Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes!While Katniss Everdeen is certainly the most famous one there have been many Hunger Games winners in the franchise that highlight the violent history of the competition. In the dystopian world of Panem, the annual Hunger Games competition was started by the Capitol following the end of the First Rebellion as a way to punish the 12 districts that form Panem. Aside from the movie series, the Hunger Games book series by Suzanne Collins has filled in the blanks when it came to the history of Panem’s winners.
Each year, a male and female tribute between the ages of 12 and 18 was chosen from each district to participate in the Hunger Games event forced by the Capitol. They would then be forced into an arena to fight to the death. The lone survivor would go on to become the victor, acquiring a yearly income from the Capitol as well as a special status. Though 75 Hunger Games took place, only 74 were completed. That said, Katniss’ first games featured a special circumstance, meaning there were 74 total victors before the games came to an end. Through the movies and the books, a lot can be revealed about the various Hunger Games winners, how they became victorious, and what happened to them afterward.
Lucy Gray Baird
Years before District 12’s Haymitch Abernathy won the games, 16-year-old Lucy Gray Baird took the honor as the victor in the 10th annual event. Lucy Gray was mentored by Coriolanus Snow, the future president of Panem, which will be the focus of the prequel movie The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The tribute hid for the duration of the games while receiving help from Snow from the outside before poisoning the rest of the participators.
Lucy Gray Baird will be played by Rachel Zegler in the upcoming prequel movie which will explore her relationship with Snow as well as their ultimate breaking apart. It is revealed that Lucy Gray was purposely reaped for the Hunger Games because of her relationship with Mayor Lipp’s daughter’s boyfriend. As she makes plans to escape District 12, Snow attempts to kill her, but it is unclear if he succeeded or if she made it to freedom. Though Lucy Gray is different from Katniss in many ways, she shares that heroic rebellious spirit.
Mags Flanagan
The following year after Lucy Gray Baird’s victory, another female tribute emerged as the Hunger Games winner. Mags Flanagan became the first victor from District 4, living off of nuts and her survival skills by creating fishhooks. She was also the first victor to move to Victor’s Village before serving as a mentor. During the 75th Hunger Games, Mags volunteered in place of Annie Cresta, but she passed away during the event from an acid fog.
Mags was played by Lynn Cohen in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. She was the oldest tribute to fight in the 75th Hunger Games which was made up of past victors. Mags was also very close with fellow District 4 winner Finnick Odair who she mentored and practically raised. During the games, she was unable to move quickly and got carried by Finnick until she decided to sacrifice herself to allow the group to continue.
Beetee & Wiress
Beetee and Wiress were two victors from District 3. Whereas Beetee won by building an electronic trap in the arena, Wiress’ method of winning was unknown. Both former victors were chosen for the 75th Hunger Games where they aligned with Katniss. While both assisted with Katniss’ survival in the Quarter Quell, Wiress died during the event.
In Catching Fire, Beetee is played by Jeffrey Wright while Wiress is played by Amanda Plummer. While Wiress was killed during the games, Beetee managed to survive and was revealed to be a key ally in the Second Rebellion, helping Katniss destroy the forcefield around the arena so they could escape. He returned in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 using a wheelchair due to his injuries in the games and remained a big part of the rebellion.
Haymitch Abernathy
At the age of 16, Haymitch Abernathy was reaped into the Second Quarter Quell and became another District 12 Hunger Games winner. He survived the event due to his various alliances and his skilled knife fighting. In the end, it came down to Haymitch and the District 1 female tribute, but the latter accidentally killed herself by throwing an ax that bounced off of the force field, killing her. As the only living victor from District 12, Haymitch served as the mentor to Katniss and Peeta.
Haymitch is played by Woody Harrelson in all four movies. However, the films cut how Haymitch won his Hunger Games which is an important detail for the character. Having discovered the forcefield around the arena, Haymitch used it to defeat his final opponent. President Snow was angered by this and had all of Haymitch’s loved ones killed when he returned from the games. This sent him into a downward spiral of alcohol for many years but also inspired his pivotal role in the Second Rebellion.
Finnick Odair
Finnick Odair won the 65th Hunger Games when he was just 14 years old. As a male tribute from District 4, he was mentored by Mags. He was already skilled in fighting but the use of a trident in the arena led to his big win, as did the various gifts sent by sponsors. Like Mags, Finnick participated in the Third Quarter Quell and made an alliance with Katniss. Finnick is played by Sam Clafin when the character was introduced in Catching Fire. After allying with Katniss and the others in the 75th games, Finnick was rescued and became part of the rebellion. Sadly, Finnick was killed off in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 during the attack on the Capitol.
Johanna Mason
Johanna Mason, a tribute from District 7, was the 71st Hunger Games winner. She pretended to be weak so she wasn’t viewed as a threat, but when the opportunity arose, Johanna attacked with fierce intensity. Being from the lumber district, she was skilled with ax-wielding. Johanna was reaped in the Third Quarter Quell since she was the only living female tribute from her district.
Johanna was played by Jenna Malone in the movies. As Katniss was key to the rebellion, Johanna was recruited to help her survive the 75th games and to facilitate her rescue. While Johanna succeeded in her mission, she was captured along with Peeta. After being tortured by the Capitol, Johanna was freed by the rebel forces and later joined them when she recovered. She managed to survive and presumably return to District 7.
Katniss Everdeen & Peeta Mellark
Whereas Peeta Mellark was reaped into the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen volunteered in place of her little sister. Both tributes from District 12 survived deep into the games before reuniting. Katniss had her archery skills while Peeta was skilled in camouflage. As the last two tributes, the pair made a suicide pact until the Gamemaker announced that they could share the victory. Katniss and Peeta returned as tributes in the Third Quarter Quell.
Jennifer Lawrence plays Katniss in the movies while Peeta is played by Josh Hutcherson. The fabricated romance between Katniss and Peeta was a popular narrative among the public and a big reason why they survived the games. While the games were used by President Snow to keep the districts in line, Katniss became a symbol within the games which was ultimately used to bring down Snow and the Capitol.
Other Known Hunger Games Winners
Woof (unknown games): District 8 male who hid during the entire event. He joined the 75th Hunger Games in his 70s and quickly died.
Seeder (unknown games): District 11 female who outlived opponents by going without food. She was in her 60s during the 75th Hunger Games and died during the Cornucopia fight at the beginning.
Porter Millicent Tripp (38th Hunger Games): District 5 female who won despite a serious spinal cord injury. She was in her mid-50s and avoided the 75th games, but as she is not present among the surviving Hunger Games winners for President Cion’s vote of the final Hunger Games, she presumably died during the Second Rebellion.
Chaff (45th Hunger Games): District 11 male who won with his brute power while fighting. He was in his mid-40s when he fought in the 75th Hunger Games. He made it late into the games but was killed by Brutus.
Brutus (unknown games): District 2 male career tribute. He was in his late 40s during the 75th Hunger Games and was killed by Peeta.
Lyme (unknown games): District 2 female career tribute. She was a middle-aged victor by the time the 75th Hunger Games began, and while she was not reaped, she was part of the rebellion afterward.
Blight (unknown games): District 7 male who used an axe to win his event. He was in his 30s during the 75th Hunger Games when he was killed after running into the forcefield.
Cecelia (unknown games): District 8 female that used intelligence and sword fighting. She was a mother in her 30s by the time she was repeaed in the 75th Hunger Games where she was killed in the opening massacre at the Cornucopia.
Enobaria (62nd Hunger Games): District 2 female career tribute that had sharpened teeth to rip competitors’ throats out. She was in her mid to late teens when first reaped and is in her late 20s or early 30s during the 75th Hunger Games. Though she fought against Katniss and her allies in the games, she was rescued by the rebels and joined them.
Gloss (63rd Hunger Games): District 1 male career tribute who had knife-throwing skills and was in his mid to late teens when he won. He returned in his late 20s for the 75th Hunger Games where he was killed by Katniss.
Cashmere (64th Hunger Games): District 1 female career tribute who was also skilled in knife-throwing. She joined the 75th Hunger Games in her late 20s and was killed by Johanna.
Augustus Baun (67th Hunger Games): District 1 male career tribute. He was not reaped in the 75th Hunger Games but died sometime during the Second Rebellion.
Annie Cresta (70th Hunger Games): District 4 female who won due to her swimming skills. She was in her early 20s when the 75th Hunger Games took place but was spared. She later married Finnick and had his child after he is killed.
District 2 Has The Most Victors
Out of all the Hunger Games winners that are known in the movies and books, it is clear one district rises above the others. As the entire list of winners is not known, judging by the information known, it appears that District 12 has the most Hunger Games victors with five in total. That isn’t surprising given that they produce “Career Tributes” along with District 1 which has three victors and District 3, which has two winners. District 12 has the most prominent victors with Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch, and Lucy Gray making up its four winners. As for the rest, District 4 has three while Districts 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 have two each.
Other Facts About The Hunger Games Winners
Although not all 74 winners are mentioned or known to readers and viewers throughout the series, there are some intriguing facts about certain winners that help them stand out. As noted, District 2 having the most winners is important, as are the prominent winners from District 12. However, Finnick Odair is notable more than just being a main character as he is also the youngest winner in history, doing so at just 14. Another District 4 winner, Mags, made history as the first winner to embark on the Victory Tour that became a staple afterward.
Gloss and Cashmere won in consecutive years and were both from District 1, which is the only time that a District had repeat winners in back-to-back years (though District 12 was likely to do so in the 75th games). Gloss and Cashmere are also the only sibling winners in Hunger Games history. District 12 also had the distinction of having three previous winners still living by the end of the war in Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch.
