- "Well, hell yes, I'm angry. You know, I'm getting totally screwed over here. The deal was that if I win the Hunger Games, I get to live the rest of my life in peace. But now, you want to kill me again. Well, you know what? F*CK THAT! AND F*CK EVERYBODY THAT HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT! "
- —Johanna Mason, angrily to the Capitol[src]
Johanna Mason of District 7 is the victor of the 71st Hunger Games.[1] Four years after her triumph, she was the only living female victor from her district, and thus was reaped for the third Quarter Quell. Besides Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, she was the third-youngest tribute in the Quarter Quell, being 21 years of age. She is the last living victor of District 7 at the end of the trilogy.
Biography
Early life
Johanna Mason was born in District 7, a district known for producing lumber. She became very endurant and physically durable as a result of the work she did, and developed great skill with wielding an axe.
71st Hunger Games
- "My stylist is such an idiot. District 7, lumber. I'd like to put an ax through his face."
- —Johanna Mason[src]
In her first Hunger Games, Johanna's stylist dressed her and the male District 7 tribute as a tree, much to her embarrassment, and leading to her perceiving in him an unrivaled lack of intelligence. The stylist in question had been dressing tributes like trees for the last four decades.
When she entered the arena, Johanna pretended to be a weakling, feigning hunger and fatigue when, in reality, she was sly and cunning: Described by Katniss as having a "wicked ability to murder", she waited until the number of tributes had been substantially reduced before revealing her ferocity and eliminating the final competitors. Because she was incredibly desirable, President Snow attempted to make a prostitute of her, and when she refused, he killed her family.
Third Quarter Quell
Elevator encounter
Johanna stripping in front of Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch.
Johanna first meets Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark after the opening ceremonies of the 75th Hunger Games. Dressed as a tree, she complains that the tributes from District 7 have been wearing tree costumes for forty years, and wishes that she had gotten Cinna as her stylist. She unnerves Katniss in the elevator when she strips off her costume, wearing nothing but forest green slippers. Katniss is immediately turned off by this action, eyeing Peeta's reaction. He later explains to Katniss that Johanna did this to get a reaction since she and the other tributes obviously see Katniss as being the most "pure."
Johanna with her axe dug into the floor.
During training, Johanna is seen wrestling male tributes and showcasing her coordination and precision in wielding an axe.
Interview
During Johanna's interview with Caesar Flickerman, she asks if something could be done about the victors going back into the arena since surely the Gamemakers never anticipated such attachment forming between the victors and the Capitol. When asked if she is angry with the victors going back into the arena, Johanna angrily says she is angry because the Capitol want to try and kill her again and curses everyone who was involved. Johanna held hands with the other victors on the night of the interviews as a sign of rebellion.
The arena
Johanna survives the initial Cornucopia bloodbath and managed to get some axes before going into the forest. She tries to kill the District 10 female with one of her axes but the girl was able to dodge it.
In the arena, she brings Beetee and Wiress to Katniss following Haymitch's request. She and Katniss take part in Beetee's plan.
Johanna in the Training Center.
Beetee's plan is to electrocute the remaining victors by taking Beetee's wire as instructed. When the wire was cut by Enobaria and Brutus, Johanna knocked Katniss out with a metal cylinder to cut the tracker out of Katniss' arm so that the Capitol couldn't find her and to trick Enobaria and Brutus into thinking Katniss was dead. This lead Katniss to believe that Johanna was trying to kill her.
After the arena was destroyed from the inside by Katniss' bow and Beetee's electric wire; Finnick Odair, Beetee, and Katniss were rescued by District 13 and the Rebels. Johanna, Peeta, and Enobaria were captured by the Capitol.
Captured by the Capitol
Johanna in the Capitol during Mockingjay.
Johanna is held captive and tortured by the Capitol. She was soaked in water and then tortured with electroshocks while imprisoned. Several months after the end of the Third Quarter Quell, she looked ill, bruised, covered in scabs and has had her hair shaved off entirely. This is because unlike Annie, who was only taken hostage as a weapon to use against Finnick, Johanna knew information about Katniss in the rebellion.
Joining the District 13 Rebellion
Eventually, along with Annie Cresta and Peeta Mellark, she is saved on a rescue mission to the Capitol led by the rebels and is taken back to District 13. Johanna is taken to receive medical attention for both the physical and mental wounds that were inflicted on her. Johanna awakens and finds Katniss in a coma in her room. Johanna takes some morphling from Katniss' supply since the doctors at the hospital cut her supply off. When she awakens, the two talk about her role as the Mockingjay. Johanna tells her that the Capitol fears Katniss and explains why she hates her. Gale enters the room, and Johanna leaves so the two can be alone.
Johanna meets Katniss, Gale, Beetee, Delly, Annie, Finnick, and eventually Peeta at lunch. Johanna tells Peeta to sit next to her and announces to the group that the two are familiar with each other's screams since they were tortured together in the Capitol.
In District 13, Johanna is trained as a soldier so she can fight in the rebellion alongside Katniss. The two suffer and bond together in training and later become roommates since they both need help.
When Johanna undergoes the test to see if she is ready to become a part of an official rebel squad, they flood the streets and due to her fear of water (caused by her torture) she goes into shock and is deemed unfit to fight. After this, Katniss remembers her tendency to not bathe since she arrived at District 13 and attributes it to her fear of water caused by the torture. Katniss gathers pine needles for her to take with her so she can think of home. Johanna is comforted by this and just before Katniss leaves, Johanna makes Katniss promise to kill President Snow for her, a promise which Katniss does not fulfill.
Before President Snow's death, President Coin gathers all seven remaining victors that survived and asks if they would like a final Hunger Games, but with the children of the most powerful people in the Capitol. Peeta, Annie, and Beetee vote no, but Enobaria, Haymitch, Katniss, and Johanna vote yes. Johanna watches Katniss about to kill President Snow, but instead, kills Coin.
Later life
With President Snow defeated, it is assumed Johanna returned to her home in District 7.
Alliances
During the 75th Games, Johanna includes Wiress and Beetee, the District 3 tributes, in an alliance, because Haymitch told her that was the only way Katniss would accept an alliance. Her district partner, Blight, runs into the forcefield surrounding the arena and is killed. After Blight's death, the three of them run into Katniss, Peeta, and Finnick, and expand their alliance to include them. Katniss, however, is positive that the real alliance lies between Johanna and Finnick since the two of them are old friends.
Johanna is annoyed when Katniss tells her to lay off Wiress after she pushed her down and slaps Katniss in the face, as Johanna admits she got Wiress and Beetee for Katniss. After Finnick forcibly calms her down by repeatedly dunking her in the water near the Cornucopia, Katniss discovers that the arena is shaped like a clock. There, the Careers ambush them and after Wiress is killed, Johanna throws her axe at and hits Cashmere in the chest, killing her.
After the jabberjays that sounded like the tributes' loved ones begin to scream, Johanna is impatient and tells Katniss that it actually isn't Prim screaming, but merely a weapon to unhinge her set by the Capitol. She goes into the area with the jabberjays, trying to get water, but Katniss warns her not to go in there. This is where Johanna reveals that they can't hurt her since she doesn't have anyone left to love.
Johanna and the group prepare for Beetee's plan to kill the remaining Career tributes by using his coil of wire, the lake, and the lightning storm. Johanna and Katniss are in charge of setting up the wire and positioning it, but when they discover the wire has been broken, Johanna strikes Katniss in the temple with the metal coil and digs into her arm with the tip of a knife in order to get the tracking device, placed by the Gamemakers, out. Johanna also leads Brutus and Enobaria away from Katniss so Katniss could escape the arena and be the Mockingjay. Her motive for doing this was because if she had not, the Capitol could have tracked her past the arena, to District 13 where the tributes are preparing to escape to. However, at the time, Katniss believes that Johanna and Finnick had a plan to upend the alliance and kill Katniss, Peeta, and Beetee - the only ones left alive from the alliance at this point. Johanna then goes back to Finnick to continue the mission - to get them all back to District 13 alive.
Victims
Johanna pretended to be weak in her first Games, but later when there were only a few tributes left, she killed viciously.
In her second Games, she killed Cashmere by throwing one of her axes into her chest. She assaults Katniss, cutting open her arm to remove the tracker and keep her out. Her intention was to not kill her, but to cut the Gamemakers off from her, effectively preventing them from locating her.
Relationships
Family
- "They can't hurt me. I'm not like the rest of you. There's no one left I love."
- —Johanna, to the Victors[src]
Johanna states in Catching Fire that she has no one left that she loves anymore.
In Mockingjay, it is revealed by Haymitch Abernathy that President Snow killed them because she refused to cooperate with his plans to make her into a prostitute.
Finnick Odair
Johanna and Finnick were friends prior to the 75th Hunger Games, most likely have formed a bond during previous Hunger Games where they were mentors. They were allies during the 75th Hunger Games, along with Wiress, Beetee, Katniss, and Peeta. Katniss believed that Johanna was only in the alliance for Finnick when in reality, she was only protecting the Mockingjay so as not to end the rebellion early.
In Mockingjay, Katniss states that she "doesn't really know what's between Finnick and Johanna", and Haymitch says that Katniss and Finnick are the closest things Johanna has to friends.
Katniss Everdeen
- "You're a little hard to swallow. With your tacky romantic drama and your defender-of-the-helpless act. Only it isn't an act, which makes you more unbearable. Please feel free to take this personally."
- —Johanna to Katniss[src]
When they first met during the 75th Hunger Games in Catching Fire, both Johanna and Katniss had a strong dislike for each other. However, once inside the arena, the two were thrown together into an alliance set up by Haymitch and the rebels of District 13. Even though the two were now allies, they still didn't trust each other. During the escape from the arena at the end of the 75th Hunger Games, Johanna 'attacked' Katniss for the purpose of removing a tracking device from her arm, then lead Brutus and Enobaria, the District 2 tributes, away from Katniss. As a result of this, Katniss began to hate Johanna, thinking she had meant to kill her until she realized what Johanna had done.
After being rescued from Capitol's clutches in Mockingjay, Johanna and Katniss start to become friends. First, Johanna, knowing that Katniss is indebted to her, begins to siphon off Katniss' morphling supply. As a result of the time spent together in the hospital, the two grew closer, and eventually became friends. Once they were released from the hospital, Johanna and Katniss willingly move into a compartment in District 13 together, proving their friendship. They train together to be sent to the Capitol. When the times came for their tests of worth, Katniss passes, but Johanna has a breakdown and is sent back to the hospital. Katniss gives her a small bundle that smells of pine to remind her of home. When she presents it, Johanna makes her promise to kill Snow.
Wiress and Beetee
Wiress and Beetee, to Johanna, are clearly absolute pains for her. At the Training Center, Peeta tells Katniss that Johanna has nicknamed the pair 'Nuts (Wiress) and Volts (Beetee)'. After the blood rain, she appears brick-red and rough-handling the District 3 tributes in order to get them to Katniss, showing a slight loyalty to her, as it appears she was willing to put up with dragging Beetee and Wiress singing 'Hickory Dickory Dock' as well as doing clock imitations. Johanna is intolerant of the two, by all means, Wiress especially. In one part, she becomes so aggravated that she pushes Wiress to the ground, causing Katniss to become angry with her.
Peeta Mellark
Peeta and Johanna are known to have been tortured in the Capitol together along with Annie Cresta (and Enobaria, but she was freed by President Snow before any torture began because of District 2's loyalty to the Capitol). Johanna later reveals that the two are "familiar with each other's screams" and had adjoining cells.
Haymitch Abernathy
It is known that Johanna and Haymitch talked about protecting Katniss since they both knew about the rebellion. When Johanna meets Katniss' alliance, she mentions that Haymitch said that it would be necessary for her to have protected Wiress and Beetee.
Blight
- "He wasn't much, but he was from home."
- —Johanna on Blight's death[src]
Johanna wasn't seen with Blight much, but she was in an alliance with him, Beetee, and Wiress when they escaped the Cornucopia. He died when he hit the forcefield, and Johanna was slightly saddened.
Personality
- "I don't care if you're knocked up. I'll rip your throat out."
- —Johanna Mason to Katniss Everdeen[src]
Johanna is very sly and perceptive. She understands the greater good of the districts and is willing to give up her life for freedom. She can be pert and difficult at times and is an expert at deception. She is described as sarcastic and snarky when she's not having a "victor's breakdown". She is very gutsy when it comes to showing her dislike of the Capitol. She is not afraid to show her feelings about the Capitol and President Snow. During her interview for the third Quarter Quell, she complained that the "deep bond" between victors and the Capitol should not be severed and wondered if something could be done to change the Quell. In the arena, to make Katniss feel better about the jabberjays, she assures her that Prim can't be dead, proclaiming that if she had been killed, it would likely cause an uprising. In a very rebellious act, she throws her head back and yells to the camera "Whole country in rebellion? Wouldn't want anything like that!", an exclamation unprecedented in the Games. Under the morphling influence, she appears much more vulnerable. Impatient and cruel at times, she can be rather vicious toward others both verbally and physically - such as when she slaps Katniss and insults her many times. However, once she becomes friendlier toward Katniss, she proves herself to be a person who has good reason to have a more aggressive approach towards fighting against the Capitol, and someone who is often just as misunderstood as Katniss was.
Physical description
In Catching Fire, Johanna is described as having wide-set brown eyes and brown, spiky hair. She is also mentioned to have enough physical strength to throw 2 axes into a wall, this is probably due to her being from District 7 and having to do hard physical labor. The film adaptation has Johanna with shoulder-length hair.
In Mockingjay, she returns from the Capitol with a shaved head after being tortured but eventually grows pieces of her hair back, where the perspiration from her forehead made her hair form spikes. A slightly built young woman, her ferocity comes from her abrasive attitude.
In Mockingjay - Part 1 promotional photos and videos, Johanna's hair is blonde. Although, in the Mockingjay - Part 1 film itself, Johanna makes a cameo after being saved by District 13, showing that her head had been shaved from her torture. Part 2 has her starting the film bald, and having her hair grown to a short brown (similar to the book) after the Battle of the Capitol.
Skills
Since she was raised in District 7, Johanna is very skilled with axes. She is able to throw an axe very accurately. This is displayed when she threw it in the Cornucopia, killed Cashmere, and threw an axe at Enobaria and Brutus. She is also an exceptional wrestler and hand to hand combatant.
Trivia
- Like Katniss, Johanna is the only living female victor from her district as of the third Quarter Quell.
- While imprisoned, Johanna had adjoining cells with Peeta in the Capitol.
- Johanna pretended to be weak during her Games. As a result, she had to make sure her training score was low enough for the others to not perceive her as a threat.
- Despite having a great deal of interaction with Katniss in Mockingjay, Johanna's scenes were entirely cut and reduced in the second film adaptation of the novel. Appearing only after Katniss is hospitalized after being shot in District 2; at Finnick's and Annie's wedding; at the round table gathering to vote for one more "final" Hunger Games; and at Snow's execution.
- During her captivity in the Capitol, Johanna developed hydrophobia (the extreme fear of water). It is suspected that she developed the phobia from being soaked and then electrically shocked as a form of torture in the Capitol.
- In an interview with Time magazine, Suzanne Collins states Johanna is 21 years old.
- Despite being advertised as part of the supporting cast, appearing in promotional "One Panem" videos along Peeta and being mentioned at various times in Mockingjay - Part 1, Johanna only makes a brief cameo near the end.
- Despite promotional pictures for Mockingjay depict Johanna with blonde hair and a white dress, she never appears with blonde hair or said white dress in any of the movies.