Ray Masters In ‘Hit Man’ Movie: Did Madison Kill Her Husband?

Once you lose your wife to Glen Powell, it’s kind of hopeless to even think about winning her back. In Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, Madison’s husband Ray Masters gets murdered to set up the climax of the movie. Even though we don’t get to see the murder taking place, his death is not much of a mystery to solve. Madison admits to Gary that she killed him, and it’s only then she gets to know the true identity of her new lover. What we’re discussing in this article are the circumstances that led to Ray getting killed and the aftermath of it.

Spoilers Ahead

Why did Madison want to have Ray killed?

Madison was a woman who once loved Ray, but his overly controlling behavior made her feel like she was his prisoner. Ray put her on a specific diet, told her how to dress, and treated her like more of a doll than a human being. After years of constant abuse, Madison refused to stay in a suffocating relationship. She knew that Ray wouldn’t like the idea of divorce much, so she decided to off him by hiring a hitman. There’s also another factor: Ray had a life insurance policy of one million dollars in his name, and Madison was the sole beneficiary. She sets up a meeting with Gary (who went by Ron) to order the hit, but after listening to everything, Gary asks Madison to use that money she had brought to pay him to get a shelter home and leave behind her old life.

What does Ray do about Madison and Gary?

Ray finds Madison leaving a bar with Gary, and seeing them cozying up triggers him. Ray confronts Madison, and when Gary tries to take her away, Ray tries to grope Madison. Gary pulls out his gun and shows Ray his place, but even when the couple were walking away, Ray kept blabbering to prove his manhood. Ray uses an alias, Mike, to meet with the hitman, unaware the hitman is the very same person who’s dating his wife. Ray had nothing but hatred for Madison, and not knowing it’s Gary he’s talking to, he made a special request. Ray wanted Madison to hear that it’s him who ordered the hit before she’s dead, and he additionally asks Gary to kill her boyfriend too if he’s present. Upon discovering that it’s Gary who’s the hitman, he runs off, saying that he’d take care of it himself. 

How did Madison get comfortable with the idea of killing?

When Madison first met Gary, she was a scared woman who just wanted to finish the man who’d turned her life into a horror story. But when she started dating him, the idea of loving a killer made her braver too. Madison got comfortable with the fact that the man with whom she fell in love kills people for a living. She got a gun for herself when Gary told her that Ray wanted to have her killed, and she went to a shooting practice session with Gary. In a scene where not many people would pay attention, Madison asks Gary how he kills people without the fear of getting caught while they are in a bathtub together. Gary carefully explains that she should always aim for the heart if she’s shooting someone and how that’s the least messy method. Madison eventually does use all the tips she got from Gary and kills Ray with a single shot while he is unconscious. 

What happens after Ray’s death?

When Gary finds out about Ray’s death in the police station, he is shell-shocked, and in no way did he see it coming. The cops think it’s a drug deal gone wrong, and Gary immediately leaves to visit Madison. Madison’s awfully normal behavior, even after hearing the news, bugs Gary, and she tells him that she was the one who put Ray to rest. Ray’s death was just the beginning of headaches for Gary, and Jasper, who saw them together on the night they went dancing, is now onto them. Jasper doesn’t make any threats to him and even reassures Gary that there’s no harm in hooking up with targets, but Gary knew he wouldn’t let this go. Jasper then shows his true colors and sends Gary to extract the truth out of Madison, as the police think she’s the number one suspect. Ray’s million-dollar insurance policy was obviously the main reason for the suspicion, and Jasper personally wired Gary to send him to Madison’s. Gary doesn’t lose his cool all this while and uses the Notes app to warn Madison about the police listening in on their conversation. He then types everything she should say while he pretends to go hard on her verbally. This plan works out wonderfully, and the cops believe that Madison is actually innocent. 

How do Gary and Madison get away with the murder of Ray and Jasper?

Gary comes back to Madison’s to check on her, but he finds Jasper already there to welcome him. Jasper figured everything out, and he’s been following them ever since Gary and Madison first met. Jasper isn’t with the law, and all he wants is the one million dollars Madison is supposed to get to keep both of them out of jail. Madison keeps her cool to spike the beer Jasper was drinking, and Jasper soon falls to the ground without any idea about what happened to him. Madison thinks that she did the wrong thing by ambushing Jasper, but Gary thinks that nobody wants Jasper around anyway. He suffocates the unconscious Jasper to death by tying a plastic bag around his head. By the end of the movie, both Gary and Madison are responsible for a murder each. But they’ve taken care of it just like a Professional Hitman would, and Gary mentioned earlier that most murders go unsolved. These murders go unsolved too, and Gary and Madison got a fresh start in life after putting this behind them. 

Gary and Madison were always the right match for each other, but they met in the worst of circumstances. Gary pretended to be a hitman, and Madison went on to murder the husband she wanted to have killed. But Gary’s experience as a fake hitman didn’t go to waste, and the couple went on to have a child and a happy family together.