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Agent 47 is a fictionalcharacter and the player character of the Hitman video game franchise, created and 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. He has been voiced by actor David Bateson in every main entry in the series since its inception in 2000.
The player controls 47, a monotone contract killer without empathy, 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, compared positively to other characters like Slender Man, Solid Snake, Lara Croft, and Sam Fisher.
Concept and creation
47's barcode as based on images from Dr. Ort-Meyer's journal
Agent 47 was originally created for Hitman: Codename 47. He went through multiple revisions, including "a mean old hairy guy" to having "hi-tech glasses," before they settled on his final design. He is a bald man with a tattoo on the back of his head in the style of a barcode. This was added to give players something to look at while they played, with the in-game lore being that he needed to be distinguishable from clones of him. He is monotone and lacks empathy. His name comes from the fact that he is the 47th clone. His outfit is typically seen wearing a black suit, black leather gloves and shoes, and a burgundy tie, though he can change his outfit during gameplay. More inspiration came from comic books, Hong Kong films, and similar media. The idea of a clone whose future is decided by the people that created him intrigued the Hitman team. The idea of creating the "ultimate assassin" by cloning evolved with the character before the first game was completed. Agent 47 is voiced in the video game series by David Bateson, who was the basis for his appearance.
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Cultural impact
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Reception
Agent 47 has been praised for his moral ambiguity and nuanced characterization. In 2012, GamesRadar+ fittingly ranked Agent 47 as the 47th "most memorable, influential, and badass" protagonist in video games. Alongside other gaming characters with similar traits, such as Lara Croft, Sam Fisher, Solid Snake and Slender Man, he is considered one of the most popular and significant characters 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. In 2024, a poll conducted by BAFTA with around 4,000 respondents named Agent 47 as the third most iconic video-game character of all time, only behind Lara Croft and Mario.
Agent 47 in Hitman: Absolution
