Agent 47 has been the protagonist of the Hitman series since it began, and this makes him something of an anti-hero in the eyes of its fans and the developers. He’s considered something of an anti-hero because his targets are very rarely someone of good standing or with any kind of a moral compass at all, this of course continues in Hitman 3 albeit with more on the line than ever before.
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Some targets are more despicable than others or plainly have a bigger significance as far the series is concerned. There are still some that are remembered by fans for being some of the most abhorrent human beings imaginable along with having an incredible mission to accompany them. As fans of the series are aware, for a target to be a good one the associated mission has to be great, just as the mark itself has to be truly deserving of Agent 47’s unique skillset.
10 Robert and Sierra Knox
In terms of villainy, the tech giant and his daughter Sierra Knox don’t quite live up to others on this list, but both were planning to defect to the Shadow Client’s militia. This would have meant that Knox’s dangerous robotics and weaponry would have been in the wrong hands.
However, what makes both the father and his daughter such great marks is the Miami location from Hitman 2 that it takes place in. It’s an absolutely huge level that is packed with opportunities, intel, and mission stories. There’s just so much replay value and depth to this that players will find themselves coming back and trying new ways to take them down.
9 Vinnie Sinistra
Vinnie “Slugger” Sinistra was a target from Hitman: Blood Money and the subject of one of the most interesting mission levels in the series. Sinistra was a Cuban crime lord that turned on his associates and stayed hidden in witness protection after becoming a snitch for the FBI.
Sinistra was hiding out in a gated community in California so the location was very different from the exotic globe-trotting locations from the other games. He’s far from the most villainous target that Agent 47 has faced but he’s certainly one of the most interesting based on his backstory, location, and character interactions.
8 Oybek Nabazov
Oyybek Nabazov was the main antagonist of the mission in 2016’s Hitman DLC content called Patient Zero. As the leader of a doomsday cult, he’s easily one of the series' most evil antagonists and is a well-deserved victim of Agent 47.
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He was already linked to several mass suicides over the past 30 years and it was Nabazov’s intention to release a deadly virus into the public using sleeper agents. The Patient Zero content was comprised of four missions that offered a spin on the same formula that was contained in Hitman. The level of tension is then ramped up after Agent 47 eliminates Nabazov, as he now has to find and kill the infected targets and contain the virus.
7 Erich Soders
Erich Soders was the secondary antagonist in 2016’s Hitman and was one of the ICA’s best agents long before 47 arrived. He’s the character that opposes 47’s recruitment into the agency during the game’s prologue missions. Furthermore, the “Final Test” mission is based on one of Soders' most successful assignments. Soders was also the man that recruited Diana Burnwood – Agent 47’s handler.
It is later revealed that Soders has turned against the agency in return for a rare heart transplant. It is revealed that the heart would have been forcibly removed from a homeless person. The mission takes place in a luxurious hospital in Hokkaido, Japan, and is easily one of the best missions in the series.
6 Jordan Cross
Jordan Cross from 2016’s Hitman is one of the most interesting targets in the series as Agent 47 has been hired to kill Cross as a matter of revenge. Cross is a self-entitled rock star that got away with the murder of his girlfriend.
As a result, Agent 47 has been hired by the girl’s family to kill Cross and his sleazy lawyer as retribution. Jordan Cross also happens to be the son of the Media Mogul Thomas Cross who also happens to be a secret operative for Providence. The mission’s hotel located in Bangkok is also one of the best in the series with lots of disguises, mission stories, opportunities, and depth.
5 The Maelstrom
The Maelstrom (whose real name is Wazir Kale) is a target from the mission called “Chasing a Ghost” in 2018’s Hitman 2. He’s the leader of a Mumbai gang known as The Crows and was an infamous pirate from the South China Sea.
Not only is he an abhorrent crime lord with captains that are terrorizing the poorer members of Mumbai’s slums, but he’s easily one of 47’s most high-profile targets. Navigating 47’s way through the slums as he works his way through the criminal underworld in order to draw him out is easily one of the series’ most interesting targets in the series.
4 Claus Strandberg
Claus Hugo Strandberg wasn’t one of 47’s most murderous or violent targets, but he was definitely one of the most devious and self-entitled characters in the series. He is one of the main targets in the “Gilded Cage” mission in Marrakesh.
He stood accused of investment fraud against the Moroccan people, causing a level of poverty that would result in a riot. He even ripped off his daughter by conning her out of her inheritance. To reach him, 47 has to make his way through a huge protest and infiltrate the Swedish Embassy where Strandberg is hiding, which makes for an excellent mission with a lot of layers.
3 Lord Winston Beldingford
A target from Hitman: Contracts, Lord Winston Beldingford is a rich aristocrat and easily one of the most villainous targets in the franchise. His main hobby is human hunting with the series’ own take on the novel The Most Dangerous Game and inappropriately harassing his female staff.
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Agent 47 is tasked with putting an end to Beldingford at his large country manor and it’s another interesting location that also tasks him with rescuing Giles Northcott – the intended prey for Beldingford’s cruel hunt.
2 The Meat King Campbell Sturrock
Campbell Sturrock, who was also known as “The Meat King,” is easily one of the most sadistic and evil targets in the series. He’s only rivaled by his serial killer brother Malcolm Sturrock, who isn’t actually a target of 47’s – although players can take him out if they want.
The gluttonous Sturrock has been linked to murders, kidnapping, cruelty to animals, and aiding his brother in his ritualistic murders. The mission which takes place in Hitman: Contracts is easily one of the darkest in the series. It’s an S&M party that takes place in a slaughterhouse.
1 Alvaro D’Alvade
Alvaro D’Alvade is a famed Italian tenor that has appeared as a target in both Hitman: Contracts and Hitman: Blood Money. However, he’s only an actual target in Blood Money during the mission called “Curtains Down.” Alvade is one of the most despicable targets in the entire Hitman series as he’s involved with a child trafficking ring, among a litany of other heinous crimes against humanity.
So it goes without saying that taking out D’Alvade is one of the most satisfying moments in the series. Additionally, the mission design still remains the absolute pinnacle of the series' best since there are just many opportunities to get him, and the opera house remains a pleasure to explore. It actually holds up next to the massive sandboxes in the new Hitman trilogy.