Suzanne Collins, Give Us Another ‘Hunger Games’
“Which character’s Hunger Games would you like to see?”
Out of curiosity, I asked the cast of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes this question during a recent (1am!) press junket and tried my best to keep my eyes open while they shared some incredible answers. Rachel Zegler, Josh Andrés Rivera and Tom Blyth all said they’d want to see Haymitch Abernathy’s (District 12 winner and Katniss and Peeta’s mentor) Hunger Games, echoing a pretty much universal wish among fans. Hunter Schafer, Rachel and Tom also said they’d want to watch Wiress and Beetee’s games, which was interesting; these characters don’t often get the love they deserve. I’m just surprised none of them said Finnick, to be honest.
Pondering different character’s Hunger Games is par for the course if you’re a fan of the series. When I first read the books in 2013, I constantly wondered about all the other games that took place before Katniss’ 74th Hunger Games. I met with fellow fans on Tumblr to share theories about what the other Hunger Games would have looked like and how different characters won their games based on the easter eggs author Suzanne Collins left us. Now, the conversation has reignited with the success of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, set all the way back during the 10th Hunger Games.
So, should Suzanne choose to pen any more Hunger Games books (one can dream) I’ve got a few characters in mind whose Hunger Games I’d love to follow, plus some thoughts on what likely went down during the Games, too.
Haymitch Abernathy – 50th Hunger Games District 12 Victor
Haymitch Abernathy is a polarising character when we first meet him. He’s an alcoholic (a common trait for many victors looking for a way to numb their trauma) and pretty aggressive towards Katniss and Peeta. But as time progresses, we can see that he cares deeply for both of them and was hardened after being forced to watch all of his District 12 mentees die year after year. He then helps lead the Rebellion against the capital and becomes a makeshift father figure to Katniss and Peeta.
We actually know quite a great deal about Haymitch’s games because Katniss and Peeta watched the tapes before the 75th Hunger Games. Here’s what we know about Haymitch Abernathy’s Hunger Games:
Haymitch was reaped for the 50th Hunger Games, which happened to be the second Quarter Quell. The rules for this Quarter Quell was that there were to be double the number of tributes — meaning that Haymitch, just 16 at the time, had to fight off 47 other tributes in order to win.
The arena for Haymitch’s games was said to be breathtakingly beautiful, which distracted a lot of the tributes, allowing Haymitch to grab a knife and backpack from the Cornucopia and run away before the bloodbath began. Many tributes died after coming into contact with poisonous elements in the arena, while others died from a volcanic eruption. During the games, Haymitch formed an alliance with one of his fellow District 12 tributes, Maysilee Donner, who saved his life by killing a tribute who was about to kill Haymitch. As the number of tributes dwindled, Maysilee broke the alliance (she didn’t want to have to kill Haymitch) and left him on the edge of a cliff.
After she left, Haymitch noticed that the edge of the arena was a force field (much like Kantiss does in Catching Fire) and that whatever was thrown into it, would be spat back out. He then heard Maysilee scream as she was being attacked by mutts. He held her as she died, drawing comparisons from Katniss to Rue’s last moments in the 74th Hunger Games. That same day, Haymitch and a District 1 female tribute became the final two. They found each other and fought, with Haymitch slicing her eye out as she slammed an axe into his abdomen. Haymitch then stumbled into the forest toward the edge of the cliff. When the District 1 tribute followed him, she threw her axe at his head. He fell to the floor before it hit him and it flew off the cliff. Haymitch knew that the force field would bring the axe back, so he stayed down as it flew back and hit the other tribute in the head.
He became the second ever victor from District 12, after Lucy Gray Baird. Haymitch was seen as “outsmarting” the Capitol with his victory. In retaliation, they killed his entire family. This is when he turned to alcohol.
Beetee – District 3 Victor
Helping to bring down the arena in Catching Fire, Beetee is a pivotal character for the rebellion. We learn that his inventions have powered most of Panem and the Capitol, and that he’s a genius. He’s believed to have won anywhere between the 31st and 43rd Hunger Games. Following this, he became a mentor to his close friend, Wiress.
How did Beetee, a man lacking physical strength, actually win? Well, he created a trap that electrocuted the final six tributes. Duh.
Wiress – District 3 Victor
We don’t know a great deal about Wiress beyond the fact that she’s a victor from District 3 — the technology district — from an unspecified Hunger Games, and that she’s incredibly intelligent. After all, she’s the first to realise that the arena for the 75th Hunger Games is a clock.
It’s assumed that Wiress likely won any of the games between the 41st and the 53rd editions. Because of her intelligence, it’s probable that she outsmarted the other tributes and killed them with a technical trap much like her close friend and fellow District 3 victor Beetee did, who was likely her mentor. Other tributes gave her the nickname “Nuts” and they gave Beetee “Volts”.
Mags Flanagan – 11th Hunger Games District 4 Victor
Mags is a very interesting character in the Hunger Games world. We first meet her in Catching Fire where she volunteers as tribute to save Annie — Finnick’s lover — from having to go back into the arena. Mags is 80 years old when she enters the 75th Hunger Games.
Mags actually won the 11th Hunger Games as the tribute from District 4 — the game directly after Lucy Gray’s. That means that by the time of the 75th Hunger Games, Mags is probably one of three people who knew who Lucy Gray was, along with President Snow and Tigress. This knowledge is powerful, given Dr Gaul deleted all footage of Lucy Gray’s games (in the books) and President Snow spent his life trying to erase any memory of her.
When we meet Mags, she’s unable to speak and relies heavily on Finnick, Katniss and Peeta to keep her alive because of her older age. She’s incredibly sweet and her death is seen as an act of selflessness; she didn’t want to keep holding the others back.
When Mags won her games, she was just 16. She was exceptionally skilled with fish-hooks and weaving baskets, which she would have learnt living in District 4, the fishing district. It’s believed that the 11th Hunger Games arena had large bodies of water in it. A fan theory suggests that the mutations we see swimming in Dr Gaul’s office at the end of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes were released in the arena for the 11th games. As a strong swimmer, Mags was probably able to outswim the mutations or catch them in nets she weaved, outliving the other tributes.
Mags was also the first-ever victor to go on a Victory Tour and move into the Victor’s Village. Her games are seen as the turning point for the victors to be seen as capital darlings and live in luxury after they win.
Finnick Odair – 65th Hunger Games District 4 Victor
The thirst trap of the Hunger Games franchise, Finnick Odair has captured the hearts of many fans, just as he does those in the Capitol. The darling poster boy for victors, Finnick is incredibly skilled at swimming and fishing. Like his mentor, Mags, he comes from District 4.
Finnick won the 65th Hunger Games at 14 years old, making him the youngest-ever victor. He found his way to victory by being incredibly good at combat with spears and knives. His good looks made him popular in the Capitol too, resulting in a high number of sponsored gifts sent his way, including a trident — his weapon of choice.
We learn in the books that after Finnick’s victory, he was sex trafficked by President Snow. If he didn’t comply with Snow, members of his family would be killed, including his true love and former mentee, Annie Cresta.
Johanna Mason – 71st Hunger Games District 7 Victor
Now listen, Johanna Mason is one of my favourite characters from the entire Hunger Games franchise. She’s a badass, says what she wants, isn’t afraid of anything, and is incredibly sassy. My queen.
She’s also perhaps one of the most tortured characters in the entire Hunger Games world. One of my biggest gripes with the movie adaptations is how little of Johanna Mason’s character we get to see, especially in Mockingjay. She deserves her own story more than anyone!
Johanna Mason had a game plan going into the 71st Hunger Games by pretending she was weak and useless during the training. That way, the other tributes wouldn’t see her as a threat and they’d leave her alone.
The other tributes didn’t put together that Johanna hailing from District 7, the lumber district, means she knows her way around an axe. When the time came, she emerged from her hiding spot in the arena and took out several remaining tributes with her axe to win the games.
Similar to Haymitch, Johanna’s family were all killed by the Capitol, most likely due to her refusing to be sex trafficked by Snow, like Finnick was.
Annie Cresta – 70th Hunger Games District 4 Victor
Dear sweet Annie is probably considered one of the most innocent victors of all time. It’s believed that she won the games without killing anyone, after she went into isolation from the trauma of witnessing her district partner get decapitated.
She was able to hide out while other tributes fought until an earthquake broke a dam and flooded the arena. Much like Finnick and Mags, Annie was a strong swimmer from District 4 so she was able to survive the floods while the other tributes drowned.
After the games, she suffered from mental instability and became known as the “one who went a bit crazy”. Although Finnick was her mentor, the two fell in love and got married in Mockingjay in District 13.
The Hunger Games world has always been rich in fan theory and lore — it would be so cool to see some of these theories come true. So Suzanne: consider this an official petition. I’m manifesting a Johanna Mason novel.
Ky is a proud Kamilaroi and Dharug person and writer at Junkee. Follow them on Instagram or on X.
Image credit: Lionsgate