When Katniss isn't busy fighting the powers that be, she spends much of The Hunger Games movies being torn between her feelings for Gale and Peeta. With all the focus on these two guys, however, the opportunities for other routes of romance in Katniss's life are easily overlooked.
Fans can have a field day playing with the idea of what might have been if Katniss fell for another character in the movies--and if one looks closely enough, such fantasies aren't so far-fetched. One could argue that there is potential for sparks between Katniss and several others--but at the end of the day, was there really any option other than Peeta? It's certainly fun to consider it.
10 Gale
Gale is, of course, the obvious Peeta alternative. He has known Katniss their entire lives, and he is the one she trusts to take care of her family when she volunteers to replace Prim in The Games--but should this have been enough for her to stay with Gale?
Gale certainly cares for Katniss, but in the end, some key differences in their values came out--a ruthlessness and lack of empathy for the 'enemy', on Gale's part--which causes their union to seem less realistic.
9 It Was Always Peeta: They Have Roots
Peeta snuck his way into Katniss's affections in a way nobody else could. From the day fans get a glimpse at the tension between the two at the reaping and Katniss has a flashback to when Peeta threw bread to her in the street, it's clear there are deep roots there.
Granted, she's known Gale just as long, but their relationship was never quite as complex.
8 Johanna
Johanna and Katniss have an odd dynamic. The first time Katniss spends a substantial amount of time with her is when Johanna undresses in front of her, Haymitch and Peeta in an elevator, after all.
Johanna always plays a little hard to get with Katniss, openly critiquing her in ways others don't, but under this verbal rough-housing is always a quiet understanding that the two respect one another, and the quality they share of always saying things how they are is what could make them work.
7 It Was Always Peeta: He's Gentle
Katniss has a hard exterior. She becomes known in the films for being someone that isn't easy to cozy up to or be friends with at all.
At first, Peeta's more open, soft personality throws her off and even irritates her, but it eventually becomes the reason that Katniss is able to access the more vulnerable parts of herself, too, and to appreciate this about Peeta in a way no one else has allowed her to.
6 Finnick
Finnick and Katniss's first meeting is charged with sexual energy.
Finnick could easily be acting, as fans later realize that he has been forced to live life as a sex worker in the capital under the pressure of Snow's insistence, but at the same time, it wouldn't have been terribly surprising if Finnick adopted a real crush on Katniss and chose to defend her in The Games for the same inclinations as Peeta--affection.
5 It Was Always Peeta: He Proves Himself
Katniss grows due to Peeta's vulnerability, allowing her to also be vulnerable and to let him into her life in a more meaningful way, but she also becomes drawn to him because he proves that he is reliable.
Peeta insists on joining Katniss in the Quarter Quell simply because he wants to be there on the off chance he can help her win. She knows she can rely on him to always put her first, even above himself.
4 Cinna
There is an undeniably special intimacy between Katniss and her stylist, Cinna. He looks at her with appreciation and adoration the moment he meets her in the first movie, and from then on a subtle sort of love persists between them that is tangible in every scene they share.
It would not be surprising to find that the two harbored a true romantic love for one another all along--or if, in more peaceful times, they might have realized they had one.
3 It Was Always Peeta: He's Strong
Peeta is physically strong, but what Katniss values in him most is his emotional strength. Katniss has faced great trauma and has trouble processing her emotions. She can't handle people who crumble under pressure or who live life timidly.
Peeta is just as tough as Katniss, and by fighting beside her and unflinchingly supporting her in weakness, he truly stands as the strongest person she could be with.
2 Haymitch
Perhaps an unlikely choice for some viewers, Haymitch actually isn't such a far-fetched romantic option for Katniss.
They come from the same district, they both hate niceties and conventions, and, perhaps most importantly, Haymitch is the only other person from district 12 who has experienced The Games, making him the only one besides Peeta who knows Katniss's past and the greatest trauma of her life.
1 It Was Always Peeta: He's Reliable
In the end, what breaks Katniss from everyone else for good is the fact that she has the most thorough history with Peeta, and that even when he has been brainwashed to hate her, he works through it and comes back to her again.
Peeta is the most reliable person Katniss could be with, as he has proved to her again and again. Everyone else has their own separate agendas, but for Peeta, it was always only Katniss.
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August 26, 2020 at 05:30AM
