Seneca Crane is one of the two secondary antagonists (alongside Clove) of The Hunger Games, the first installment in The Hunger Games trilogy and its 2012 film adaptation.
He is the Head Gamemaker of the 74th Hunger Games. He organizes and directs the Hunger Games under the strict surveillance of President Coriolanus Snow, being in charge of designing the arenas for the Games.
He was portrayed in the film by Wes Bentley, who also played Blackheart in Ghost Rider, Thomas Barclay in P2, Edward Mordrake and John Lowe in American Horror Story and Niander Wallace, Jr. in Blade Runner: Black Lotus.
Biography
In the first book, Crane is never mentioned by name, although it is clear that his influence on the arena and in the Games is significant. However, in the film, his role is much larger; he is interviewed by Caesar Flickerman regarding his plans for the 74th Games and his third year as the Head Gamemaker. Along with the other Gamemakers in the Training Center, he watches the various tributes honing their skills.
After three days, all tributes give a demonstration to the Gamemakers in their strongest skills in private sessions. However, when Katniss Everdeen enters the scene, the Gamemakers ignore her, as they were far too busy eating, drinking, and chatting with one another. In response, Everdeen shoots an arrow in their direction, skewering an apple in the mouth of a roast pig. This impresses Crane, and the Gamemakers award her a high score of 11.
However, President Coriolanus Snow constantly showed disapproval towards Crane's decisions. In the film, Crane is shown meeting with Snow on several occasions to discuss rule changes. Snow disapproved of the fact that Crane allowed Everdeen to receive such a high score, as he himself sees her act as a sign of rebellion.
Like most high-ranking officials, Seneca Crane proves to be a cruel, bloodthirsty individual, showing satisfaction as he watched the tributes slaughter each other in the arena. However, unlike President Snow and many others, Crane is not entirely corrupted; he has some degree of sentimentality. Throughout the film, he constantly seemed uncomfortable and uneasy around the president, and clearly did not fully agree with Snow's harsh regime. This sentimental streak causes him to show mercy towards Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark during the 74th Games, allowing them both to win.
Following this, President Snow decides to have Seneca Crane executed. In the film, two Peacekeepers lead Crane into a room, where he finds a bowl filled with nightlock berries. He presumably commits suicide by consuming them. However, it is apparent that few knew about his fate, other than Katniss Everdeen, who received the information directly from Snow.
In Catching Fire, Katniss Everdeen creates a dummy of Seneca Crane, and hangs it in front of the Gamemakers. This was an act of defiance and rebellion, sending a message to the Gamemakers that nobody is safe under the rule of the Capitol, not even his closest allies.
Plutarch Heavensbee, an underground rebel leader, ended up taking his place for the 75th Games.
Gallery
Trivia
- Although his role in the books is minuscule, with him getting no characterization and not even being mentioned by name or having significant impact on the plot until he's long dead, his role and personality are greatly expanded upon in the first movie in the trilogy, due to the story no longer being told from the POV of Katniss alone, thus allowing characters outside of the arena such as Crane to have more screentime.
External Links
 Villains
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