Marvel

"As I try to avoid looking at his family, I learn that his name was Marvel. How did I never know that? I suppose that before the Games I didn't pay attention and afterwards I didn't want to know."

- Katniss Everdeen about Marvel

Marvel was the male tribute from District 1 in the 74th Hunger Games.

The 74th Hunger Games


Marvel was the male tribute from District 1 in the 74th Hunger Games. As a Career Tribute, Marvel was strong and ruthless, yet overconfident. It is also mentioned by Katniss that he might have not been the smartest. It is unknown if he volunteered or was reaped for the Games. He presumably trained for the Games like most tributes from his district.

During the opening ceremonies, he and his district partner, Glimmer, were spray painted silver and were wearing tunics. In the movie, Glimmer and Marvel wore fuchsia outfits belted out in sequins and feathers, representing their district export, luxury goods. Katniss points out that they both looked gorgeous.

Training
During training in the film, he saw Peeta's weakness and viewed him as a "meal" until Peeta's true strength was revealed, leaving him and the other Careers surprised. He showed great skill at spear throwing, that made him deadly at a distance. He received a training score of 9. In the film, he was given the odds of 5-1, just like Clove.

During his interview with Caesar Flickerman, he wore a blue suit with matching trousers, and was obviously trying to be funny, but his interview tactic is unknown.

Bloodbath
When the gong rang, he ran to the Cornucopia to battle for supplies like most of the other tributes. He spotted the District 8 male as he was about to either punch or attack him, but Marvel grabbed a dagger, tripped him, and slit his throat in the process. He then repeatedly stabbed him with his dagger. While Cato killed the District 6 male he is shown still stabbing the District 8 male. Also, later in the bloodbath he was shown walking away from him. He tried to steal a throwing axe from the District 3 male, but the tribute held on to it causing him to sling his backpack into his face, making him let go. He was able to take the axe. Next he saw the District 7 female on the ground, so he grabbed a spear and speared her in the heart. He is known to have killed the District 10 female by throwing a spear into her chest. In the bonus features he was shown also stabbing another male tribute.

Alliance
Marvel, along with Glimmer, Cato, Clove, Peeta Mellark, the District 3 male (after the tracker jacker attack), and the District 4 female (book), form a typical alliance which includes two non-Careers (Peeta and the District 3 male).

Marvel helped the Careers chase Katniss Everdeen up a tree. It appears in the film he noticed her before any of his fellow careers do by yelling 'There she is!' Realizing that it will be difficult to attack her, he and the other Careers form a camp below her. While in her tree, Katniss sees Rue, the female tribute from District 11, in a nearby tree. Rue points out a tracker jacker nest hanging near her which Katniss manages to drop onto the Careers, forcing them to flee to the nearby lake.

After Marvel and the other Careers recovered from their tracker jacker injuries, they began to hunt for tributes again. When Katniss and Rue formed their plan to destroy the supplies, Rue made a fire as a decoy. The Careers were then distracted by the fire and took off to kill the tribute who started it. Marvel and the others set out to find Rue, but after the supplies were destroyed by land mines set up from the District 3 boy, Marvel watched Cato snap the District 3 boy's neck. Marvel and Clove were able to calm Cato down and told him that the one who destroyed their supplies was probably killed as well in the explosion. They wait for night to see the faces of those who were killed and find that the tribute did not die. Marvel, Cato, and Clove then set out to hunt the other tributes.

Death
Marvel sets a trap which Rue accidentally runs into while searching for Katniss. As Rue screams for help, Katniss reaches her and cuts the net. Marvel throws a spear and Katniss luckily dodges it, but it hits Rue in her abdomen. Then Katniss hits him with an arrow before he could pull another spear to defend himself.

He attempted to remove the arrow by pulling it out, but had already lost too much blood to survive, (the impact could have also damaged his jugular), and as Katniss put it, he drowned in his own blood. Overall, Marvel placed 8th out of 24, which was higher than his female counterpart, Glimmer.

In the film, he is shot in the heart, in addition, his killing of Rue is almost accidental, as he throws the spear at Katniss, who sidesteps to grab her bow and arrows so she can shoot him, and the spear hits Rue instead. But both resulted in the deaths of Rue and himself.

Mutts
When the wolf muttations of the fallen tributes appeared chasing Cato, Marvel's was one of the pack, with brown fur and being particularly taller and skinnier than the other mutts. It is unknown if the muttation of Marvel survived the battle between the pack and Cato, Peeta, and Katniss.

Catching Fire
In Catching Fire, Katniss and Peeta go to District 1 on their victory tour. Katniss learns his name was Marvel. She also wonders how she couldn't have known his name and feels ashamed because of this. Katniss also feels uncomfortable, as she was responsible for the deaths of both Marvel and Glimmer. She spots his family, and she tries to not look them in the eye.

Victims
In the book, his most notable victim was Rue. In the film, he kills Rue the same way in the book, but throws his spear into her abdomen after Katniss cuts her out of the net. He also seemed to have been aiming the spear at Katniss, until she dodged it and shot him in the heart. In the film, Marvel in shown to kill a considerable amount of tributes in the Bloodbath. After the District 9 male attempts to stab or punch Marvel, Marvel slashes his throat with his dagger, throws him onto the ground, and then uses a dagger to stab him to death. He is also known to have killed the District 10 female by spearing her in the chest inside the cornucopia. He also kills the District 7 female by skewering her in the heart with a spear as she attempts to crawl away.

Personality


Marvel was diplomatic, successfully tempering Cato's rage and calming him when he lost control of himself. Katniss deemed Marvel arrogant when she found dried fruit in his backpack despite Marvel having had a large food supply at the Career camp. He was raised with a career mindset and lived a life of luxury back in District 1.

In The Hunger Games: Tribute Guide, it is mentioned that Marvel is "not the sharpest tool in the shed."

Physical description
Marvel is described rather more skinny and tall than muscular and fit, unlike the other Careers. In the movie, he has short light brown hair and green eyes. He is the second tallest tribute at 6'3 behind Thresh at 6'5.

Film portrayal
Jack Quaid portrays Marvel in the film adaption of The Hunger Games.

Trivia

 * His odds of winning are 5-1, same as Clove.
 * In the film, it is shown that he weighs 165 pounds and is 17 years old.
 * He, along with his district partner, was killed by Katniss.
 * He scored a 9 in training, the same as his district partner, Glimmer.
 * In the Tribute Guide, Marvel is described as "not being the sharpest tool in the shed".
 * Gloss and Marvel both died in similar ways, both die after killing one of Katniss' allies.
 * Marvel is the first tribute Katniss directly killed, as she didn't purposely take Glimmer's life earlier in the Games.

Marvel Marvel