Picking up where the recently finished The Hunger Games saga took up the YA novel adaptation crown with four films that scored big at the box office and made household names out of its young cast in Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, and future Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence.
Among the love triangles and dystopian settings that have defined the modern YA genre, at the very heart of The Hunger Games lie the numerous and notable betrayals. Katniss's harrowing journey from anonymous District 12 citizen to the symbol of the rebellion as the Mockingjay was a path lined with heartbreak, death, and deception.
Peeta Aligns With District 1 & 2 Tributes
Katniss's first real taste of betrayal comes at the hands of her fellow District 12 tribute, Peeta Mellark. After using her to garner both of them affection and sympathy leading up to the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss discovers Peeta leading the savage Glimmer, Marvel, Clove, and Cato on a hunt for her on the very first day of the games. Although Peeta appears to flip again upon saving a hallucinating Katniss from the very threat he led to her, this is far from the last time his allegiance is questioned.
Cinna's Wedding Dress
One man whose allegiance is never questioned is the Capitol's famed designer and Katniss confidant, Cinna. On the final night before the 75th Hunger Games (otherwise known as the Third Quarter Quell) he makes a powerful and public display of defiance by deg the wedding dress he was ordered by President Snow to make for Katniss, to transform into the rebellious symbol of the Mockingjay.
With a simple twirl from Katniss, Cinna and his design take center stage. This clever act of betrayal is not received kindly by President Snow and ultimately costs Cinna his life.
Plutarch Changes Sides
Unlike Cinna, Plutarch Heavensbee kept his cards close to his chest when it came to dealing with President Snow. As the Game Manager for the 75th Hunger Games, he takes advantage of President Snow's growing obsession with Katniss and easily orchestrates a coordinated extraction plan right under Snow's nose. Plutarch makes it clear from his very first appearance onscreen that he is no fool. Following in the footsteps of the ill-fated Seneca Crane, Plutarch opts to cross Snow before Snow finds an opportunity to get rid of him, emerging as a leader of the rebellion in the process.
Peeta Denounces The Rebellion
After being left behind in the wake of Plutarch's elaborate plan, Peeta reemerges on Capitol TV, much to the relief of Katniss. That relief is short-lived when he comes out against the rebellion, publicly betraying his own district and the rest of the united rebels. Rebels viewing the television appearance from District 13's underground bunker respond to his words with calls of "traitor." Gale surprisingly gives Peeta the benefit of the doubt, claiming that the Capitol made Peeta say those words. But Katniss knows the truth. Peeta is still playing the game.
Former Victors Turn On Each Other
No one knows how to play the game better than former victors of the Hunger Games. Unfortunately, they also don't know when to turn it off. The night before the 75th Hunger Games, each victor tribute takes the stage with host Caesar Flickerman to voice their unhappiness (some subtly, some not so much) at having to participate in another game. They end by all holding hands in solidarity, a display that was so effective it prematurely ended the televised special. But the moment the Quarter Quell begins, they violently turn on each other without hesitation, Katniss and Peeta included.
Katniss Assassinates Coin
In the beginning, Katniss can't even fathom taking another person's life. But by the end of cold-blooded assassin. After the rebels win the war and President Coin seizes power from President Snow, she gathers the surviving victors and proposes two things; the public execution of President Snow, and starting another Hunger Games, this time with the children of the Capitol. Katniss surprisingly agrees, on the condition that she be the one to execute Snow. However, when the time comes, Katniss turns her arrow on Coin, ending the cycle of Hunger Games once and for all.
Gale Breaks His Promise
The love triangle of Katniss, Gale, and Peeta that permeates across all four Hunger Games films comes to an end with Gale's misguided intentions. After the war, in the very mansion that once belonged to President Snow, a devastated Katniss presses Gale on his involvement in the deadly and immoral two-pronged bombing that ended the fighting and killed Katniss's little sister, Primrose. Gale's tearful apology reveals how his pursuit of vengeance resulted in him unknowingly playing a part in Primrose's death. Caught by his own hubris, Gale shatters their shared trust and breaks his promise to protect Katniss's family.
Haymitch Breaks His Promise
Gale is far from the only one who has broken a promise to Katniss. Haymitch also lets her down in a big way, and he was far more purposeful. After Katniss prematurely ends the 75th Hunger Games with an electrically charged arrow that brings down the force field around the arena, she is recovered thanks to Plutarch's plan.
Only after she comes to in the ship does she learn that Haymitch opted to save her instead of Peeta, breaking his vow to value Peeta over her. The fallout of that decision manifests in ways that neither of them can predict.
Peeta Attacks Katniss
The fallout of leaving Peeta behind manifests in an unthinkable way when he shockingly attacks Katniss the moment they're reunited. Captured by the Capitol and used to torture Katniss from afar, Peeta and the other imprisoned victors are saved when Coin orders a covert mission to rescue them from the Capitol. However, the Peeta they bring back is no longer the man who was devoted to Katniss. Brainwashed through experiments with trackerjacker venom, he's transformed into Katniss's sworn enemy, much to her and everyone else's surprise, nearly killing her the moment he lays eyes on her.
Coin Reveals Her True Colors
Coin's wartime deceptions go beyond any other betrayal in the series, resulting in consequences both for Katniss and the world at large. She sends a still unstable Peeta out into the field with Katniss's squadron in the hopes that he will kill Katniss and rid Coin of a symbol she can no longer control. Coin follows up this treachery with a two-pronged bombing at the gates of the Capitol mansion, made to look like a last-ditch attack by President Snow. Coin's attempt to murder Katniss and take control of Panem through abhorrent means seals her own fate in the end.
