The Hunger Games' Real MVP Is Finnick

The Big Picture

• Finnick Odair is a standout supporting character in The Hunger Games franchise, with a well-rounded personality and a significant role in the story.
• Despite facing unimaginable horrors and exploitation, Finnick remains kind and loving, especially towards his mentor Mags and his true love Annie Cresta.
• Finnick's tragic story serves as a reminder of the cruelty and oppression in Panem, but also showcases the power of love and kindness in the face of adversity.

When it comes to the tsunami of YA dystopias that took over the entertainment world in the early 2010s, The Hunger Games is truly a standout. Not only does the series originally created by author Suzanne Collins feature likable protagonists with well-defined personalities, the world of Panem is also the most palpable of the fictional universes of franchises like The Maze Runner and Divergent. In fact, a star-studded prequel movie, The Hunger Games: Ballad of Singbirds and Snakes is set to give us an origin story for the franchise's antagonist, President Snow. When it comes to making The Hunger Games a memorable and enjoyable work of cinema and/or literature, a lot of the heavy lifting is done by the series’ supporting characters. And in a cast made up of so many unforgettable personalities such as Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) and Rue (Amandla Stenberg), Sam Claflin’s Finnick Odair stands out as the most significant and well-rounded character.

The Hunger Games

Katniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games: a televised competition in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to fight to the death.

Who Is Sam Claflin’s Finnick Odair in 'The Hunger Games'?

At a first glance, it might seem a little daring to call Finnick Odair the best supporting character in the entire Hunger Games franchise. Are we really putting a secondary tribute over the likes of adorable, tragic Rue, or nihilistic, alcoholic mentor Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson)? What about Effie, a character so well-liked that she even got her role expanded in the movies? Even among other Quarter Quell tributes, doesn’t Finnick pale in comparison with Jena Malone’s ruthless Johanna Mason? Well, the answer is actually... no! And if you think so, perhaps you need a refresher on just how important Finnick Odair is. His story is the perfect encapsulation of the horrors of the Capitol and the Hunger Games, while at the same time, being a reminder that love and kindness can be found even in the direst of circumstances.

A victor from District 4, Finnick Odair makes his first appearance in the Hunger Games movies (and books) in the second installment of the series, Catching Fire. Odair is one of the 24 victors selected for the Third Quarter Quell, a very special edition of the annual Hunger Games. In a move that is seen as a violation of Panem’s already frail and uneven social contract, victors from all 12 districts are taken back to the arena and forced to once again endure the torments that they believed themselves to be free of. After all, winning the Hunger Games should mean that you would never again have to go through reaping ceremonies nor participate in the Capitol’s twisted reality show. However, after the stunt pulled by Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) in the 74th Hunger Games, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) comes up with this devious all-stars edition of the games in order to damage former tributes’ morale and quench rebellion.

It doesn’t work. The Third Quarter Quell is interrupted by a hovercraft from District 13 sent to retrieve Katniss and other valuable assets to President Coin’s (Julianne Moore) rebellion. Finnick is an instrumental part of this plan, aiding Katniss in the destruction of the arena. He’s rescued alongside Katniss and Beetee (Jeffrey Wright) and taken to District 13, where he contributes his knowledge about the comings and goings of the Capitol to the rebellion.

President Snow Took Advantage of Finnick

To understand where Finnick Odair’s intel comes from, one must first learn of his background. Finnick became a victor almost a decade before Katniss and Peeta, in the 65th Hunger Games. Hailing from one of Panem’s wealthiest districts, Finnick was a career tribute, which means that he trained from a young age to participate in the games and went into the arena out of his own volition. At the time, he was 14 years old. Good-looking, charming, and extremely skillful, Finnick quickly became a favorite among the people of the Capitol, receiving numerous gifts from viewers. The most impressive of all was a trident inspired by his background as a kid from a fishing district.

As most career tributes, Finnick believed that his life as a victor would be free of the pain and humiliation inflicted by the Capitol upon the people of Panem. Alas, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. After winning the games, Finnick was forced into prostitution by President Snow. He was blackmailed into going out with wealthy citizens of the Capitol for the safety of his loved ones, such as his District 4 sweetheart and fellow victor Annie Cresta (Stef Dawson). This exploitation was disguised in the media as Finnick simply being a Don Juan who took many partners during his visits to the Capitol. Behind the scenes, however, he was forced to have sex with men and women well beyond his years in exchange for politically valuable secrets.

Finnick's Story Captures the Horrors of the Capitol in 'The Hunger Games'

Finnick died at the hands of human-lizard mutts during the raid on President Snow’s home in Mockingjay Part 2. Torn apart by the creatures, he was finally granted a quick death when Katniss ordered a Holo device to self-destruct, taking down the room in which Finnick was being ravaged to death. In the Mockingjay book, things played out a little differently, with Finnick getting his head ripped off before Katniss has the chance to save him. Either way, it’s a tragic death for a young man who had already led such a tragic life.

Finnick’s tragedy begins with the fact that, as a career tribute, he believed in the Capitol’s propaganda. Unlike Katniss, who grew up fully aware of just how hard life can be for the people of Panem’s Districts, regardless of who they were, Finnick came from a relatively wealthy background and was taught that winning the Hunger Games was not only an honor, but a recipe for happiness and stability. But, in the end, all he got from becoming a victor was more misery and pain. The betrayal of his trust began way before the Third Quarter Quell: it started when his hope for a happy life was killed by President Snow and the Capitol’s exploitation of him.

In a sense, Finnick’s story is a perfect summary of the cruelty of a system in which people — particularly, children — are seen as things. For all intents and purposes, young Finnick was a model citizen of Panem: he believed in the games, he did his best, and he won. However, this didn’t save him from being repeatedly raped nor from facing constant threats to his life and the lives of the ones he loved. His story is a reminder that, in Panem, unless you are among the Capitol’s elite, there is nothing you can do to escape oppression — apart, of course, from taking the system down.

Finnick Manages To Find Room for Love and Kindness in ‘The Hunger Games'

It’s this harsh reality that eventually leads Finnick to join the rebellion. However, even though he is hardened by seeing Panem’s ugliest face, he never loses touch with his tender side. Both in the movies and in the books, Finnick is an incredibly kind man, especially towards his elderly former mentor and fellow Quarter Quell tribute, Mags (Lynn Cohen). Though his relationship with her isn’t all that developed on screen, all scenes between Claflin and Cohen exude love and respect. And Finnick carrying Mags on his back around the arena as if they were Luke (Mark Hamill) and Yoda (Frank Oz)? Even with all the horrifying things happening around them, we must admit that it is quite moving.

Finnick is also a loyal friend to Katniss and Johanna, whom he acts as a mentor to throughout various Games. However, his most important relationship is with his one true love, Annie Cresta. A District 4 victor from the 70th Games, Annie lost her mind after witnessing her fellow tribute get beheaded in the arena, an event that drove her to isolation and insanity. Still, Finnick never let go of her, and it is when he reads her a poem on national television that his womanizer facade starts to break. Finnick suffers immensely when he hears Annie’s screams coming out of a jabberjay’s mouth in the arena, and then he suffers again upon learning that Annie is among the former tributes who are being tortured by the Capitol after the abrupt end of the Third Quarter Quell. When the two are finally reunited, they get married in a simple, but lovely ceremony capable of bringing tears to the eyes of even the most hardened of fans. Later on, he and Annie have a son, but Finnick doesn't live to meet the baby.

Finnick and Annie’s love story stands in parallel and in contrast with that of Katniss and Peeta. Much like the tributes from District 12, Finnick and Annie fell in love under dire circumstances, and it is hard to say whether their love would have flourished the same way in a fairer world. However, while Katniss and Peeta’s relationship is strenuous, mostly due to Katniss’ trauma and her inability to see the soft spots of such a hard world, Finnick and Annie’s love comes easy. The horrors they face aren’t a barrier for their love, but something they must face together, as a team. In the end, their story serves as a lesson for both Katniss and the viewers that fighting oppression with anger alone is a lot harder than doing it with love on our side.

The Hunger Games is available to stream on Peacock in the U.S.

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