While the recently released Director’s Cut edition of Death Stranding adds quite the slew of new features, mechanics, and even a literal racetrack for players to race on, it doesn’t really add much new narratively. Plus, sadly, the hilariously obvious Monster Energy Drink product placement is gone now as well. And, for those who really tried to understand the plot of this Hideo Kojima passion project, it’s a shame this new version of the game doesn’t expand upon characters who still held a lot of mysteries to be solved, such as Higgs Monaghan.With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the biggest things most fans don’t know about the leader of the Homo Demens in Death Stranding and elaborate on them in the hopes that this wonderfully insane game will finally get the sales it deserves. Disclaimer: Huge story spoilers for Death Stranding below.
8 Higgs Was Already A Murderer Before He Went Crazy
First and foremost, while Higgs was apparently a kind and determined Porter, like Sam, before he became the psychopath seen in Death Stranding, his past isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. In fact, codex entries reveal that Higgs was actually raised in a bunker with his uncle after his parents died, but this uncle was physically abusive to Higgs.
And, at one point, when Higgs tried to run away from this horrible living situation, his uncle caught him, and Higgs had to kill him in self-defense. While this is more manslaughter than murder, it is interesting that Higgs had such a tragic origin when Fragile keeps telling Sam that he used to be so nice.
7 He’s There In The Prologue Mission
This next fact is something that becomes incredibly obvious to someone on their second playthrough, but Higgs is actually the one who summons the BT from the Prologue mission. Players can actually see him, standing on a truck, summoning the BT that eventually kills both Sam and Igor (but sadly, Igor isn’t an overpowered repatriate like Sam).
Given what players now know about the one giving Higgs his orders, it does sort of make sense that he would target Sam right off the bat, since this is the event that eventually incentivizes Sam to travel the United States, connecting the Chiral Network.
6 He Dressed As A Bridges Employee In Chapter 3
Frankly, there are quite a few times that Higgs shows up either in disguise, or in the background of a scene. But, by far the most obvious example is during Chapter 3, when a mysterious Porter physically hands Sam a package that turns out to be a bomb.
Most players figured out that this was Higgs in disguise right away, but there were still some people that didn’t put the puzzle pieces together. That said, considering that this was maybe the third or fourth person Sam interacts with physically (not through Chiral Holograms), there was only a small list of possible characters this shadowy Porter could have been.
5 He Looks Like Troy Baker
This next fact may seem obvious given that Deadman looks exactly like Guillermo del Toro, the famous director voicing him, and that goes for Mads Mikkelsen (Cliff) and Norman Reedus (Sam) as well. Basically, every major character in this game looks close to or exactly like their counterpart in real life, including Higgs. Which begs the question, what other actors would be fun to see in a potential sequel?
Anyway, because Troy Baker is a voice actor, there is a large portion of the player base that had no idea this is what he looked like. And, frankly, this is one of the only times Troy has played a character that was made to look like him.
4 Higgs Is The Tallest “Human” Character In The Game
So, it turns out that Higgs is actually the tallest human character in the game. It’s hard to confirm it, but it seems like Kojima (the madman that he is) used the approximate height of all the voice actors and made their in-game models of a similar stature since Higgs seems to be around the same height as Troy Baker, which is about 6’3.
This height difference becomes pretty clear during a certain point in the game where Higgs forces his mask onto Sam, then lifts him up with it, but for some reason, he just doesn't "look" that tall in most of the other scenes.
3 His Mask Is Made Of Chiralium & Actually Has A Function
If there’s one thing about Higgs that is obvious just by looking at him, it’s that the guy is obsessed with gold. His gun is gold, his mask is gold, he even has gold trim all over his outfit. But, this is not actually gold but rather Chiralium, an element that appeared with the Death Stranding that has a lot to do with Timefall, BTs, and the Beach.
For example, it’s well known that the skull-mask he wears is made of Chiralium. But, based on what the game tells players about Chiralium, long exposure to it leads to aggressive impulses, nightmares, depression, and more. So, it’s very likely that Higgs is using this mask to keep him “focused” on the psychopathic task at hand, and it also explains why it works so well to dissuade Amelie of any doubts she has about ending all life when Higgs forces it on her face.
2 He Actually Ate The Pizzas Sam Brought Him
One of the funniest and most “Kojima-like” things in Death Stranding has to be the Pizza Delivery missions. These are a variety of incredibly difficult deliveries that appear over the course of the game in which Sam has to take fresh pizzas to a man named Peter Englert without so much as tripping with them once.
After the final delivery, it’s revealed that this bunker that Sam had been delivering these too was actually a hideaway home for Higgs himself, and he used this bunker to collect his crazed newspaper scrappings of Sam, scribble on the walls, and more. Apparently, Higgs played this charade just in an attempt to make Sam’s life hell, which has to be the most passive-agressive way a literal terrorist has ever approached something.
1 Like Fragile, Higgs Can Also Teleport
And finally, let’s talk about some of the powers Higgs uses throughout his appearances in Death Stranding that might’ve been overlooked. Players already know that, through Amelie, Higgs is able to summon and control all types of BTs. But, did they know that can also:
- Summon and control Timefall
- Create and utilize the “tar” substance BTs spawn from.
- Float in mid-air, as well as control objects telekinetically.
- Give form to just about anything using chiralium.
- And, finally, he can also teleport just about anywhere he wants, likely by using Amelie’s beach as the medium/catalyst.
Death Stranding was released on November 8, 2019, and is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Playstation 5. The Director's Cut of Death Stranding was released on September 24, 2021, and is currently only available on Playstation 5