Has Agent 47 Ever Smiled?

Agent 47, the sharply-dressed assassin recognized by his barcode tattoo and Chrome-dome, is renowned for being cool, calculated, and emotionless. As a genetically engineered clone, created explicitly to eliminate high-value targets, 47 was designed without conscience or sentiment.

But behind the detached persona, has Agent 47 ever allowed himself to smile? According to my deep dive, there is evidence of 47 briefly smiling on a couple rare occasions.

So while beaming grins remain outside 47‘s capabilities, his programming has shown some cracks that permit subtle smiles to emerge.

When Has 47 Revealed Traces of Emotion?

Across 20 years and over a dozen games featuring his "services," Agent 47 has avoided emotional connections that might impact his work as an efficient contract killer. But a few moments have pierced his hardened shell:

• In the climactic ending of Hitman 3, 47 sports a hint of a smile while conversing with his longtime handler, Diana Burnwood. This demonstrates a glimmer of warmth and Trust from the normally detached assassin.
• During a cinematic trailer for Hitman (2016), 47 allows himself a slight upturned lip after cleverly poisoning fashion mogul, Viktor Novikov. This sly smile shows 47 admiring his perfectly-executed kill.

So while smiling strains against 47‘s conditioning, suppressing all superfluous expression, he does have occasional cracks that reveal satisfaction when a plan goes perfectly or a connection resonates on his suppressed emotional strings.

By the Numbers: Documented "Smiles" for Agent 47

As this table shows, only two brief smiles for 47 have been officially shown over decades of Hitman games and media. This highlights just how exceptional these expressions are for the engineered assassin.

What Accounts for 47‘s Extreme Emotional Control?

As a Class of clone designated "Mr. 47", created by Dr. Otto Wolfgang Ort-Meyer, 47 was genetically designed and conditioned to be the quintessential assassin – strong, highly intelligent, and fully detached to complete contracts without hesitation or emotion.

This state of focused indifference helps explain 47‘s ever-present vacant stare. Conscience and sentiment are unwanted software flaws that have been stripped from his programming.

• Theory: With a strict upbringing at Ort-Meyer‘s asylum lab, 47 learned to suppress any emotional vulnerability to avoid punishment. The death of his beloved rabbit likely reinforced that pain should be avoided by severing connections.

• Theory: Ort-Meyer‘s experiments to create the perfect assassin may have manipulated 47‘s genetics to limit emotional range and empathy. This could have been reinforced by mental conditioning.

By stripping away the "bugs" of conscience and feeling, 47 channels his entire focus into executing his deadly assignments with precision and efficiency. Emotions are unwanted clutter…with rare exceptions.

When Has 47 Betrayed Emotion?

While 47‘s training and genetic manipulation explains his general lack of visible emotions, there have been a few cracks in his programming over the years:

• As a young clone 47 cried when his adopted pet rabbit died. This unexpected grief surprised Dr. Ort-Meyer, as no other clones had exhibited such emotion. Perhaps 47 was developing bonds his clone brothers could not.

• In Hitman: Silent Assassin (2002), 47 visits his friend Father Vittorio‘s church, seeking absolution for his sins. This desire to unburden his conscience shows 47 feels regret and guilt over his bloody vocation that no "perfect" killer should possess.

• In Hitman: Absolution (2012), 47 spares young Victoria‘s life against orders, risking everything to protect her. Sparing Victoria suggests 47 has dormant paternal instincts that override his programming.

So while 47‘s core programming and training largely suppresses emotional ranges outside prime efficiency, there may still be residual flickers of humanity and empathy coded into some recess of his DNA.

The Verdict? Even Engineered Assassins Can Grin

After analyzing 20+ years of lore and media across the Hitman franchise, I conclude that while smiles remain extremely rare for Mr. 47, he does occasionally surprise us by revealing toned-down echoes of a grin.

These subtle "smiles" demonstrate that despite genetic and mental manipulation to create a cold-blooded killer, Agent 47 retains wisps of humanity that even Dr Ort-Meyer couldn‘t fully erase.

So as 47 continues evolving across new games, with bonds to Diana and possibly Victoria awakening dormant emotions, I foresee more slight upturned lips cracking his stony facade. And for the notorious assassin, that represents immense progress!

Perhaps one day, 47 may even graduate to a teeth-baring smile. But baby steps for the Chrome-dome Killer!