Frank Charon, the Death Master, is a freelance agent.
And by agent we really mean paid assassin. I would not use the term 'hitman' about him, per se, because while I do not know if he would take umbrage at it, I wouldn't want to take the chance. Making Charon angry is a difficult proposition since he strives for even-temper approaches to things but then again, one does not have to be angry to correct a misconception.
In addition, while Charon is not squeamish to use his talents on those who prey on other people, such as drug dealers and protection racketeers, his emphasis is taking contracts from legitimate governmental organizations, especially the covert agencies who would rather hire someone external to handle their dirtier, wetter work.
"There were those that said Frank Charon used to work for the government. When asked which government, they'd be hard pressed to answer. But still, they would insist that he had, at some point in his veiled past, been employed to kill on behalf of a higher authority. They wouldn't necessarily be wrong, either. Frank Charon had killed for many people, including governments. But had he ever played for just one team? That question, along with a lot of others, was one [few had an] answer for."
As indicated above, Charon has a codename, or more accurately a sobriquet, of 'the Death Master". How he came to have that name is hardly a mystery but who first gave it to him or how it spread remains a secret. The fact that it is completely accurate is never in doubt.
While Charon is indeed a master of death by a large number of ways, he is a black belt in "Koppojutsu". One definition I found on the internet talked of it meaning "bone breaking" and being a martial art that specialized in attacks to destroy the enemy's bone structure by either knocking them off balance or opening to up to closer attacks. He spends time each day going through a series of exercises to keep himself especially sharp at it.
Good line:
- "Racism is a refuge for the willingly stupid."
- "I take great pains to make sure my life is never in as much danger as I put others into."
- When asked for updates by the CIA agent hiring him, Charon agreed, saying, "When the media start find the bodies, you'll have your update."