The Missouri Ozarks—as portrayed in the Netflix series Ozark—seems like the perfect location to stage the annual Hunger Games. Everything appears calm and quiet but plenty of killing, scheming, and backstabbing happens on a daily basis. And just like in Panem, obstacles keep on popping up while the stakes keep getting higher.
If the main characters of Ozark get picked during “The Reaping” event, they’d definitely provide plenty of entertainment for the wealthy citizens of the Capitol. Predicting who is more likely to win can be challenging but an analysis of the characters’ history and dispositions can enable an audience member to make accurate bets.
Charlotte
Charlotte mirrors the fearful and unwilling tributes of the Hunger Games. She isn’t too happy about being forced to leave her comfortable life in Chicago to come to the Missouri Ozarks. She spends her days complaining and criticizing her parents. She even attempts to leave the family at one point.
As the games approach, Charlotte will be selected during the “reaping” but won’t be too happy about it. She’ll keep complaining during her time in the Justice Center and the Training Building. As soon as she steps out of the Launch Room, she might just refuse to participate and try to find an escape route out of the arena only to be killed by the Gamemakers for disobedience.
Sue Shelby
The Byrdes start seeing the therapist Sue after being advised (or rather ordered) to do so by Charlotte. Things are easy for Sue when Marty is the only one bribing her to favor him but when Wendy does the same, she becomes confused and confesses to each of them.
The fact that Sue accepts bribes from both of them means she is likely to grab more weapons and supplies at the Cornucopia than she can handle. She’ll thus have a hard time moving and fighting. Her decision to buy a bright yellow McLaren after blackmailing Marty and Wendy is also problematic. It means she has no idea how not to draw attention. She’ll make herself too visible in the arena and put a target on her back.
Del
Del qualifies to be a Career Tribute. As a cartel enforcer, he has lived all his life anticipating situations like this. He throws Wendy’s lover Gary Sugarwood out of a skyscraper window and murders Marty’s colleagues in a ruthless manner. Such a penchant for violence will earn him a couple of kills in the arena.
Career Tributes are known to be arrogant and too confident in their abilities hence they always get killed when they least expect it. Such a fate befalls Del when he is shot by Darlene during a meeting for calling her a redneck. In the arena, Del is also likely to get killed by a member he has formed an alliance with or by a random tribute that he underestimates.
Wendy Byrde
Wendy is conniving but careless. Marty easily finds out about her affair and even acquires her sex tape. Her lack of discretion and impulsive decision to run away gets her lover killed by Del. When she starts laundering money with Marty, she gets carried away and begins making decisions without him.
Her efforts to try and sideline Marty by aligning with the sly Helen highlight a major weakness. She’ll make an uninformed choice that will lead to her death. Stepping on a trap? Eating the poisonous nightlock berries? Either of those will be the cause of her demise.
Helen
Helen feels a lot like the Head Gamemaker Seneca Crane from the movies. She is only supposed to oversee things but she gets too carried away by her power and attempts to take over the casino business. Her actions anger Navarro, who kills her.
If Helen is a tribute in the arena, she’ll punch above her weight and get eliminated. If she is in the Gamemaker’s lounge at the Capitol as a supervisor, she will anger her boss in the same manner that Crane angered President Snow. She will thus be executed as punishment.
Ruth Langmore
Ruth is almost undoubtedly the best character in the series, thanks to her no-nonsense attitude and cool quotes. However, she makes mistakes frequently. She helps Ben get out of a psychiatric facility only for him to end up getting killed. She is also indecisive as she keeps on aligning with Marty, then declaring war against him.
Her indecision might be seen early on in the games as she won’t know whether to make a run to safer ground or focus on acquiring more supplies from the Cornucopia. She might be lucky enough to get out of this stage with only a wound but her daredevilry will make her confront a Wolf or Monkey Mutt instead of fleeing. The outcome will be a sad one.
Jonah
Jonah is as smart as his parents. He also has the courage and composure required to reach the final stages of the games. He protects his home by confronting a cartel hitman with a gun. He later goes to the cartel lawyer Helen’s house with a gun to kill her after learning about Ben’s death. His skills with weapons are further seen when he fires a gun to impress a girl.
Given how good he is with weapons, Jonah will survive the early bloodbath at the Cornucopia and make his way to the forest where he will eliminate several tributes and mutts. Unlike his sister, Jonah adapts very quickly to life in the Ozarks after leaving Chicago and he’ll feel right at home in the arena too after being plucked from his home district. Only something extreme like a fireball shot by the Gamemakers will kill him.
Omar Navarro
There is a reason why the overarching antagonist survives the deadly Mexico cartel wars. He is extra careful. He tortures Marty and plays mind games with him in order to make sure he is loyal. He has Helen whacked when he realizes her mind is deviating from the course.
Navarro also qualifies as a Career Tribute from either Districts 1, 2, or 4. Career Tributes love recruiting ordinary tributes with superior skills and just as Navarro relies on Marty in the series, he is likely to rely on him in the arena too. The two will advance to the final stages before Marty outsmarts him and wins.
Darlene Snell
Darlene might be disgustingly evil but her record is phenomenal. She has more kills than America’s infamous serial killers. She shoots a feared cartel enforcer, poisons her husband Jacob with cyanide, and performs a jungle caesarian section on the wife of an enemy, leaving her dead. She also causes the death of 22 junkies and shoots the son of a mob boss in the testicles.
In the arena, Darlene will be like a kid in a bouncing castle. She’ll be murdering and wounding fellow tributes using knives, arrows, and everything at her disposal. She’ll fight her way through all the tough obstacles until she is outsmarted by someone who relies on brains instead of force.
Marty Byrde
The pilot episode has enough proof that Marty will last long. As Del murders his colleagues, Marty remains calm and gives him an offer he can’t refuse. Any other person would have sat nervously as they wait to be killed or beg for their life using a cliche sentence such as: “Please don’t kill me, I have a family!” Later in the series, Marty also convinces Navarro to spare his life.
Marty is not only too bright to die but he also values his life more than anyone else in the series. In the arena, he’ll not only anticipate all attacks but he’ll also do a good job of convincing fellow tributes not to kill him. Just as he is able to dodge and play the authorities in the series, he’ll always figure out how to hide, find food and treat injuries. Marty for the win!
