Agent 47

Agent 47 is a fictional character, the protagonist and the player character of the ''Hitman'' video game franchise, developed by IO Interactive. He has been featured in all games of the series, as well as various spin-off media, including two theatrically released films, a series of comics, and two novels. Agent 47 has been inspired by Czech programer Martin Štefl and this character was voiced by actor David Bateson in the video game series since its inception in 2000.

A monotone and seemingly emotionless contract killer, the player controls 47 as he travels around the world to execute hits on various criminals that are assigned to him by Diana Burnwood, his handler within the fictional International Contract Agency (ICA). The character takes his name from being the 47th clone created by various wealthy criminals from around the world, in the hopes of creating an army of obedient soldiers to carry out their commands. As one of the last clones to be created, 47 is among the most skillful, and manages to escape his creators before finding employment with the ICA.

Agent 47 has been positively received by critics for his moral ambiguity and nuanced characterization. Alongside other gaming characters with similar traits, such as Lara Croft, Sam Fisher, and Solid Snake, he is considered one of the most popular and significant characters in video games.

Concept and creation

According to Jacob Andersen, lead designer of '' Hitman 2: Silent Assassin'', Agent 47 went from being "a mean old hairy guy" to having "hi-tech glasses" before getting to his current design. More inspiration came from "comic books, Hong Kong movies" and other similar media. According to game director Rasmus Højengaard, the idea of a clone whose future is decided by the people that created him intrigued the ''Hitman'' team. He felt that the idea of creating the "ultimate assassin" by cloning evolved with the character before the first game was completed. The character of 47 is voiced in the video game series by David Bateson, whom the appearance of 47 is based on.

Appearance

Agent 47 has a tattoo on the back of his head in the style of a barcode. The creators of ''Hitman'' have been noted saying that they decided to include a tattoo on the back of his head to "give players something to look at" since 47 is bald. In the game's lore, the reason for this tattoo was to ID him among the other clones.
47's typical attire consists of a black suit, black leather gloves and shoes, white dress shirt, and a burgundy tie. As the ''Hitman'' series allows players the option of engaging in stealth-based strategy to avoid conflict, 47 has the ability to exchange his default costume (assigned to 47 at the beginning of a level or displayed in a cut scene) with various characters in the game to avoid detection. There are a wide variety of costumes to choose from, including police, military, medical, and culinary uniforms that are all made available by incapacitating or killing non-player characters and stealing their clothing, or finding clothing bags around the level.

47 is completely bald with pale skin and blue eyes with dark eyebrows. His International Contract Agency (ICA) file from '' Hitman: Absolution'' states his height as . In '' Hitman: Enemy Within'', his weight is given as . It is apparent that 47 grows older, evident by the added wrinkles through the course of the first four games. He significantly aged in ''Absolution'', with many wrinkles on his face, him performing certain actions slower, and other reduced abilities. This is retconned in the 2016 game as 47 appears much younger, with him looking exactly the same in the game's main sections and prologue which takes place 20 years before, when he was inducted into the ICA. A medical report on 47 in-game states that although 47 is in his 50s, his body is still in peak condition as if he is in his 20s, and he is completely immune to disease. Since players of the video game series control the character from a third person perspective, the barcode that is tattooed on the back of his head is starkly prominent, although he has his head covered by a bandage for most of ''Hitman: Absolution'' after he removes it in an attempt to disguise himself.
47's barcode acts as a security key to access areas of the facility where he was created and trained. His barcode is implied to be in Code 39; according to Dr. Ort-Meyer's journal, the barcode was added to the tattoo in 1975, one year after the code was developed.

Alternative stock costumes are occasionally provided. In '' Hitman: Codename 47'', he is seen wearing a guerrilla camouflage in the jungle, while in ''Silent Assassin'' Agent 47 wears a protective anorak in the Japanese mountains and a blue turban in Afghanistan. At the end of '' Hitman: Blood Money'', Agent 47 wears a white suit and white gloves while he is placed into a coffin during his funeral. The ''World of Assassination'' trilogy depicts various level specific outfits, as well as a few bonus ones. These outfits sometimes include a red, white and/or black theme in reference to the colors of his suit. In addition to clothing, Agent 47's distinctive choice of weaponry plays an important role in his appearance. He prefers to use a pair of silver customized AMT Hardballers, a M1911 clone, nicknamed "Silverballers". Following '' Hitman: Contracts'', the ''Hitman'' symbol replaces the Silverballer logos that are typically printed on the side of the pistol's slide. Throughout the franchise, the Silverballers serve as Agent 47's signature weapon, along with his fiber wire garrote, appearing in every game of the series. In the ''World of Assassination'', 47 is often also seen wield a black silenced 1911 in artworks and cutscenes, (however the Silverballer is also an unlockable).

Personality

47's priority is completing his contract. He will eliminate his target no matter what, although it remains a part of his dedication to professionalism to avoid any unnecessary collateral damage, only sacrificing innocents if he must. He is emotionally closed off to the suffering of others when appropriate on a contract, even if they remind him of himself at a younger age. He is very quiet and monotone to the point of being socially awkward, which is perhaps the biggest of his very few weaknesses. He generally speaks in an eloquent, non-threatening tone, very rarely swearing or even raising his voice. He also has a blank and somewhat sinister facial expression, often scanning the scene with his eyes; the only other facial expression he has been known to show is pain, though he occasionally smirks in the 2007 film adaptation. 47 seems to also be an accomplished conversationalist despite the fact that he is extremely reserved, often able to fool and manipulate people with convincing lies. ''Hitman: Enemy Within'' shows that he has the capability to act far out of his normal personality to imitate people, such as when he pretends to be a cocky womanizing biker.

Nevertheless, 47 can blend into the crowd and play the role of a regular person very effectively and efficiently. He is content with being alone but has a deep, if unexpressed, admiration for the few people he becomes close toespecially Diana Burnwood, Father Emilio Vittorio, Helen McAdams, Victoria, Tommy Clemenza, Lucas Grey, and Mei Ling. 47 also shows uncharacteristic sensitivity towards animals that he keeps as pets, such as his childhood rabbit and mouse during his time in the asylum, and a yellow canary in '' Hitman: Blood Money'' (though he is not hesitant to kill the canary in order to avoid giving his position away to authorities). He very rarely shows the same care towards human beings, though he has expressed disgust at exploiting innocent people, as mentioned during the briefing in "Death Factory", when he lamented at how Travis and Blake Dexter used " children as weapons".

47's personality has changed slightly from his initial inception in ''Hitman: Codename 47''. In said game, he talks about as much as or slightly less than a regular person. This version of 47 is depicted from the original game to certain sections of ''Hitman: Blood Money''. Starting in 2012 with the release of ''Hitman: Absolution'', he has since become a quiet man of very few words. He rarely talks unless during a cutscene or to an NPC during a mission if necessary. In the film adaptations based on the games, 47 is far more talkative: uncharacteristically verbose in the 2007 film, sardonic and impatient in the 2015 reboot.

Both ''Hitman'' novels and some portions of ''Hitman: Absolution'' show a side of 47 rarely seen. When out of his element or not on assignment, 47 occasionally shows behavior similar to ordinary people. In ''Hitman: Enemy Within'', he is shown swearing when frustrated, as well as sharing a joke with Diana. More often than not, he prefers to keep to himself. 47 is assumed to be a multi-millionaire from his contract earnings, but never stops accepting new contracts. Due to the nature of his work he only spends his money on simple things like food, clothes, shelter, and job-related equipment, although he is also known to donate some of it to Vittorio and his parish. He does have a particular taste for fine dining and expensive clothing, and it is implied in ''Blood Money'' and ''Absolution'' that all of his suits are professionally custom-tailored.

Reception

In 2012, GamesRadar+ ranked Agent 47 as 47th "most memorable, influential, and badass" protagonist in video games. He is regarded by GamesRadar+, ''FHM'', ''The Telegraph'', ''Play'', and G4 as one of the best assassins in video games. IGN ranked him as gaming's fourth "most notorious" anti-hero, while ''The Telegraph'' ranked him third on their list of top 10 video game anti-heroes. ''Complex'' ranked him as the 5th "best assassin and hitman in video games", noting him as the "original contract killer", while also praising his outfit as "stylish". ''Empire'' ranked him as the 21st "greatest video game character", stating that his design was "striking". ''Rolling Stone'' ranked Agent 47 among the most iconic video game characters of the 21st century.

Appearances

Video games

*'' Hitman: Codename 47'' (2000)
*'' Hitman 2: Silent Assassin'' (2002)
*'' Hitman: Contracts'' (2004)
*'' Hitman: Blood Money'' (2006)
*'' Hitman: Absolution'' (2012)
*''Hitman Go'' (2014)
*'' Hitman: Sniper'' (2015)
*''Hitman'' (2016)
*'' Hitman 2'' (2018)
*''Hitman 3'' (2021)

Films

*''Hitman'' (2007)
*'' Hitman: Agent 47'' (2015)

Novels

*''Hitman: Enemy Within''
*''Hitman: Damnation''

Comics

*''Agent 47: Birth of the Hitman'' series

References

Further reading

*

{{Hitman series

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