Highbottom spent most of his life trying to forget the conception of the Games, which resulted in the most brutal and cruel punishment that the districts would receive each year. As a result, he develops a crippling morphling addiction. He meets his end at the hands of the future president of Panem, Coriolanus Snow.
Casca Highbottom Character Profile
- Name: Casca Highbottom
- Age: Unknown
- Gender: Male
- Place of origin: The Capitol
- Physical appearance: Shrunken appearance, sagging skin, sleepy eyes
- Skills: Skilled with puzzles
- Strengths: Academics, projects
- Weaknesses: Morphling dependency
- Loyalties: Unknown
Personality and Physical Description
Before Highbottom became the Dean of the Academy, his life was full of vibrancy and aspirations. However, his life takes a negative turn following Snow’s act of betrayal in school. Consequently, Highbottom begins to develop a deep-seated cynicism and disdain for life. Additionally, he harbors intense vengefulness, actively seeking avenues to exact revenge on Crassus Snow’s son as a means of retribution.
Morphling dependency robs Highbottom of his fine physique, giving him a shrunken appearance with sagging skin. He usually wears glasses, with close-cropped hair, and a crisp suit. He constantly looks drugged, with half-shut eyes like a sleepwalker.
The Hunger Games and their Creator
As a young man, Casca was extremely close to Coriolanus Snow’s father, Crassus Snow. The two went to college at the University together and often spent several nights drinking together at the nightclub of Pluribus Bell.
One of the projects that Casca was assigned to work on with Snow was set by Dr. Volumnia Gaul. The project was to create a punishment for one’s enemies that would be so drastic as to be unforgettable. In a drunken state of mind, Casca comes up with the idea of the Hunger Games. He elaborates on the idea in a flight of fancy, egged on by Snow, who keeps plying him with alcohol to get him more drunk.
The next day, Highbottom is horrified to discover that Snow had turned in the idea of the Hunger Games as the project for Dr. Gaul. He had never intended for the idea of the Games to see the light of day. He is betrayed by Snow, who had assured him the previous night that the idea would remain between the two of them as a private joke.
Highbottom receives high praise for the idea of the Hunger Games by Dr. Gaul, and both Snow and Highbottom receive top marks for their project. At the end of the First Rebellion or the “Dark Days”, Dr. Gaul pulls out Highbottom’s idea of the Games and introduces it to the rest of the nation. She also commends Highbottom as the architect of the Hunger Games.
Highbottom is devastated at this result and begins to take morphling to drown out his grief. Despite hoping with all his heart that the Hunger Games would not come to fruition, Dr. Gaul manifested the idea and established the annual Hunger Games as punishment for the rebels from the districts. Highbottom never forgives Crassus Snow for his betrayal and even nurses an open dislike towards his son, Coriolanus Snow.
10th Hunger Games
Highbottom becomes the Dean of the Capitol Academy and is actively involved with the annual Hunger Games. During the 10th Hunger Games, he introduces a mentorship program where he pairs each tribute in the Hunger Games with a star performer of the Academy. 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is one of the mentors in this mentorship program. Young Snow mentors the girl tribute Lucy Gray Baird, who captures Panem’s attention with her excellent showmanship at the Reaping Ceremony of the Games.
Highbottom also participates in the televised program for the Hunger Games, next to celebrated weatherman, Lucretius Flickerman. However, Highbottom is not made for the TV screen as he constantly gets high off morphling and looks bored with the events.
Highbottom takes charge of several events in the Hunger Games, including ordering Snow to rescue Sejanus Plinth from the arena.
The End Of Casca Highbottom
It is highly evident to Snow and the rest of the Academy that Dean Highbottom is constantly drugged on morphling. Snow nicknames him “High-as-a-Kite Bottom” as a result. The nickname becomes extremely popular, and Snow assumes that Highbottom is resentful towards Snow because of the nickname. However, Highbottom dislikes Snow because he is a constant reminder of his father, who completely betrayed Highbottom’s trust and sent his life down a downward spiral.
At the end of the 10th annual Hunger Games, Highbottom tries to prevent Snow from graduating from the Academy. However, Sejanus is able to bribe the board into letting himself and Snow graduate.
Highbottom then punishes Snow by bringing to light all the evidence he has of Snow cheating to help his tribute, Lucy Gray Baird, to win the Games. As a result of this evidence, Snow is banished from the Capitol and forced to become a Peacekeeper in District 12.
After his brief stint as a Peacekeeper, Snow returns to the Capitol. Highbottom finally reveals the reason for his dislike of Snow. After learning this and being weary of Highbottom’s constant sabotage, Snow slips rat poison into a morphling bottle, which Highbottom consumes and dies. This is the beginning of Snow’s lifelong career of poisoning his way to the top as the tyrannical President of Panem.
FAQs
What happened between Casca Highbottom and Snow?
Casca Highbottom from the prequel of the dystopian series of ‘The Hunger Games’, the ‘Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,’ was betrayed by Crassus Snow during their University days. Highbottom came up with the idea of the Hunger Games as a joke while Snow submitted the idea as a project. The project later manifested into reality in the post-war Capitol, as a result of which Highbottom carried a grudge against the Snow family for years.
Why did Snow poison Dean Highbottom?
Young Coriolanus Snow is highly resentful of Dean Highbottom’s treatment of him throughout his Academy days. Unable to bear it any longer, Snow slips poison into Highbottom’s morphling bottle and kills him. The upcoming prequel is an adaptation of Collins’ Hunger Games prequel. The movie follows Snow’s life with intensity and attempts to uncover the depth of the various secrets he harbors. The latest draft of the screenplay is written by Michael Lesslie, while the movie is produced by Jim Miller, Tim Palen, and Suzanne Collins. The fast-approaching movie stars Hunter Schafer (as Tigris Snow) and Jason Schwartzman (as Lucky Flickerman).
Who is Dean Casca Highbottom?
Dean Casca Highbottom is the Dean of the Capitol Academy during the 10th Hunger Games. He is also the creator of the concept of the Hunger Games and becomes the vindictive face of the Games. The movie adaptation by Lionsgate has cast Peter Dinklage, the actor from the Game of Thrones movies, to play the role of Highbottom. Dinklage is currently also working alongside some popular names in the industry, including Brendan Fraser, Josh Brolin, Marisa Tomei, and Anne Hathaway.
What is Dean Highbottom’s problem?
Dean Highbottom is highly grieved by the idea of the Hunger Games coming true. He is unable to bear the thought of being the harbinger of such extreme cruelty and inhumanity in the nation. As a result, he becomes dependent on morphling to drown out his sorrows and turns into a highly resentful and cynical person. In the movie, the role of Dean Highbottom demands pathos and dark humor. Peter’s magnetism, grace, and excellent instincts as an actor should help him portray the character perfectly.
Why did President Snow poison himself?
President Snow poisoned himself in small doses as he wished to allay any suspicions from his enemies. He rose to power by drinking small amounts from the same poisoned glass he would offer his enemies. He suffered from extreme mouth sores as a result. Director Francis Lawrence, who also directed other Hunger Games movies such as ‘Catching Fire,’ and ‘Mockingjay,’ has announced the adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ novel, to be released in theaters in November 2023. The casting includes Tom Blyth, and Rachel Zegler.
Why did Snow poison Antonius?
Snow poisoned Antonius, the Defense Minister of the Capitol, for having lost the upper ground in the rebellion. Antonius decided to send the Capitol’s best Peacekeepers to guard the Capitol Arsenal in District 2, which was ultimately captured by the rebels through a uniquely devised strategy. Why did President Snow’s drink turn red?