Now with Looper, we get the problem of the Looper solved, but it's more likely that the kid is gonna grow up to be just as bad. Sure, we see him control himself for a second, but he could just as easily snap again. I mean, Joe didn't kill the kid's mom the first time anyway - she dies some other way somewhere down the road. It'll happen again. It was a cop-out on the writer's part. It would've been better (still a horrible idea) if "it was all just a dream". Had Old Joe killed the boy, the world would have been saved AND it would have made for a VERY interesting discussion.