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    Agent 47

    Character » appears in 13 games

    Agent 47 is the main protagonist of the Hitman franchise; including games, films and novels. His name is derived from the last two digits off the barcode tattooed on the back of his head (640509-040147) as well as the fact he has 47 chromosomes.

    Short summary describing this character.

    Agent 47 last edited by solidejake on 02/17/24 02:17PM View full history

    Background

    Agent 47 is a hitman who was cloned from a number of wealthy criminals and genetically engineered in order to become a highly effective assassin. Agent 47 works for the International Contract Agency (I.C.A., or simply the Agency). His handler at the Agency is named Diana Burnwood. Generally, Diana will contact Agent 47 with details on a contract which he has been requested to fulfill.

    Due to his genetics, Agent 47 is an advanced assassin, possibly to the point where a number of his skills are impossible to learn. As a result, his identity is disputed by many of the games' side characters, for example, the journalist in Hitman: Blood Money struggles to believe the apparent 'myth' is true. Also, near the beginning of selected Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, a number of cutscenes show characters display disbelief that Agent 47 may actually be real.

    Agent 47 wearing his standard outfit.
    Agent 47 wearing his standard outfit.

    Agent 47 is a usually calm character and will rarely lose his temper. This suggests that he remains professional in his line of work and tries not to let emotion become a factor. He is shown to live a relatively quiet life with little contact with other people. Agent 47 was once a seemingly religious man, having contributed a large portion of his earnings to the Catholic Church. The fact that he is trying to find some sort of peace and meaning in religion in Hitman 2: Silent Assassin can be contributed to the horrible events which he experienced in Hitman: Codename 47, in which 47 finds out he is a genetically engineered clone from an asylum in Hungary simply known as ''The Asylum'' and kills his creator and cloned counterparts. Furthermore, in Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Agent 47 went out of his way to rescue Father Vitorrio who was kidnapped by members of the Sicilian mafia. In fact, there was no monetary reward for rescuing Father Vittorio, and Agent 47 had to complete a number of contracts for the Agency in return for their help in tracking down Father Vitorrio's location. At the end of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, 47 places a crucifix which Father Vitorrio had given him on the church gate as he is leaving, indicating that he is putting his quest for God and religious enlightenment behind him.

    Agent 47 seems to prefer not to kill more people than is necessary to complete a contract. Whilst he does not tend to ask questions about his target (meaning they could actually be morally good people), the people he assassinates are generally morally bad or corrupt. In the process of killing his target, Agent 47 will try not to kill innocent bystanders. However, if an innocent person's death will help in the completion of a mission, Agent 47 will not hesitate to kill them. For example, in most instances, it is necessary to kill a bystander in order to take their clothes as a disguise or to protect Agent 47's identity.

    Agent 47 Concept Art
    Agent 47 Concept Art

    Whilst Agent 47 is skilled in using a sniper rifle, he often prefers using silent means of killing targets. His favorite silent weapons include fiberwire, poison syringes and knives, as well as ordinary items such as hammers. Of course, using these weapons requires Agent 47 to get close to his target without being seen. He often does this by blending into the crowds by disguising himself.

    Agent 47's main characteristic is amorality. He distances himself from any political agendas, particularly when he kills all the key members of an anti-cloning group, one that would have benefited mankind. His only usual motivation is for money, instantly making him lack any emotional depth. This helps to achieve the calm, collected persona that he sports so often in the series. However, in Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, we see Agent 47 try to repent his sins by living in a church, with a priest.

    After the eventual assassination of said priest, 47 immediately sets out for revenge, making Hitman 2: Silent Assassin Agent 47's most emotionally-charged 'journey.' Whilst he is believed to hold slight religious beliefs, as detailed earlier in the article, 47's actions and endeavors are decidedly less-than-Christian. That being said, it could also be argued that 47 is symbolically pure. He has perfect, clonable DNA, sports a completely hairless, 'perfect' body. He is calm, collected, and skilled in his profession. This only strengthens the theory that 47 is subconsciously the pinnacle of the human race, and his story is one of both amorality and defense.

    Signature Weapons

    Agent 47 utilizes a wide range of weaponry and due to his extreme training, is a master of any firearm he is equipped with. However, he does have a few weapons which he does gravitate towards.

    The first is his non-metallic fiberwire, which he uses in close quarters to asphyxiate a threat in silence and without bloodshed.

    His next signature weapon is his favourite choice of handgun, the AMT Hardballer, which are referred to as his "Silverballers" in the Hitman series. He likes to pack two of these guns, but when going for a accurate kill shot, likes to use only one to take out his mark. The AMT Hardballer is basically a clone of the Colt M1911, which may be the reason he is drawn to this handgun more then any other, because it reflects his origins. In Hitman: Blood Money, players have the ability to slowly unlock and purchase upgrades for this weapon, which vary from laser scopes to silencers.

    His last signature weapon is the Walther WA-2000 sniper rifle which is the rifle he carries in his black briefcase marked with his insignia. He has been using this gun since Hitman: Codename 47, and is the sniper rifle in Hitman: Blood Money that the player can upgrade in many different ways. It is a rare German made sniper rifle with only 176 in the world today. It's rarity and range of 800 meters plus may be the contributing factors for why 47 gravitates towards this sniper rifle over any other.

    Character's Life

    47 woke up in a sterile looking area and being talked through an obstacle course by a man on a speaker system. This man is Dr. Otto Wolfgang Ort-Meyer, a doctor at a sanitarium in Romania (however the player does not realize this yet). He sets up a way for 47 to escape, making him think that he accomplished this feat on his own. A year later 47 is working for the International Contract Agency (The Agency), as a freelance assassin taking on lucrative and dangerous contracts. It is believed that Dr. Ort-Meyer had a hand in pulling some strings to get 47 into The Agency, as a test to see if 47 had what it really takes to be the super assassin he was designed to be.

    During this time working for The Agency, 47 has already established a reputation for being one of the best assassins in the organization. You go through several missions in the game, delivered to you by computer. Your contact in The Agency is called Diana Burnwood. There are always a few small missions setting up the big hit at the end of an "episode".

    First he assassinated Lee Hong, the head of the Red Dragon Triad in Hong Kong.

    His next major target is Pablo Belisario Ochoa, a Colombian druglord.

    Next is an Austrian terrorist named Franz Fuchs followed by the gunrunner Arkadij Jegorov (aka Boris Ivanovich Duruska).

    Throughout these missions he collected various letters which his main targets sent to each other. In fact, it appears they were all members of the French Foreign Legion at the same time. All of the letters contain something about an experimental human, and they all seem to know a 'Professor' Ort-Meyer.

    The fiberwire in action
    The fiberwire in action

    At the end of the contract, Diana warns him that something is amiss. All the previous hits were ordered from the same client. and this client has ordered one more hit on a Doctor Odon Kovacs, who so happens to work at a sanitarium in Romania. When 47 checks in, you learn that the mysterious voice from the start of the game is actually 'Professor' Ort-Meyer, as he calls in S.W.A.T. who start a search of the building for an intruder.

    Once you kill your target, you must find a way deeper into the building. 47 finds help in Agent Smith (A recurring CIA agent in the Hitman franchise, which 47 comes into contact with in every game). Agent Smith tells you that there is a secret underground laboratory in the sanitarium. Here you find an advanced lab, and you finally learn the truth about yourself.

    It becomes clear that 47 is a genetically engineered clone, who was derived from the DNA of the 4 criminal masterminds he was contracted to kill. Only one of these 'fathers' remains and that is Dr. Ort-Meyer. It is implied that Ort-Meyer put out the contracts on these men because they wanted the technology and clones he had been working on for their own purposes, which he obviously did not want.

    When you reach this lab, Ort-Meyer releases the next series of clones, the 48 series. These clones are more easily controllable and supposedly more efficient than 47. However 47 is superior to these mindless drones, dispatching them with a high powered mini-gun. He then gains access to the main lab in the back through a barcode scanner using one of the fallen 48's, where Dr. Ort-Meyer confronts him. He mistakes 47 for a 48 in the beginning, and so you have some time to decide what to do. Agent 47 shoots the doctor and then walks up to him and kneels down behind him, with Ort-Meyers back leaning on his chest. Ort-Meyer says "I didn't even recognize my own son." To which 47 responds by snapping his neck.

    Agent 47 has quit the assassin trade to work as a gardener in a Sicilian church. However, it doesn't take long until troublemakers stir things up and kidnap Agent 47's priest and mentor, Father Vittorio, which forces Agent 47 to return to his past.

    Agent 47 started to assassinate Joseph Clarence, better known as 'Mr. Swing King', after an accident at his amusement park caused the deaths of several children. One vengeful parent decides that Mr. Swing King should be punished severely. Enemies during the level are gang members, as the amusement park is being used by a 'Mr. Scoop' in order to produce drugs under a supposed agreement that will allow Clarence to restart his amusement park.

    Agent 47 went to Chile, during a wine convention held by one Fernando Delgado. His son, Manuel, is using the vineyard as a front for distributing cocaine. Only Fernando was requested for execution by a client, though it is viewed as safer to eliminate Manuel as well, in order to make it appear as a drug-related killing. The mission introduces a camera, used by a Chilean television crew who are present at the event. As usual, Agent 47 should be avoiding the cameras to complete the hits set out. To escape, he departed using a seaplane which has docked at the vineyard.

    Tenor Alvaro 'Alvade can be seen in position alongside the executioner
    Tenor Alvaro 'Alvade can be seen in position alongside the executioner

    Agent 47 went to the Paris Opera House. Agent 47 has been tasked to assassinate two men: Richard Delahunt, and Alvaro D'Alvade. Richard Delahunt is an American ambassador with a fascination for D'Alvade, who is performing as the tenor in Tosca, which is being performed. Agent 47's chance to strike comes when the tenor faces a firing squad, and strike he does. The two men supposedly run a child trafficking ring in Eastern Europe, and a client has requested their death. Agent 47 is dispatched to make this a reality.

    It is during Curtains Down that he first saw specialized bodyguards protecting Delahunt. It is possible to dress as the executioner and shoot Alvaro himself, though it is much easier to simply replace the prop Mauser pistol he uses with a real pistol that can be attained through talking with the secretary. It is also possible to take 47's talents onto the stage by dressing as one of the supporting actors, and taking a prop rifle. You may then stand and watch Alvaro's death at the hands of his unwitting killer.

    After the contract he was severely wounded by a police officer and about to die. Being a smart fellow, he seeks refuge in a French hotel to get aid from a doctor, but the pain is causing him to have feverish nightmares. Right there, in the dark apartment with the rain pouring down outside, he remembers some of his missions.

    Trivia

    • Hitman: Enemy Within is the first novel in the Hitman series. It was written by William C. Dietz and released on August 28, 2007, from Del Rey Books. (His other works include the Halo book, The Flood in 2003 and Star Wars novels that followed the exploits of Kyle Katarn).
    • In the film, Hitman, Agent 47 is portrayed by Timothy Olyphant.

    Agent 47's Quotes

    -This room. This bullet. There's a bullet for everyone. And a time, and place. You know too much about me Inspector, and I can't have that, not even in my death.'

    -Names are for friends, so I don't need one.

    -You prefer to play against expectation

    -Agent smith : I -- hope we get to meet again, under more favorable circumstances

    Agent 47 : Yes... that would seem possible to you

    -I found the girl …..Some of her."

    -$500 000... I can't pay that. I'm heading for the shed... Time to dig up the past

    -Excuse me, I'm looking for....uh..a little action around here

    -You can start by putting your pants on

    -You should always play on black

    -I can do,...Whatever I'm paid to

    -I thought I seen the last of you in Romania, you were pretty messed up then

    -Always knew I didn't belong this world

    -I need to use the bathroom

    -What makes you think you can do that?

    -Is she a good talker?

    -Padre I have sinned... I've done some terrible things in my life... I... I have killed... many people. For money, out of evil out of hatred. So why should God forgive me? Lead me oh heavenly father, in the path of right. I walk alone and stumble in the dark. Show me the light and I'll go there. Let me find peace in my own heart and save me from my enemies.

    - Life is like a butterfly one day its here one day its gone (he then follows this statement by shooting his target in the head.)

    -My client also wanted me to make sure the picture is the LAST thing you see. Please look at the picture Mr. Clarence

    -Death is always a risk

    -My targets have been right in front of me for days, but my weapons still haven't arrived. I'll have to move in tonight. Without them.

    -Beyond that: Never contact me in person again

    -They can have it, I don't play politics. Now Give me one good reason why I shouldn't put a bullet in your head

    -If you're on the level I'll do the job. If you're not, you won't be needing the money.

    -A good thing I brought my suit...

    -Good memory, but don´t ever call me Rieper again its not my name anymore

    -It appears my good friend is staying in room 202 Clean towels for Mr. Wolf (Mr. Wolf was his target)

    -Chinese man: May I check your briefcase, sir? Agent 47: No, I'll keep it!

    -Thick walls and loads of protection. Even the strongest chain has a weak point, and I'll find this one. But I'd better consider each step I take in this squeaky old castle.

    -Mr. Smith: They'll never let me out alive Agent 47: I know

    -For what justice is justice clueless?

    -I'm unaccompanied, if that's what you mean.

    -At least you don't have to play Santa Claus in April at the pornographer's party.

    -Don't stay in here too long then (he shoots the target right afterward) -Our similarities are irrelevant

    -Too bad... I was just looking for something to... take out

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