What happened to Peeta Mellark after the Hunger Games series ended? Actor Josh Hutcherson portrayed the character in all four movies within the franchised based on Suzanne Collins' novels. Peeta worked at his family's bakery in District 12, the poorest community within Panem. He was the male tribute selected in the Reaping for the 74th Hunger Games. He notably fought alongside Katniss Everdeen, the fellow District 12 tribute.
Peeta became allies with the Career tributes but it was a ruse to keep them away from Katniss. He and Katniss tried to play on the notion that they were romantically involved to win over the rest of Panem, but Peeta had true feelings for her the whole time. Peeta and Katniss eventually changed the rules by convincing the Capitol to allow two victors to win the Hunger Games. Their victory tour was cut short when the duo was forced back into the very next Hunger Games event.
The 75th Hunger Games was all a ploy to start an official uprising against the Capitol. Unfortunately, the rebels failed at rescuing Peeta from the arena and he was captured. Throughout both installments of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, it was revealed that Peeta was physically and mentally tortured by the Capitol. They used tracker jacker venom to distort his memories to turn him against Katniss. The District 13 rebels later rescued him but with his current mindset, he was still a liability. The rebels realized that President Coin wanted to use Peeta to kill Katniss so there was no choice but to kill the political figure. After the end of the war in Mockingjay, Peeta still had a long road to recovery.
Following President Coin's death at the end of the war, Peeta lost control of his mind again. He went to the same psychiatrist that treated Katniss for her mental struggles. Like Katniss, Peeta ended up back in District 12, which was still recovering after being firebombed. By that point, Peeta greatly recovered from the brainwashing, but he still had PTSD from having his mind hijacked. Being in close proximity to Katniss was greatly beneficial as they relied on each other to heal.
As a way to make Katniss feel better, Peeta planted primroses around the houses in honor of Katniss' sister, Prim. He and Haymitch also helped Katniss with her book that she wrote detailing her experience with the Games. Peeta drew the pictures of the victims so that Panem would never forget them. Katniss continued to grow closer to Peeta and eventually fell in love with him. To her, Peeta symbolized hope, and she needed him to survive.
Peeta and Katniss were in their early 30s during the Hunger Games epilogue. It was revealed that they stayed together and had two children. Peeta stayed by Katniss' side when she went through dark episodes of her ever-lasting trauma. She always worried about the day they would have to tell their kids about the Hunger Games and the events with the Capitol. Peeta assured her that they will share the story together through their memory book. Despite the terror he endured, Peeta never lost his sense of optimism.
The Hunger Games franchise will expand in the near future with Collins' prequel novel. The rights of the film have already been sold so it's likely the world of Panem will return to the big screen. Peeta won't be involved considering the time frame, but it's possible that his Mellark family history could be a focal point.