Summary
- Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist of The Hunger Games, killed five named characters throughout the franchise, including Glimmer, Marvel, Cato, Gloss, and President Coin.
- The act of taking lives took a toll on Katniss, and she often experienced nightmares and guilt over the deaths she caused.
- Katniss's killings were often acts of self-defense or protecting her loved ones, but she also played a crucial role in the rebellion against the oppressive Capitol.
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) racked up quite the kill list during her journey featured in The Hunger Games film series. Based on the book trilogy by Suzanne Collins, the YA tale was adapted into four movie installments. When Katniss was 16 years old, she was forced to partake in a competition that consisted of 24 young district citizens fighting to the death for the Capitol's amusement. The Hunger Games were a Panem tradition, meant to remind the 12 districts of their allegiance to the Capitol, and meant to signify the punishments they could receive if they didn't fall in line. In a short span, Katniss was thrust into two Hunger Games and a full-blown rebellion.
Before serving as a tribute in the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss was a survivalist from District 12. As an avid hunter, Katniss would often travel out of the boundaries with her best friend, Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth), to acquire food for her family. As the primary caregiver for her mother and sister, Katniss put a lot of pressure on herself to keep them alive. If someone she cared for was injured or killed, she had no qualms when it came to retaliating with deadly force. Despite that, Katniss didn't relish violence like some other Hunger Games tributes. The act of taking people's lives took a great toll on Katniss. She found support in others who encountered similar situations, primarily Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), her eventual husband. Katniss personally killed five named characters in The Hunger Games franchise.
Glimmer
Played by Leven Rambin
Glimmer was a Career Tribute from District 1 that competed with Katniss and Peeta in the 74th Hunger Games. By traveling the arena with the "Career pack," the 17-year-old had a good chance at survival. The group preyed on the weaker tributes before encountering Katniss, chasing her up a tree. Despite her advanced training, Glimmer wasn't skilled with her bow and arrows.
The tributes then camped out below the tree to wait for Katniss to come down. Instead, Katniss cut down a branch housing a nest of mutts known as tracker jackers. The deadly insects attacked the group, including Glimmer. Due to her multitude of stings, Glimmer encountered a slow and painful death. After killing the dangerous opponent, Katniss took her bow to use as her signature weapon. In the books, the tracker jackers also killed the female tribute from District 4, but the movies didn't showcase that. This first person killed by Katniss greatly affected her, but it would actually be the second kill that would give her nightmares.
Marvel
Played by Jack Quaid
Glimmer's District 1 partner, Marvel, also fell victim to Katniss in the arena. The fellow Career tribute was highly skilled with a spear, which he used to kill during the Cornucopia bloodbath. As a member of the "Career pack," Marvel was present when Katniss unleashed a hive of tracker jackers on her enemies.
Following the event, Katniss allied with Rue. The pair orchestrated a plan to destroy the supplies of the pack, which was successful. Sadly, Marvel tracked down Rue by trapping her in a net. When Katniss tried to cut her down, Marvel threw his spear, killing Rue in the process. Katniss instantly avenged her friend's death by shooting Marvel in the chest with an arrow. It's Marvel's death that continues to haunt Katniss after the Hunger Games. She has recurring nightmares about shooting him, likely because of the trauma of taking his life, but also because it's tangled up in her feelings of guilt for Rue dying at his hand while she wasn't there.
Cato
Played by Alexander Ludwig
Cato was arguably the most dangerous competitor in the 74th Hunger Games. Not only was he a Career Tribute from District 2, but he was also absolutely ruthless. As one of the strongest opponents, Cato quickly emerged as Katniss' biggest adversary. He seemed to be one of the few tributes not to underestimate the female from District 12. After the tracker jacker incident, Cato sent Marvel to target Rue. The District 2 male then became the last one standing aside from Katniss and Peeta.
The District 12 pair eventually took refuge atop the Cornucopia when they fled from wolf-like Mutts. It was there that they encountered Cato, who held Peeta in a headlock, threatening to pull the other tribute to his death if Katniss shot an arrow. Despite his intent, Katniss managed to shoot Cato in the hand, allowing Peeta to throw the tribute to the Mutts below. Out of mercy, Katniss put another arrow in Cato's head so that he would have a quick death. His quick death is actually another change from the books as Katniss avoided shooting him again for a long time, believing the Mutts would kill him quickly. After she and Peeta listened to him suffer, she took pity on him and launched an arrow at him.
Gloss
Played by Alan Ritchson
After killing three tributes in the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss only took the life of one fellow competitor in the Third Quarter Quell featured in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Her first and only victim in the 75th Hunger Games was Gloss, the previous victor from District 1. The Career Tribute was specifically skilled in throwing knives. During the bloodbath surrounding the Cornucopia, Katniss hit Gloss with an arrow in his calf. He survived and killed Katniss' ally, Wiress, by slitting her throat while she was on the beach.
Katniss witnessed the event and quickly shot him in the chest with an arrow. He died almost instantly, and his sister, Cashmere, was the next victim in the Games. The event very much mirrored Katniss' experience in her first Hunger Games. Katniss wanted Wiress and Mags as allies in the arena, two people that other previous victors didn't see value in. Just as she allied with Rue, a young girl that the other tributes wouldn't have seen as a threat, Katniss chose people who might have been underdogs in her second Hunger Games. She also watched them all die right in front of her. Rue and Wiress' deaths, however, came with the threat of another tribute coming toward her, so Katniss reacted with her bow and arrow.
Capitol Bombers
No known actors played these roles
In The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, Katniss' portrayal as the "Mockingjay" was used as the focus of various forms of propaganda shown in Panem. Her first propaganda footage was filmed when she and her team visited a hospital in District 8. When President Snow saw the footage, he ordered an airstrike on the specific district. The ambush specifically targeted the hospital, killing every citizen inside.
Katniss and Gale fought back, successfully shooting down bombers inside two Capitol hovercrafts that carried out the attacks. The event was also filmed, which featured Katniss proclaiming, "If we burn, you burn with us." The message lit another fire in the Second Rebellion, causing other districts to revolt. It also cemented the perception of her as Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire.
Peacekeepers And Capitol Citizens
Played by stunt performers
During the Battle of the Capitol, Katniss and the "Star Squad" led an assault on President's Snow forces. The Capitol's defenses were primarily made up of Peacekeepers. As the rebel squad pushed on, Katniss killed some of the Peacekeepers as the fighting raged on. Some of the Capitol civilians fell victim to being stuck in the middle of the conflict. In some instances, Capitol citizens joined in on the battle. At one point, Katniss had no choice but to shoot a Capitol woman with an arrow during the assault.
Alma Coin
Played by Julianne Moore
Following the rebels' win in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, District 13's Alma Coin took over as the president. She made sure to keep Snow alive so that Katniss could personally execute him. Before that could happen, he told Katniss that the bombing that killed innocent civilians, including her sister Prim, was ordered by Coin. To make matters worse, Coin planned to have one final Hunger Games event with Capitol children. This information made Katniss realize that someone like Coin might be no better than Snow, and that the people needed someone with their best interests in mind, not the power they could hold and the vengeance they could enact.
Instead of killing Snow at the public execution, Katniss shot an arrow at President Coin, assassinating the new leader so Panem wouldn't fall into the control of another sadistic leader. The murder of Coin was followed by Snow's demise at the hands of the public, serving as the final major death in The Hunger Games film series.
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The Hunger Games
- Created by:
- Suzanne Collins
- First Film:
- The Hunger Games
- Cast:
- Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Lenny Kravitz, Willow Shields, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Jason Schwartzman
- Movie(s):
- The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
