Elusive Targets
These are targets that only last for a certain amount of real-world time before they disappear. 47 must fulfill the contract without dying in the mission itself; if he does, the mission is considered to be a failure and there is no restarting. You are free to restart in the mission, so long as you haven't done any of the objectives, gotten killed, or have killed the targets. They are Temporary Online Content that were initially ran for the first time back in 2016, then re-ran again after the GOTY edition was released. Some were later rerun in Hitman 2 In order and Hitman 3 In orderHitman 3 would later reuse these targets as part of Elusive Target Arcade, which mixes these targets up with others from later in the series.
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In General
- Loose Canon: Essentially what the canonicity of the targets boil down to. They are disconnected from the main story arc, but not entirely
Exiled from Continuity either. Some can easily be interpreted as taking place on a different day, as main story events never really interfere with the Elusive Target (The Twin, The Fugitive, and The Food Critic don't reference the events going on around them), but some are explicitly part of the original story (The Pharmacist, The Gunrunner, The Blackmailer, and The Bad Boy are all noted by Diana to be affiliated with the main targets of their level, Nila Torvik from "The Pharmacist" converses with Dalia). Some of the Elusive Targets are connected with each other or mentioned (The Forger and The Broker, The Warlord and The Ex-Dictator). Some are referenced inside or outside of their own levels (The Forger, The Warlord, The Ex-Dictator, The Chameleon and The Surgeons are all mentioned by civilians, and The Warlord has a weapon in-game you can unlock in Bangkok, and, with the exception of "The Wildcard", all of them appear in the Hitman 3 ICA sanctioned target files). - Needle in a Stack of Needles: The targets do not show up on Instinct, and some can look pretty generic-looking and thus, blend into a crowd more. Part of the gameplay of an Elusive Target is to find them, and think on the fly as to how to eliminate them. Enforced with targets like "The Fixer" who blend into the Marrakesh crowd and Consulate, while The Fugitive has the gimmick of randomly selecting a face and medical condition with each restart, and so requires killing the right person.
- Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: They don't all have lines for when you bump into them, drop something in front of them, or if you do other specific weird things in front of them, often falling back to a generic voice. It should be noted that this is target-dependant, as the voice actors are often shared between targets and NPC's anyway.
- Temporary Online Content: As mentioned in the blurb above, they are only around for a limited window of time. Once they're gone, that's it. If you die in the level, you cannot restart. And if you simply miss it, you'll have to wait for anything up to a year for them to even have a chance of returning. Notably, The Wildcard never reran in any game, making it the truest example of the trope on this list.
The Forger (Sergei Larin)
Sergei Larin
"For you and I are alike. From low stock to conquerors."
Voiced By: Nicholas Boulton
An accomplished art forger that’s been copying art from the Palais de Walewska's gallery and selling them on to unsuspecting buyers.
You can view Diana's briefing for him here
- Attractiveness Discrimination: Shows a rather extreme form of this attitude, wishing the ugly to be hidden from sight, as he observes the fashion show.
- Beard of Evil: He has a beard and is an art forger who has ripped people off for millions of dollars.
- Brainy Brunette: He's got brown hair and is an extremely accomplished forger.
- Chekhov's Gunman: He's mentioned in civilian dialogue in "The Showstopper", with Novikov mentioning him buying the diorama seen in the backstage area, and a staff member mentioning he wrote the Bare Knuckle Boxer recipe. His speedboat can also be used as a mission exit.
- Continuity Nod: As mentioned above, he's actually talked about several times in "The Showstopper".
- Cut Lex Luthor a Check: He's a skilled artist, good enough to make accurate forgeries, something that can be easily overlooked by the fact he makes his living peddling inauthentic artwork.
- Fake Aristocrat: Calls himself "Baron Larin" and considers himself owner of the Palais de Walewska, when in reality, his wife and her family own the building.
- French Jerk: He's French, and an arrogant, pretentious dickwad who looks down on people not as privileged as him.
- Gold Digger: A proactive version - he’s a trophy husband who only married his wife so he can exploit her collection of artwork. He's even called this by his father-in-law during a phone call.
- Golf Clubbing: He’s a fan of golf, having a club in his office. While it's more trouble than it's worth, this club can be used to knock him out.
- Insufferable Genius: He's incredibly intelligent, but believes he deserves special privileges and shortcuts due to his intellect.
- Jerkass: He's a vain, unpleasant, and insufferable man who treats everyone around him in a haughty manner.
- Jeweler's Eye Loupe: Wears one of these.
- Make It Look Like an Accident: He can be crushed by chandeliers or shoved to his death as he roams the palace grounds, just like any other target 47 slays.
- Master Forger: Not only is it mentioned he's copying and selling his wife's heirlooms, but that all the original art in the Palais has been replaced by forgeries.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Gives himself a plethora of inaccurate titles. This has caused a rift in the marriage between him and his wife, even before she realized he was screwing her and her family over.
- Smug Snake: From what we see of him, he has a thoroughly unpleasant personality, believing himself to be superior to other people due to his wealth and family status.
- Starter Villain: The first ever elusive target encountered in the series.
- Til Murder Do Us Part: It's implied that his wife was the one who put the hit on him.
- Trophy Husband: Part of an apparently loveless marriage and is described as such.
- Villain Teamup: He's working with Sir Howard Moxon so that the two of them can benefit each other's schemes.
- Warm-Up Boss: He's a bit more forgiving than most elusive targets, with several blind spots in his paths, more opportunities to silently kill him, and less vigilant guards.
- Woman Scorned: Most of the artworks he's been forging copies of actually belong to his wife Simone and have been in her family for generations. It's implied that she's the one who ordered the hit: Diana notes that at the time of the mission, Simone is in New York "with an excellent alibi".
The Congressman (Anthony L. Troutt)
Anthony L. Troutt
"Of course he'd have this. We won't be having any of that when I'm president!"
Voiced By: Timothy Watson
A veteran of the Invasion of Grenada in 1983, accused of several friendly-fire incidents that have been suppressed from the public record. Troutt is in Sapienza meeting Silvio Caruso, as part of a tour of European power brokers and moneymen in anticipation of a 2024 presidential bid.
You can view Diana's now-retconned briefing for him here
- Accidental Murder: If a heavy benefit of doubt is given to him, him killing many innocent civilians in Grenada could be considered this, as it's unclear if this was caused by gross negligence or utter malice.
- Ambiguously Evil: Apart from being highly unlikable, it's never mentioned if the friendly fire incidents he was responsible for were intentional.
- Canon Discontinuity: Troutt's contract was later merged with The Guru's in Hitman 2, with a slightly different briefing and story.
- Dark Is Evil: He wears predominately dark clothing, and is linked to many friendly fire incidents as well as driving political rivals to suicide.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: While he's a corrupt politician and war criminal, he has a wife and several children whom he does seem to love dearly. He even phones up his wife to reassure her things will be different when he is elected when a journalist starts investigating him.
- Fallen Hero: He was a war hero, but some time while in service, he used his position to kill Grenadan citizens before claiming it to be an accident (though this is never confirmed either way).
- From Camouflage to Criminal: He went from being a decorated war hero to a Corrupt Politician and potential war criminal, so it's safe to say he fits this description like a glove.
- The Fundamentalist: He wants to ban Charles Darwin's views on evolution when he gets elected.
- Jerkass: He's rude, ignorant and abrasive. He also has little patience for anyone and mocks Silvio Caruso's taste in literature with ignorant remarks while being escorted by one of Caruso's housekeepers.
- Lack of Empathy: Nothing is too low for him in his conquest for power, even taking the lives of innocent people.
- Nepotism: He's given his wife a job as his secretary. Though it's unknown if they were married before she held this job or not.
- No Party Given: Partially subverted. Instead of being part of any major political party, Troutt is listed as Independent in the briefing and is described as being a center-right conservative in his intel. His mannerisms seem to be a parody of old fashioned fundamentalist republicans.
- Pet the Dog: Despite being a rather unlikable person, he does praise Caruso for the quality of his wine. He also assures his wife that she'll be alright when she's upset by a journalist investigating him.
- Retcon: His contract was merged with Magee from "The Guru" in Hitman 2, where they're working together to get Troutt elected.
- Serial Killer: By proxy. He drives opponents to suicide, knowing full well they'll do it, and is responsible for killing many civilians during the war.
- Strawman Political: Of old-fashioned Republicans and center-right politicians. He is hostile to evolution, dismisses anything he doesn't like as hippy bullcrap and is a populist war criminal.
- Tempting Fate: Declares Caruso's ocean view deck as a view to die for while leaning over the ledge. Pushing him off there is one of the ways to eliminate him.
The Prince (Father Adalrico Candelaria)
Father Adalrico Candelaria
"I'll make his life a holy hell in a few years. Then we'll see just how much light and joy he ends up spreading!
Voiced By: Alec Newman
A German-Chilean Catholic Cardinal considered by Vatican insiders to be a strong contender for the next pope, despite accusations of ties to the Augusto Pinochet regime in the 1970s and 1980s.
You can view Diana's briefing for him here
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Underneath his cardinal exterior, he’s a greedy, selfish man. He plans on ruining Father Francesco for rightfully calling him out.
- Can't Take Criticism: When called out for being a selfish bastard by Father Francesco, he retorts by using ad hominem attacks.
- Churchgoing Villain: He’s a cardinal, after all.
- Dark Is Evil: Fitting for a dark priest. He wears black and red and is an evil person.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Intends on destroying Father Francesco as soon as he gets into power for being called selfish.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: He has no idea why Father Francesco would reject power in order to help the common person. Candelaria also becomes furious when asked why he isn't more charitable, not understanding that concept.
- Evil Is Petty: Plans on ruining Father Francesco for not being as corrupt as him, calling him out for caring about the people around him.
- Evil Old Folks: An elderly cardinal who had his political opponents assassinated.
- Faux Affably Evil: As a sinister priest, he’s extremely polite, but as soon as he’s questioned, Candelaria shows his true colours.
- Foil: To Padre Francesco. Francesco is nice and calm, Adalrico is less so, and is a bit more blunt. One is genuinely nice and reassuring to the people of the town, Adalrico has killed people to get to his position and covers it up.
- Jerkass: Can quickly become rude and cruel, causing him to show his true colours if he’s pressed hard enough. Father Francesco finds this out the hard way.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: He finally got his comeuppance from 47 four decades after he committed his crimes.
- Kick the Dog: Insults Father Francesco for not giving into corruption by calling him a fool. He then proceeds to plot to ruin him as soon as he gets into power. He's doing this to a priest who has a reputation for having terrible luck.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: He seems to be a dark mirror of Pope Francis, who was a Jesuit in the time of another South American military dictatorship (in Argentina, from 1976 to 1983). While the then Provincial Superior Bergoglio was fairly mum about the junta's human rights abuses, he is generally agreed to have never collaborated with it outright, especially in regards to the capture and torture of two priests; Candelaria, on the other hand, worked with Augusto Pinochet enthusiastically.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Being a cardinal, he wears red and black. He's also a very ruthless man who killed several people during Pinochet's regime.
- Retired Monster: He had several political opponents killed during the Pinochet regime. He's now a proper (if highly detestable) cardinal, who believes his dark past is behind him.
- Sinister Minister: Many of his political opponents "disappeared" during the time of his alleged involvement with the Chilean regime.
The Sensation (Jonathan Smythe)
Jonathan Smythe
The Sensation
"No, you didn't make me! Fuck you, man! I owe you nothing!"
Voiced By: Alec Newman
A multi-platinum media sensation that is the subject of an international manhunt, following his involvement in a multiple homicide three years ago. Smythe has continued to release records, with an extensive financial empire bolstered by the controversy helping him evade capture. He’s hosting a party on the Palais de Walewska grounds.
You can view Diana's briefing for him here
- Ambiguous Time Period: While we still don't know when the hit takes place, Diana explicitly greets 47 a good afternoon, not evening, as she normally does in Paris. The skybox and lighting has been changed to accommodate for this oddly enough, making it one of the few Elusive Target contracts to give deliberate hints as to when it takes place, suggesting it takes place likely moments before the main missions' hit.
- Continuity Nod: Smythe is an explicit guest of Dalia, sharing a similar distinction to that of Nila Torvik and Owen Wagner (whom were also invited personally by Margolis).
- Developer's Foresight: Triggering the fireworks show makes Smythe say some unique dialogue and clap.
- Ear Worm: A bodyguard conversation you can overhear has them talk about a song Jonathan has made that they can hear from the other side of the building. The other guard snarks at the one complaining that he should bring it up on his phone.
- Fashionable Asymmetry: It may be hard to notice, but Smythe is wearing a singular fingerless glove on his left hand.
- New Work, Recycled Graphics: The overcoat and hoodie he wears was later reused in a suit pack released later on in Hitman 2; The "Smart Casual Pack", sporting different textures for the hoodie and without the phoenix emblem on the back. The hoodie was later reused again for the Berlin egg hunt in Hitman 3, where two variants with a yellow hoodie is your reward for completing a specific escalation and a challenge set on it.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: His appearance and infamy (minus the homicide, we hope) seems to be based off of Justin Bieber, amping up his notorious bad boy streak to extremes. His behaviour is also mostly shouting (which in fairness, there is meant to be music in the background), but that makes him come off even more of a brash, loud jerk. His name for his voice lines is also "jbjr", so it's not exactly a subtle pastiche by the developers.
- No Indoor Voice: Since he's surrounded by loud speakers, most of Smythe's dialogue is him speaking loudly or shouting.
- No Such Thing as Bad Publicity: In-Universe. It's mentioned that being wanted for homicide has only made him richer and more popular, and is so confident that he fires his agent prior to the party.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Famous!: He's managed to continue his music career and profit off them despite being wanted for the murder of three people.
- Swiss-Cheese Security: Smythe's garden party is off-limits to anyone but security or the auction staff, but sneaking into the party by jumping over the walls surrounding the gardens doesn't count as trespassing.
- Vague Age: He may well be the youngest target in the entire trilogy, heck, the entire series. Considering who he's based off of...
The Gunrunner (Vito Đurić)
Vito Đurić
Voiced By: Alec Newman
A gun-runner supplying arms to General Reza Zaydan for use in his False Flag Operation.
You can view Diana's briefing for him here
- Arms Dealer: One famous for his resourcefulness.
- Beware the Silly Ones: Đurić has a playful and knowledgeable approach to weapons, usually making flippant remarks while giving accurate and astute descriptions about his weapons. He can become very threatening if pressed, though.
- Beard of Evil: Distinguished by his full, thick beard.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Despite being goofy, flippant and prone to mood swings, Đurić is a very talented arms dealer.
- Continuity Nod:
- A soldier at his arms exchange mentions turning down a role in the Sigma Unit, the group that the Sarajevo Six are a part of. Ironically, one of the group's members, Walter Menard, is working with Zaydan, and plans to extract Strandberg after the coup has started.
- The guns are being sold to be given to both the military and the (planted and fake) Crystal Dawn members has placed in the crowd outside.
- Unlike a lot of other Elusive Targets, the narrative for the target directly links to the main mission instead of acting around it, in that the military buying guns will be helping to transport Strandberg after the coup is enacted. This contract would also run alongside "The Extractor" from The Sarajevo Six as Menard plans to help Zaydan extract Strandberg.
- Expy: An amoral, flippant and ruthless arms dealer with a thick Eastern European accent and a prominent beard; Đurić could come across as a thinner, more serious version of Marcus Kincaid.
- Eye Scream: His right eye has cataracts and he has a massive scar running across it.
- Faux Affably Evil: Đurić seems like a goofy and friendly person who is enthusiastic about weapons. Press him hard enough and he shows his ruthless nature.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Đurić has a large scar over his right eye. His eye is also clouded, meaning he’s likely blind in that eye. It's never mentioned how he got that scar.
- Gun Nut: He really likes his munitions; his stales pitches are very thorough with details on what his guns can accomplish.
- Lack of Empathy: Đurić has no problems with arming a militia that’s prepared to massacre innocent civilians. He makes flippant statements at the expense of the people he’ll inevitably get killed.
- Loose Lips: He tells an undercover Interpol agent how he managed to smuggle guns from Zimbabwe and North Korea, but doesn't realize he's an agent until after the exchange.
- No Historical Figures Were Harmed: Being an infamous Slavic gunrunner notorious for his resourcefulness, Đurić is likely based on Viktor Bout.
- Oh, Crap!: Đurić has this reaction when he realizes that one of his men is an undercover agent. He drops his playful facade immediately.
- Properly Paranoid: Đurić is aware that he's made many enemies and freaks out when he realizes he’s compromised. Unfortunately, an undercover Interpol agent isn't the worst of his problems.
- Red Herring: As soon as you get close to him, Diana will inform you that one of his bodyguards is secretly an undercover Interpol agent with orders to arrest him. This has zero effect on the mission itself.
- Removing the Rival: The briefing mentions that the client for the hit is Kronstadt Industries, who also secretly sell arms to ruthless dictators. It seems they're getting revenge for him selling one of their combat remotes in 2015, presumably illicitly.
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: Both in dialogue and mission wise. When Đurić realizes he has been compromised, he panics and immediately plans to evacuate. If he’s compromised by 47, he will evacuate through the tunnels.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Đurić dons a blue waistcoat, black tie and white dress shirt. He's noticeably more dapper than most of the targets.
- The Sociopath: Charming, outwardly friendly, self serving and lacking any basic form of empathy, Vito fits this trope to a T.
- Sunglasses at Night: He wears sunglasses underground. This is probably to hide the fact that he's blind in one eye.
- Villainous Breakdown: When Đurić realizes one of his men is onto him, he drops his goofy nature and becomes much more paranoid and irritable.
The Twin (Dylan Narváez)
Dylan Narváez
The Twin (Dylan (left) and Gonzales (right))
"Look at this one, brother. All the colors. Looks like something I'd shit in."
Voiced By: Nicholas Boulton
A Chinese tobacco magnate visiting Sapienza with his twin brother Gonzales. 47 must eliminate Dylan without harming Gonzales in any way.
You can view Diana's briefing for him here
- Always Identical Twins: Not only are Dylan and Gonzales identical twins in every way, but they dress identically as well, save for a wristwatch that Dylan is wearing.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Dylan's only nine minutes younger than Gonzales, but acts like one. His routine consists of him mocking whatever art he sees and bragging about having sex with the girl Gonzales was seeing.
- Billionaire Wristband: Dylan owns a one-of-a-kind, platinum-plated wristwatch. He gloats about it to his twin brother, Gonzales, as often as he can, having purchased it before Gonzales could even get a chance to.
- Cain and Abel: It's heavily implied that the client for this contract is Gonzales, hence the stipulation that he not be harmed.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Both of them run semi-legal tobacco factories and smuggling operations in Chengdu that take advantage of lax laws and corruption.
- Dark Is Evil: Their Sinister Shades and black shirts certainly give off this vibe.
- Light Is Not Good: To fulfil the yin-yang of evil appearances, their white jackets further contrast their personalities, showing that underneath their bright facade, they're both rotten to the core.
- Easy Level Trick: You’re able to snipe Dylan and escape the level in about 20 seconds if you start at the Harbour. The reason this works is because the guards are not close enough to hear the (preferably silenced) sniper shot if you get the correct spawns. Gonzales and his entourage of guards will not move from the pier once you've killed Dylan, meaning they are standing mere feet away from his body, and none of the civilians on the map specifically look at Dylan's killed location either, meaning you're completely safe if you can get the timing and spawns right. You can even run up to the pier yourself and dispose of the body in the water, and then exit to make it a water-tight kill.
- The Hedonist: Dylan clearly likes the finer things in life, be it sex, art, or expensive watches.
- Identical Twin ID Tag: The only visual difference between Dylan and Gonzales is Dylan's expensive, one-of-a-kind wristwatch. Spotting this is crucial to not failing the contract.
- Jerkass: Dylan is an obnoxious and unpleasant person, as shown by his dialogue which consists of bragging and complaining.
- Nonstandard Game Over: Killing or pacifying Gonzales will instantly fail the mission, due to the client either being him or someone close to him.
- Poisoned Chalice Switcheroo: The twins route involves going to a wine shop, where Dylan will persuade Gonzales into drinking the wine first to check for poison. Once Gonzales has stopped drinking, the same glass can be poisoned to kill Dylan.
- Sibling Rivalry: Dylan and his brother are fiercely competitive in all matters, always striving to be the first to achieve something or to acquire something that there is only one of. This ends up with Gonzales allegedly hiring a hit on his own brother.
- Sinister Shades: The two of them have sunglasses, and are smugglers who operate illegal tobacco plants.
The Wild Card (Gary Busey)
Gary Busey
"You'll never find me! I have the power of invisibility!"
Voiced By: Gary Busey
An eccentric Hollywood star that has unexpectedly quit an advertisement, and is running around Sapienza, Italy and avoiding the film crew. In response, the studio put a hit on Busey.You can view Diana's briefing for him here
- Adam Westing: He's played by the real Gary Busey, who's playing an exaggerated version of himself.
- Black Comedy: He has a few examples of this, such as asking for seconds of a drink after puking his guts out due to the drink being spiked with rat poison. He also casually mentions his dad used to cut his hair with a hacksaw.
- Blatant Lies: Busey has some questionable claims during his briefing.
Teleportation: Debunked
Fire Breath: Debunked
Mind Control: Debunked
Invincible Robot Man: Undetermined
- Casanova Wannabe: He sees himself as God's gift to women. They don't feel the same way about him.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: The entire mission is this showing Busey at his most eccentric. From why the contract was executed, the way he acts in the level, to even his phone conversations and his idle chatter when walking around Sapienza.
- Dark Is Not Evil: In a surprising turn of events for the series, Gary isn't evil in the slightest, just loud, difficult to work with, and incredibly obnoxious.
- Disproportionate Retribution: The studio deemed Busey walking off the commercial set was grounds to have an assassination contract put on his head.
- The Ditz: This iteration of Gary Busey is more eccentric than his real counterpart, with a strange view on the world solely consisting of Insane Troll Logic. He also can't tell the difference between France and Italy, thinking he's currently visiting the former.
- Dreadful Musician: His mating song to a woman he has become infatuated with shows he can't even get close to holding a tune. The woman of his desire is not impressed.
- Dumb Blonde: Not in real life, but this satirical version of Busey is not the smartest tool in the shed.
- Developer's Foresight: There's no reason to actually visit the set at the castle as Busey never goes there, but if you do, it's exactly like it's shown in the briefing, and the two production crew members have unique dialogue.
- Global Ignorance: He believes Sapienza is in France, despite filming a commercial there.
- Insane Troll Logic: His insights and anecdotes aren't even close to being grounded in reality.
- Killed Off for Real: He was never rerun after his initial appearance due to copyright issues. This mean that he can only be killed once, compared to most Elusive Targets who often have recurring appearances.
- Large Ham: He finds excuses to scream at the top of his lungs or simply shout out whatever outrageous stuff that pops into his head. This is noticeable when he starts yodeling to a horrified Gary Cole.
- Naked People Are Funny: His idea to flirt with someone is to hide in their tree while completely naked. Thankfully, he never gets around to doing this.
- One-Steve Limit: Subverted; Gary Cole also appears in the mission as a rival actor. The two were part of a promotional poll in which players voted for which Gary they wanted to kill, with Busey being voted as "The Worst Gary".
- The Pollyanna: He has an extremely gleeful outlook on life, even wanting to create a video game where he stars as a bear who hugs the sadness out of people.
- Stylistic Suck: His music is absolutely awful, though this is intentionally so for the maximum comedy effect.
- The Unreveal: Sadly, it's never determined if he's an Invincible Robot Man, due to him being killed before this claim can be confirmed or debunked. Though by simple deduction, it can be assumed he's not invincible.
The Broker (Howard Moxon)
Sir Howard Moxon
The Broker
"The world has become so uncivilized. No one can smoke inside anymore. Ah. well. Once more into the breach!"
Voiced By: Timothy Watson
An international antiquities trader who specializes in selling priceless art to finance terrorist organizations. Moxon was involved in the sale of the Ivory White, a filigree egg looted during WW2. 47 is sent to eliminate him and find the original Ivory White.
You can view Diana's briefing for him here
- Ambiguously Bi: He flirts with woman in the palace with his horrible limericks, yet is implied to have been seduced by Philo Newcombe, as he's one of the victims of Newcombe's affections. The only thing stopping it from being clear what his sexuality is is that Newcombe isn't exactly the best at choosing people with the same orientation as him.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: An English nobleman who sells stolen artifacts and makes deals with terrorist organizations to maintain his lavish lifestyle.
- Antiquated Linguistics: His dialogue is peppered with Purple Prose, he ends his jokes with "said the actress to the bishop" (an older form of "That's What She Said"), and calls a woman a "tart" for rejecting his advances.
- Bald of Evil: Moxon is bald and a funder of terrorists.
- Casanova Wannabe: He attempts to use his pedigree and intellect to charm a woman. She simply ignores him.
- Creator Cameo: The buyer for the Ivory White is Sven Vogt, the last name also being shared with that of Michael Vogt, Hitmans' lead writer.
- Continuity Nod: Moxon messages Sergei Larin (The Forger), who refuses to answer his phone on the status of the Ivory White.
- Patriotic Fervor: Will mutter the first part of "Rule Britannia", and constantly insults Norwegians.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: He makes several derogatory comments towards Norwegians, likely the result of a buyer leaving him on hold.
- Pungeon Master: He likes limericks and wordplay, and hates ending texts without some kind of pun.
- Sinister Shades: Moxon's circular shades make him appear strange and creepy.
- Wicked Cultured: Aside from selling artifacts, he appears to hold knowledge in classic literature. He makes references to King Lear, the works of Cicero, and Edvard Munch.
- You ALL Look Familiar: He's identical to Dr. Oscar Lafayette from "World of Tomorrow", only wearing a turtleneck and a patterned blazer instead.
The Black Hat (Owen "Protagonist" Wagner)
Owen Wagner
Click to reveal his identity
Voiced By: Alec Newman
An infamous black-hat hacker working for Dalia Margolis.
You can view Diana's briefing for him here
- Affably Evil: Wagner never comes across as particularly evil through his dialogue and cracks jokes and has light conversations with his partner. You'd forget he's a ruthless hacker if he wasn't doing that the whole level.
- Ambiguous Situation: Whether or not Wagner and Whitecap are part of IAGO or simply taking up a job with Dalia is never specified, although the later is more likely as the briefing says that Dalia hired them.
- Beard of Evil: Wagner has a small beard. He's also an amoral hacker.
- Beware the Silly Ones: He’s so goofy even when he’s breaking into secure networks, but he’s an immensely good hacker.
- The Cracker: He and his partner in crime, Whitecap, are two of the most notorious criminal hackers in the world.
- The Comically Serious: If you can say "I'll just brute force it with my 47 terabytes of rainbow tables" without cracking up or even commenting how absurd that sounds, you deserve a reward.
- Continuity Nod: The hackers are explicit guests of Dalia, sharing a similar distinction to that of Nila Torvik and Jonathan Smythe (also invited personally by Margolis).
- Excuse Plot: We don't actually know what the hack Dalia has asked them to do, nor what the purpose of it is, and the consequences of the hack are never mentioned again; the player is only concerned with killing Protagonist.
- Excrement Statement: After being told he can't use the bathroom until he's finished hacking, he urinates in the corner out of spite.
- The Faceless: Downplayed. Part of the mission is working out who he is, and where he’s situated in the fashion show.
- Figure It Out Yourself: Devoid of an actual picture and scant specific information, 47 must figure out who the target is and where he’s located.
- Ironic Name: "Protagonist" is an infamous black-hat hacker. Although its left ambiguous whether or not Margolis has control over him or if he's working for IAGO for profit.
- Light Is Not Good: Dresses in white and is a black-hat hacker.
- Stationary Boss: Wagner never leaves the attic room he's in, which is surrounded by guards and requires a keycard to access. According to the guard inside the room, he's not allowed to leave until he finishes his hacking, something Wagner complains about.
- Sunglasses at Night: He's wearing black sunglasses despite being in a dimly-lit attic during the evening, likely due to the amount of monitors he's working with.
- Sweet Tooth: Diana notes that the target has a particular affection for a marmalade locally made in the Southern US, and this specific information can be used to help identify the hacker due to the scant info available on the target.
- Technobabble:
- A lot of what Whitecap and Protagonist say falls under this, and while a lot of it sounds fake, the developers did do their research and a lot of what they're saying are genuine terms used correctly (albeit in a humorous manner). For example, they mention brute forcing a database with 47 terabytes of rainbow tables, which sounds made up, but it’s a genuine hacker term relating to using cryptography and hashes to brute-force certain codes and other hashes in a database. Protagonist mentioning someone using WEP-128 WiFi encryption on their phone at the party downstairs and calling it "cute", and immediately hacking them is because WEP-128 encryption is notoriously riddled with security holes, to the point that most modern phone manufacturers have dropped support for it.
- The guard assigned to them in the hackers den fully admits they have no idea what the two are talking about.
- A lot of what Whitecap and Protagonist say falls under this, and while a lot of it sounds fake, the developers did do their research and a lot of what they're saying are genuine terms used correctly (albeit in a humorous manner). For example, they mention brute forcing a database with 47 terabytes of rainbow tables, which sounds made up, but it’s a genuine hacker term relating to using cryptography and hashes to brute-force certain codes and other hashes in a database
- Those Two Guys: Wagner is frequently with 'Whitecap,' his partner in crime. They're extremely chummy with each other.
- Trademark Favourite Food: He really likes a type of marmalade made in Alabama.
The Pharmacist (Nila Torvik)
Nila Torvik
The Pharmacist
"There is a time element involved here. I hope you realize that, Ms. Margolis. I have other obligations."
Voiced By: Catharina Christie
The CEO of Torvik Research. Her company is a provider of low-cost generic drugs to the developing world. However, this philanthropic project is a cover for large-scale human testing in the third world. Torvik is attending the IAGO auction as a personally invited guest of Dalia Margolis.
You can view Diana's briefing for her here
- Affluent Ascetic: She's stated to live this way and refuses to give interviews. She's also dressed in a plain white jumpsuit and has her hair short.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She seems like a generous CEO but is actually a ruthless woman who uses her products to experiment on people in third-world countries.
- Color Motif: White, to go along with the Light Is Not Good vibe she has. Her shirt, jumpsuit, glasses, even her nails, are all white.
- Continuity Nod:
- Nila is an explicit guest of Dalia, sharing a similar distinction to that of Jonathan Smythe and Owen Wagner (whom were also invited personally by Margolis). In this case, Margolis has unique dialog too, something almost no other side mission or Elusive Target has.
- The labels of the poison pills in Hitman 2 show they're manufactured by Torvik Research.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: A pharmaceutical exec with no qualms about testing potentially dangerous experimental drugs in poor countries with no oversight.
- Evil Genius: It's clear that she's a very smart woman, creating a serum to induce a coma in a patient in a very short timespan.
- Four Eyes, Zero Soul: Which suits a villain of her nature quite well.
- Lack of Empathy: Her company engages in unethical human testing in poorer countries and she describes her experimentations without any emotion or all that much concern.
- Light Is Not Good: She wears all white, has light hair and is very unscrupulous.
- Motor Mouth: She speaks really quickly, almost robotic-like. Given her Lack of Empathy, it's quite fitting. It also reinforces her need to be punctual and quick with the meeting at hand.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: She’s incredibly classist, experimenting on people living in third world countries.
- Power Hair: She's a cut-throat CEO with a short haircut, fitting her clinical and minimalistic appearance.
- Scary Shiny Glasses: Her glasses sometimes give off a strong glint, which can be seen in her profile picture.
- Schedule Fanatic: Her dialogue seems to make her out as this, as she is very punctual and expresses frustration with Dalia keeping her waiting.
- The Sociopath: She has superficial charm, little empathy for others, and a complete disregard for the law.
- Timed Mission: Despite what Diana and Nila say, the mission has no strict timer. Nila will leave at some point after her conversation with Margolis, though this takes a very long time to occur (at least 20 minutes), and she only mingles with patrons on the top floors' bar, so it isn't hard to find her either.
- Villain in a White Suit: Wears an all-white pantsuit, which gives her sinister, clinical look.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Most people know her as a philanthropist.
- Villainous Friendship: She and Dalia are heavily implied to be close friends.
The Fixer (Xander Haverfoek)
Xander Haverfoek
Voiced By: Nicholas Boulton
An attaché at the Swedish consulate sent to receive a bag of diamonds from a courier in the city. 47 is sent to eliminate Haverfoek and intercept the diamonds.
You can view Diana's briefing for him here
- Developer's Foresight: The Fixer is the only mission in any of the games that fails you for having previous knowledge of how it works, and has some specific anti-cheesing strategies baked into the code so people follow the right paths. For example, the Courier will not go near the handoff marketeers or head for the school if you wait nearby at either location, and pacifying or killing the handoff marketeer, the Courier, or Xander too early insta-fails the mission with a Non-Standard Game Over.
- Finger Guns: He has a tendency to do this towards people, especially to the Courier.
-
Nintendo Hard: According to this infographic from 2017, only 23% of players managed to complete The Fixer. Players tend to kill the courier before he meets up with the handoff marketeer, thus failing the mission. On his re-run in 2018, IOI essentially had to spell out the fail conditions on the blogpost to even give people a chance of succeeding. IOI Travis, one of the PR managers for IOI, has gone on record saying that part of the reason why The Fixer hasn't re-ran in Hitman 3, even as part of Elusive Target Arcade, is due to it being "frustrating for players". - Sinister Shades: He wears a pair of aviator sunglasses; justified given that Marrakesh's climate is very warm.
- Stalking Mission: Half the mission is this. While Xander doesn't mind you tailing him, the Courier does, and will always double-back and make their path longer if they suspect the player of doing this.
- Spy Speak: Both him and the initial courier speak like this, referencing a non-existent ongoing football match to identify each other.
- Verbal Tic: Has a habit of saying "Toots" in dialog.
The Identity Thief (Brendan Conner)
Brendan Conner
"I don't know what you bastards are up to over there, but I'm not going to spend the rest of my life in an orange jumpsuit because of state-sponsored cybercrime!"
Voiced By: Alec Newman
An IT billionaire who made his fortune on darknet identity theft attending the IAGO auction. Recently discovered to be planning a large-scale operation in China, an anonymous client wants him eliminated to ensure that it doesn’t happen.
You can view Diana's briefing for him here
- Butt-Monkey: Nothing seems to be going well for Conner.
- Character Tics: Diana notes he’s meeting up with an escort at the Sanguine Fashion Show and this information can be used to help find him. In the mission, following the escort is useful for locating him, but doesn't really help in isolating and killing him.
- Death from Above: Probably the most risk-free way to kill him is to use a silenced pistol to drop a chandelier on his head at the isolated staircase while he's on his way to or from the IAGO auction. However, this is far from the fastest way to kill him since it takes a while for his pathing to take him to that location.
- Evil Old Folks: He's around his mid 60's. He's also an infamous identity thief.
- Fatal Flaw: Greed and Laziness. Conner takes high-risk jobs that could easily incriminate him, despite already being a billionaire. He also doesn't spend enough time covering his tracks, despite working in a job where secrecy is of utmost importance. He's also extremely hedonistic, paying five grand for an attractive escort instead of a bodyguard and wearing extremely vibrant clothes when he's trying not to draw attention to himself.
- Hypocritical Humour: Conner mocks the fashion show models for their style of dress. This is coming from a guy who wears a blue plaid suit with orange pants.
- Not Distracted by the Sexy: When his escort throws some sexual innuendo at him, it passes completely over his head as he's so distracted with worries about the political powerplay he's inadvertently involved himself in.
- Subverted if she is killed or subdued by 47, Brendan will get upset because she was the high point of his evening.
- Oh, Crap!: Conner has inadvertently gotten in the middle of a cyber war between two corrupt Chinese officials who are making requests that Brendan has no hope to achieve. He's also left many tracks leading back to him and is being manipulated by the Chinese government, being tossed around at their whim. It's obvious he's not having a good day.
- Properly Paranoid: When you've set up an espionage driven cyber identity theft against a member of the Chinese government at the request of their opposition who obviously doesn't care if you're eliminated, it's completely normal that you would be fearing for your life.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Conner really does not like Asians. This may be a reaction after being tossed into a conspiracy being lead by the Chinese government which has soured his opinion on them.
- Rummage Sale Reject: He wears a blue plaid blazer and bright orange dress pants that make him stick out like a sore thumb.
- Too Dumb to Live: Conner has a habit of isolating himself from everyone in sight and leaning off railings and walking through puddles near power circuits. He also failed to realize that maybe it’s a good idea to spend a little more time covering your tracks after playing a role in sabotaging the Chinese government. He also likes to mingle in open places despite being a criminal who excels in espionage and secrecy.
- Unwitting Pawn: His dialogue during the mission indicates he's just realized he's being used by forces in the Chinese government to stage some sort of power play and isn't too happy about this.
The Ex-Dictator (Richard Ekwensi) & The Gold Digger (Inez Ekwensi)
Richard Ekwensi & Inez Ekwensi
Richard Ekwensi (The Ex-Dictator)
Inez Ekwensi (The Gold Digger)
Voiced By: Alec Newman (Richard Ekwensi), Michelle Asante (Inez Ekwensi)
A ruthless Central African dictator in-exile, Richard is staying at the Himmapan Hotel with his gold-digger wife Inez.
You can view Diana's briefing for him here
- Ambiguous Situation: Hitman 3 reveals that a Providence-affiliated politician put him in power at the behest of them so they could access his country's rhodium mines. However, its left unclear if Richard was involved with the organization or not.
- Artistic License – Geography: Although Ekwensi is a Nigerian surname, Inez mentions their (former) palace in Makindye, which is located in Uganda.
- Behind Every Great Man: Inez has used Richard's fall from power and contacts to start establishing her own political career behind the scenes.
- Black Widow: Inez expresses her intentions of killing Richard in private phone calls to her associate.
- Call-Back: Richard appears in Adeze Oijofor's mission briefing.
- Call-Forward: Richard is mentioned frequently in "The Farewell" in Hitman 3. A party guest states that he helped put Richard in power at the behest of Providence to gain access to his country's rhodium mines, while Tamara Vidal correctly guesses that his hit was performed by 47.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Richard's name is first mentioned by a member of Crystal Dawn attending the IAGO auction, who suspects him of putting up their posters in Morocco. He's also mentioned by one of Zaydan's troops.
- Enemy Mine: The fact that he managed to be on the wrong end of a joint military intervention led by NATO alongside China, of all nations, is almost impressive.
- Gold Digger: Subverted. Inez is explicitly described as such, but her main reason for marrying Richard is to seize power from him.
- Government in Exile: A massacre against innocent civilians resulted in Richard being forced out in a foreign-led coup-d'état, although he has plans to run for president again.
- Majored in Western Hypocrisy: Richard was educated in France due to his nation's post-colonial links.
- May–December Romance: Richard is evidently older than 50 compared to the younger Inez. Inez figures that this would make assassinating Richard easier.
- Nintendo Hard: Out of the dual-target Elusive Targets, this is undoubtedly the hardest, primarily because of its unique gameplay setups. The guards are super enforcers, so sight-cones instantly spot illegal weapons (instead of gradually becoming suspicious like other guards do), both their routines are varied, but also leaves very few opportunities for them to be taken out, and them being a dual-target mission means you have double the chance of screwing up. They can't be poisoned with food as neither have a routine for it, and the rooms that count as trespassing change to follow the room that Richard is in. There's a reason IOI held off for so long in re-running these two, by their own admission.
- No Historical Figures Were Harmed: Richard Ekwensi is clearly based on and resembles the Congolese dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, even sharing Sako's glasses and leopard print hat. His wife, Inez, seems to take influences from Grace Mugabe, infamous for her lavish lifestyle and being married to infamous Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe.
- Oh, Crap!: Richard's reaction upon being informed of Inez's betrayal is an angry vow to kill her on the plane home.
- Properly Paranoid: During a phone call, Richard correctly guesses that Adeze Oijofor was assassinated since they were supposed to meet at the hotel. He also correctly deduces that Novikov and Margolis were both murdered by the same assassin.
- Rich Bitch: Inez initially married Richard for his money but has become far more invested in using his fall from grace to take power.
- The Starscream: Inez is described as being entirely able of pushing Richard's regime back into chaos and seizing power for herself without her husband with her financial and military contacts. She explicitly states her desire to assassinate him to gain power.
The Chef (Gabriel Santos)
Gabriel Santos
"Right, you amateurs! What sort of righteous mess have you made this time?"
Voiced By: Alec Newman
An infamous celebrity chef accompanied by his media entourage, providing luxury catering for the Sanguine fashion show.
You can view Diana's briefing for him here
- Asshole Victim: Santos spends every moment being a dick to people. No tears are shed when 47 takes him out.
- Angry Chef: He's a pastiche of Gordon Ramsay, amping up the persona to murderous extremes.
- Caustic Critic: He plays this role when encountered. He tears into everything he approaches and makes many personal attacks on everyone he encounters.
- Even Evil Has Standards: He appears in The Food Critic's Briefing as a commenter that mentions if Wen Ts'ai were to walk into his restaurant, he would "F***G S**T HIMSELF".
- Hate Sink: Like his successor, Wen Ts'ai, Santos is made to be as much of a prick as possible. Then there's the brutalizing subordinates with meat cleavers part.
- Horrifying the Horror: He’s completely petrified of fellow Elusive Target Wen Ts'ai, rather amusingly. Given T'sai's unashamedly caustic reviews, it's understandable.
- Jerkass: His specialty. He’s been sued multiple times for abusing his staff, and the death of at least one person is on his hands.
- Lethal Chef: He has had several assault charges rallied against him.
- Light Is Not Good: He wears a stereotypical chef's outfit, and has a habit of brutally attacking people if he doesn't get his way.
- Mean Boss: He’s infamously rude and aggressive to his employees and colleagues. The hit was ordered by former producer for one of his shows.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: His overall behaviour is a clear exaggeration and caricature of Gordon Ramsay.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: His fame and fortune have allowed him to escape several assault charges on assistants, producers and staff (including two incidents involving a meat cleaver).
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: Being based on Gordon Ramsay, Santos has quite a colorful vocabulary.
- Supreme Chef: Is almost as good as being a chef as he is at being an asshole.
The Angel of Death (Etta Davis)
Etta Davis
"No, no, no. I was hoping I'd not find so many of those horrible little electronic spies here in Marrakesh."
Voiced By: Catharina Christie
A retired nurse and serial killer, Etta is responsible for dozens of deaths in retirement homes and hospitals across the United Kingdom. Believed to be searching for new hunting grounds abroad, she has been tracked to Marrakesh, where 47 is sent to end her killing spree for good.
You can view Diana's briefing for her here
- Ambiguous Situation: It's not clear if this contract was retconned or not as "The Farewell" in Hitman 3 has a pair of NPC's mention the novel the headmaster writes in the main mission; the briefing and dialogue in this level strongly implies that she kills him.
- Asshole Victim: Being a smug serial killer who murdered people in her care, Davis thoroughly deserves her fate.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She seems like a nice old lady when she's really a ruthless serial killer.
- Born in the Wrong Century: She wears a modest but dated outfit in a warm environment, has a disdain for modern technology, and still handwrites letters.
- Brits Love Tea: Her preferred method of killing is by inviting her victims for tea.
- Corrupted Character Copy: Davis is based on Miss Marple, both being chatty old women who are smarter than they seem to be. But while Marple solves murders, Davis is a Serial Killer.
- Deadly Euphemism: Offering someone tea is her code for murdering someone.
- Devil in Plain Sight: There's nothing conspicuous about Etta besides wanting two soldiers to escort her around the marketplace. Her Evil Gloating flies over their heads.
- Evil Brit: She's a serial killer who regularly gloats about the crimes she's committed.
- Evil Gloating: Subtle but she does it quite a bit when she talks about people who "accidentally" died around her. A victim of hers named Gladys seems to be brought up a lot.
- Evil Luddite: She laments the advent of cordless phones and insults those who use email instead of letter-writing to be penpals. It is hinted that her distaste for modern technology has more to do with such things being easily traceable, since she refers to them as "electronic spies".
- Evil Old Folks: An active serial killer who’s well into her late 80s.
- Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: Who would think that somebody that looks like a sweet old lady is one of the evilest people in the game?
- For the Evulz: She kills people for the thrill of it. There seems to be no explicit motivation for her murders.
- Faux Affably Evil: She acts like a sweet old lady towards anyone, while secretly planning how to murder them and subtly gloating about her murders.
- Green and Mean: A green-eyed pompous serial killer dressed entirely in lime green clothing.
- Hate Sink: Davis is one of the most detestable and loathsome targets in the game. She's pretentious, smug, sociopathic and unpleasant. That's not even going into the fact that she's a serial killer.
- It's All About Me: The only thing Davis cares about is herself. She's perfectly fine with manipulating people to suit her own need. Her bodyguards can't stand her because of her rambling, insufferable personality.
- Irony: One of the civilians in the level starts a phone call when they spot Etta and her soldier entourage, mentioning she looks familiar to them. This coming from a person who sounds like a Valley Girl, and the information on Etta coming from a Buzzfeed-esque list of serial killers. The irony is that both of these things are negative stereotypes; the former being stereotyped as that person being The Ditz, while the latter is stereotyped as being an unreliable source of information, both of which are inverted here, as the military are clueless to Etta's identity, and are shown to be the ones fooled by her, not the Valley Girl.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: She’s finally killed after being a serial killer for decades. This is partially subverted as she’s still active as a killer, even in her late 80's.
- Insistent Terminology: Continuously refers to the commanding officer escorting her as "colonel" even after he tells her it isn't his rank.
- Lack of Empathy: She subtly brings up the murders she committed in a jovial tone.
- Make It Look Like an Accident: How she prefers to kill people nowadays now that she’s no longer a nurse.
- Master Poisoner: Good thing she never offered 47 a cup of tea. This also seems to be one of her preferred ways of killing people, as this would have been easy considering her occupation.
- Manipulative Bitch: She’s able to convince soldiers who obviously can't stand her to escort her around the map. She's also used her sweet old lady façade to hide from the authorities for a long time.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Someone called the 'Angel of Death' is probably not going to be a nice person.
- Never Found the Body: Some of the NPC's in the level mention that the Headmaster of the school is missing and it's very suspicious that Davis appeared around the time he disappeared. She also claims that they were "penpals" and her starting location is the same balcony the Headmaster is usually on.
- The Nicknamer: She likes to call soldiers gentleman and colonel. Even when that isn't their rank.
- No Historical Figures Were Harmed: Given that her M.O. involved killing retirees while working as a nurse, Davis appears to be inspired by English GP and serial killer Harold Shipman. Both also share the same nickname.
- Obviously Evil: Etta's not-so-subtle gloating and the fact she's at the same place the headmaster went missing completely flies over her guard's heads.
- Rambling Old Man Monologue: A gender flipped version. She has a habit of starting long winded conversations about anything that interests her. Her escorts aren't particularly happy about this.
- Reminiscing About Your Victims: Davis does this subtlety throughout the mission. It's heavily implied she murdered her husband, as she brings up his death by an "accident" when she was near him.
- Serial Killer: Of the "Angel of Death" variety, hence her title.
- Smug Snake: Davis likes to boast about her superiority because she doesn't rely on technology like other people. She also likes dropping hints about how evil she is, in a smug way to prove she’s a step ahead of other people.
- The Sociopath: She's outwardly charismatic, manipulative, self serving and lacks any empathy. What's even more unnerving about her is that she looks like a sweet old grandma.
- Slipping a Mickey: Her preferred way of killing her victims is by poisoning their tea, something Diana warns 47 about. She doesn't actually do it in the mission, but is planning to do it to the lieutenant accompanying her.
- Super-Strength: She's in her late 80's and she can push somebody half her age and twice her size off the edge of a building.
- They Look Just Like Everyone Else!: Few people would suspect a serial killer to look like somebody's grandmother.
- Viler New Villain: She’s presented as much more evil than most of the elusive targets. Most of the elusive targets before her are con-artists, corrupt officials or detestable Jerkasses. Davis is a dangerous serial killer who is responsible for dozens of deaths.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: She tags along with a squad of soldiers looking for the missing headmaster and convinces them to protect her by claiming that she fears that her life is in danger now.
The Guru (Richard J. Magee)
Richard J. Magee
"That bitch is lying to you, Keith! I never did such thing."
Voiced By: Nicholas Boulton
A manipulative self-help guru who uses his abilities to steal money from his wealthy clients and ditch them once he has. The client is the family of his latest mark, Keith Keeble, who want to save Keith before his trust fund is breached.
You can view Diana's now-retconned briefing for him here
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: While he's initially calm when telling Keith not to trust Katherine, the moment she threatens to block Keith's access to his trust fund, he starts panicking and shows his true colors when trying to convince Keith to stay with him.
- Bald of Evil: He's a conman who lacks both hair and morals.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He pretends to help people who are in need of guidance and proceeds to bankrupt them and abandon them when they are no longer needed.
- Canon Discontinuity: Magee's contract was later merged with The Congressman's in Hitman 2, with a slightly different briefing and story indicating that he's helping to get Troutt in power.
- The Corrupter: Magee makes people emotionally dependent on him so he can take control of their financial assets. A tactic of his is to make people abandon their families so they can give him control of their money.
- Con Man: Infamous for abandoning his clients as soon as they can no longer pay for his services.
- Death from Above: One of the main ways to kill him is to crush him with a chandelier.
- Evil Old Folks: He appears to be at least in his early sixties.
- False Friend: Magee pretends to be his client's friend when it's clear he's just using them for his own gain.
- Faux Affably Evil: Pretends to be helpful and compassionate but he's really an amoral sociopath. After Keith's family lawyer stands up to him, he refers to her as a "bitch" and tries to turn Keith against her.
- For the Evulz: There's no reason Magee has to bankrupt people as he makes plenty of money already. He's just doing this because he's a greedy prick.
- Four Eyes, Zero Soul: A conman lacking any empathy or compassion who wears tinted glasses that fit in with the rest of his formal attire.
- Greed: What drives him. He breaks down when he realizes that Katherine can access Keith's trust fund.
- Hate Sink: There is nothing remotely likeable about this greedy, narcissistic, smug con-artist, especially considering his actions have driven his victims to suicide.
- It's All About Me: Magee hires bodyguards to try to intimidate Keith's family into accepting his demands. It's obvious Magee is just looking out for himself.
- It's Personal: His retconned contract involved killing Magee to save Keith from his clutches.
- Jerkass: Magee at his core is a bitter and rude old man who doesn't care at all for people. He becomes hostile when he’s backed into a corner.
- Kick the Dog: Magee preys on emotionally weak people who are desperate for help. He then robs them blind.
- Lack of Empathy: Magee doesn't care about the lives he ruins, evident when he unsuccessfully attempts to have Keith turn on his parents and his family lawyer when they try to save him from his clutches.
- Light Is Not Good: He wears light colored clothing to give him a trustworthy appearance, but he's really an incredibly untrustworthy and greedy man.
- Manipulative Bastard: He pretends to be a compassionate mentor when he's really leading people to financial ruin for his own personal gain.
- Narcissist: He cares only about himself and isn't above using other people for his own selfish means.
- Retcon: Magee's contract was merged with Troutt from "The Congressman" in Hitman 2, with his backstory being rewritten to make him Troutt's ally in his political campaign.
- Rich Bastard: Magee has a huge amount of money already. He’s just doing this For the Evulz.
- Smug Snake: Magee believes he's ahead of everyone else. It's rather satisfying to see him squirm when Keith's family's lawyer threatens to cut off his trust fund.
- The Svengali: He uses the mentorship he provides to his clients to fleece them dry. Keith fully trusts in him even when his family lawyer probes him.
- The Sociopath: Outwardly charming, narcissistic, manipulative and cruel, Magee fits this trope perfectly.
- Villainous Breakdown: He suffers this when Katherine mentions being authorized to block Keith from accessing his trust fund. He becomes noticeably more angry for the rest of the mission.
The Food Critic (Wen Ts’ai)
Wen Ts’ai
"I can barely breathe, you beast. I shall have to recalibrate my entire experiential baseline!"
Voiced By: Alec Newman
A renowned food critic known for his relentlessly scathing reviews. He’s responsible for the suicide of a budding Singaporean chef, for which the chef's partner has hired the ICA to kill him. 47 is sent to eliminate him as he’s reviewing the Himmapan Hotel in Bangkok.
You can view Diana's briefing for him here
- Asshole Victim: While Ts'ai isn't a criminal, he's such a ruthless bastard that nobody laments or is upset about his death.
- Accentuate the Negative: What his criticisms boil down to. He finds petty reasons to hate on the restaurant, all the while not even eating the food served to him. In his bio, it's mentioned that in one restaurant, he deconstructed every menu item over the course of a weekend. There's a reason nobody likes this guy.
- Bad Influencer: A food critic and blogger infamous for his harsh reviews and for being unpleasant to anyone around him.
- Caustic Critic: He’s notorious for his relentless criticism and career-destroying reviews over even the smallest errors he notices in restaurants all over the Pacific Rim.
- Complaining About Shows You Don't Watch: Despite being a food critic, he doesn't actually eat the food at the restaurants that he reviews, considering that "too vulgar". Instead, he critiques literally everything else about the restaurant except the food, which ruins the point of being a food critic.
- Disproportionate Retribution: He's known for raking his hosts over the coals for even the slightest mistake. That Singaporean chef who committed suicide? A result of Wen giving their entire restaurant a slam review (complete with a livestreamed "The Reason You Suck" Speech to the chef specifically) for serving him a bottle of slightly overchilled ice water.
- The Dreaded: Of the culinary world. Even previous target (and Gordon Ramsay exaggeration) Gabriel Santos doesn't want to deal with him.
- Easy Level Trick: You can poison a cake in the kitchen with lethal poison, and T'sai will eventually go down to taste it and kill himself.
- Eviler than Thou: To Gabriel Santos. While Santos was over the top as an asshole, Ts'ai is far more scathing, petty and cruel. Even Santos is terrified of this guy and for good reason.
- Hate Sink: He’s so cartoonishy loathesome that he's practically oozing this trope. It's no wonder there's a hit on him.
- Hated by All: If you amplified every detestable aspect of Strandberg from "A Gilded Cage" and made him a Caustic Critic, then you would have Wen Ts'ai. At least Strandberg tries to be charming to people, but this guy? He complains about a waiters aftershave ruining the restaurant atmosphere, the chef in the kitchen despises him and wishes he'd choke on his tie, and Wen constantly critiques the food without eating it! He's an extremely petty shell of a man who can get enraged really easily over slights people may not even be able to control. At least Gabriel Santos, as sadistic as he was towards people and his staff, is Laughably Evil by being a Large Ham parody of Gordon Ramsay (and even Santos wants nothing to do with this guy, saying the mere sight of him in his restaurant could make him, in his own words; "F***ING S**T MYSELF"). Here, Wen Ts'ai has no redeeming qualities, making it all the more satisfying for the player to eliminate him. It's clear in listening to him for even a single minute , or hell, reading his bio, that he’s an insufferable bastard that totally has it coming.
- Insult to Rocks: One of the various insults he has towards the hotel.Wen Ts'ai: I mean, what is this, anyway? It looks like some horrid pastiche. Some nasty little brothel. No, that would be an insult to nasty little brothels!
- Jerkass: Everything Ts'ai says is scathing, abhorrent insults aimed at people for petty reasons.
- Logical Weakness: Played With. You'd think that, as a food critic, you could kill him simply by poisoning his food. However, the twist is that he never actually eats any of the food that he's supposed to review, so you'll need to find a more creative way of eliminating him. His one routine that gets him out of his chair lets you poison him, see below.
- Not So Above It All: Despite his policy of not eating the food during his reviews, he’ll instantly start slobbering over a cake in the kitchen. He won’t react to it unless it’s lethally poisoned, however.Wen Ts'ai: This-this is beauty. I can feel… it! My lord, a true experience! At last!
- The Perfectionist: Sees merely paying attention to his food's taste or texture as "plebian" and instead devotes his reviews to measuring every little detail of his overall dining experience. He once devoted a whole weekend to dissecting a restaurant's entire menu for mistakes. See Disproportionate Retribution for what happens if he finds one.
- The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Ts'ai hardly ever tastes the food of the restaurants he reviews. Instead he critiques the atmosphere and preparation of the food he's served. The only time he will try the food is if he spots a cake in the restaurant kitchen.
- Sophisticated as Hell: His foodie blog is called "Fellow Epicureans" and he styles himself as a classy and effete gourmand, yet in an excerpt from one of his reviews he compares the water he was served with to monkey piss.
- Stationary Boss: Wen T'sai doesn't move that much, and his one routine is inspecting the kitchen (which requires waiting around him, and waiting for another waiter to assist him).
- Sweet Tooth: When he visits the kitchen, he’ll notice a cake on the counter and if lethally poisoned beforehand, will take a bite out of it.
The Chameleon (Richard M. Foreman)
Richard M. Foreman
Voiced By: Alec Newman
A master impersonator working for the Freedom Fighters.
You can view Diana's briefing for him here
- Contractual Boss Immunity: Foreman must be eliminated in a staged accident. The contract states he can't be killed with explosives as it would draw too much attention.
- Evil Old Folks: He's obviously aged and is willing to defraud people of hundreds of millions after impersonating them. He's also got no problem with having a militia assassinate those he defrauds.
- Evil Counterpart: To 47. Both of them are masters of disguise who impersonate influential people for amoral reasons. While it's likely that Foreman doesn't personally dispose of his targets, he's much more politically motivated than 47 and isn't above ruining the lives of innocents. 47 has a stricter moral code and goes after people who deserve to die.
- Foreshadowing: Foreman and his plan is mentioned by multiple soldiers in the main mission, as well as giving a reason why he's in the hacker den, and not changing his appearance, see below.
- Informed Ability: Downplayed. We never see him impersonate anyone directly, but this is because he'd already gotten plastic surgery to look like the air force general he's impersonating, and he'll be working on his mannerisms once he arrives, as revealed by soldier dialog in the main mission. His appearance in-game matches what those soldiers say (he's in the hacker den practicing the generals' mannerisms to an almost perfect accuracy), while his briefing photos and such aren't different, so he isn't even that difficult to find, in spite of Diana's warning that he's a master at changing his appearance.
- Kill and Replace: What he did to his previous target, a billionaire fund manager, though the "kill" part may have been handled by the Freedom Fighters.
- Make It Look Like an Accident: For the mission it's requested that 47 make the target's death look like an accident. Additionally, an explosion accident can't be used as that would "draw too much attention".
- Master Actor: The man once spent three weeks successfully impersonating a billionaire. He's currently rehearsing to impersonate an air force general to give the Freedom Fighters access to a highly secure military base.
- Master of Disguise: He's considered one of the world's greatest impersonators, as if you go round the compound, you can hear the soldiers talk about him and his skills in impersonation and such.
- The Mole: He's this for the freedom fighters. He impersonates people in order to access top secret information.
- One Last Smoke: If you get rid of the hacker assisting him in his acting session, he'll take a break and go out on the balcony for a smoke. This is the perfect opportunity to throw him over the edge.
The Blackmailer (Walter Williams)
Walter Williams
"Remember all of those pictures we took in Bangkok, hm? The two of us and that gorgeous Thai girl? I mean who would have thought that a Fortune 500 lawyer like you would be into that sort of thing, am I right?... Don't worry, I'll be in New York next Friday. You can take me shopping!"
Voiced By: Nicholas Boulton
An up-and-coming fashion model who’s blackmailing his ex-girlfriend.
You can view Diana's briefing for him here
- Alliterative Name: Walter Williams.
- Blackmail: His MO, if you didn't catch that his codename is "The Blackmailer". He dates wealthy women, catches them in compromising positions, and squeezes them for money until they run out of cash or he gets bored.
- Blackmail Backfire: Apparently his latest victim was the wrong person to blackmail.
- Casanova Wannabe: His attempts to hit on female guests at the fashion show between appearances on the walkway go laughably bad, due both to his lack of game as well as the fact his reputation as serious trouble seems to precede him. However, he's still a fashion model and his seduction techniques are at least good enough that he's made a career out of blackmailing former lovers.
- Continuity Nod: At one point, he finds the online profile of Jessica Highmoore (the sister of Hannah Highmoore, who’s mentioned by Dalia in the base mission) and comments that she would make an interesting catch. Given IAGO is known to use models to gather compromising information, one has to wonder how involved Williams was in IAGO.
- Dark Is Evil: He primarily wears black and dark blue clothing, and is a cruel blackmailer.
- Green-Eyed Monster: He clearly resents Helmut Krueger, becoming agitated when people nearby start complimenting the German supermodel. He then tries to insert himself into the conversation, hoping for them to heap the same praise on him as they did on Helmut. They don't.
- Lack of Empathy: He has no qualms about using compromising material to extort money from his victims, having no care about the harm he causes them in the process.
- Laughably Evil: His attitude towards Helmut Kruger and his attempts to woo women borders on the edge of idiocy.
- Monster Clown: Sanguine's fashion show's use of heavy makeup to obscure the model's face coupled with the evil intentions of Williams probably would be slotted into this.
- Narcissist: He has an incredibly bloated ego, and uses his charisma and good looks to get private material on people that he can use to blackmail them, showing that he also lacks any empathy whatsoever.
- Needle in a Stack of Needles: Downplayed, as his face is visible during the briefing, but the other male models do wear similar blue and white makeup as him, so identifying him is potentially a challenge (his makeup pattern is unique if you pay close attention). It's a cake-walk compared to "The Fugitive" (which blurs out the face).
- Shout-Out: His physical appearance strongly resembles Derek Zoolander.
- Small Name, Big Ego: He sees himself far more highly than he should, considering how unremarkable he is.
- Three-Way Sex: He's apparently blackmailing his latest victim- er, girlfriend- over a threesome they had with a Thai woman in Bangkok. Given his girlfriend is a very wealthy lawyer, that getting out would be very damaging.
The Warlord (Adeze Oijofor A.K.A. "Nne Obara" or "Mother Blood")
Adeze Oijofor
"Tell the Chinese that we will have them minerals back in 3 months. Make them understand. If they make a deal with Globestar, I will hold you responsible!"
Voiced By: Michelle Asante
A warlord staying at the Himmapan Hotel, who controls a lot of land in South Africa.
You can view Diana's briefing for her here
- Call-Back:
- There’s a machete that can be found in this mission called "Nne Obara's Machete", which is unlocked at Bangkok Mastery Level 2 (Hitman 2) / Mastery Level 5 (Hitman 2016), making it one of the few Elusive Target possessions that can be used in the main game.
- Continuity Nod: Richard Ekwensi (a.k.a The Ex-Dictator) makes an appearance in the in-game cinematic, implying they meet up often to discuss politics at the hotel. She also has a call with him during her cycle. In his mission, Ekwensi discusses her assassination, confirming Oijofor is canonically killed before him.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: If she's stressed out, she'll head to her suite's kitchen for a Bloody Mary.
- I Want Them Alive!: If she’s informed there's an assassin on the premises, she orders her guard to bring the assailant to her.
- Kick the Dog: She plans to kill her son's English girlfriend, a young woman studying to be a school teacher, just to keep him closer to her.
- Meaningful Name: "Nne Obara" is Igbo for "Mother Blood", befitting her status as a warlord.
- My Beloved Smother: Plans to keep her son Kalu in isolation to protect him from danger and potentially have his girlfriend killed to make sure she stays with him.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Mother Blood, The Warlord, take your pick.
- No-Sell: Since she's been staying at the Himmapan for a month, she sees through the disguises for the bellhops and her own soldiers.
- Nom de Guerre: Nne Obara, which translates from Igbo as "Mother Blood".
- Properly Paranoid: Her insistence on keeping her son safe from danger is due to fears of there being an assassin after them. Unfortunately for her, he's not the target.
- Psycho Pink: A ruthless warlord who dresses in pink, flower-patterned clothing.
- Use Their Own Weapon Against Them: Oijofor's blood-stained machete can be found in her bedroom, which can be used to kill her.
- The Warlord: She controls lands around South Africa and is rumored to have connections to Apartheid-era officers.
The Surgeons (Pavel Frydel & Akane Akenawa)
Pavel Frydel & Akane Akenawa
Pavel Frydel (The Doctor) and Akane Akenawa (The Surgeon)
Voiced By: Alec Newman (Pavel Frydel), Michelle Asante (Akane Akenawa)
A pair of highly skilled, but highly unethical transplant surgeons working in the GAMA facility. The two of them recently performed a transplant on a billionaire's 14-year-old son, but the boy contracted a hemorrhagic infection from the illicitly-obtained organ the doctors used and died as a result. He has hired 47 to kill both of them, preferably with a hemorrhagic virus.
You can view Diana's briefing for both of them here
- Accidental Murder: They probably weren't intending to kill the boy they performed surgery on, but their cheap and unethical operation caused an entirely preventable death.
- Alliterative Name: Akane Akenawa.
- Ambiguously Gay: When Pavel mistakes the security guard's question about enhancing himself, he assumes that he wants to enhance his sexual stamina or make his penis larger. When Pavel goes into a discussion about his sexual experimentation, the guard is confused and goes on a spiel of how, if he is gay, that there's Not That There's Anything Wrong with That, and Frydal, quite annoyed, tells him to shut up.
- Artistic License – Biology: According to the mission intel, the patient the two were performing a transplant on died of a hemorrhage from an organ infected with EHV (equid alphaherpesvirus 1). EHV cannot spread to humans, nor does it cause a hemorrhage.
- Call-Forward: A potential one towards "The Fugitive". In a phone call, Akenawa states that she managed to land "a filthy North Korean" patient from Frydel.
- Comically Missing the Point: A security guard at GAMA asks Dr. Frydel to help him "enhance" himself. Dr. Frydel thinks the guard is talking about penis enlarging and hints at some "experimentation he did in medical school", but the guard is confused as he wanted steroids to help bulk up his muscles.
- Deadly Doctor: The two of them caused the death of a teenage boy by obtaining a cheap organ from a sick patient rather than doing their job and finding a suitable organ.
- Dirty Coward: Both of the doctors are this in certain degrees. Frydel tries to put the blame on the patient's death to a "study trip," while Akenawa tries to pawn off the patient's death onto Frydel as she tries to convince another patient to exclusively go to her for treatment.
- Experimented in College: Pavel fondly recounts a homosexual experience he had in university to a confused and bewildered security guard. Fortunately for the player and the guard, he doesn't give explicit details about what exactly he did there.
- Foreshadowing: Frydel's name is first mentioned by a patient near the bar in Situs Inversus.
- Japanese Politeness: Averted. Akenawa is anything but this, being rude and dismissive.
- Karmic Death: The contract offers a bonus for killing them with a syringe containing a hemorrhagic virus, which can be found on-site.
- Lack of Empathy: Neither of them have any remorse for their actions, either blaming other people or completely dismissing the seriousness of what they caused.
- Light Is Not Good: Both of them (but especially Pavel) wear light clothing, and are greedy amoral doctors who care more about turning over a profit than saving their patients.
- Needle in a Stack of Needles: In contrast to Frydel, Akenawa blends in well as she's wearing the same surgical scrubs as the rest of her colleagues. The only difference is that she lacks a protective hat and mask.
- Never My Fault: In a phone conversation, Dr. Frydel tries to deflect blame on the botched operation to the patient himself, suggesting that the boy caught the virus on a "study trip". Similarly, Akenawa tries to put the blame entirely on Frydel to save her own skin.
- Organ Theft: If they aren't directly involved in the process, they are at least OK with using organs that weren't extracted legally.
- Unexplained Accent: Oddly, Akenawa speaks in a subtle West African accent despite being a Japanese surgeon.
- Would Hurt a Child: Both of them caused the death of a 14 year old boy out of sheer laziness, something neither of them show any empathy for having done.
The Bookkeeper (Pertti Järnefelt)
Pertti Järnefelt
The Bookkeeper
"It is good. Camp security is very important. Ah, I remember... well... Nevermind that."
Voiced By: Nicholas Boulton
An elderly ex-Nazi and current financial expert for the criminal underworld, managing the funds of kleptocracies, tyrants and terrorists for decades. Recently discovered to have ties to the Shadow Client's operations in Colorado, making him a high-priority target.
You can view Diana's briefing for him here
- Acquainted with Emergency Services: His intel suggests that he's evaded capture by having connections with global authorities.
- Beneath Notice: The briefing mentions that he's been living "an unassuming, yet comfortable life" while evading capture.
- Call-Back:
- The Ekwensi name gets used in the briefing, referring to Elusive Targets Richard and Inez Ekwensi; The "Ex-Dictator" and "The Golddigger".
- The outside security mentions a drone flying overhead, and the hackers deemed it impossible to hack; this is likely an ICA drone gathering intel for the "Freedom Fighters" main mission, given the timing.
- The Cameo: This is the first mention of the client "Locksley" in the main game, the contractor of "The Sarajevo Six" contracts, who gave the ICA evidence of the group's war crimes. The briefing also implies it's the same person (or at the very least, the same group using the same pseudonym). However, those contracts have been Exiled from Continuity due to legal issues with Sony, and as such, have only been referenced indirectly, whereas "The Bookkeeper" contract is referenced in 3 as a sanctioned ICA Target.
- Cutting the Knot: 47 can destroy his SUV and force Järnefelt to take refuge in the house basement, meaning after the mercs go back to normal after the explosion dies down, you don't have to worry about him fleeing the scene.
- Evil Old Folks: Ninety years old and a former SS division soldier in World War II currently funding various terrorist groups. He's not a decrepit as Janus from Hitman 2, but he's getting on a bit.
- I Warned You: Nearly all the factions warn Järnefelt that their expenditures are justified, as they fear that someone or something could theoretically take them out, no matter how bizarre.
- Irony: Järnefelt is a former SS soldier bookkeeping for a left-wing terrorist group.
- Nazi Grandpa: An elderly ex-Nazi who will fondly reminisce about "camp security". That doesn't stop him from working with a left-wing terrorist group.
- Poke the Poodle: How does one protest about getting their equipment taken away from them? Well according to the hackers, by making angry memes.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: He volunteered for the SS's Wiking Brigade, making him the worst offender of this sort. He doesn't act like a Nazi in-game, but that might just be because his new boss, Lucas Grey, wouldn't approve.
- Properly Paranoid: If Järnefelt is alerted in any way (by raising the alarm or knocking out his bodyguards, even when out of sight), he will flee to his SUV parked outside the west bridge unless it's been destroyed. He's accompanied by four bodyguards, one of whom acts as a enforcer for all disguises, and will stay in his last location after he's been alerted.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: A complication in the mission; Järnefelt is highly paranoid and will attempt to flee the scene if alerted to 47's presence. If he evacuates successfully, you will fail the mission. You can avert this, however, see Cutting the Knot.
- The Scrooge: His audit of the Freedom Fighters has him butting heads with the respective factions over various expenditures. Among the expenditures Järnefelt is concerned about are:
- Parvati's soldiers' use of live ammo and frequent destruction of expensive limousines for training (which, as they point out, cannot be helped, and the idea is to build up muscle memory for the job). Granted, the commandoes seem to be getting good mileage with a particular one.
- The Hackers' need for expensive computer equipment, which, while Pertti is actually understanding of when it comes to converting cryptocurrency, the hackers mention that they also use it for "K&L" multiplayer. They also mention wanting an "immediate burn setup" (I.E; if compromised, all data of the militia's activities is destroyed) to be approved by Jarnefelt.
- The demolition team's purchase of many watches to test a compact explosive and the "evaporation" of nitroglycerine requiring the need for specialized equipment.
- Exterior security's need to bribe the local law enforcement with donuts and "artisanal coffee", as well as possibly killing those who try to be pushy and sign up to the militia. They do request trained hawks to take out aerial drones, and mentions one passing by a few days back.
- Younger Than They Look: Although he's stated to be 90 years old, Jarnefelt looks nearly twenty years younger.
The Paparazzo (Kieran Hudson)
Kieran Hudson
"Tell you what. You let me go in, take a few shots, nothing bad... I'll slip you a fiver."
Voiced By: Nicholas Boulton
A controversial tabloid journalist, notorious for smear campaigns and rumor-mongering. Famous actress Jackie Carrington, a previous victim of Hudson's work, has ordered a hit in retaliation. The target can be found at the Sanguine show, looking to track down Sebastian Sato for photos or an interview.
You can view Diana's briefing for him here
- Attention Whore: He's willing to post fake news on celebrities to stir the pot and get more infamous.
- Bad Influencer: A tabloid journalist infamous for posting libelous gossip about celebrities.
- Beard of Evil: He's got a goatee, and is a slanderous and cruel journalist.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: He wants to be able to sneak into a restricted area so he can get some exclusive pictures of his targets. If he's allowed into these places, killing him becomes trivial.
- Blatant Lies: He's notorious for making up false stories about celebrities in order to get a good story, no matter how outlandish these lies happen to be.
- Call-Forward: The client for the contract is Jackie Carrington, the actress seen in "Club 27".
- Comically Small Bribe: Hudson tries to bribe at least one security guard to be allowed backstage with a fiver, Rebuffed, he tries a tenner, to no success.
- Dark Is Evil: He wears dark clothing, and is a tabloid journalist who makes baseless and defamatory claims about people in order to destroy their reputation.
- Exhausted Eye Bags: Hudson seems to have this, or a black eye from some past event.
- Karmic Death: He can easily be assassinated when sneaking through a restricted area that he's been warned not to trespass in.
- Laughably Evil: Kieran barely tries to be conspicuous, regularly asking guards for access to restricted areas while taking photos. He continuously does so even after a suspecting bodyguard escorts him around.
- Manipulative Bastard: He's trying to frame Sebastian Sato for "working with the Russians" in secret. His bio indicates he also lies, cheats and otherwise willingly prints false stories to get attention.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: While he's a general Take That! towards paparazzo and tabloid journalists, his practices and behavior are clearly based on infamous journalist Perez Hilton.
- Paparazzi: As his title indicates, he's a particularly infamous paparazzo for getting into trouble, having over 150 million followers on social media.
The Bad Boy (Bartholomew Argus)
Bartholomew Argus
Voiced By: Alec Newman
A musician-turned-actor connected to organized crime in London, who sold his friend out to the police during an investigation. He’s found in Sapienza, where he’ll cameo in Dino Bosco's film "The Icon".
You can view Diana's briefing for him here
- Berserk Button: An opportunity arises where if you tamper with Argus' sportscar parked just outside of Sapienza, it causes him to go into a mad rage.
- The Cameo: An in-universe example. Argus is supposed to appear as a cameo in Dino Bosco's superhero movie "The Icon".
- Comic-Book Fantasy Casting: He bears a strong resemblance to American musician will.i.am.
- Disney Villain Death: One method of killing Argus is kicking him off a cliff while he's relieving himself.
- The Dog Bites Back: Stabbed his friend Tommy Stoakes in the back, turning him in to the police to avoid prosecution. Now that Tommy's out of jail, guess who hired you to whack Argus?
- Dramatic Irony: 47 can overhear one of Argus' agents phone calls as he’s informed of a hit placed on Argus; the agent (who isn't too fond of Argus anyway) just laughs it off.
- London Gangster: What Argus would like to see himself as and what his former business partner and childhood friend Tommy "The Hammer" Stoakes very much is.
- Loony Fan: Argus run into one of these, who has sent pics of himself and his cat… doing things. Argus isn't amused, to say the least.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Some of his dialogue hints he genuinely regrets selling Stoakes down the river.
- Never My Fault: When police discovered illegal drugs and firearms in Argus' car during a routine inspection, Argus claimed that they belonged to his childhood friend Tommy Stoakes, who was riding with Argus at the time, despite Tommy swearing that the drugs and weapons really belonged to Argus. Tommy got ten years in prison for possession while Argus walked free. Can you blame Tommy for wanting to put a hit out on him?
- No Honor Among Thieves: Not only is he connected to organized crime, he's also lacking in loyalty. He got one of his best friends arrested so that he could avoid legal trouble.
- Poisoned Chalice Switcheroo: One method of assassinating him is to start the meet and greet event just like in the regular "The Icon" mission (Argus will attend the fan Q&A alongside Bosco), then poison Argus' water bottle. The complication is that Argus' water bottle is right next to Bosco's, so you need to correctly guess which bottle is which (i.e. by remembering which bottle was Bosco's from the original mission).
- The Prima Donna: Argus' ego is off-putting even to Bosco, who keeps putting off his cameo and his agent is apathetic about him to the point he laughs off being informed of his hit. If the meet-and-greet happens, Argus will continuously talk over Bosco and hijack the Q&A session.
- Rags to Riches: While playing video games, he'll brag about coming from a poor background.
- Running Gag: "The Icon" has some Self-Deprecation about 47's voice actor* . "The Bad Boy" continues this trend of IOI poking fun at themselves by throwing punches towards the much-reviled Kane & Lynch games, which Argus seems to like; the direct inverse of fan reactions to the game.
- Satisfied Street Rat: Argus loves to recount his experiences living in the mean streets. On the other hand, his briefing suggests that he's merely a poseur.
- Self-Deprecation: The game Argus is playing in the cafe is Kane and Lynch: Dog Days, and while he complains about it being a bit repetitive and disliking the kitchen level, he otherwise seems to like it quite a lot. In reality, Dog Days was one of the worst games IOI had ever made, being panned by critics, and hated by fans (the average review score is ~64 for all ports according to Metacritic)
- Watch the Paint Job: Argus' yellow sports car is being protected just outside the town gates. Destroying it lures Argus out of the café.
The Fugitive (Ji-Hu)
Ji-Hu
Voiced By: Alec Newman (Keratoplasty Patient), Nicholas Boulton (Otoplasty Patient) or Timothy Watson (Rhinoplasty Patient)
A North Korean/Khandanyangan agent staying at the GAMA clinic for reconstructive surgery, along with two other patients.
You can view Diana's briefing for him here
- Affably Evil: He’s quite friendly and cheerful, yet he happens to be a dangerous spy.
- Anatomy Tropes: The surgery of the three men have caused them to suffer a number of varying tropes too numerous to list.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: One of the three men wants to adopt a puppy because he thinks it'll taste nice.
- Borrowed Biometric Bypass: Diana relays 47 info about the target if he’s getting keratoplasty, namely the one patient that has bandages over an eye. He’s getting that particular surgery to fool retinal scanners.
- The Bus Came Back: Returned as the first legacy Elusive Target in Hitman 2.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: All three of them are slightly strange, saying odd and disturbing things at random.
- Comically Missing the Point: The patient with rhinoplasty surgery (nose job) asks the patient with osteoplastic (bandages over the ear) how the rhinoplasty has gone, warning him not to offend him. The osteoplastic patient remarks on how the ladies at GAMA look nice and wonders if they are for sale. Thinking that's not the case, he contemplates abducting one.
- Dirty Communists: The patient in for keratoplasty (eye surgery) may complain that he feels like he's walking through a fog, then wonder if that's what it feels like for people who haven't accepted socialism.
- Easy Level Trick: The most risk-free way of killing Ji-hu is poisoning the glass he drinks from in the bar, and only really requires a waiter disguise to do. The riskiest thing about this is being wrong, and that doesn't count against you here, meaning you can simply restart and try again.
- Enemy Mine: Ji-Hu has caused so much havoc for China, South Korea, and Japan that all three nations' respective intelligence agencies have placed a combined contract with the ICA specifically to eliminate him. Given that those three countries have a long history of conflict and the only thing any two can agree on is hating the other, that's quite the impressive achievement. Diana calls it "a touching example of international cooperation".
- Evil Cripple: He has some sort of facial impairment, and is rather evil.
- The Faceless: Downplayed. While the face of the picture is blacked out (even the trailer thumbnail had the face pixellated out) you can clearly see his face.
- Figure It Out Yourself: Played with. There are three patients on site for facial reconstruction surgery (eye, nose and ear respectively) and part of the contract is figuring out which one is the target. However, at the 15 minute mark, Diana will get an update from the client, and relay to you the type of surgery the target had, allowing you to properly identify him. However, if you restart (which you will probably have to). the identity of the target may be different, which means you may have to re-identify them.
- He-Man Woman Hater: One of the men wishes to kidnap a woman and take her back home as a wife, showing that he has a low view of women and their freedom of choice.
- Laughably Evil: He’s so silly that it's easy to forget that he’s a dangerous spy who pose a threat to national security.
- Light Is Not Good: He’s a spy who wears white robes, a contrast to his sinister personality.
- Recurring Boss Template: Much of his potential routine is shared with that of Pavel Frydal from "The Surgeons", in that he goes to the bar to drink from a wine glass, and (potentially) sits around browsing a tablet.
The Entertainer ("Mr. Philip Giggles")
"Mr. Philip Giggles"
"Get that bloody albino camel on the plane tonight. No, no. No need for import paperwork. Those sick bastards are going to go at it with a chainsaw."
Voiced By: Timothy Watson
The ringleader of "La Soireé Horrible", an underground circus offering everything from animal fights to blood sports and other violent spectacles. The target is in Marrakesh for unknown reasons. In addition to eliminating Giggles, 47 must also obtain his client list, believed to be in the possession of his assistant.
You can view Diana's briefing for him here
- Asshole Victim: Diana even drops her professionalism to humorously make light of Mr. Giggles' death. To say that he had it coming is a massive understatement.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: One of the main attractions of his circus is forcing animals to kill each other or having them mutilated.
- Card-Carrying Villain: His circle has "horrible" in the name, he gleefully pretends he lethally poisoned his business associate in front of him, and prides himself for the twisted acts his circus provides.
- Darker and Edgier: Mr. Giggles is one of the most depraved and sadistic targets in the entire franchise. Torturing animals, holding gladiatorial rings and hosting other violent spectacles is much more morbid than previous targets.
- Evil Brit: He speaks with a sophisticated English accent and is an extremely vile person.
- Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humour: His idea of a joke is tormenting somebody and pretending that they're going to die horribly. His victim doesn't find it very funny.
- For the Evulz: Sent his business associate to find something to kill on his show. Once he failed, Giggles explained that he now has to kill him instead. He reveals that he has already found what he was looking for and only met with the associate to torment him. The associate sighs of relief and...Mr. Giggles: "I did, however, poison your coffee." note
- Hate Sink: Mr. Giggles is an utterly horrible human being with no redeeming values whatsoever. He's sadistic, cruel, unpleasant and utterly depraved. He's one of the most vile targets, even for the series' standards.
- Ironic Nickname: Despite being known as "Mr. Giggles", the man himself is noted as having no sense of humor whatsoever.
- Jerkass: To an almost amazing extent. He meets with a businessman pretending to kill him for his failure, only to gloat about already obtaining what he needed and setting the meeting up just to give him food poisoning.
- Karmic Death: With quick timing, the Laxative Prank he performs on the businessman can be done to his own glass of coffee right after, allowing him to be lethally poisoned or drowned in his vomit.
- Laxative Prank: He puts a vomit-inducing laxative in the businessman's coffee for not obtaining the camel he wanted while pretending its lethal poison. He clarifies that it's non-lethal and should only last a few days to a waiter.
- Mad Artist: What he considers himself to be. Taken to disturbing extremes with his work. There's nothing Giggles won't do for his shows, up to and including murdering endangered animals and allowing a client to engage in scat play on an Edvard Munch painting.
- Man of Wealth and Taste: Wears a custom-tailored Savile Row suit with a damask pattern and matching derby.
- Monster Clown: Mr. Giggles presents himself as a clown-like figure. He's certainly a monster.
- Names To Run Away From Very Fast: Mr. Giggles isn't that threatening a name, but during the briefing, the names of some of his exhibits scroll past, and they definitely sound like something a sadistic maniac would come up with. How much would you pay to see "The Burning of the Innocent Man"?
- No Full Name Given: We only know his first name to be "Philip", but it seems unlikely that "Giggles" is his born name. Hell, in the original 2016 release, we didn't even have that, just "Mr. Giggles".
- No Sense of Humor: Rather ironically for a man known as "Mr. Giggles".
- Politically Incorrect Villain: He has his assistant ask the Chinese delegacy to come to a show where two pandas mutilate each other under the belief that true art should be offensive.
- Repulsive Ringmaster: An openly evil ringmaster notorious for his depraved performances.
- Sadist: He hosts a show where he brutally kills animals and torments his business associate both physically and mentally.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: He wears a custom-tailored Savile Row suit. For a sense of scale in cost, off-the-rack Savile Row suits start at $4,000 US.
- Tattooed Crook: Giggles' face and neck are covered in elaborate, freakish-looking tattoos.
- Viler New Villain: Up there with Edward Wade and Campbell Sturrock for the darkest target in the franchise. Unlike the previous targets leading up to him, who are either too goofy or ineffective to be menacing, Mr. Giggles and his depravity is played very seriously.
- You Have Failed Me: Subverted. He states that he must have the businessman killed for failing to have an albino camel obtained, but since he's already obtained the camel anyway, he simply poisons his coffee with a laxative.
