Here's Jack Quaid's Hunger Games villain Marvel explained, and why he killed fan-favorite Rue. While it's a bubble that burst relatively quickly, the 2010s were a busy time for movie adaptations of dystopian YA novels. These stories usually featured a young protagonist raised in an oppressive society who comes to realize they possess an inner strength and/or power that could help usher in change. The most famous examples of this YA movie trend include The Maze Runner trilogy and the Divergent series. It was the latter franchise that signaled this genre's popularity was waning, as the weak box-office returns of Divergent: Allegiant in 2016 saw the planned final entry canceled.
The biggest box-office champion of these YA franchises was The Hunger Games films. Based on the bestselling novels by Suzanne Collins, the movie cast Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, a teenager forced to take part in an annual game of death in the country of Panem. The original Hunger Games saw Katniss narrowly survive and in later entries, she became a symbol of hope and rebellion. The movies made a star of Lawrence, and while the series had its faults, it was also quite dark and ambitious for a franchise aimed at younger audiences.
2015's Scream 2022 star, Jack Quaid. The Hunger Games cast the actor as Marvel, a tribute from the wealthy District 1. Befitting his somewhat privileged background, Marvel displayed a sense of entitlement and arrogance during the 74th Hunger Games and was especially deadly with a spear.
Why Jack Quaid's Marvel Killed Rue
Marvel was a "Career Tribute," meaning he had trained his entire life to act as a tribute in the Hunger Games. This could be seen in the movie's training sequences, but while he was viewed as a threat, he was never as menacing as Cato (Alexander Ludwig), the movie's true antagonist. Regardless, once the games begin, Jack Quaid's Marvel is shown to be brutal in dispatching opponents, and he allies with other fighters like Cato and Clove (Isabelle Fuhrman, Orphan: First Kill). Despite this, Katniss and her District 11 ally Rue (Amandla Stenberg) do a good job staying ahead of the Careers group.
This leads to probably the most tragic moment in The Hunger Games, with Marvel trapping Rue to lure Katniss. The latter manages to free Rue from a net, but Marvel emerges from the woods to throw a javelin at her. However, she's swift enough to dodge and - almost by instinct - hits Jack Quaid's Marvel in the chest with an arrow, killing him instantly. Tragically, Marvel's spear did end up hitting Rue, who dies shortly after. In 2021, after a fan brought this up on Twitter, Jack Quaid apologized for "killing" Rue, though he pointed out Marvel died very quickly after doing so.
