Collins also includes a number of familiar faces, as well as heavy references to the original Hunger Games books and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. This ensures that Haymitch's backstory feels connected to the greater story, and it keeps things interesting for longtime fans. Some of the biggest developments from the new prequel involve such nods, though there are other new characters and developments that leave an impression as well.

15 Haymitch Was Friends With Katniss Everdeen's Parents

The Hunger Games Prequel Reveals Their Names

The names and backgrounds of Katniss Everdeen's parents have been a mystery since the first Hunger Games book, but Sunrise on the Reaping finally offers answers. The prequel reveals that Haymitch was once friends with Katniss' father, Burdock, and that he also knew her mother, Asterid. Both Burdock and Asterid make multiple appearances throughout the novel, with the latter showing her healing skills at a young age. Haymitch even comments on their feelings for one another, and the prequel's epilogue mentions Burdock showing off Katniss when she was young.

14 Lenore Dove Is Related To Lucy Gray & Katniss Everdeen

Sunrise On The Reaping Confirmed A Popular Covey Theory

Once Lenore Dove's name surfaced in theory that Katniss and Lucy Gray are related as well. Haymitch notes that Lenore is a Baird, and he also states that she's not "one of Burdock's Everdeen cousins, but I knew he had some distant ones on his mom's side." This means all three of these Hunger Games heroines are connected, if distantly.

13 Haymitch Wasn't Actually Reaped For The 50th Hunger Games

Bad Luck & Timing Got Him Pulled Into The Second Quarter Quell

One of the most surprising revelations from Sunrise on the Reaping is that Haymitch doesn't actually get reaped for the 50th Hunger Games. Wyatt Callow and Woodbine Chance are initially the male tributes called for the second Quarter Quell, but the latter is shot and killed when he makes a run for it. Because Lenore Dove and Haymitch attempt to defend their people from the Peacekeepers, Haymitch is picked to replace Woodbine. It's an interesting detail that gives him yet another thing in common with Katniss Everdeen.

12 Katniss Everdeen’s Mockingjay Pin Has Covey Origins

Tam Amber Made It For The Donners

With Katniss receiving her Mockingjay pin from Maysilee Donner's niece, Madge, it was inevitable that Sunrise on the Reaping would at least mention the item. And the Hunger Games prequel reveals that it has a Covey origin, as the Donners get the pin from Tam Amber. This gives Katniss yet another connection to the Covey, and it fits with the group's interest in birds, and specifically, Mockingjays. Maysilee may not wear the token into the arena, but she's able to shed more light on its backstory.

11 Haymitch Intended To Break The Arena During His Hunger Games

There Was More To The Forcefield Incident & Capitol's Retaliation

When Katniss describes Haymitch's Hunger Games win, it sounds as though he merely used quick thinking to save himself from being killed. This may leave readers wondering why the Capitol punishes him so harshly. But Sunrise on the Reaping reveals that Haymitch has a rebellious streak, as he makes multiple statements against Snow and the Capitol throughout the book. He also goes into the arena planning to break it, with Beetee and Plutarch both pushing him in that direction. This explains why Snow retaliates against Haymitch so severely.

10 Plutarch & The Other Catching Fire Tributes Were Planning A Rebellion Long Before Katniss

The 50th Hunger Games Gives Them Their First Shot At Breaking The Arena

Several familiar characters show up in Sunrise on the Reaping, including Plutarch Heavensbee, Beetee, Wiress, and Mags. All of them seem to have ulterior motives for being involved in the Games. Plutarch is working an agenda from the camera crew, Mags and Wiress help the tributes they're mentoring sneak things in, and Beetee is there because he already struck out against the Capitol and failed. All of these characters are thinking about rebellion long before Katniss Everdeen, and Sunrise on the Reaping sets the stage for their team-up in Catching Fire.

9 Mags & Wiress Are District 12’s Mentors In Sunrise On The Reaping

Haymitch's Games Are Likely Responsible For Their States In Catching Fire

Since Lucy Gray's whereabouts are unknown in Sunrise on the Reaping, Wiress and Mags are charged with mentoring the Quarter Quell's four District 12 tributes. They offer friendly faces and genuine , which is a nice change of pace, given the characters from the Capitol are so hard on the tributes. And since Mags and Wiress help Haymitch, they're punished alongside him. It's implied that they're tortured, which might explain why Mags doesn't speak in Catching Fire and Wiress seems more neurotic during the third Quarter Quell.

8 Beetee’s Son Was Reaped & Killed During The 50th Hunger Games To Punish Him

Ampert Gives Beetee One Of The Most Tragic Backstories

Of all the returning Hunger Games characters, Beetee gets the most tragic backstory in Sunrise on the Reaping. Beetee's son, Ampert, is a tribute alongside Haymitch; Snow sends the boy into the arena as punishment for Beetee messing with the Capitol's communication channels. Beetee being forced to mentor his own son is heartbreaking enough, but Ampert also suffers one of the most gruesome deaths in Sunrise on the Reaping. He's devoured by mutts, though he does go out trying to break the arena alongside Haymitch.

7 Haymitch & Effie Knew Each Other Before She Became District 12’s Escort

Effie Fills In For District 12's True Stylist

Effie is another Hunger Games character who makes an appearance in Sunrise on the Reaping, with the book confirming that she and Haymitch knew each other before she became District 12's escort. With District 12's actual designer being too absent and incompetent to prepare them for events, Effie is called in as backup. Sunrise on the Reaping portrays her as one of the nicer Capitol citizens, even if she ignorantly believes that the Hunger Games are for the "greater good." She and Haymitch have a few touching interactions that set up their later friendship.

6 Louella Dies Before The 50th Hunger Games Even Begin

President Snow Replaces Her With Another Tormented Child

Of the three other District 12 tributes Haymitch accompanies to the Capitol, he's closest with Louella, a younger girl he vows to protect while in the arena. However, in a shocking twist, Louella doesn't actually make it to the Games. She's killed in an accident during the tribute parade through the Capitol, marking Haymitch's first major loss in the Hunger Games prequel. To make matters worse, President Snow replaces her with a lookalike who is eerily trained to perform, follow orders, and spy — though she seems to be a deeply traumatized child from District 11 at her core.