1492: Conquest of Paradise - Was Columbus Trying To Fail?

Okay, hear me out, because I've been marinating on this flick for a while. "1492: Conquest of Paradise." Visually STUNNING, right? Vangelis score? Chef's kiss. But I think Ridley Scott (oops, not Ridley Scott, just ScottScreens here!) was trying to say something deeper than just 'Columbus bad.' I mean, everyone knows history, but the choices he makes in the movie... they feel almost deliberately self-destructive. Think about it: he can't navigate, he's constantly alienating people, he's SO out of touch with the indigenous population's way of life. Feels like he was almost sabotaging his own success. Remember that scene where he basically ignores all the advice from his crew and just keeps pushing west? Like, dude, read the room! "Houston, we have a problem," or multiple ones, really, coming out of his mouth even before he says, 'I've found paradise!' My theory? Columbus deep down, had a death wish. Maybe he thought he was destined to fail, or that he wasn't good enough, or maybe he just wanted to rewrite his history, but instead he re-wrote the history of others. Every bad decision, every conflict ignited, felt like he was building his own gallows. And the fact that it was so epic in scale makes it even more tragic. Sure, it doesn't excuse what happened & he's still ultimately responsible, but the movie kind of wants you to feel bad for him at some point, right? Maybe it's just me reading too much into it, but I can't shake the feeling that "The horror... the horror..." of the whole thing wasn't just about the impact on the natives, but on Columbus's own internal struggle. What do you guys think? Am I off my rocker here or has anyone else noticed this weird, almost suicidal, self-destructive spiral going on with him?