Agent 47

Agent 47 / 47 / Mr. 47
Agent 47
Information
Gender	Male
Age	43
Date of birth	1964-05-09
Occupation	Hitman

Agent 47 (or "Mr. 47") is a fictional character and playable protagonist of the Hitman video game series. His name is derived from a barcode tattooed on the back of his head (640509-040147), the last two digits of which are 47. An assassin by trade, he normally works under aliases during his missions; examples include Tobias Rieper (a play on 'Grim Reaper'), Metzger (German for butcher), Julio, Byrd, Johnson, Jacob Leiter, and Dr. Cropes (an anagram of "corpse"). 47 is modeled after and voiced by David Bateson in the games and was played by Timothy Olyphant in the film adaptation.

Development

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^[1]. More inspiration came from "comic books, Hong Kong movies," and other similar media^[2]. According to Game Director Rasmus Højengaard (Hoejengaard), the idea of a clone, the idea that 47's future is decided by the people that created him, intrigued the Hitman team^[2]. Hojengaard felt the idea of creating the "ultimate assassin" by cloning "evolved with the character before the first Hitman game was done"^[2].

Creation

47 is a genetically-enhanced clone, the culmination of decades of secret research into gene augmentation. His creation was funded by a cabal of criminal masterminds who donated their own DNA to the project. In the 1950s, 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. 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. (By the events of Hitman: Codename 47, each of Ort-Meyer's accomplices were well into their 60-70s, but appeared 10-20 years younger.) The "Five Fathers", whose DNA went into 47's creation, were:

• Dr. Otto Wolfgang Ort-Meyer: A discredited German scientist living in Romania, Ort-Meyer's 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 (unbeknown 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 employed 47 to systematically eliminate each of them. When 47 discovered Ort-Meyer's plans, he managed to eradicate his latest line of clones and break his neck.
• Lee Hong: A Chinese crime lord, Lee Hong eventually rose to the head of the Red Dragon triad, becoming a powerful ganglord in Hong Kong. Even in his advanced age, Lee Hong is extremely spry and dexterous with a sword.
• Pablo Belisario Ochoa: A notorious Latin American drug dealer, Pablo 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: A former member of the Hitler Youth, Franz always resented 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.
• Arkadij "Boris" Jegorov: A staunch anti-Communist, Boris became a worldwide arms dealer who smuggled weaponry for his older brother, Russian mafia boss Sergei Zavorotko.^[5] At the time of his death, he attempts to traffic in nuclear weapons.

Ort-Meyer's research produced many failed attempts and aborted mutants, 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 real life, possessing an extra chromosome can lead to problems such as infertility, Down Syndrome and premature death. However artificial chromosomes are currently being pursued as a method of inserting new genetic material into genetically modified organisms.) In Hitman: Blood Money, it is explained that American interests have repeatedly attempted to replicate Ort-Meyer's success, but have largely been unsuccessful. 47 is the first and only successful healthy cloned specimen, and nothing has yet come to parallel him; while other attempts have come close, they are plagued by problems such as albinism and extremely short lifespans. Ort-Meyer's research has been distributed among many covert cloning labs, but it is not enough; a sample of 47's bone marrow is needed to fill in the DNA gaps, making him an extremely valuable specimen.

Training

Born on 1964-05-09 (see barcode) in Romania and tagged with the identity 640509-040147 (the barcode ID tattooed on the back of his head), 47 was "raised" with the other "Series IV" clones by the asylum's staff. From the very 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 double the guards assigned to him. Along with the other clones, 47 was trained from youth to kill efficiently. Instructed in the use of firearms, military 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.

The Agency

47 is soon employed by the International Contract Agency (ICA), 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 top performer. He was retired between the events of Hitman: Codename 47 and Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, a span of roughly two years, before returning to work there.

47 and his barcode tattoo

47s Barcode as based on images from Dr. Ort-Meyer's journal.

47's barcode tattoo serves two functions: it identifies him among the other clones and acts as a security key for Dr. Ort-Meyer's room, which has a scanner that reads the code and only allows certain clones to enter. 47 defeated this security measure by simply scanning the barcode off the corpse of another clone, sealing the Doctor's fate. 47's barcode is 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.

Abilities and reputation

Abilities

While not quite superhuman, 47 is at the extreme end of what a human being is capable of. In several instances, he has survived gunshot wounds to the chest. 47 is very athletic, able to sprint faster and farther than a normal person, climb pipes with ease, and leap across balconies. He is very strong for a man of his build, possessing enough strength to hold and operate a minigun as a man-portable weapon, albeit awkwardly. 47 also has been rigorously trained in the art of assassination. He has an extensive knowledge of murder and of the means to accomplish it. He is skilled in all forms of firearm use, and has nearly perfect aim, limited only by the mechanical inaccuracy inherent in any firearm he uses. This makes him an excellent sniper, as well as a peerless pistol marksman. He is even able to wield two guns at once without any of the usual decrease in accuracy such behavior normally creates. 47 is also capable of improvising deadly weapons from objects he finds during his missions (shovels, pool cues, fire pokers, etc.) 47 has shown proficiency in operating a variety of land, sea, and air vehicles, most often when he has to extricate himself from a mission site. These range from common automobiles and vans, small watercraft such as motorboats, and even aircraft like seaplanes and helicopters. 47 also appears to have a rudimentary understanding of several foreign languages (based on the fact the player perceives subtitles during several conversations between individuals speaking non-English languages).

47's reputation

Due to his exceptional talents, 47 is usually given the Agency's largest and most difficult assignments. 47 completes all of his assignments with unwavering accuracy, fulfilling all of his objectives and always eliminating his targets without hesitation. 47's stealth and cunning are legendary; he is regarded by the world as an urban legend, and few even know what he looks like.

Appearance

47 is completely bald. No hair grows on his head, although whether this is from natural hair loss or Ort-Meyer's design is unknown. The only visible sign of hair on his body are his eyebrows, which are black. His skin is very pale. 47 also has blue eyes. A barcode is prominently tattooed on the back of his head (though the NPCs in the games surprisingly never make an issue of it) listing his date of creation and series identification number (640509-040147). His facial features are quite imposing, with a long face, large cheekbones, prominent brow, and recessed forehead. According to information found in Hitman: Blood Money, he is slightly over 6 feet tall. It has been stated by the game's developers that 47 was modeled after David Bateson, the veteran actor who has voiced 47 in every Hitman game. During his missions, 47 almost always arrives in his trademark black suit, with a white dress shirt and his trademark red tie. Along with this suit he always wears black leather gloves. Blood Money tallies the cost of this ensemble to $5000, or at least the cost of it being retrieved by the Agency's cleaners should 47 leave the suit behind in the field. The exceptions to 47's preferred dress are the Colombian missions in Codename: 47, and the Eastern missions in Silent Assassin. In Codename, 47 wears guerrilla camouflage in the jungle, while in Silent Assassin he wears a protective parka in the Japanese mountains, and a black turban in the Middle East.

47's character

Personality

47 is an introverted character who almost always speaks in a calm, formal manner (with the exception of Hitman: Blood Money, where he somewhat understandably shouted "Bitch!" at Diana when she injected him from behind with a needle). He is not without charm should the situation call for it, notably to manipulate others in order to get closer to his target.^[6][7] In his natural setting, however, he is usually seen alone. One of his mottos appears to have become "Trust no one." He once demonstrated a high degree of devotion to Father Vittorio, the Sicilian priest who gave him shelter in Silent Assassin, going so far as to rescue Vittorio from the Russian mafia even though there was no monetary reward in it (in fact, according to Vittorio, 47 donated a large percentage of his earnings from Hitman: Codename 47 to the Catholic Church). In the end, 47's work spilled over into the Sicilian church, prompting him to sever his ties with it and become a nomad once more. 47 places a significant measure of trust in his Agency contact and liaison, Diana Burnwood. She is the one character in the whole game series that 47 has constant contact with. As a rule, however, they never meet face-to-face unless absolutely necessary, especially during a mission.^[8] On rare occasions, 47 can also show a warm side to his personality. When being raised by Dr. Ort-Meyer, he befriended a rabbit.^[9] A recurring character in the series with whom he has shown considerable forbearance is Lei Ling/Mei Ling (her name was changed to "Mei Ling" in Hitman: Contracts), rescuing her from sex slavery in the first game in exchange for a safe combination. He rescues her again from the exact same situation in the sequel, although in return he gets a keycard. In two other levels in the same sequel, 47 rescues a prisoner being beaten by a couple of guards (in return, the prisoner tells 47 the location of his target) and a German ambassador who was about to be killed by a Spetsnaz agent. In Hitman: Blood Money, 47 picks up a small canary during his travels. However, he later kills the canary to silence it when he hears an intruder approaching his position.

Morality

47 will kill anyone who falls on his hit list. 47 has been known to spare individuals whom he has not been specifically ordered to kill (a few cutscenes in Hitman: Contracts show him knocking out rather than killing various henchmen and bystanders), and even to occasionally offer assistance to those in need. However, he has also demonstrated a willingness to kill innocents if they pose a liability. In Hitman: Blood Money, 47 murders a seemingly innocent mailman due to the CODE RED scribbled on the package. Blood Money's final mission also shows 47 executing a priest and a reporter, both of whom knew his identity. In Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, 47 confesses his sins to Father Vittorio, and performs an act of Catholic symbolism by making the sign of the cross before performing his first hit after coming out from retirement. His confession to Father Vittorio in the opening sequence hints that Agent 47 is not entirely devoid of a conscience.^[10] However, he has abandoned any adherence to religion following the events of Silent Assassin, placing the crucifix Father Vittorio gave him on the splintered gate of the church as he leaves citing he feels that God didn't create him.^[11]

Hitman film

In the Hitman feature film Agent 47 is played by Timothy Olyphant. His backstory is significantly altered from that of the video game; it is stated that the organization he works for (the ICA) uses and trains orphans and rejects (who are 'expendable'), not clones, into professional killers.

Games

• Hitman: Codename 47
• Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
• Hitman: Contracts
• Hitman: Blood Money

Source links

• Eidos Interactive
• Official Hitman Blood Money site

References

External links

• Official Hitman: Codename 47 website
• Official Hitman 2: Silent Assassin website
• Official Hitman: Contracts website
• Official Hitman: Blood Money website