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Dr. Silvio Caruso, Ph.D. (also known as "The Genius") is a major antagonist in HITMAN™, and a renowned Italian bio-engineer, and one of Agent 47's targets in the HITMAN™ mission World of Tomorrow. Chronologically prior to that, Silvio appeared as the client for Landslide.

Background[]


Arguably one of the world's finest stem cell researchers, Silvio Caruso is, however, a troubled genius: neurotic, angst-ridden and intensely socially awkward.

The last descendant in a line of rural aristocrats, Caruso is the youngest of three brothers. His mother, Isabella, a once free-spirited academic, became a widow early and never remarried. After Silvio's twin older brothers ran away from home and disappeared without a trace, Isabella clung to her one remaining son and grew bitter and possessive. For years she cowed the already shy, withdrawn and emotionally fragile Silvio, making him feel like a failure so he would remain devoted to only her.

Because of his mother's psychological abuse, Silvio developed a strong case of gynophobia, or fear of women. This of course suited Isabella just fine. Caruso had an intense love-hate relationship with his mother, but even more so, he despised himself for not being strong enough to oppose her.

Two years ago, shortly after Isabella died in her sleep from seemingly natural causes, the Ether Corporation offered Caruso to spearhead a research project with the capacity to change modern warfare and shift the global balance of power from states to individuals, a DNA-specific virus capable of targeting anyone in the world, invisible and indestructible.

The idea struck a chord with Caruso. He had always been weak, bullied as a child, taunted by girls, manipulated by his mother. But here was a weapon that could turn the weak into hunters and the powerful into prey. He persuaded Ether to install a state-of-the-art research lab at his family estate so he would not need to leave his home. Then he went to work.

Silvio Caruso's demeanor is reserved and awkward, shifting between crippling insecurity and megalomania. He speaks in fits and starts, as if social interaction causes him great physical pain.

This one might seem harmless, 47, but I assure you he is anything but.
― Target Intel

Description and Behavior[]

Silvio is initially found practising golf with Roberto Vargas. After a few practice swings, he will ask a gardener to retrieve his golf balls before heading into the observatory to work on his memoir. He will then head for a smoke near the barbecue pit or check notes in the dining hall of the villa. Afterwards, his route will repeat. Silvio is almost always accompanied by two villa guards and has a seaplane in the underground laboratory, which he will escape in if his security is compromised.

A year prior, Silvio suffered a mental breakdown after he reportedly saw Isabella's ghost in her bedroom. 47 can reenact his breakdown by turning on the gramophone in the dining hall, followed by activating her stair lift, ringing her service bell, and turning on the fan next to her rocking bell. If done successfully, he will enter her room, only to faint upon seeing her chair move.

Ether has started to see Silvio as a liability and has hired Francesca to spy on him and potentially kill him. Silvio is aware of Francesca being a mole, and keeps a sample of her DNA in a safe in the villa's attic. The sample can be retrieved and given to Francesca, who will destroy the sample in the mansion's fireplace. He also has a prototype of the virus encoded with her DNA inside a model ship near his bedroom.

Ether has also hired Dr. Oscar Lafayette to rehabilitate Silvio and is due to have a therapy session with him. 47 can disguise as Lafayette and begin the session. During the therapy session, Silvio will state that he dated a girl called Amelia in high school. However, Isabella thought that she was a bad influence and paid her gardener's son to seduce her. She then took pictures of the two to force Silvio into breaking off the relationship. After 47 implies that Silvio smothered Isabella for her controlling behavior, he will snap and admit to killing her. 47 can then smother Silvio in the exact same way.

Silvio has hired a world-famous chef to replicate his mother's signature spaghetti, to no avail. A search in the kitchen's storage room reveals that she simply used store-bought cans of spaghetti sauce. 47 can use these to poison the spaghetti sauce. Silvio will compliment Marcello on finally getting her recipe right, before becoming ill and going to vomit over the cliff.

Silvio has ordered a bouquet of flowers for the anniversary for Isabella's death, although the delivery has been delayed due to a crash outside the villa. If a bouquet is placed on Isabella's grave, Silvio will head to the grave and dismiss his guards. After a brief monologue, he will then confess to smothering Isabella in her sleep and his desire to do it again.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Silvio Caruso's name is misspelled as "Silvo Caruso" in the briefing for World of Tomorrow.
  • One of the scientists in the underground lab and one of the maids near Isabella's room can be overheard claiming that Caruso has Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism characterized by high intelligence and socially awkward mannerisms among other traits.
  • Silvio, despite his gynophobia, is planning on conquering his fear, marrying, procreating and having a child to continue his bloodline.
  • His watch is stopped at 11:00:33, this may be a hint as to the time he died as it is a common trope in fiction for watches to stop at the time of death.
  • He previously hired Sal Falcone to collect the DNA samples of his school bullies. It is heavily implied that he intended to have them all killed with the virus, despite them having moved on in their lives.
  • According to the psychological assessment found in his mother's room, Silvio's birthday is May 9th 1983 and his age is listed as 41. The assessment was made in 2018, which would make him 42 during the time the mission is set.
    • However, Silvio's age is incorrect, as going by his birthday, he would have been 34 at the time of the assessment. This would make him no older than 36 at the time of his assassination.
  • He is one of two targets in the game to be able to escape if his security is compromised, alongside Yuki Yamazaki in Situs Inversus. His seaplane can be shot down by 47 for the Error Plane challenge.
  • If 47 holds Silvio at gunpoint, he will start to break down and cry, claiming that it is "just like the time Abiatti pushed me down the well". He then begs for his life, stating he is still a virgin and asks 47 for mercy.
  • Despite being a world-class biologist, Caruso seems to believe in the supernatural, as he is convinced that his late mother's spirit still haunts her room.
  • Silvio is mentioned several times in HITMAN™ III:
    • Carl Ingram mentions him as one of Lucas Grey's victims during their confrontation in On Top of the World.
    • A mercenary guarding the safe in The Farewell mentions having previously worked for Silvio and how he kept hair samples in his attic, although he was unaware of what they were used for.
    • In Shadows in the Water, 47 can discover that Noel Crest intended to use Silvio's virus to kill the entirety of Providence.
  • Both of Silvio's brothers, Renzo and Orlando Caruso, were to be targets in an unreleased Elusive Target titled "The Brothers" set in A House Built on Sand. The briefing as well as playable gameplay was able to be extracted from the game.
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