ling
When Greed was reborn, Father placed his liquid Philosopher's Stone right into the body of prince Ling Yao, and inside the Philosopher's Stone, Ling met the homunculus face to face. Greed expected resistance from Ling but didn't get any.
Instead, Ling was eager to borrow Greed's power, and Greed wisely held up his end of the bargain and learned a few combat tricks from Ling. Greed wasn't too proud to accept help from a human and learn something from him. It's Pride who would reject help.
7 Wrong: Challenging Bradley In The Sewer
This was the first battle of Greed vs Wrath, and it did not turn out well for the homunculus of avarice. When Bradley and Major Alex Armstrong stormed the Devil's Nest, Greed and his minions scattered, and Wrath caught up to Greed in the sewers of Dublith.
Greed vastly underestimated what he was up against, and he was nearly helpless as Wrath chopped him apart and impaled him over and over with his sabers. Greed should have run while he still had the chance, rather than face the Ultimate Eye.
6 Right: Rejecting Father Again
That said, it was just as well that Greed was taken back to Father because this led to his new, and better, fate. Greed was chained up and given one chance to rejoin Father's ranks, but he refused. So, he was melted back down into a Philosopher's Stone.
Now that Greed was melted down, he could be reborn into a new body, and when that happened, Greed actually broke away from Father even more thoroughly. Now he was in shape to join Ed and figure out his true place in the world. Rejecting Father is a good idea for Greed.
5 Wrong: Killing His Old Minions
The first Greed had several chimera minions to call his own, and he looked out for them. But when Greed was defeated at the hands of Wrath, he lost contact with them, and some had died by that point. Later, he came back into contact with Bido, one of his underlings.
Greed didn't remember any of his old minions, so he killed Bio in cold blood. But Ling pointed out how wrong that was, and Greed's memories began to return, and he realized that he'd done something terrible. Now he realizes that life is about cherishing friends, not using them.
4 Right: Weakening Father
At the climax of the entire series, when Father was seemingly unstoppable, Greed helped take the fight to him alongside his many allies. Father saw Greed as a Philosopher's Stone to be harvested and allowed him to get close. Then Father tried to absorb him.
That was a trick; Greed infused his power into Father and altered the carbon in Father's body, and caused his leg to crumble to dust. Greed did his best to destabilize father and weaken him, so Edward could finish him.
3 Wrong: Facing Bradley To Get Answers
This was the second of Greed's and Wrath's fights, and as in the first battle, Greed was outmatched and had no good reason to fight Wrath. He had just killed one of his subordinates, and he went to King Bradley to try and get some answers.
That was the totally wrong call, since there was no way Wrath would have provided any satisfying answers, nor could Wrath soothe the guilt and confusion in Greed's mind. Besides, Pride was there, meaning Greed was horribly outmatched.
2 Right: About Friends
It took the entire length of the story for Greed to realize this, but he figured it out just in time. He used to think of his companions as the means to an end and to treat them as collectible items. But that's not how it works.
Instead, friends are to be trusted and respected, and most of all, protected. At the very end, with everything on the line, Greed faced Father and gave his life to protect those new friends of his, and Ling was sad to see him go for more than a few reasons.
1 Wrong: Seeking Immortality
Greed was making more than one mistake when he captured Alphonse to strike a bargain with the Elric brothers. Not only was he antagonizing Edward by capturing Alphonse, but what he wanted wasn't even worth seeking.
The quest for immortality is all common in fiction and real life alike, but wisdom holds that infinite life gets unbearably dull and involves seeing so many friends and family members die over time, it becomes agony. Greed was making a horrible mistake by wanting such a cursed existence. Life is about the time you have, not the time could have.