There was a point in having him: he fathered a replicant-born child (while possibly being a replicant himself), aka the central theme of the movie. Execution could have been better, though. And at least the Vegas section had great cinematography ad times: I take much more issues with the final fight, which I thought was anticlimactic both visually and story-wise.
I know but even there they lacked imagination, finesse, esprit. How much better would it have been for Ryan G’s character to find remnants of Deckard proving he lived there but had been long gone. Some indication that he may or may not have been a replicant. Maybe the replicant child is a cross between humans and replicants. But nooo, Deckard had to be a replicant, obviously given his longevity and strength, and a “tough” guy who wants to have a biff with Ryan G. No nuance, no deeper meaning.
