Given the hyper-sterile nature of corporate public relations in 2024 (nobody wants to be cancelled), color this writer genuinely surprised that this social media administrator hit “send” on this joke.
First, some background on two seemingly disparate topics.
The more simple topic: “Hitman” is a video game franchise developed by IO Interactive that began in 2000, and focuses on the exploits of main protagonist Agent 47, whom the player controls in the games.
The franchise has largely evolved over the last 24 years, but the core tenets of it remain the same. You, as Agent 47, are placed into a large area, usually with a simple objective of assassinating target X. You are then given the freedom to commit that assassination as you see fit, whether that’s poisoning the target’s food, dropping a chandelier on their head or simply shooting them between the eyes with a gun.
WARNING: The following trailer is for an M-rated video game, and contains imagery that some viewers may find disturbing.
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The more complicated topic: In the real world, airplane manufacturing conglomerate Boeing has been under an ongoing and furious storm of controversy, due to a litany of publicly documented issues cropping up in their planes.
While the real-world implications of lackadaisical airplane manufacturing should be obvious and horrifying enough on their own, the Boeing controversy has also spawned its fair share of more conspiratorial theories … especially in regard to the two whistleblowers who have come forth about some of these shoddy and unsafe practices.
Both whistleblowers are dead, under what some may describe as shady conditions.
Have you heard of the “Hitman” games?
One of the men, John Barnett, appeared to die via suicide, and the other, Joshua Dean, appeared to die of health complications.
You don’t need a tin foil graduation cap to see where this is going.
A conservative social media influencer drew the connection between untimely and possibly suspicious deaths, and “Hitman,” and joked about it in an X post.
Boeing Employee of the year 2024 pic.twitter.com/GLhEGJnuaz
— Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) May 2, 2024
“Boeing Employee of the year 2024,” the X account posted, alongside an image of Agent 47, clearly a joking connection between the clandestine hitman and the two dead men in the real world.
That alone would hardly be noteworthy… but then the official X account for “Hitman” joined in on the dark joke.
Work has been good lately.
Jokes aside, if Agent 47 was involved, he would not make it that obvious. https://t.co/hIGfq1l62G— HITMAN (@Hitman) May 3, 2024
“Work has been good lately,” the X account posted. “Jokes aside, if Agent 47 was involved, he would not make it that obvious.”
Yes, that’s the official X account of a major video game franchise making light of two dead men in the real world.
Surprisingly, the account engaged with further banter on the joke.
— HITMAN (@Hitman) May 3, 2024
This is also a good theory why it was not Agent 47.
— HITMAN (@Hitman) May 3, 2024
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with dark humor. It has its place in culture.
But to see a major video game franchise wield it in the era of cancellations?
That’s almost as surprising as having Agent 47 himself sneak up on you.
