Philo Newcombe

Philo Newcombe
In-Game Information
Gender:	Male
Nationality:	American 🇺🇸
Status:	Deceased
Age:	Mid 30s
Occupation(s):	Wedding Coordinator Planner
Relations:	Michelle Pacheco (Client) Phoebe Morris (Client)
Signature Weapon(s):	Scalpel
Real-World Information
Appearances:	HITMAN™ III
Voice Actor:	Lance Fuller

Philo Newcombe (also known as "The Heartbreaker") is a serial killer and an Elusive Target in HITMAN™ III. He appeared in the mission The Farewell.

Background

Philo Newcombe was born into a home so idyllic that a charmed life was seemingly his due.

His parents-a husband and wife duo who had spearheaded a renaissance at the greeting card company where they'd met-were deeply in love and were both devoted to their son. His mother, the ideal woman in his eyes, died when Philo was still too young to have seen any of the cracks in the pedestal he had put her on. Even as Philo aged and his mind grew more critical he was never able to look past that carefully preserved image. When his father remarried he could only loathe his stepmother for her perceived inferiority, and came to loathe his father as well.

Philo left home the day he turned 18. He was drawn to Vermont's romantic reputation, and found work as a part-time server and caterer's assistant in the state's thriving wedding industry. Much to the chagrin of every woman he tried to date during this period, Philo still couldn't shake the unreachable standard defined by his mother.

They were never happy enough, pretty enough, or in love enough for him. It was a combination of this and simple proximity that lead him to begin fixating on the brides he was working for, who tended to be at their peak in all of these respects. His interest only intensified when their partner seemed like a poor fit.

By the time he had advanced in his career and become a relatively successful wedding planner he found the fantasy of inserting himself into a would-be bride's grief for a departed fiancée irresistible. The access he had to these couples made it entirely too easy to act on his impulses, living out his fantasies by killing the unworthy partner and "rescuing" his favorite.

Not that any of these relationships lasted. With his target's former radiance dulled by grief, Philo's eyes inevitably wander to a new subject, and a new victim. There are plenty of fish in the sea, after all.

― In-Game Briefing

Description and Behavior

Philo Newcombe is showing off Viñedo Yates to a newly-engaged lesbian couple, Michelle Pacheco and Phoebe Morris. He guides them to the dance floor, the cinema and the vineyard, describing the various features of the amenities and offering suggestions. While Michelle is impressed and receptive to his suggestions, Phoebe is much more critical. Philo is also clearly enamored with Michelle, complimenting and praising her. Conversely, he expresses a strong dislike of Phoebe, seeing her as classless, crude, and plotting to kill her so that he could romance and solo Michelle.

Philo has a van parked in the parking lot. Opening the door reveals a scrapbook containing pieces of hair and clothing from his victims, alongside a Lethal Poison Pill Jar and a Scalpel. 47 can give it to Michelle or Phoebe, causing them to realize that he is a deranged serial killer and leave him. He will spend the rest of the mission sulking in the cinema, drinking red wine and kicking an ornamental vase as he complains about always being "the planner, not the planee".

If either Michelle or Phoebe die in front of him, he will sulk on a bench outside the cinema room. He will be upset either because of Michelle's death or because Michelle will likely be mourning Phoebe.

Gallery

HITMAN 3- The Heartbreaker Elusive Target (Mission Briefing)

Newcombe's "Scrapbook"

Philo next to Phobe and Michelle

Trivia

• Philo Newcombe may be inspired by American serial killer Ted Bundy.
  • Newcombe bears a strong physical resemblance to Bundy.
  • He is from Vermont, Bundy's home state.
  • Both are stated to have disliked their step-parents.
• An overview of Newcombe's scrapbook in his briefing shows both brides and grooms with their heads circled, implying that he may be bisexual or pansexual.
• His scrapbook shows pictures of Nila Torvik, Scott Sarno, Howard Moxon, the street preformer from World of Tomorrow, and the couple from The Last Yardbird, although these are most likely re-used assets.
• He is the official Elusive Target that is featured throughout the Season of Lust.
  • He also represents the sin of Lust.