The question is ... was Sherlock simply Moriarty`s victim? After all, Moriarty lost his identity just as much as Sherlock lost his. To the world at large, Jim Moriarty wasn't a consulting criminal ... merely the front man for Sherlock Holmes.
Could Moriarty have played into the hands of the Holmes brothers? It leaves Sherlock in a great position to take over much of Moriarty's gang and destroy it from within.
While Moriarty may have a few allies in the know, most of his network wouldn't know what was going on. They know it wasn't all a fantasy. There were probably hundreds of Moriarty jobs not foiled by Sherlock Holmes. So, they know someone was committing those crimes. What if the average Moriarty supporter believes that Holmes was the power behind the scenes. They think the actor Holmes hired to divert suspicion turned traitor. They might think Holmes needed to eliminate that Rich Brook and then fake his own death. Once the assassins are out of the way, Holmes could emerge and take control.
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Could Moriarty have played into the hands of the Holmes brothers? It leaves Sherlock in a great position to take over much of Moriarty's gang and destroy it from within.
While Moriarty may have a few allies in the know, most of his network wouldn't know what was going on. They know it wasn't all a fantasy. There were probably hundreds of Moriarty jobs not foiled by Sherlock Holmes. So, they know someone was committing those crimes. What if the average Moriarty supporter believes that Holmes was the power behind the scenes. They think the actor Holmes hired to divert suspicion turned traitor. They might think Holmes needed to eliminate that Rich Brook and then fake his own death. Once the assassins are out of the way, Holmes could emerge and take control.