Haymitch Abernathy

Spoiler Alert! This page may contain plot details relating to Sunrise on the Reaping or unintentionally spoil elements of the book.

Haymitch Abernathy
Biographical Information
Age	16 (Sunrise on the Reaping) 40 (The Hunger Games) 40-41 (Catching Fire & Mockingjay)
Also known as	Itchy Itchy Haymitchy (by Maysilee Donner) Abernanny (by Drusilla Sickle) Hay (by Louella McCoy) Rascal (by Caeser Flickerman and Drusilla Sickle)
Occupation	Bootlegger Victor Mentor
Home	Victors' Village in District 12 The Seam (formerly) District 13 (briefly)
Relatives	Unnamed father † Willamae Abernathy † (mother) Sid Abernathy † (younger brother) Two unnamed younger sisters † Mamaw † (paternal grandmother)
Weapon	Knife Intelligence Force field Spear Axe
Fate	Alive
Physical Information
Gender	Male
Eye Color	Grey (books) Blue (films)
Hair	Dark (books) Graying blonde (films)
Appearances
Book Appearances	The Hunger Games Catching Fire Mockingjay Sunrise on the Reaping
Movie Appearances	The Hunger Games film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Mockingjay - Part 1 Mockingjay - Part 2 The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (upcoming)
Portrayed by	Woody Harrelson (original trilogy) Joseph Zada (SOTR)

"Stay alive."

—Haymitch Abernathy to Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark

Haymitch Abernathy was District 12's second and only living Hunger Games victor for 23 years, having won the second Quarter Quell before Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the 74th Hunger Games under his mentorship. He worked secretly in tandem with District 13 and other victors in order to incite the Second Rebellion, and was the main drive behind the rebel plot during the 75th Hunger Games. He was also the protagonist of the prequel novel Sunrise on the Reaping.

Quick Answers

Does Haymitch Abernathy survive the Hunger Games series?

Haymitch Abernathy, the victor of the 50th Hunger Games, survives the series. Despite personal loss when President Snow killed his family, he remains a key figure in the rebellion. Post-rebellion, he returns to District 12, maintaining his drinking habits.

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How did Haymitch Abernathy manage to win the second Quarter Quell?

In the second Quarter Quell or the 50th Hunger Games, Haymitch Abernathy emerged as the victor by using the arena's force field to his advantage. He manipulated his final opponent, a female tribute from District 1, into throwing her axe into the force field, which rebounded and killed her, securing Haymitch's victory.

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What role did a young Haymitch play in the Hunger Games?

Haymitch Abernathy, at sixteen, was a tribute in the 50th Hunger Games. His strategic prowess led him to victory, becoming District 12's second victor. In the 75th Hunger Games, he was a mentor and part of a conspiracy involving other victors and Capitol elites.

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What significant contributions did Haymitch make in the Hunger Games?

Haymitch Abernathy, a mentor to the District 12 tributes in the Hunger Games, orchestrated an alliance with other tributes to safeguard Katniss and Peeta. He helped them create the 'star-crossed lovers' act for audience sympathy. Additionally, Haymitch was involved in an underground resistance with Hunger Games victors, Capitol individuals, and District 13.

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Who was the actor that played Haymitch Abernathy in the Hunger Games film adaptation?

Woody Harrelson played the role of Haymitch Abernathy in all four installments of the Hunger Games film series.

Provided by: Fandom

Biography

Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy

Early life

Haymitch Abernathy was born on July 4th, the day of the reaping for the 34th Hunger Games. He lived in the Seam of District 12 with his mother Willamae Abernathy and his brother, Sid, who was six years younger. His father died in a coal mine fire when he was young. At the time of the second Quarter Quell, he was dating Lenore Dove Baird. Haymitch helped support his family by doing odd jobs for people around District 12 and also did manual labor for Hattie Meeney, an illicit moonshiner, though the two were not punished for this behavior on account of steady customers at both the Hob and among the Peacekeepers. He signed up for tesserae every year to support his family, resulting in him having twenty entries by the second Quarter Quell.

Second Quarter Quell

Haymitch was 16 years old during the 50th Hunger Games. The rules for the second Quarter Quell stipulated that double the number of tributes were to be reaped from the districts for the Games. During the reaping, Haymitch watched Louella McCoy, Maysilee Donner, Wyatt Callow and Woodbine Chance get chosen first. Woodbine decided to run away after his name was called and was subsequently shot dead. In a twist of fate after believing he was safe, another male tribute was needed and Haymitch was reaped instead on his 16th birthday. As there were no living Victors from District 12 at the time, Haymitch and the other three tributes from District 12 were mentored by Mags Flanagan and Wiress.

Travel to and Arrival in the Capitol

After being reaped, Haymitch was permitted to say goodbye to his mother and younger brother due to Plutarch Heavensbee's need for propo footage of their "tearful goodbye". He left all of his belongings with them save for the flint striker given to him by Lenore Dove as a birthday present, which he wore around his neck as his district token. He and the other tributes were then escorted by Plutarch and Drusilla Sickle onto the tribute train, a modest version of the one that appears in the original trilogy. Haymitch and another female Tribute, Louella McCoy, who he referred to endearingly as his "sweetheart", comfort one another and agreed to team up due to their close relationship from being neighbors in the Seam. However, they hesitated at the prospect of including Wyatt and Maysilee in their alliance, the latter because she had a reputation in District 12 for being stuck up, mean, and overly superior to just about everybody, Haymitch and Lenore Dove included.

During their trip, they were served by Tibby, an attendant on the train, and Plutarch. At the indignation of Maysilee, who berated them for serving Louella her food with hardly a plate or any silverware, the quality of their service increased. Maysilee advised Louella not to let them treat her like an animal, but with the dignity that she deserves as a person. After their lunch, Plutarch showed the group their segment, which he personally edited for Capitol viewing. He referred to his strategic omission of the disruption of the Reaping and portraying them as attractive and unhesitant as "card-stacking" in their favor. Haymitch recognized that he and his fellow tributes were all just variables for Plutarch to control and serve to the Capitol as TV entertainment, and as a result he adopts Maysilee's superior attitude when Tibby and Plutarch present him a cake for his birthday, and refused to acknowledge or eat it. He was also grateful that none of the other Tributes from 12 chose to indulge the Capitol employees, and was impressed when Maysilee responded to Drusilla looking down on them by ridiculing her outfit, her lowly station as an escort for "the trashiest district in Panem", and even slapping her back when Drusilla assaulted her for her insults.

The relationship between the four begins to thaw, but Louella wakes Haymitch in the middle of the night to tell him that she doesn't want Wyatt as an ally because he is a "Booker Boy", as his family is infamous for taking bets not only on district happenings but on reapings and standings in the Games. Haymitch agrees, though the two of them later discover that their conversation was overheard by both Maysilee and Wyatt. Despite this, they stick closely with each other when arriving in the Capitol, handcuffed and subjected to the scrutiny of Capitol citizens, including Academy students. They then meet the Tributes from other Districts, at which point they are all separated by male and female and uncomfortably cleaned and sanitized. Afterwards, Haymitch is met by his stylist team, Proserpina Trinket and Vitus, two undergraduate students from the Capitol University who must work on him as part of their grade. All the Tributes are put into their Parade costumes according to the colors and themes associated with their district, such as "snot green", as remarked by Maysilee on the dress of Silka Sharp, a female tribute from District 1 with whom she did not get along.

Tribute Parade

Their stylist, Magno Stift, being late, inebriated, and uninspired, Haymitch and the other District 12 tributes wore coal miners' outfits for the chariot ride. Due to a firework explosion caused by Capitol onlookers, the horses carrying the District 12's tributes were spooked, leading the chariot on a wild ride. Haymitch thought that he should try to protect Louella, but was too focused on his own safety. Eventually, their chariot crashed into District 6's, flinging Haymitch and Louella. She reached for him just as their chariot collapsed. Haymitch embraced the idea of dying prior to the arena before realizing that the blood belonged to Louella, not him. Haymitch likened her to a dead mockingjay chick that him and Lenore Dove found once before hijacking District 1's chariot, carrying Louella's lifeless body to Snow. It was this action that drew the attention of other tributes, potential sponsors, and more sinisterly, President Snow himself. Afterwards, Haymitch was approached by Ampert Latier, a twelve-year-old tribute from District 3 who commented on his actions during the Parade and invited him to join a blossoming alliance. His relationship with Maysilee also begins to soften, as she too approved of his actions and the attention they brought.

Training

Haymitch, Maysilee, and Wyatt were escorted to their quarters, where they met their mentors Mags and Wiress for the first time. Mags consoled Haymitch during an emotional breakdown over the death of Louella. At breakfast the next day, the mentors asked them what they wanted for their Games, to which all of them responded that they want to die quickly, without unnecessary pain or spectacle for their families to see. Haymitch carefully added that he wanted to show the Capitol audience the humanity behind the Tributes as a means of convincing them to stop the Games.

Training for the 50th Hunger Games was held in the Academy gymnasium, during which Mags and Wiress encouraged Haymitch, Maysilee, and Wyatt to branch out to other tributes and to attempt to glean some information about the arena from the activities at the stations. Initially, the 3 stuck together, but began to branch out as they formed new connections with other tributes. During a session at the knife-throwing station, Haymitch and several other Tributes, including Ringina from District 7, found themselves armed and on the brink of violent retaliation, but the moment was diffused when they handed the weapons back to the trainer. Plutarch reappeared, having witnessed the moment, and questioned Haymitch and the others for their role in upholding the control of the Capitol over its resentful District citizens. Later, Haymitch approached Beetee Latier, the Victor of the Hunger Games from the year Haymitch was born, a District 3 mentor and the father of Ampert, whom President Snow had forcibly reaped into the Hunger Games to punish Beetee for trying to sabotage Capitol communications. Beetee taught Haymitch how to make a battery out of a potato as part of his station and the two had a secret conversation about a potential plot to break the arena, though they were interrupted by the presence of Peacekeepers and other Tributes.

As time passed, the District 12 tributes were able to secure their alliance with Ampert, District 3, and the growing number of other non-Career Districts. Maysilee proved to be very skilled with braiding and helped other tributes wear their tokens fashionably; Wyatt formed bonds with the other tributes from District 3 over his oddsmaking intelligence; Haymitch tried to look out for other Tributes that were being bullied by the Career squad.

After a Training session, however, Haymitch was privately escorted to the house of Plutarch Heavensbee to meet with President Snow, who arrived at the mansion in a sickly state from having consumed poisoned oysters, which he used to kill the master of the Tribute Parade for the disastrous proceeding. Plutarch and Haymitch were obliged to care for him, giving him bread and milk, though Haymitch at first drank the available milk in secret to prolong the President's suffering in protest. When he had recovered, Snow taunted Haymitch with his intimate knowledge of the Covey, their naming conventions, and the origin of his snake and bird flint striker, forcing Haymitch to reveal his girlfriend's name. The President threatened Lenore Dove and Haymitch's mother and brother, telling him that his performance in the Games would determine their fate, and if he died he might leave them alone. Finally, he also revealed the existence of a body double "fake Louella", as the footage of her death was never aired to the country and her presence could be explained away as life-saving Capitol medical attention. Haymitch noted that she did not seem fully present and had possibly been tortured, absently repeating her programmed lines. He and the others are forced to accept fake Louella as part of their group, calling her Lou Lou instead of Louella.

By the end of the Training period, all districts except 1, 2, 4, and 5 had allied together and dubbed themselves the "Newcomers" to market themselves to the Capitol audience. As part of his post-Training interview with the Gamemakers, Haymitch played up his "jackass" persona to make up for the fact that he had not displayed any significant skills, which earned him a record-low score of one. Despite this, Mags, Wiress, and Drusilla encouraged him to lean into it for the sake of being memorable, as Maysilee had done with her fashion criticism and Wyatt with his oddsmaking logic. Because of his score and a plan developing in which he might be responsible for sabotaging the Arena, this strategy worked cohesively with his plan to go it alone, in case the Gamemakers were bent on his death.

Interview

Magno Stift once again being unreliable, a young Effie Trinket, the older and well-connected sister of Proserpina, appeared, bearing fancy clothes for the District 12 tributes to wear, saving her younger sister from failing her assignment. Haymitch made a favorable first impression on her by assisting her with her fallen makeup equipment. She, along with Drusilla (who turned out to be married to Magno), escorted the Tributes to the Interviews.

During his interview with Caesar Flickerman, Haymitch was asked about what he thought of the Games having 100% as many tributes. He replied by saying that he didn't see much difference, as they were still going to be 100% as stupid, a display of his own wit and sarcasm. He also made remarks on his alliance with the Newcomers, the low intelligence of the Careers, and his illegal moonshining "science homework", which earns him a reputation as somewhat of a "rascal" among the Capitol viewers. These latter three points are omitted in the final edit of the Games, however, to emphasize his abandonment of the other Districts and their alliance.

Final Plans

With the help of Wiress, Beetee was able to meet with Haymitch in secret to discuss a plan to sabotage the Arena, which involved Ampert and Haymitch finding a way into the sublevels of the arena in order to blow up the water supply and effectively "drown" it as the generators and power supplies themselves were protected. He meets with Haymitch again before the interviews to tell him that they have replaced several Newcomer Tributes' tokens with bomb-crafting supplies and explosives, but they are once again interrupted by company.

Later, Plutarch also brought Haymitch and the other Tributes back to his mansion under the guise of a proper photoshoot in their interview attire before bringing Haymitch aside. He told Haymitch that he knew of the rebel plot, and said that wealth and privilege did not stop him from wanting freedom. Though Haymitch feigned ignorance, he was compelled to trust Plutarch when he realized he had set up a final phone call between Haymitch and Lenore Dove, who had again been arrested by Peacekeepers for rebellious behavior. Plutarch gave him hints about the design of the arena, including points called "mutt portals" where he might be able to find the necessary entrance for executing Beetee's plan.

Cornucopia bloodbath

After saying a final goodbye to his fellow District 12 Tributes, Effie was the one to escort Haymitch to his room with his Tribute tube and into the Arena. When the bloodbath of the 50th Hunger Games took place, the tributes were amazed by the beautiful arena, and many were too stunned to get off their pedestals. Using this to his advantage, Haymitch was able to easily get a knife and a "backpack of choice" from the Cornucopia, while eighteen ultimately fell during the opening act of the Second Quarter Quell. He took off north as Plutarch and Beetee suggested. In the fields and forests, Haymitch barely survived accidentally poisoning himself when he drank water as he noticed a nearby rabbit had died drinking from it. He was later discovered by Lou Lou, whom Wyatt Callow had died protecting, and tried futilely to keep her from danger. He again refused to give up her body to the hovercraft that came to collect her, and was punished by stinging butterfly muttations which forced him to drop her. Haymitch followed the butterflies back to their mutt portal under the guise of seeking revenge and was able to create a gap.

Haymitch camped out near the portal until he met up with Ampert, and the two discussed the standings of the Newcomer and Career alliances. At night, they attempted to enact the rebel plan, which was moderately successful in that the entire arena began to glitch out, but ultimately the explosion was not strong enough. Though Haymitch tried to fight them off, Ampert was punished in the form of fluffy, carnivorous squirrels, which consumed him whole, leaving nothing but a set of "pearly white bones".

After the first day, about 20 tributes had died from the bloodbath and subsequently consuming or coming into contact with the arena's many poisonous elements, and on the fourth day, after Haymitch's sabotage attempt, a volcanic eruption killed twelve more tributes, including five of the ten remaining Career Tributes.

Alliance with Maysilee Donner

Haymitch continued northward after Ampert's death, reaching the hedge maze in which he got lost until he followed another rabbit out, straight into the path of three Careers. Using his speed and skill with his sharp knife, Haymitch was able to kill two of them, but Panache Barker, a beefy tribute from District 1, managed to disarm him. Just as the Career was about to slit Haymitch's throat, he was shot and killed with a poison dart by Maysilee Donner, saving Haymitch's life. Maysilee proposed to Haymitch that their odds of survival would be better if he formed an alliance with her, to which he agreed. As the Games continued, the duo formed an effective team, getting more rest, creating a system to salvage rainwater, working together to fight off other tributes, and splitting the food from fallen tributes' packs. All the while, Haymitch urged Maysilee to continue moving towards the edge of the arena with him in the hopes of finding something useful, and though she distrusted his insistence, she complied.

At the hedge maze, they at first attempted to cut through it, but were attacked by ladybug mutts. Soon after, they heard the sounds of a strange crying, which turned out to be the sounds of a porcupine muttation. They were drawn in to help by the cries of Newcomers who were being attacked by its spines, though the Newcomers later died of their injuries. Haymitch and Maysilee at first also tried to attack the mutt. However, it proved much more effective for them to soothe it, leading it away by tossing food in another direction. This strategy was also mysteriously omitted from the final cut of the Games.

Haymitch and Maysilee grew closer during their time together, discussing their home life, their siblings, their fears, and their "posters", or how they would like to paint an image of themselves and the Games through their limited autonomy in the games. Maysilee even told him that she knows one of Lenore Dove's secrets, though she refused to tell him what exactly. At his indirect prompting, Maysilee even agrees to be his sister, leading to his referring to her as such ("Sis") until her death. When there were only five tributes left alive, Haymitch and Maysilee were trying to find Wellie, their final surviving Newcomer ally, when they were attacked and pursued by Silka and Maritte, Career tributes from District 1 and District 4 respectively. The chase led to them discovering a trio of Gamemakers in the forest, with whom they had a brief conversation with before Maritte and Maysilee both killed one Gamemaker each, the other falling to their death in the mutt portal hatch. In retaliation, the four were bombed by other Gamemakers, Maritte presumably being targeted until her death, and Maysilee and Haymitch escaping. Maysilee was upset with Haymitch as he did not have her back when she killed the Gamemaker, while Maritte, a Career, did. He admitted to her that she was right, and that he was following his "programming" of not resisting. Haymitch and Maysilee then went to burn their way through the hedges and ladybugs. The two finally reached the edge of the arena, but found nothing but a bare cliff and the backup generator for the arena below, shielded by a forcefield.

Maysilee suggested going back, but Haymitch did not want to, as he believed that the cliff was still not an intended part of the arena. Contrary to the final edited recap, Maysilee offered to retrieve their supplies before they cemented their decision to break up their alliance, as neither wanted to kill the other themselves. After her departure, Haymitch explored the edge of the cliff, knocking a pebble off that unexpectedly bounced back while he rested. Curious, Haymitch picked up another rock and threw it off the cliff. The force field around the arena threw it back right into his hand, at which point he started laughing. Moments later, Haymitch heard Maysilee screaming and ran in her direction to find her being attacked by mutts, deadly, candy-pink birds, who speared her throat with their long, thin beaks as he attempted to fight them off. Haymitch rushed over to her side and held her hand until she ultimately died, not begging, as she had wanted. He took one of her token necklaces for himself, as a reminder of her.

Defeating Silka and Victory

"It wasn't meant to be part of the arena. [The Capitol] never planned on anyone using it as a weapon. It made them look stupid that he figured it out. I bet they had a good time trying to spin that one. Bet that's why I don't remember seeing it on television. It's almost as bad as us and the berries!"

—Katniss discussing Haymitch's victory with Peeta

The events after after Maysilee's death were inconsistent with the recap given to the Capitol and the public of Panem. Haymitch was sent a gift of strawberry ice cream to remember her by and began to consider his options. He began to seek out Wellie and found her as she rang her token, a bicycle bell. Because she was too weak to move, he was able to make camp for the two of them in a tree. They were sent another sponsor gift, this time bearing chocolate balls. Haymitch becomes aware of another crying sound, but he discovered that it was not Wellie beside him but Silka below. He dropped several chocolate balls down to the ground for her, which quieted her crying as she accepted them. The following morning, Haymitch discovered that the token necklace he had taken from Maysilee's body was another fuse and blasting cap, providing him with another chance to cause an explosion to sabotage the Games. He planned to stage a showdown between him and Silka before blowing both her and himself up at the Cornucopia, to destroy the symbol and leaving Wellie to claim Victory.

However, Wellie refused let Haymitch leave her again, so he attempted to hide her away and gave her Maysilee's blow dart to protect herself while he looked for flammable materials to bake her potatoes. While he was away, he was sent another sponsor gift, this time a pitcher shaped exactly like the one from Plutarch's mansion when he had drank the milk so as not to give it to the President. Haymitch deduced that it is not from Plutarch, whose role in the Games preparation has likely barred him from sending gifts, but from President Snow, who wanted Haymitch to either poison Wellie with the milk or make himself look bad by keeping it for himself. Haymitch resolved to drink it himself, sparing Wellie from the milk and giving Snow his victory over him, when a cannon sounded, signalling Wellie's death at the hands of Silka, who claimed that Wellie had attacked her with the blow dart.

No other tributes remaining, the two engaged in a final fight. Despite Silka being larger and stronger as a Career, both sustained severe injuries. Haymitch, at one point, sliced her eye out, and he himself was hit in his abdomen by her axe. After being disarmed, a weakened Haymitch staggered through the forest while holding his intestines in, with the District 1 tribute in pursuit behind him.

Haymitch eventually reached the cliff he found earlier just as Silka threw her axe, aiming for his head. Haymitch collapsed from his injuries before it reached him and it missed, flying over the cliff. With both tributes unarmed, the District 1 female tribute stood in front of Haymitch, thinking she could outlast him by staunching the flow of blood from her eye wound. To her utter surprise, the axe rebounded off the force field back into the arena, killing her when it buried itself into her head, leaving Haymitch the victor and District 12's latest in four decades. However, just before losing consciousness, he made one final attempt to blow up the generator with the last bomb materials. It is implied that he succeeded, from the reaction of Capitol officials such as President Snow himself with Plutarch later stating that he caused an earthquake that shook the Capitol, both literally and figuratively. This act, as well as his continuous attempts to sabotage the Games and the Arena, are the markers of his performance which President Snow later punished him for.

Post-Victory

Pre-homecoming

Haymitch was revived and healed for his Victory and then imprisoned for about two weeks, broken up by his reappearance in the public eye to view the heavily edited final cut of his Games. As his team is being introduced, he discovers what has become of his mentors for their potential involvement in the rebel plot that he enacted, Wiress being confused and Mags in a wheelchair following torture. Haymitch wondered at all the strategic, card-stacking omissions from the footage, as the Capitol did not show the failed Tribute Parade, edited his interview, the arena glitching, played down the Newcomers' alliance, and cut out entire sections of his activities. He referred to himself frequently while watching this footage as a "jackass", and realized that the Capitol audience had gone along with whatever sequence of events that has been shown in the recap, not discerning whatsoever if this had been what they truly saw. The editing diminished his attempts to create his "poster", as Maysilee had done.

As he is crowned in the traditional ceremony by President Snow, wearing a bloodred rose instead of white, Haymitch is warned to enjoy his homecoming. He is shipped back to District 12 along with the coffins of Louella, Maysilee, and Wyatt.

Homecoming and Victory Tour

Haymitch returned home, only to immediately find that his house had caught fire, his mother and younger brother still inside, calling out. Though he attempted to charge in to either save them or die with them, he was interrupted by Burdock Everdeen, subsequently saving his life. Having no other home to return to, he was brought to his new home in the Victor's Village by Burdock and Blair, and treated by Asterid March. At a joint funeral consisting of his mother and younger brother, Louella McCoy, Maysilee Donner, Wyatt Callow, Jethro Callow, Wyatt's father (who committed suicide after Wyatt's body arrived in District 12), and many attendees, Burdock sang "The Old Therebefore" for the mourners and deceased, which comforted Haymitch.

Later, he went to the Meadow to be alone, but saw Lenore Dove, now released from the Peacekeepers' hold but under house arrest. Clerk Carmine and Tam Amber, ever the protective uncles, warned her not to go off for more than five minutes. In that time, Haymitch watched Lenore Dove savor the fresh air and find a bag of gumdrops, like the ones he had given to her before he left for the Hunger Games. The two shared a tearful, overjoyed reunion at seeing each other again, and Haymitch feeds her a gumdrop. Lenore Dove remarks that she can finally eat the ones he gave her, stashed up in her house.

Panicked, Haymitch realized that all the gumdrops in the bag were bloodred, the color of President Snow's rose at their final meeting, and tried to get Lenore Dove to throw up the gumdrop, but it was too late. She quickly began to feel the effects of the poisoned candy as Haymitch called for her uncles to help them. In her dying breaths, Lenore Dove made Haymitch promise not to let the sun rise on another reaping. His last words to her are their declaration of love, "I love you like all-fire."

It is implied that the deaths of Haymitch's loved ones were ordered by President Snow because of the stunt that he pulled with the axe and force field, which was perceived as an act of defiance that made the Capitol look foolish. Snow himself may have been responsible for Lenore Dove's death due to his love for using poison to kill people. Though Plutarch approached him during his Victory Tour in 11, it was because of this punishment that Haymitch regarded Plutarch's aspirations for a second rebellion and Plutarch himself with such skeptical cynicism. He believed he was the example of what would happen if anyone tried to resist the Capitol's iron fist.

When he returns home after the Tour, Haymitch tells Plutarch that he does not have anything to live for. Plutarch tells him that it puts him in a position of power, having nothing left that President Snow could leverage against him, which Haymitch dismisses. Plutarch acknowledged that, given the role he himself plays in the Games, with his propaganda and implied complicity by association with the Capitol, he is not a hero, but at least he has not given up.

Adulthood and Mentoring Tributes

Haymitch realized that he would never be allowed to love another person, lest they also be punished and killed by Snow for his actions. He drove away all the people he might have considered close to him, including Hattie, old family friends and customers, and his friends, Blair, who accepted his situation with a tearful farewell, and Burdock and Asterid Everdeen, who reached out to him the longest. Haymitch ultimately drove them away by throwing rocks at them, the last of which hit Asterid in the face, causing her to bleed and him to feel guilty.

For a few weeks, in a haze of grief and substance abuse, he tried to find Lenore Dove's grave, which Burdock finally showed him out of pity, deep into the forest outside of District 12. Lenore Dove was buried with two other Covey headstones, Lucy Gray's and Maude Ivory's, though he didn't know anything of them. Haymitch buried his flint striker with her and begged her to release him from his promise, though later he found a portrait she had painted on an alley wall. It read, "NO CAPITOL, NO HANGING TREE", a rebellious parody of the Capitol propaganda lines, "NO CAPITOL, NO PEACE". Haymitch felt then that he had to stay alive until his promise was fulfilled, but it would be another twenty-four years (until the success of Katniss and the Second Rebellion) before then.

For the next 23 years, Haymitch mentored the tributes for District 12 alone, to poor results. Due to the horror of his Games, his grief over his family's and girlfriend's deaths, and the overwhelming guilt he felt from being obligated to participate in the Games he hated while each and every one of his mentored tributes died in them, Haymitch turned to alcoholism to cope with his issues and feelings. His constant state of drunkenness and his failure as a mentor earned him the ire and embarrassment of his district. In the years following his victory, Haymitch began sleeping with a knife in his hand and as Katniss later mentions, sentenced himself to a self-imposed state of solitary confinement by refusing to let anyone into his house and isolating himself from the rest of District 12. During his time as mentor, Haymitch grew close with a number of his fellow victors, particularly Chaff of District 11, victor of the 45th Hunger Games, with whom he would regularly get drunk.

Despite his alcoholism and his poor performance as a mentor, Haymitch at some point became a part of far-reaching conspiracy involving Hunger Games victors, high-ranking Capitol officials, and District 13 that sought to overthrow the Capitol and put an end to the Hunger Games, a continuation of the rebellious efforts that he had been involved in during the 50th Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games

74th Hunger Games

Haymitch discussing strategy with his latest slate of tributes, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.

Haymitch is present on stage during the reaping for the 74th Hunger Games. Drunk and staggering, he congratulates Katniss after she volunteers for her sister, Primrose Everdeen, claiming she has "spunk". Haymitch then head-dives off the stage, knocking himself out in the process and requiring him to be hauled away on a stretcher. Haymitch is not seen again until just after dinner is served on the train taking Katniss and Peeta to the Capitol. Drunk again, Haymitch vomits all over the expensive floor before collapsing in his own mess, which disgusts Effie.

Katniss and Peeta take him back to his compartment on the train, where Peeta offers to clean him up and put him to bed. The next morning, Haymitch is eating breakfast with Katniss and Peeta, once again drinking. When Katniss ask for advice on the Games, Haymitch is initially dismissive, simply stating for the two to "stay alive" before laughing at them both. Angered at his indifference, Peeta knocks Haymitch's glass from his hand, with Haymitch responding by punching Peeta in the jaw, knocking him from his chair. Before Haymitch can reach for his alcohol again, Katniss drives a knife into the table between Haymitch's hand and his cocktail glass. Pleased that he finally has a pair of tributes willing to fight, Haymitch begins to a take a more hands-on approach to his mentoring. He examines them both on their skills and begins to formulate a plan for them, promising to help them so long as they do not interfere with his drinking.

During the Tribute Parade, he is surprised by Katniss and Peeta's costumes and uses this advantage to attract sponsors and make more plans to help them. On the first day of training, he asks the duo if they want to be trained together or privately, to which they agree to be jointly trained. He then discusses their preexisting skills, already deducing Katniss's skill with a knife and further learning on her excellent capacity to hunt with a bow and arrow and Peeta's strength. He advises them to learn new things at the Training Center gymnasium, to avoid practicing the skills they excel in and to save them for their private sessions, and to stay by each other's side at all times over their objections.

Haymitch during the Tribute Parade

Haymitch laughs when Katniss tells him how the Gamemakers looked after she almost shot them with an arrow. He is further pleased with their training scores and tells Katniss she got a high score due to her attitude. As the duo begins preparation for their interviews, Haymitch informs her that Peeta changed his mind and has asked to be coached separately. He tries to teach Katniss how to speak in front of the crowd during her interview with Caesar Flickerman, but grows exasperated and angered at the effort, saying she has the charm of a dead slug. Before the Games begin, Haymitch's last piece of advice for the two is for them to stay alive, the same answer he gave them the first time Katniss asked him for a strategy.

During the Games, Haymitch helps Effie line up sponsors. He also communicates with Katniss through giving or withholding of her sponsor gifts (he does not send water when she is close to a source, but sends broth and medicine when she "plays her part" convincingly). Haymitch, however, chooses to not help Peeta during the Games, as only one of them could live and he believes Katniss stands the best chance to survive and ultimately win.

While his tributes are recovering in the hospital after their Games, Haymitch argues with the Gamemakers on Katniss's behalf to keep them from giving her a breast augmentation. When he sees her next, they hug, and before Katniss goes to watch the Games recap, Haymitch warns her that the Capitol is furious about her and Peeta's act in the arena with the berries, as the Capitol saw it as an act of rebellion. Haymitch tells her she must act in love with Peeta so that even the Capitol and the rest of Panem will not see it as such. After Katniss and Peeta's final interview with Caesar, Haymitch is positive that the Capitol is convinced she was in love and not rebelling. Following the victor crowning, Haymitch returns to District 12 with Katniss and Peeta, where he resumes drinking heavily.

Catching Fire

Victory Tour

Haymitch's Capitol Profile for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Haymitch's drinking becomes progressively worse, undergoing severe withdrawals when District 12 encounters a liquor shortage. At times, he gets so drunk that he sleeps for most of the day, and he is passed out and drunk on the day the Victory Tour is to start. When Katniss arrives and fails in her first attempt of shaking him awake, she resorts to dumping a bucket of water on him. Haymitch is startled, and he yells while slashing at the air with a concealed knife. When Peeta arrives with bread, Haymitch witnesses his and Katniss's stiff greeting to one another, remarking that the two have to improve their act as star-crossed lovers before Katniss retorts for him to shower.

When the time comes for the Victory Tour, Haymitch accompanies Katniss and Peeta along with Effie Trinket and their stylists and prep teams as they board the train that will take them across Panem's districts. While in transit, Katniss visits Haymitch's compartment, and when the train stops for fuel, she suggests they go outside to talk, where she tells him about the encounter with President Snow, how he told her how the other districts are on the verge of rebelling, and that the "star-crossed lovers" act must be believed by everyone if she plans on keeping her family and friends alive. Haymitch coaches Katniss through the "madly in love" facade which she must keep up with Peeta and informs her that she must continue the act for the rest of her life.

Later, Haymitch is surprised and somewhat disgusted by Katniss losing her temper with Effie after she complains about the train's unplanned stop. As the train makes its way to District 11, Haymitch helps Katniss and Peeta through preparation for their victory speech they must give to the grieving families of the District 11 tributes, Thresh and Rue. After Peeta finishes his speech, Katniss gives her own impromptu speech to honor them. The crowd responds by silently giving Katniss the three-finger salute, which is viewed as an act of rebellion by the Peacekeepers. They shoot an elderly man who whistled Rue's four-note song, which causes unrest amongst the crowd as Katniss and Peeta are forced inside District 11's Justice Building.

Woody Harrelson and Philip Seymour Hoffman as Haymitch and Plutarch in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

As the Peacekeepers crack down on the crowd outside, Haymitch orders Katniss and Peeta to follow him to the dome at the top of the Justice Building. There, he interrogates Katniss and Peeta for answers on what happened outside, after which Katniss confesses to her meeting with President Snow and the unrest in the district to Peeta. The revelation angers Peeta, who berates both Haymitch and Katniss for keeping him in the dark, before further admonishing Haymitch for his lack of sponsor support during the 74th Hunger Games. Haymitch tells Peeta he will be fully informed going forward, and once alone with Katniss, admits to her that he did chose to solely support her in the Games. The two then depart for the dinner held in their honor by the district later that evening. Haymitch continues to help Katniss and Peeta throughout the rest of the Victory Tour, during which the two give scripted speeches to ensure that a riot like the one in District 11 did not happen again.

Haymitch, Peeta, and Katniss after Gale was whipped by Thread.

Following the Victory Tour, Haymitch, Katniss, and Peeta return to District 12. Haymitch intervenes when the new Head Peacekeeper, Romulus Thread, lashes Katniss across the face for trying to stop Gale Hawthorne's public whipping. Haymitch manages to defuse the situation by threatening to report Thread to the Capitol for injuring Katniss before her wedding shoot, so Thread reluctantly backs down and orders them to disperse before leaving.

Haymitch, Peeta, and a few other District 12 coal miners haul Gale to Katniss's mother for treatment. Haymitch explains to Katniss that whippings were far more common before Cray was Head Peacekeeper and that it was Mrs. Everdeen who treated the victims. Haymitch and Peeta are then forced to remove Katniss from the room Gale is in when she grows hysterical at her mother, placing her in a guest room. While Katniss is sobbing, Peeta informs Haymitch of President Snow's thoughts on their performance during the Victory Tour, the uprising in District 8, and Katniss's plan for them to all flee into the forest, on which Haymitch gives no opinion.

After Gale goes home, Katniss gets Haymitch to employ Hazelle Hawthorne as a housekeeper. Sometime later, Katniss and Peeta meet at Haymitch's house, and the three go on a walk away from the Victors' Village. When Haymitch remarks on Katniss's plan to flee into the wilderness, Katniss retorts that she instead want to start an uprising, at which Haymitch only laughs. When Katniss scoffs at Haymitch's indifference, Haymitch states that he is focusing on solely on her upcoming wedding and that her plan to revolt will fail. The three soon take notice of the militarization of District 12's town square, including the addition of an official whipping post, several stockades, and a gallows, as well as the Hob being burned to the ground. Haymitch leaves Peeta and Katniss, remarking on finding a new source of alcohol.

Third Quarter Quell

"You just remember who the enemy is."

—Haymitch to Katniss

On the eve of the announcement of the Quarter Quell, Katniss visits Haymitch, telling him of her meeting with Bonnie and Twill and the uprising in District 8, to which he informs her of his own knowledge of rumored revolts in District 7 and 11. Katniss also explains to Haymitch her suspicion that District 13 was not really destroyed based off what Bonnie and Twill told her, but Haymitch shuts down the idea, arguing it was unlikely the Capitol could be ignoring a rebounded District 13.

Haymitch is in his home when President Snow announces that the Third Quarter Quell's special rule will have tributes reaped from the existing pool of victors. Upon hearing this, Haymitch angrily throws his beer bottle at the screen, shattering it. When Katniss enters Haymitch's house after the announcement, Haymitch is already drunk and sarcastically remarks on what she would have to say to him. He goes on to state that Peeta had already begged him to be allowed back into the Games. Haymitch deduces that Katniss is here to ask him to volunteer in Peeta's place. Katniss bluntly replies "I came for a drink", at which Haymitch laughs before passing her a bottle.

As the two drink, Katniss points out that since Haymitch hates life, he should go into the Games again instead of Peeta. Haymitch concurs with her point, remarking that since he tried to keep Katniss alive in the 74th Hunger Games, he's obligated to do the same for Peeta for the 75th. However, Haymitch points out that if his name is drawn, Peeta will simply volunteer in his place to be with her. Katniss then tells Haymitch that if it does come down to Peeta and herself, the both of them will do everything they can to ensure Peeta stays alive, and Haymitch agrees.

The following day, Katniss and Peeta head to Haymitch's house. Peeta disposes of Haymitch's entire supply of alcohol, enraging him. Peeta then says that two of them will be going into the Games and two will be coming back, a mentor and victor, and informs the duo that they can't afford them both being drunkards. Peeta then tells them that they are going to prepare like Careers for the Quell, before storming out of Haymitch's house.

Over the next several weeks, the three victors train for the Quarter Quell, doing daily exercises in the morning, combat exercises in the afternoon, and watching recaps of the Games of previous victors at night. Haymitch struggles to get through the training regimen after years of alcohol abuse, unable to properly hit the side of a house with a knife after several weeks, but eventually improves. On the day of the reaping, Haymitch's name is called, and Peeta predictably volunteers in his stead. Katniss and Peeta are not allotted the customary hour for goodbyes and the duo are rushed to the train alongside Haymitch and Effie, bound for the Capitol.

On the train, Haymitch, Katniss, Peeta, and Effie watch the recaps of the reapings, after which Haymitch departs without a word back to his room on the train. While alone, Katniss and Peeta watch the recaps of Haymitch's Games, the Second Quarter Quell. After finishing it, Katniss remarks that Haymitch's stunt at the end of his Games with the force field was similar and just as bad as their own stunt with the berries. Haymitch unexpectedly returns, drinking from a bottle of wine, remarking "Almost, but not quite."

Following the tribute parade, Haymitch converses with Chaff and Seeder, the tribute victors from District 11, before introducing Katniss and Peeta to them. When the District 12 delegation returns to their apartment, Haymitch restrains Katniss when she recognizes one of the Avoxes serving them is Darius, a Peacekeeper from District 12 who tried to stop Gale's whipping only to be knocked out by Thread. The following morning, Haymitch explains to Katniss and Peeta that their strategy for training is to remain in love and befriend the other victors. Katniss initially refuses, but Haymitch insists that they will need more allies than each other during the Quell, and their popularity makes them desirable allies. He suggests allying with Seeder and Chaff, with Finnick Odair as another consideration, but the two are free to choose who they like.

Following their first day of training, Haymitch informs Katniss and Peeta that half of the tributes have informed their mentors that they want Katniss as their ally. Peeta tells Haymitch they saw Katniss shoot. Katniss, however, is indifferent from the tributes' praises, stating she only wants Beetee and Wiress from District 3 as well as Mags from District 4 to be added to their alliance. Haymitch sighs at the response, saying he will inform the mentors that Katniss is still making up her mind. Following their private sessions with their Gamemakers, Haymitch agrees with Effie when she remarks that their actions during the private session will bring more trouble. After dinner, Peeta informs Haymitch that he and Katniss have decided that they will go in alone, with Haymitch remarking he won't be responsible for killing his friends in the arena. When Katniss and Peeta both earn a 12 for their training score, Haymitch sends the two to bed, stating that he can't stand the sight of either of them.

Following the chaotic end to their tribute interview, Haymitch informs the duo of the commotion in the Capitol and the canceling of the interview recaps. Katniss and Peeta both ask Haymitch to give Effie their thanks for being their escort. Before departing for the night, Haymitch's last piece of advice to the two is once again to "stay alive", although he specifically tells Katniss to "just remember who the enemy is." When the Games begin, he likely works alongside the mentors from Districts 3, 4, and 7, since Katniss, Peeta, Finnick, Mags, Beetee, Wiress, and Johanna Mason were in an alliance together.

When Katniss blows up the force field, Haymitch is aboard the hovercraft that rescues her, Beetee, and Finnick from the arena. Haymitch, Plutarch Heavensbee, and Finnick gather to discuss the ongoing situation in several districts. When Katniss enters the room, Haymitch is annoyed and explains everything that has recently happened: the secret conspiracy involving the victors from Districts 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 11; the survival of District 13; the open revolt of most of the districts; and the outbreak of the Second Rebellion. Katniss is enraged with all of Haymitch's lies, and when she learns that Peeta was captured by the Capitol alongside the other surviving victors, she lunges at Haymitch, raking his face with her nails. The two proceed to yell vicious, terrible things at one another until Katniss is taken away and sedated.

Mockingjay

District 13 Rebellion

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow."
"I doubt it."

—Haymitch and Katniss

Haymitch in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

After watching the final edit of Katniss's first propo, Haymitch goes on the speaker and laughs, stating, "And that, my friends, is how a revolution dies." Haymitch calls for a meeting with Katniss and the other rebels, where he asks everyone to come up with a moment when Katniss has ever made them feel something real. After everyone finishes, he states that she did them all by herself. When Haymitch and Katniss find themselves alone in the meeting room, Haymitch told her to say what she wants and she asks him why he let Peeta get captured. Haymitch sadly asks why she let Peeta out of her sight. The two begin to reconnect and comfort each other. Haymitch tells her the plan to shoot the propo live in action. While Katniss is in District 8, Haymitch stays in contact with her over an earpiece, but she defies his orders, flinging it aside and rushing into combat.

After the group returns to District 13 and receives medical treatment, Haymitch participates in a discussion about the new propo in Command. They decide to allow Katniss to go back into combat and shoot more propos once she is fully recovered. When Katniss returns to her hospital bed, Haymitch enters and insists that if she refuses to wear her earpiece, she will have to wear a locked piece of equipment around her head, and failing that, they'll surgically implant a transmitter in her ear. Once she angrily agrees to keep the regular earpiece in, he admits to eating her lunch and leaves.

Haymitch later refuses to return to District 12 to film propos, quoted by Plutarch as saying, "I couldn't face it without a bottle." Then he attends a meeting in Command for the airing of Peeta's third televised interview since his capture by the Capitol. When the room erupts into confusion, Haymitch insists that Peeta has warned them about an impending attack on District 13. People in Command are skeptical at first, but Katniss argues alongside Haymitch, at which point District 13's President Alma Coin gives the order for the district to go into lockdown. When the lockdown is lifted several days later, Haymitch watches Katniss break down while attempting to film a propo, and he comforts her before she is sedated. The next time she wakes, he informs her that they've launched a mission to save Peeta, Johanna, and Annie Cresta from the Capitol, and that Gale was the first to volunteer for the rescue team.

Haymitch comforts Katniss and arranges for her and Finnick to shoot propos, which the rebels will air as a distraction during the assault. He supervises the filming, and he argues with Plutarch against Finnick being forced to share his painful history. Once filming is over, Haymitch explains to Katniss that two weeks after he was crowned victor, President Snow killed his mother, younger brother, and girlfriend because of his stunt with the force field. Around midnight, Haymitch informs Katniss and Finnick that the rescue party has made it back safely, and they go to meet them in the hospital together. Haymitch is caught off guard when a hijacked Peeta attacks Katniss, but oversees his recovery and keeps Katniss updated on his wellbeing while she is in District 2. He also feeds her instructions over an earpiece to help deescalate after the assault on the Nut.

Haymitch attends Finnick and Annie's wedding in District 13, and he speaks with Katniss after she recognizes Peeta's handiwork on the cake. He also passes on a message, saying Peeta would like to see her. Haymitch is the one to inform her that she isn't going to the Capitol, and he's also said Delly Cartwright is the best defender Katniss has against Peeta's hijacked tirades. When Johanna ends up in the hospital, Haymitch explains how she was tortured in the Capitol and triggered during a simulated combat exam, then urges Katniss and Finnick to go see her. Once Squad 451 and Peeta are sent to the Capitol, Haymitch argues with Katniss over the phone, saying that she is being unfair to Peeta and she should try to remember their deal to try to save him.

Following the fall of the Capitol and the capture of President Snow, Haymitch makes sure Katniss is eating and taking her medicine, and he informs her when Snow's trial and sentencing are over. Alongside Plutarch, Haymitch also advocates on behalf of Effie Trinket, sparing her from execution under the new government. On the day of Snow's execution, Haymitch and the other surviving victors attend a meeting hosted by President Coin. As retribution for their years of oppression, Coin proposes that they hold one final Hunger Games with the children of the Capitol's most powerful people. The proposal is put to a vote amongst the victors; Peeta, Beetee, and Annie vote against, while Johanna, Enobaria, and Katniss vote in favor, leaving Haymitch as the tie breaker. He ultimately chooses to side with Katniss and votes in favor. Immediately after, Haymitch is also present for Snow's execution, and he watches as Katniss instead assassinates Coin. Haymitch accompanies Plutarch when they go to release Katniss from her confinement. The two then fly back to District 12, with Haymitch informing Katniss that in addition to still being her mentor, he will also be looking after her, since her mother now resides in District 4 to oversee the construction of a hospital there.

Later life

After the Second Rebellion and Panem's transition into a democratic republic, Haymitch, alongside Peeta and Katniss, return to the Victors' Village in District 12, where they remain as the district is rebuilt around them. Haymitch continues to drink, but he also now raises geese, and he contributes to Katniss and Peeta's memory book the forty-six tributes he mentored before them. While Haymitch wants nothing to do with it at first, he eventually shares with them his own story about all of the people that Haymitch had loved and lost. Afterwards, Katniss brings Haymitch some goose eggs and Peeta builds an incubator for them. By this point, Haymitch is not sure how much longer he will live for given his wrecked liver, but he's content, knowing that the Capitol can never take Lenore Dove from him again.

Victims

During the 50th Hunger Games, Haymitch mercy killed Lou Lou by removing her pump after the girl was fatally poisoned. When attacked by three Careers, Haymitch stabbed Barba in the gut which she eventually died of before hamstringing Angler and cutting open his neck with an axe. During his final fight with Silka Sharp, Haymitch inflicted near-fatal wounds before tricking her into killing herself with a rebounding axe.

Work

Since becoming a victor at age 16, Haymitch does not work, nor is he obligated to work as part of District 12's coal mining industry. Instead, he spends his victor's pension on white liquor and becomes a recluse in the Victors' Village. In the annual Hunger Games, he acts as a mentor for the reaped tributes of District 12, but Haymitch would not see any of his tributes return from the Games alive for twenty-three years until Katniss and Peeta's dual victory.

At some point, Haymitch becomes a member of a conspiracy involving several Hunger Games victors, high-ranking individuals from the Capitol, and District 13. His role and tenure as a member of this underground resistance remain unclear, given difficulties posed by District 12's downtrodden state and the extent of his own addiction and depression. However, after Katniss's unintentional emergence as a symbol for the impending revolution, Haymitch takes on a key role in the resistance by ensuring she remains unaware of any greater rebel plot.

Alongside Plutarch and other victors in on the conspiracy, Haymitch orchestrates the plan to break Katniss out of the arena of the 75th Hunger Games. During the Second Rebellion, Haymitch continues his role as Katniss's mentor, overseeing the production of her propos as well as offering her personal guidance and comfort.

Physical description

Haymitch's Capitol Portrait for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

At the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, he is young, strong, and "something of a looker," with dark, curly hair and gray Seam eyes, bright and dangerous.

At the time of the trilogy, Haymitch has become a paunchy, middle-aged man who is often disheveled or even filthy. During the Second Rebellion, he appears slightly yellow and has lost a lot of weight. His eyes are also "ringed with the circles of sleepless nights".

In the films, he has a scruffy, graying beard, as well as the straight blond hair and blue eyes common in District 12's merchant sector.

Personality and traits

Haymitch calling Katniss out on not being very likable.

Haymitch is often drunk, surly, and harsh, but on rare occasions he can be understanding, and as mentioned by Peeta in the Hunger Games, has the capacity to remain sober. He is tactical and observant, as shown when he found out about the force field in the Second Quarter Quell. He is often sarcastic and unfriendly, but it is revealed in Mockingjay that, even though he doesn't say it, he adores and loves both Peeta and Katniss, despite his decision to keep only Katniss alive during the 74th Hunger Games.

He and Katniss are on the same "wavelength" for most of the books, as he can "communicate" with Katniss by unconventional means, such as the timely deliverance of a sponsor's gift. After the war is over, Haymitch is sent to District 12 to look after Katniss, but for a long period after arriving he does not visit her, opting to stay in his house and drink. It is indicated that his relationship with Katniss and Peeta is somewhat repaired as time goes on.

Haymitch has difficulty sleeping at night because of nightmares pertaining to the Hunger Games. When he does sleep, he always clutches a knife in hand. Drinking is Haymitch's way of tuning out the present and the pain of his Hunger Games. His alcoholism was also prompted by the loss of his entire family shortly after he won the Games, at the hand of President Snow, due to his rebellious victory. Haymitch did not have access to liquor while he was in District 13, as the intoxicating substance is banned. He was mostly unaffected by this after therapy, but his skin became noticeably yellower. As soon as they returned to District 12, he began drinking again. When Haymitch is in withdrawal, he becomes violent, incoherent, and prone to hallucinations, screaming and shaking and scaring people half to death.

Nevertheless, despite his severe drinking, Haymitch does have some degree of control over it as he tells Peeta and Katniss in their original deal that, if they let him drink as much as he wants, he will remain sober enough to help them. He also functions rather well while sober. After the war, Haymitch drinks differently, more out of habit and less to forget.

Skills

Haymitch is handy with a knife, evidenced by when he killed two Career tributes. He is also quite intelligent, outsmarting his fellow tributes and making the Capitol look stupid with their own force field. He was remarkably strong when he was younger. Although he has low physical endurance, Haymitch makes up for it with his keen intellect and skill at lying, as shown in his ability to keep Katniss clueless about the Second Rebellion. He can be convincing, persuading Districts 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 11 to protect Katniss and manipulating command in District 13 to allow Katniss into combat. He was able to communicate with Katniss through his gifts in the arena, though Peeta believed that ability was due to the similarities in their personalities.

Relationships

Family and girlfriend

"Lenore Dove, I love you like all-fire. That’s for always."
"I love you like all-fire, too. You and no one else. Just like my geese, I mate for life. And then some. Forever."

—Haymitch and Lenore Dove on the phone before the Games

In Haymitch's childhood, his father died in a coal mine fire.

Two weeks after being crowned victor, Haymitch's girlfriend, Lenore Dove, mother, and younger brother Sid were all killed by the Capitol due to Haymitch's rebelliousness. Katniss believed made the Capitol look foolish, so he was punished for his perceived act of defiance. The state of Haymitch's relationship with his mother, brother, and girlfriend are unclear, but it can be assumed that Haymitch loved and cared for them, as their death would weigh on Haymitch for the rest of his life and likely contributed to his descent into alcoholism and the jaded, cynical attitude he would later be known for.

Clerk Carmine Clade

Haymitch had a tense relationship with Clerk Carmine. Clerk Carmine disapproved of him dating his niece Lenore Dove, partially because he came from a family of rebels, and potentially also because Haymitch was a bootlegger. Clerk Carmine told Lenore Dove that Haymitch was "the kind that died young." Haymitch considered giving Clade the bottle of liquor he was given by Hattie, to improve their relationship.

Katniss Everdeen

"So it's you and a syringe against the Capitol? See, this is why no one lets you make the plans."

—Haymitch to Katniss

Haymitch and Katniss before Katniss leaves to go to the arena.

When Katniss is a young girl, Haymitch is reminded of Louella McCoy, his old "sweetheart." After the reaping of the 74th Hunger Games, Haymitch doesn't want to let Katniss and Peeta into his heart, but he ultimately can't help it.

Haymitch is initially impressed by Katniss, stating that she has "spunk" after she volunteers in her sister's place. On the train he dismisses her and Peeta, but once they gang up on him he decides that they may be able to win the Games. Following this, Haymitch takes a more hands-on approach to their mentoring, giving both her and Peeta valuable advice on how to be attractive to sponsors. Even still, their early relationship is rocky, with Haymitch and Katniss constantly bickering at each other during her training. Katniss is convinced that Haymitch hates her and he does not try to contradict her. He is hard on his tributes, but his teachings still help them through the Games. Haymitch decides to exclusively support Katniss over Peeta, believing she had the best chance to survive and ultimately win. He's able to communicate with Katniss on what she should do through sponsor gifts. Despite being apart during the Games, the two develop an understanding, and a strong bond is forged. Haymitch is the first whom Katniss thanks when she leaves the arena.

In Catching Fire, Haymitch and Katniss have grown closer since her and Peeta's victory. Despite their relationship remaining tense at times, with Haymitch outright telling her that he would've preferred to save Peeta over her, the two regularly work together to deal with whatever threat comes in front of them. Haymitch keeps his role as a mentor, guiding Katniss and Peeta through their Victory Tour and coaching them about how to continue playing up the love act after Katniss informs him of President Snow's demands. He remains realistic with Katniss, informing her of the duties and struggles she is likely to endure as a victor and eventually as a mentor in the years to come. Nevertheless, Haymitch does his best to protect both her and Peeta. Following the announcement of the Third Quarter Quell, Haymitch and Katniss agree to work together to ensure Peeta is kept alive. After Katniss is reaped and Peeta volunteers in Haymitch's stead, Haymitch secretly formulates an alliance with the other tributes to protect Katniss and Peeta. At the climax of the 75th Hunger Games, Haymitch arrives with Plutarch to save Katniss, Finnick, and Beetee after she destroys the force field of the arena, but fails to save Peeta and the other surviving tributes. When Katniss finds out that Peeta has captured by the Capitol, she attacks Haymitch and is subdued.

In Mockingjay, Haymitch and Katniss do not speak until she decides to become the Mockingjay and begins filming her first propo. Katniss remains furious with Haymitch, but the two ultimately reconcile after they both acknowledge their failures in saving Peeta. The two subsequently grow close again. Throughout Mockingjay, Haymitch displays that he truly does care for Katniss, understanding her more than others. For instance, when she realizes how Snow is using and torturing Peeta, Katniss runs to Haymitch as she breaks down, and Haymitch comforts her. Later, Katniss tells Haymitch her idea of Coin killing Prim, and when he teases her, causing her to flee, he tries to follow her and later tries to get her to talk to him about her problems. When the remaining living victors vote on a final Hunger Games involving Capitol children, Haymitch, as the tie-breaking vote, ultimately sides with Katniss. Katniss remarks that this was the moment she recognized how similar they were. When Haymitch and Katniss return to District 12, Haymitch continues his role as her mentor and now also as her caretaker when he hands her a note from her mother.

Peeta Mellark

"You could live a hundred lifetimes and still not deserve him, you know..."

—Haymitch to Katniss on Peeta

Haymitch talking with Cinna and Peeta

Like Katniss, Haymitch meets Peeta when he is reaped for the 74th Hunger Games. When Haymitch collapses into his own vomit in a drunken stupor, Peeta cleans and bathes Haymitch. The following day, Peeta and Haymitch discuss survival strategies for the Games. He is initially dismissive of Peeta and his chances in the upcoming Games. When Peeta knocks away Haymitch's drink in anger, Haymitch punches Peeta to see if he will put up a fight and is pleased when he and Katniss gang up against him. The two later work together often and become close in preparation for the Games. Haymitch comes to favor Peeta over Katniss, since he proves to be very useful and charismatic. During training, Haymitch and Peeta formulated strategies to court sponsors, coming up with the star-crossed lovers idea. Despite his preference for him, Haymitch chose to not help Peeta with sponsor gifts during the 74th Hunger Games, as he believed Katniss was the stronger contender. Peeta is angered by this, but does not hold this fact against Haymitch, understanding that initially only one of them could win and states he had preferred it be Katniss anyway. Still, Haymitch is elated when both emerge as victors for the 74th Hunger Games.

The two remain close in Catching Fire, maintaining a cordial relationship, with Peeta occasionally giving Haymitch bread from his family bakery. Although he does not admit it, Haymitch truly cares for Peeta like Katniss. He does everything he can to prevent them from being harmed by the Capitol. When Peeta berates Haymitch and Katniss for keeping secrets from him following their District 11 visit, Haymitch promises Peeta that he will be informed going forward. Haymitch also displays sympathy for Peeta and his initially unreciprocated love for Katniss, telling Katniss after she formulated the idea of Peeta proposing to her during their Victory Tour interview that Peeta had wanted it to be a real marriage proposal. Following the Third Quarter Quell announcement, Peeta begs Haymitch to allow him back into the arena, arguing that since Haymitch chose Katniss over him in the 74th Hunger Games, he owes Peeta and should let him protect Katniss in the arena. When Katniss and Haymitch discuss the implications of the upcoming Quell, Haymitch acknowledges that he feels obligated to save Peeta this time, and he and Katniss agree that they will do everything they can to protect Peeta, with Haymitch even agreeing to volunteer for Peeta should he be reaped. In the film adaption of Catching Fire, when Haymitch's name is called at the reaping and Peeta volunteers for him, Haymitch makes a futile attempt to stop him from doing so.

In Mockingjay, Haymitch feels immense guilt at leaving Peeta behind in the arena. He and Katniss both admit they were at fault for not doing more to protect Peeta at the climax of the 75th Hunger Games. Despite not outwardly expressing it, Haymitch loves Peeta as he does Katniss and is equally as troubled as her knowing that Peeta is being tortured and used by the Capitol. When Peeta is rescued, Haymitch and Katniss try their best to help Peeta through the stress and effects of the tracker jacker venom the Capitol used to torture Peeta and hijack his memories. The two reconnect at the end of Mockingjay.

Effie Trinket

"Nice dress... Not yours."

—Haymitch to Effie

Effie and Haymitch first met when Effie served as one of his stylists in the 50th Hunger Games.

As District 12's escort, Effie and Haymitch have worked together for several years representing District 12. Despite this, Effie annoys Haymitch greatly with her Capitol ways. Since Haymitch isn't familiar with Effie's manners, deadlines, and appearance, he becomes annoyed when she nags him about them. He annoys Effie as well by being at his worst and frustrates her by his appearance and manners, such as when he eats like an animal or is drunk. The two do have their moments together such as the night before the Third Quarter Quell, when Haymitch agrees with Effie that Katniss and Peeta's actions during their private sessions would only invite trouble. The two say their final goodbyes before she is taken away, and Haymitch is shown to care for her.

Haymitch and Effie do not start off on the right foot. They first encounter each other when Haymitch shows up drunk and in poor conditions at the reaping for the 74th Hunger Games. He throws up and hugs her, messing up her pink wig. He reappears again when he throws up on the train, which only makes Effie more enraged. Haymitch and Effie work together to help Katniss and Peeta, and she helps him line up sponsors. Haymitch and Effie are shown to be the same during the Victory Tour as he shows poor manners, and Effie annoys him with her nagging about his appearance and manners. The two seem to let Katniss and Peeta decide their own choices during preparations for the third Quarter Quell. The night before the third Quarter Quell, Effie is taken away, but before Haymitch and she say their final goodbyes, they are shown to like each other and care for one another. In Mockingjay, it's mentioned that it was the efforts of Haymitch and Plutarch Heavensbee that managed to keep Effie from being executed after the Second Rebellion, although it wasn't an easy job for them.

In the movie adaptation of "Mockingjay", as Haymitch and Effie say their last goodbye, it is shown that they might have become a couple during their time spent in District 13. Haymitch kisses Effie on her cheek and tells her to "not be a stranger". After that, they have a kiss on the mouth and Haymitch promises Effie to take care of Katniss. This event only happens in the movie.

Chaff

Haymitch and Chaff, a District 11 victor, are old friends who both have a sense of humor and occasional bad attitude. They won their games 5 years apart and so have known each other almost all of their mentoring careers. They often got drunk together and played jokes on others to get a laugh out of it. For example, Haymitch and Chaff play a joke on Katniss after the parade in Catching Fire when Chaff kisses Katniss on the lips; they both guffaw over her reaction.

Maysilee Donner

"What do you say to the meanest girl in town who’s become your friend? No, more than a friend, really. A Newcomer. Being tributes and not killing each other . . . looking out for each other with no questions asked . . . that’s family, I guess."

—Haymitch on Maysilee

Maysilee was one of the two female tributes reaped for the Second Quarter Quell alongside Haymitch and another boy and girl. It is unknown if Haymitch was acquainted with Maysilee before the two were reaped, although it is possible. During the Games, Maysilee saved Haymitch's life after he was almost killed by a Career tribute, with the two deciding to become allies for most of the remainder of the 50th Hunger Games on her suggestion. While the scope of their relationship during the Games is unclear, the two were close allies, working together to fight off other tributes, collect rainwater, and share food and supplies from fallen tributes. Haymitch appears to have taken a leading role in their alliance, convincing Maysilee to follow him to the edge of the arena in the hopes of finding something useful.

When the two finally reached the edge of arena, they found nothing but a barren cliff. Maysilee suggested turning back, but Haymitch refused. Subsequently, Maysilee broke off the alliance, claiming she did not want it to come down to just her and Haymitch with only five tributes left. Haymitch had no qualms with this and let her take her leave on her own. When Maysilee was attacked by muttations, Haymitch heard her screams and ran to help her, even though he had reasons not to because of their broken alliance and the fact that there were only a few tributes left, showing he had grown to care for her. After Maysilee was fatally injured by the muttations, much like Katniss would do with Rue, Haymitch cradled her in her final moments before she died. Katniss would remark after watching Haymitch's tapes before the 75th Hunger Games about the similarity: she was too late to save Rue, and Haymitch was too late to save Maysilee.

Etymology

Haymitch seems to be derived from the Scottish given name Hamish, which is itself a version of Seamus or James, meaning "supplanter"— one who uproots or removes violently, like Haymitch helps the rebels do to President Snow. His surname, Abernathy, is a North American variation of the Scottish name Abernethy, and a possible nod to American civil rights activist Ralph Abernathy.

Trivia

• Haymitch and Annie Cresta were the only victors still alive after the war who did not participate in the 75th Hunger Games.
  • During the reaping, each was initially reaped only for a volunteer to take their place: Peeta for Haymitch, and Mags for Annie.
  • Haymitch is the only tribute in the history of the Hunger Games to be reaped for two Quarter Quells, but his name was not chosen for the 50th Hunger Games.
• Haymitch is his district's first male victor, and their first victor in forty years. He's also the only victor from 12 who had to mentor tributes.
  • He is the only victor to outlive forty-seven other tributes during his Games.
• Haymitch bears similarities to Ripred, a gnawer from the Underland Chronicles (also by Suzanne Collins), due to being cynical and losing his family.
• He was born on Reaping Day, which is July 4th for the 34th Hunger Games.
  • He was reaped illegally on his 16th birthday.
  • The year Haymitch was born was the year of the 34th Hunger Games. This means he was born on the exact same day that Beetee was reaped for the Games.
• He had often gone skinny dipping with Burdock Everdeen in his youth.
• He was supposed to have two younger sisters that were twins around the time he started school, but his mother Willamae Abernathy had them too early.
• He has the lowest training score of all known victors, with a score of 1, though this is because he publicly defied the Gamemakers during his training session.

Gallery

• Haymitch Abernathy gallery