Character Spotlight: Agent 47

Agent 47 a.k.a Hitman is the protagonist of the Hitman series and a contract killer, consistently recognized as the world's deadliest, most discrete and skilled assassin.

REAL NAME: 47

OCCUPATION: Hired Gun, Mercenary, and Assassin, 

DOB: September 5, 1964

BIRTHPLACE: Romanian Asylum

BASE OF OPERATION: Formally International Contract Agency now Freelancer

MARITAL STATUS: Single

HEIGHT: 6'3

WEIGHT: Unknown

HAIR: Bald

TATTOO: He had the number 640509-040147 tattooed on the back of his head ("64-05-09" is his date of birth, "04" marks the Series IV, "01" is for what class he is and "47" is the order he was cloned as well as the name he is called), followed several years later by a UPC code when the technology was available.

FIRST APPEARANCE: Hitman: Codename 47

ORIGIN/HISTORY:

In the Hitman game series and the Hitman novel, 47 is a genetically-enhanced clone and the culmination of decades of secret research into gene augmentation. His creation was funded by a cabal of bald criminal masterminds who donated their own DNA to the project.

In the first Hitman game, five men of various nationalities served in the same unit of the French Foreign Legion. After their stint was finished, four of those men returned to their respective countries and founded their own criminal empires. The remaining one, Dr. Otto Ort-Meyer, ran a mental institution which he used as a cover for genetic experiments. In exchange for research funding, Ort-Meyer provided his former comrades with donor organs harvested from clone bodies, which significantly extended their longevity. In Hitman: Codename 47, each of Ort-Meyer's accomplices are said to be 60–70 years old but appear 10–20 years younger.

The men whose DNA contributed to 47's creation are often referred to within the series as the "Five Fathers", consisting of Dr. Otto Wolfgang Ort-Meyer, Lee Hong, Pablo Ochoa, Franz Fuchs andArkadij Jegorov. Otto Wolfgang Ort-Meyer is a discredited German scientist living in Romania, whose radical theories were deemed insane by his peers.[3] Ort-Meyer believed that genetic recombination and human cloning could be used to produce a perfected version of the human species, superior in strength and mind and unburdened by conscience. His ultimate goal, unbeknownst to his associates, was to create an army of flawless and unquestioningly obedient supermen.[4] When Ort-Meyer's associates become suspicious of his motives, he employs 47 to systematically eliminate each of them. When 47 discovers Ort-Meyer's plans, he manages to eradicate his latest series of clones, known as the Mr. 48s, and snaps Ort-Meyer's neck.

Lee Hong is a Chinese crime lord. Hong eventually rose to the head of the Red Dragon triad, becoming a powerful ganglord in Hong Kong. 47 weakens Hong's influence before assassinating him.

Pablo Belisario Ochoa is a notorious Latin American drug dealer and formed his own drug cartel by violently eliminating his rivals. However, his methods earned him great animosity, and he was eventually forced to flee to a compound deep inside the Colombian rainforest. Pablo appears to be heavily-inspired by fictional character Tony Montana from the film "Scarface".

Franz Fuchs is a former member of the Hitler Youth, apparently resenting the collapse of fascism. He developed a career as a professional terrorist-for-hire, organizing attacks such as the attempted chemical bombing of the G7 leadership. He works closely with his brother and partner, Fritz (therefore making Fritz 47's "uncle"). He also kills Fabian Fuchs, the youngest brother and "uncle". It isn't revealed whether or not Fuchs is based on the real life Franz Fuchs, who was also a terrorist.

The final person who contributed to 47's DNA was Arkadij "Boris" Jegorov. Jegorov was a staunch anti-Communist. Jegorov became a worldwide arms dealer who smuggled weaponry for his older brother, Russian mafia boss Sergei Zavorotko (therefore making him 47's "Uncle").[5] At the time of his death, he attempted to traffic in nuclear weapons.

Ort-Meyer's research produced many failed attempts and aborted mutants, including Mr. 17, but ultimately he managed to perfect the process enough to produce an assembly line of genetically augmented clones. 47 belonged to Ort-Meyer's fourth series of clones, possessing a 47th chromosome which, combined with DNA harvested from the world's most dangerous criminals, endowed him with levels of strength, speed, stamina, and intelligence significantly above the human norm.

In Hitman: Blood Money, it is explained that American interests had repeatedly attempted to replicate Ort-Meyer's success, but were largely unsuccessful. 47 is the only successful healthy cloned specimen, and nothing has yet come to parallel him; while other attempts have come close, they were plagued by problems such as albinism and extremely short lifespans (eighteen months). Ort-Meyer's research was distributed among many covert cloning labs, but is insufficient; a sample of 47's bone marrow is needed to fill in the DNA gaps, making him an extremely valuable specimen.

TRAINING:

Born on 5 September 1964, in Romania and tagged with the identity 640509-040147 on the back of his head, 47 was raised with the other "Series IV" clones by the asylum's staff. From the beginning, Dr. Ort-Meyer identified 47 as his most promising creation. While maturing, 47 was quiet and showed little social behavior, his only display of affection being toward a runaway laboratory rabbit he adopted much to Ort-Meyer's displeasure. 47 also had a fairly negative relationship with the asylum staff, attributed to his chronic uneasiness stemming from his regular medical checkups and frequent injections. On one occasion, 47 stabbed a doctor repeatedly with several needles, prompting Ort-Meyer to increase the personnel assigned to him.

Along with the other clones, 47 was trained from youth to kill efficiently. Instructed in the use of firearms, military and government hardware, and more classic tools of assassination, 47 can wield virtually any weapon with ease. During his training, he was noted for his exceptional marksmanship, as well as for attacking the asylum staff with homemade slingshots, all of which were promptly confiscated.

After 30 years of relentless training under the tutelage of Dr. Ort-Meyer, 47 discovered a gap in the asylum's security. After escaping his cell and killing a security guard, 47 disguised himself in the guard's uniform and escaped from the asylum grounds. Unbeknownst to him, 47's escape was deliberately orchestrated by Ort-Meyer, who concluded that 47's escape into the outside world was the final challenge in his training.

PERSONALITY:
Even though 47 is meant to be a heartless killing machine he shows signs of morality, seen in Hitman 2: Silent Assassin confessing his sins (killing people for money) to Father Vittorio. 47 also seems to have good relationships with animals since he can be seen playing with a rabbit at young age in the asylum and also having a yellow canary in Hitman: Blood Money (despite deliberately killing it in the cut-scene before Requiem).

Agent 47 approaches his assassinations with professionalism, and prefers to avoid killing anyone besides his designated targets. He will, however, not show any hesitation or remorse when it comes to killing witnesses and other potential threats to his mission.

Agent 47 generally speaks in a monotonous, proper, non-threatening tone, rarely swearing, or even raising his voice. 47 also has a blank and somewhat sinister facial expression, often scanning the scene with his eyes; the only other facial expression 47 has been known to show is pain.

47 seems to also be an accomplished conversationalist despite the fact he's extremely reserved, often able to fool and manipulate people with convincing lies and bluffs. Hitman: Enemy Within shows that he has the capability to act far out of his normal personality to imitate people, such as a cocky womanizing biker.

EMPLOYMENT:

47 was soon employed by the International Contract Agency, a clandestine organization providing assassination and mercenary services. With a lifetime of training and genetically augmented physical abilities, 47 soon rose to become the Agency's most effective and most requested employee. He retired between the events of Hitman: Codename 47 and Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, before later returning to work there. He enjoys his only notable human friendship with his manager-of-sorts, Diana. After the events of Hitman: Contracts, which makes the I.C.A. much less powerful, 47 briefly threatens to find a new employer. He continues with the I.C.A. until the events of Hitman: Blood Money, in which the organization is momentarily destroyed, loses all assassins, and 47 falsely believes Diana betrayed him and tried to kill him. At the end of the game, the I.C.A. returns to power, though Diana admits to a client of royalty that she currently cannot provide 47's services, and has "completely lost track of him". The last scene of the game shows 47 walking into an illegal-activity Chinese business, using a fake name and asking what they have to sell, "preferably in the back".

SKILLS/ABILITIES:

As a class one type clone, 47 can be seen performing physical tasks more efficiently than an average human. 47 has mastered the art of stealth, being able to sneak up on almost anybody and quietly neutralize them. 47 also has an expert level understanding in the use of disguises in order to access unauthorized areas of a location. He is physically strong - being able to climb pipes, move and dispose of bodies, and jump from balcony to balcony with minimum effort. 47 is noted to be a skilled driver, as he can be seen piloting airplanes and helicopters.

Trained extensively in armed and unarmed combat and in the use of improvised weapons, such as explosives, sniper rifles, automatic weapons and bladed weapons, 47 is fully adept at surveying his environment and using it to his advantage. He is also resourceful enough to maintain anonymity by avoiding leaving forensic evidence for law enforcement agencies to discover through various methods. 47 is skilled in infiltration, ex-filtration, and evasion, as well as the traditional art of assassination as seen when carrying out contracts. On site, he can slip past guards without arousing too much suspicion.

He is a perfect marksman, so well that newspaper in Blood Money called him "legendary Agent 47".

47 also has a detailed understanding of human anatomy and human nature, shown through his use of poisons, and sedatives, as well as striking vital points when strangling or using hand to hand combat. He also knows how best to move throughout an area without catching the attention of civilians or armed guards.

EQUIPMENT:

Throughout the games, 47 can use a variety of weapons and objects he finds, but he has a predefined selection of these:

Suit: his professional attire worn when taking out the assignments.
Silverballer: 47's trademark weapon.
Fiber Wire: allows 47 to strangle anyone from behind within 5 to 6 seconds.
Syringes: 47 can kill or sedate NPC's with this perfect for getting rid of witnesses
Coin: used to distract people, can be used as bait. perfect for distracting NPCs
Binocular: used for recon.

-Brian Lansangan

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