The easiest way to
tell if someone has spent a lot of time playing Hitman is to ask them
what their impression is of the franchise. Someone who has never
played it before will usually think it's a very gritty, serious
series where the main character is one of the most boring, dour
people on the planet. But if a fan of the franchise was asked the
same question, they would say it is one of the most hilarious IPs in
the games industry, filled with the most delightfully macabre, black
humor. Whether it's intentional or not, this disconnect between the
stern face of Agent 47, everyone's favorite murder boy, and the
comedy which he is party to, sits at the seat of what makes Hitman
such a gem in the eyes of those who play it.
The genius of Hitman
is that no matter how absurd the situation he's put in, no matter
what is happening to those around him, Agent 47 will always look on
with the same blank, completely humorless expression on his face.
This visual can be amusing on it's own, in the right situation, but
when all the various opportunities IO has afforded the player kick
in, hilarity ensues. In other words, 47 is the ultimate straight man.
There is never a moment when he loses his composure, which means that
he can play off of absurd situations in a way that very few
characters are capable. He's an extraordinarily boring character on
his own, and that's largely the point.
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| Will Never Smile, No Matter What |
And yet, if Agent 47
is the straight man, who is the funny man is this comedy duo?
Normally, one might think it is his handler, Diana Burnwood. While
she's certainly got her own brand of humor, and isn’t shy about
making quips at her partner's, or their target's, expense, she often
plays it just as straight as the assassin she feeds intel to. No, the
funny man is someone else entirely: It is the player, in
collaboration with the writing team at IO Interactive, that forms the
second half of what would more accurately be described as Hitman's
“comedy quartet”. This dynamic between the characters inside the
game world, and us outside of it, is the most fundamental building
block from which all of the series's best moments can be traced back
to.
