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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/44270
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/44270
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

What's in your MC's past, and what's driving him now?

Your MC is a professional assassin - a _skilled_ murderer. Where did he learn his skills? How did he come to be in a position where people pay him to kill?

He has a violent background - but he's not just some street thug. Maybe he used to be a soldier (probably special forces of some kind)? His talents extend beyond just killing. He's a gentleman, someone charming. He's skilled at gathering information, too. So his superiors offered him a chance to serve his country in a different capacity - now he's an assassin for the CIA.

He believes in his country, and he knows that not all problems have peaceful solutions. Better one death now than hundreds or thousands later. He's a gentleman to his neighbors because they're the people he kills to protect. And he has a code: no unnecessary suffering, no random bystanders.

He's conflicted - why is that? Did he see something that made him think that the people giving him orders aren't entirely trustworthy, that maybe they're using him to further their own agendas? Does he secretly doubt that _every_ kill he made served a higher purpose, and was truly necessary?

Keeping him dark - he's not crazy, and killing doesn't satisfy some sick need he has. But he stays in his job, so he doesn't hate it (or he's stuck). In my opinion, one of the most terrifying options is someone who kills and feels _nothing_. (He may even be surprised to learn this about himself.) He doesn't sympathize with his targets, but he doesn't hate them, either. They're targets, he doesn't see them as people. For him, killing is business and nothing more.

Original score: 5