Thresh

"Just this one time, I let you go. For the little girl. You and me, we're even then. No more owed. You understand?"

- Thresh, to Katniss

Thresh was the male tribute from District 11 in the 74th Hunger Games. Strong and resourceful, he posed a serious threat to the other tributes participating in the Games. Almost nothing about him is known before the reaping.

The Hunger Games
Thresh was reaped along with the female tribute from his district, Rue.

During the training sessions, Thresh was confronted and asked to be part of the Career pack, but he refused.

During Thresh's interview before the games, Caesar Flickerman tries to help him to be more comfortable and talk. However, Thresh only answers in curt single word answers and remains surly. Katniss is extremely impressed with this, and envied Thresh as he showed such silent, deadly physical power and had no need to make the Capitol like him with an angle.

In the Games, it is highly unlikely that he participated in the bloodbath on day one. He left the Cornucopia and found a field of wheat, which he uses to his advantage by using the wheat for food and also as a source of cover so he could easily hide. The Careers knew where he was, but saw the field as a threat as Thresh would be at a major advantage if they attacked, so they avoided him. However, in the film Thresh grabs a large sword from the Cornucopia and is seen attacking other tributes.

Feast
He comes out of hiding during the Feast to claim his backpack with what he most needs, and overhears Clove's threats to Katniss and taunting her about Rue's death. Furious, Thresh attacks Clove, pulling her away from Katniss and yelling at her, holding her a foot above the ground. Due to Clove's words, Thresh accuses her of killing Rue, which Clove denies. When Clove sees Thresh holding a large rock, she screams for Cato, but Thresh smashes the rock into her temple, denting her skull and causing internal bleeding. She dies of this injury a few seconds later. Thresh then asks Katniss what Clove meant about Rue being her ally. Katniss tells him that Marvel killed Rue, and that she sang to her as she died. To honor Rue and to repay Katniss for protecting her, Thresh spares her life and tells her to run, as Cato will be there soon. As he leaves, he takes not only his own backpack, but Cato's as well, forcing Cato to chase him instead of Katniss.

Death
The cause of Thresh's death was not directly revealed in the book. Katniss and Peeta believe that he was killed by Cato after taking his backpack and killing his ally and District partner, Clove. Katniss and Peeta see Thresh's distorted picture in the sky from their cave, and it can be ascertained that he was killed during a thunderstorm, presumably created by the Gamemakers, as the cannon that announced his death was inaudible. There is a discrepancy between the film and the book in the manner that Thresh was killed. In the book, Thresh dies before Foxface, resulting in a 5th place finish out of 24 tributes, which is a very high score for a tribute from a poor district like 11. However, in the film, he was killed after Foxface by the mutts, resulting in a 4th place finish.

Katniss hears his screams but when Cato is finally seen again in the film he is bloodied and seemed half-crazed. The madness could be his own instability, but it seems logical to assume that Cato did indeed fight Thresh, and was either injuried when the mutts attacked. The circumstances of Thresh's death are open to interpretation. However, due to the proximity of Thresh's scream to a frantic wolf barking the second afterward, it's reasonable to assume that he was killed by them too.

Muttation
Thresh's muttation was said to be the biggest of them all, once again referring to his massive build. Katniss could tell it was Thresh because of his powerful back legs and that no other tribute could have leapt that high. His mutt was killed by Katniss when it tried to leap on top of the Cornucopia as Cato, Peeta and Katniss tried to stay away from the rest of the pack.

Tactics
In the Hunger Games, Thresh only had one known tactic: to occupy a portion of the arena and to seldom leave its boundaries. It is unlikely that Thresh participated in the initial blood bath at the Cornucopia. Thresh chose to enter a field of grass that was as tall as Peeta's shoulders, seeing the area as both a threat and a source of food, water, shelter and safety. He saw it as a place of safety particularly because it resembled his home District 11. Thresh was drawn out of his domain when the feast was announced, and this was where he met Katniss and Clove. It was noted that Thresh looked even bigger and well fed since the games had begun. (He was from District 11, a poor district, where no one gets enough to eat). After giving Clove a fatal wound, Thresh asks Katniss about Rue, who reveals to him that they were allies, and asks him to kill her quickly, rather than choose a slow, painful death for her. However, Thresh was touched that Katniss had tried to protect Rue, and spared her life, telling her that they were both even after the gesture. He tells Katniss to run and takes Cato's pack, forcing Cato to pursue him rather than Katniss. This gesture resulted in what was believed to be Cato killing Thresh.

Victims
At the Feast, Thresh kills Clove, the girl from District 2, by denting her skull with a rock. This was because he heard Clove taunt Katniss about Rue, since she was his district partner.

In the film, it was shown during the bloodbath at the Cornucopia that Thresh killed the boy from District 8. He does kill Clove, but unlike the book, he slams her into the Cornucopia until her neck breaks.

Catching Fire
When Katniss and Peeta go to District 11 on their Victory Tour, Katniss gives a speech about Thresh. She says she only spoke to him once, but respected him for his strength and refusal to play the Games on anyone's terms but his own (the Careers wanted him to join their alliance, but he refused), and thanks him for sparing her life.

Katniss and Peeta thank District 11 for their Tributes, including Thresh.

Katniss then rewards the family with one month of her victor gifts. It is unknown whether Thresh or Rue's families received this gift.

Personality
Thresh is the tribute from District 11 for the 74th Hunger Games. Little is said about him in the first two books in the series, The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. In Mockingjay, he is not mentioned at all.

Thresh showed mercy towards Katniss when they met in the arena, and also at a time when he had the advantage in terms of combat, as he believed that he owed her for being in alliance with and avenging Rue, the female tribute from his district. Through this action, Thresh is shown as having a certain degree of honour and dignity. By attempting to avenge Rue, Thresh also showed a side of kindness, which, in this case, is directed towards an innocent twelve-year-old girl. Another aspect of Thresh's personality is that he is vengeful. Other of Thresh's actions that reveal his personality include his choice of solitude throughout the duration of the Games, demonstrating his preference to work alone.

Throughout the Hunger Games, Thresh was a tribute who commanded respect and was feared by virtually everyone in the arena, even the whole Career pack. Thresh's physical aptitude was often complimented by Katniss. It is also revealed in training that when the Career Tributes asked him to join their pack, he refused.

Family
Thresh has only two known family members, an old hunchbacked woman presumed to be his grandmother and his sister. They are seen only on the 74th Victory Tour in Catching Fire.

Rue
"Just this once, Twelve. For Rue."

- Thresh to Katniss about Rue

Thresh took pity on Rue, and probably liked her. He seemed to care about her because when she died, he was infuriated by her death. During the feast, Thresh overheard Clove talking about Rue to Katniss. Thresh pushed Clove off Katniss, strangled her while holding her with one foot off the ground, and yelled at her about Rue. He then kills Clove, probably to avenge Rue. Thresh spared Katniss' life because he felt he owed her for protecting Rue. In the film it is shown that Rue stole Cato's knife, and is hidden at the top of the practice room giggling. Thresh sees her and is obviously humored.

Katniss Everdeen
"You better run now, fire girl."

- Thresh to Katniss

During the feast, Thresh saved Katniss from being killed by Clove, and Katniss was shocked at his sudden appearance. After Thresh avenged Rue's death by crushing Clove's skull with a rock, he asked Katniss in a gentle way about Rue.... Thresh was touched that Katniss took care of Rue and tried to protect her from the other Tributes and felt that he owed her. He spared Katniss' life and told her to run as Cato would be there soon, as he had heard Clove's screams before she died. Thresh also took Cato's pack, as it would force Cato to chase him instead of Katniss, allowing her to escape. This act may have resulted in Thresh's death, which shocked and saddened Katniss, as she liked him and wanted him to win if she or Peeta did not, although they were relieved that they would not be forced to fight him. In the movie, when the cannon had went off for Thresh, Katniss paused and was shocked and appeared sad that he was killed.

During the Victory Tour, Katniss honored Thresh by making a speech about him. She stated that she didn't know him, but deeply respected him for his strength and his refusal to play the Game on anyone's grounds but his own. Katniss also thanks Thresh for sparing her life.

Physical appearance
Thresh has dark brown skin and dark hair. He is described as having strange golden brown eyes. Katniss said that with his massive size, six and a half feet tall, and dark colored skin, he was set with muscles like an ox. He is also known for having the same skin tone as Rue, the female Tribute from his District, but it is mentioned in the book that "the resemblance stops there" in reference to the similarity in appearance between Thresh and the female counterpart from his District. Katniss often thinks of Thresh as a "physical wonder".

Name
Like many other characters in The Hunger Games series, Thresh's name has an actual meaning. "Thresh" is a method of harvesting grain that involves flailing the plant around.

Film portrayal
He is portrayed by Dayo Okeniyi in The Hunger Games film.