Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Night Agent season 2!

Peter Sutherland had distinguishable tattoos in Gabriel Basso's character in The Night Agent, he was a Special Agent with the FBI before getting caught up in an international conspiracy linked to the Night Action program. As a stunt-heavy action-thriller, many were drawn to Peter's heroics, but the character's unique tattoos also garnered attention. Not only did Peter have distinct tattoos on the base of his neck and ribcage area, but he also had an arm sleeve.

Interestingly, the tattoos aren't part of some TV magic created for Peter's character in The Night Agent. Instead, the ink is Gabriel Basso's real tattoos, which can be seen on display throughout his Instagram and public appearances related to the Netflix show. Rather than try to remove them, season 1 decided to blend that aspect into Peter's persona before it became somewhat of a challenge to keep for season 2. Even though Peter's tattoos have disappeared, it looks like Basso has gotten more ink, with the tattoos now extending from the sleeve to his knuckles.

Peter's Tattoos Were Removed Before His First Real Mission As A Night Agent

Peter Revealed That He Got Them Removed In

The Night Agent season 2 starts in Bangkok, showing Peter working with his new partner, Alice. There's no real emphasis put on Peter's change of appearance aside from his new scruffy beard. As the episode goes on, however, some may be quick to jump on the fact that the character's noteworthy tattoos are gone, especially in the scene showing him getting out of the shower. The Night Agent season 2, episode 2 reveals that Peter had his tattoos removed prior to arriving in Bangkok, where he first meets Catherine and Alice to begin his role as a field agent.

Peter explains that his processing in took longer than anticipated because of the tattoo removal. Catherine notes that the removal process "couldn't have been pleasant," but that's an understatement if she didn't know the size of his tattoos. Then again, Rose hasn't talked to Peter in the 10 months following The Night Agent season 1's ending. A large portion of that time was spent prepping Peter for his role as a Night Agent before he was put on the Bangkok mission. Unfortunately for him, some of that prep meant erasing part of his identity in the form of tattoos.

Why It Makes Sense For Peter To Have His Tattoos Removed In The Night Agent

It Certainly Wasn't Peter's Decision

When mentioning the removal of his tattoos in The Night Agent season 2, Peter notably adds that he wasn't given a choice in the matter. He doesn't seem too pleased with the decision, but in reality, the move makes a lot of sense. It's one thing to cover up the tattoos on the neck or ribcage, but Peter also had tattoos covering much of his left arm. As shown in The Night Agent season 1, the character can't always cover up an arm sleeve of tattoos, so removing them prevented something that would easily identify him as an agent.

In The Night Agent season 2's first episode, Peter and Alice are working undercover as a couple on their honeymoon. Tailing dangerous individuals and attempting to blend in with crowds would be more challenging with appearance characteristics that stand out, like large tattoos. With Night Action being such a secretive program, there's even more reason to keep the identities of agents hidden. Based on what happened with Alice in The Night Agent season 2, Peter is constantly in danger, so anything that could keep his true identity hidden is worth trying.