Hitman has a new celebrity Elusive Target and it's none other than The Muscles From Brussels, Jean-Claude Van Damme. The '90s action movie icon will portray Max Valliant, a legendary former ICA operative taken out by his own agency after he was found doing deals with the wrong people. Presumed dead for years, he's back—and he's not happy.
I'm not a Hitman player myself, but I was a big JCVD fan back in the day: Films like Bloodsport, Cyborg, Kickboxer, Lionheart, Double Impact, and Universal Soldier (I don't care what anyone says, it was good) were staples of my younger years. Hard Target, notably directed by John Woo, arguably marked the end of his glory days, but it was as good a run as anyone's had, and more than enough to cement his place in the upper tiers of the action star pantheon.
I suppose I am also obligated to note his starring turn as Colonel Guile in Street Fighter, although honestly I'd rather not. Some things are best left in the past.
Anyway, when IO Interactive unveiled Van Damme as its new Elusive Target, you better believe I was interested. As usual, his character in Hitman looks to be a cartoonishly exaggerated version of his real life persona: "Max Valliant is a ruthless and unforgiving assassin whose only weakness seems to be his self-confidence," and yeah, that fits, as does his secret agent codename, The Splitter.
For those not familiar, that's a reference to Van Damme's trademark move, which was famous enough that Volvo used it in an ad for its trucks in 2012. That ad has pulled in more than one million likes on YouTube, which I would say is pretty good for a spot about commercial vehicles.
It is, in a word, epic.
As Van Damme says in the ad, he's had his ups and downs over the years, including an infamous coke habit through the mid '90s and some dodgy political views. But I'm not aware of anything actually criminal (or merely vile) in his known past, and given IO Interactive's recent experience with Conor McGregor—the studio removed the MMA fighter from the game in November after he was found liable for assault against a woman who accused him of rape in 2018—I imagine it has to be hoping that nothing of that sort suddenly comes to light. (Of course, McGregor's behaviors were well known long before his Hitman appearance, which could reasonably lead one to wonder why IO signed him in the first place, but that's another matter entirely.)
The Splitter is set to arrive in Hitman on December 12 and will hang around until January 12, 2025. At the same time, a new $5 DLC pack will go up for sale, offering permanent access to the Replication, a two-level Arcade contract featuring The Splitter, as well as various Van Damme-inspired cosmetics.
