Suzanne Collins's massively popular Hunger Games series is a dystopian trilogy set in Panem, a grim North American country where 13 districts suffer under the violent leadership of the Capitol. The series, which premiered in 2008, follows the journey of Katniss Everdeen, a teenager who volunteers for the horrific annual Hunger Games to save her sister and ultimately becomes the figurehead of a revolution.
Peeta Mellark is the deuteragonist (or secondary main character—add that one to your bookish vocabulary!) of The Hunger Games. He grew up in District 12 alongside Katniss, although they never spoke prior to becoming tributes for the 74th Hunger Games. Over the course of the series, Peeta goes through a harrowing journey alongside Katniss, and their relationship to each other constantly shifts. Whether or not you're #TeamPeeta, this character guide has everything you need to know about Peeta Mellark, from his journey in the books to his portrayal in the films.
Warning: This article contains spoilers about The Hunger Games series.
How is Peeta Mellark described in the books?
When we first meet Peeta in The Hunger Games, he is described as "medium height, stocky build, [with] ashy blond hair that falls in waves over his forehead." He's the youngest of three brothers and the son of a baker, which we learn as Katniss reflects on her only other interaction with Peeta before the reaping—when they were both just 11 years old. At the time, Katniss was reeling from the loss of her father in a mining accident, and, along with her mother and younger sister, at risk of starving to death. She went out searching for food behind the local bakery. Peeta purposefully dropped two loaves of bread into the flames of the oven, scorching the crust. His mother smacked him for his clumsiness and sent him outside to feed the burned bread to the pigs. Instead, he secretly gave the loaves to Katniss.
As is clear from this introduction of Peeta, he's portrayed as a kind, gentle, often selfless character. Whereas Katniss is frequently seen to be serious, determined, and a bit prickly, Peeta is charming, funny, and likable. His emotional intelligence proves crucial in both of their journeys through the Hunger Games, softening Katniss and drawing sponsors of the games to their side. Peeta is loyal to Katniss from the start, often putting his own life at risk to protect hers.
Peeta's name is likely inspired by pita bread, as he grew up working in a bakery. Peeta shows significant baking skills throughout the trilogy, and he's also a talented painter and artist, which comes in handy while devising disguises. Naturally averse to violence, Peeta survives the games by escaping and hiding from threats, building relationships with and occasionally manipulating other tributes, and using the Capitol's media and viewer support to his and Katniss's favor.
Who are Peeta Mellark's key relationships?
Although initially distrustful of her fellow tribute, Katniss quickly finds that Peeta is a kind, loyal person who wants to work with her, despite the fact that they're meant to fight against each other. Peeta suggests that they invent a romantic relationship in order to get sponsors and public support, and their star-crossed lovers performance allows them both to ultimately win the 74th Hunger Games. Shortly afterwards, we learn that while Katniss faked her affection, Peeta has long been in love with Katniss. Throughout the series, Katniss and Peeta fluctuate between a platonic and romantic relationship. For a period in Mockingjay, Peeta is brainwashed by the Capitol to hate Katniss and try to kill her. But he recovers, and in the epilogue, we learn that Peeta and Katniss are married with two children.
Haymitch Abernathy
Haymitch, the only surviving tribute from District 12 at the start of the series, serves as a jaded, drunken, begrudging mentor to Peeta and Katniss. Haymitch and Peeta develop trust and respect for each other, often plotting strategies to win sponsors, survive the games, and protect Katniss without her knowledge. In Catching Fire, when it's announced that the Quarter Quell Hunger Games will be made up of former tributes, Peeta promises to volunteer if Haymitch's name is drawn, and he follows through on his promise.
Effie Trinket
As the Capitol's escort for District 12, Effie draws Peeta's name as a tribute for the 74th Hunger Games. She rides with Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch to the games and helps train and prepare Katniss and Peeta, especially for their media appearances. Effie develops a fondness for Peeta during their time together, one that ultimately influences her decision to join the resistance and fight against the Capitol.
Gale Hawthorne
Gale is Katniss's best friend from District 12, and she's often torn between her feelings for him and Peeta. Peeta and Gale aren't truly friends in the books, but Peeta admits that Gale is too good of a person to hate. In Catching Fire, Peeta plans to sacrifice himself to save Katniss and encourages her to start a family with Gale. In Mockingjay, Gale and Peeta work together to fight the Capitol, and Gale helps Peeta on his journey to heal from his brainwashing.
Finnick Odair
During Catching Fire, Peeta initiates several key alliances, including a long-lasting friendship with District 4 victor Finnick Odair. Finnick goes out of his way to save Peeta's life more than once, first by performing CPR after Peeta is knocked unconscious by a forcefield. In the books, Peeta decorates the cake for Finnick and Annie's wedding.
What happens to Peeta Mellark over the course of the Hunger Games series?
Peeta first appears when he is selected as the male tribute for District 12 in the reaping ceremony for the 74th Hunger Games. We learn that he and Katniss attend the same school but have never interacted, aside from when Peeta intentionally burned two loaves of bread in order to give them to Katniss five years prior. Peeta and Katniss are slow to warm to each other during their train ride to the Capitol with Haymitch and Effie. They make a big impression during the parade in black unitards designed to light up with synthetic flames to represent District 12's coal industry. At training, Haymitch advises them to stick together through the games, and he secretly prepares Peeta to announce during an interview with Caesar Flickerman that he's long harbored a secret crush on Katniss. Their roles as star-crossed lovers help them gain sponsors and survive the games.
Once the games begin, Peeta forms alliances with the Careers, which Katniss does not initially realize is part of his plot to protect her. After Peeta tells Katniss to run from Cato, Cato stabs Peeta in the thigh and leaves him for dead. Peeta lives, disguising himself as a rock, but suffers from blood poisoning. When Katniss finds him, Peeta plays up the romantic angle, and the Gamemakers announce a new rule—if the last two remaining tributes are from the same district, they can both win. When Katniss is given a dangerous opportunity to collect medicine for his wound, Peeta tells her not to go, and she uses sleeping syrup sent by Haymitch to prevent him from stopping her. Katniss nearly dies acquiring the medicine, and she and Peeta help each other heal.
Once only Peeta, Katniss, and Cato remain alive, the Gamemakers drain all water sources but the central lake, forcing the tributes to confront each other. They are set upon by muttations (genetically modified dogs) and climb atop the cornucopia to escape them, but Peeta is bitten in the calf and Katniss uses her last arrow to secure his tourniquet. Cato attempts to strangle Peeta; Katniss shoots him in the hand at Peeta's suggestion; and Peeta shoves Cato off the cornucopia. Instantly attacked by muttations, Cato asks Katniss to shoot him out of mercy, and she complies. The Gamemakers immediately rescind their rule that both Katniss and Peeta can win, and rather than one killing the other, they both prepare to eat deadly nightlock berries. The announcer stops them just in time and declares them both victors. They learn during later interviews that the Capitol saw their move as an act of rebellion that might spark a larger movement. On the train home, Peeta reveals that his feelings for Katniss are real, and she admits that her romantic gestures were staged.
Despite tensions between them due to their mismatched feelings, Peeta and Katniss continue performing their star-crossed lovers roles on their Victory Tour. While in District 11, they witness political unrest that reveals a growing rebellion and learn that President Snow doesn't believe their performance of love. Peeta proposes to Katniss during an interview, but President Snow is still not convinced. As Peeta and Katniss prepare to serve as mentors to the next year's District 12 tributes, it's announced that the third Quarter Quell Hunger Games, celebrated every 25 years, will be made up of victors from previous games rather than new tributes. Katniss is the only living female victor and therefore must participate. Peeta promises Haymitch that he will volunteer in his place if Haymitch's name is drawn, and follows through on his promise during the reaping. Peeta and Katniss again appear in fiery costumes for the parade and are swept off to training, where Haymitch suggests they try to form alliances with other victors. During their individual training sessions, both Katniss and Peeta perform acts of resistance without coordinating their moves. And at his final interview with Caesar Flickerman, Peeta declares that he and Katniss have already married in secret and claims Katniss is pregnant in a bid to gain public support.
The 75th Hunger Games commence in a jungle and sea landscape. Katniss and Peeta team up with Finnick Odair. When Peeta walks into a forcefield and his heart stops, Finnick saves his life by performing CPR, earning Katniss's trust. After facing poisonous fog, violent monkey muttations, and lightning, they add more tributes to their alliance and realize the arena is shaped like a clock with regularly occurring threats in each wedge. Their group makes a plan to electrocute the remaining Careers, and before their attack, Katniss suggests to Peeta that they break their alliance. Peeta gives her a locket with a picture of her family and her best friend, Gale, making her promise not to sacrifice herself for him and instead fight to win and then start a family with Gale. Katniss is stabbed in the arm by Johanna and makes a split-second decision to shoot the arrow meant to electrocute the Careers instead into the forcefield, breaking the boundary of the arena. Katniss, Finnick, and Beetee are rescued by helicopter and taken to the rebel headquarters in District 13, a plot Katniss learns was formed before the beginning of the games. Peeta is taken captive by the Capitol.
At the beginning of the final book, we learn that Peeta has been held hostage, tortured, and "hijacked" via tracker jacker venom to believe that Katniss is a muttation who has killed all of his friends and family and attempted to kill him multiple times. Peeta appears in a series of broadcast interviews, insisting, in Capitol-sanctioned talking points, that Katniss is innocent. At first he looks healthy, but later appears thinner and unwell. When Peeta tries to signal to Katniss during an interview that the Capitol plans to bomb the rebels in District 13, he is beaten on camera. In order to stage a rescue, rebels broadcast a live propaganda announcement while Peeta and other hostages are broken out of the Capitol. Still brainwashed by President Snow, Peeta tries to kill Katniss immediately upon seeing her. He is restrained and kept away from Katniss as rebels work to reverse the effects of his highjacking. They play a game called "real or not real" in which Peeta tries to separate his real memories from those implanted by President Snow.
Peeta is held back while the other rebels are sent to attack the Capitol, but he is later sent to join them as a member of Katniss's group of sharpshooters, which Katniss suspects is because President Coin sees her as a political rival and wants Peeta to kill her. When Peeta becomes confused and tries to attack Katniss, he is stopped by Mitchell, and Peeta accidentally kicks Mitchell into a deadly trap. A regretful Peeta begs Katniss to kill him, but she refuses, and he isn't given the nightlock capsule for a quick death that other rebels carry. Peeta insists on remaining cuffed to protect Katniss, and Katniss kisses Peeta to center him during a moment of chaos. When Katniss is meant to assassinate President Snow, she instead turns her arrow on President Coin of the rebellion. She attempts to swallow her nightlock capsule, but Peeta blocks her to save her life.
Peeta and Katniss both undergo treatment by a psychiatrist after the rebels win. When they return to District 12, Peeta plants primrose bushes in memory of Katniss's sister, Prim. In the end, Peeta asks Katniss, "You love me, real or not real?" and she answers, "Real." In the epilogue, we learn that Peeta and Katniss are married with two children, and while they both still suffer from the trauma of the Hunger Games, they are helping each other heal and plan to one day tell their children the truth of what they experienced.
How does Peeta in the books compare to Peeta in the movies?
Peeta is portrayed as blond, handsome, stocky, charming, and kind in both the books and movies. However, there are several key differences between Peeta in the Hunger Games books and films. The first is physical: After being bitten by muttations in the 74th Hunger Games, it's revealed in the beginning of Catching Fire that Peeta's lower left leg was amputated and replaced with a prosthetic. In the first film, rather than Katniss preventing Peeta from stopping her mission to get medicine via sleeping syrup, Peeta falls asleep on his own after begging her not to go. Peeta in the books is also unable to swim, which requires Finnick to save him from drowning at the opening of the 75th Hunger Games, while he swims to safety on his own in the second movie. We learn in the books that Peeta's father was secretly in love with Katniss's mother, which is left out of the films.
Some fans complain that much of Peeta's backstory, motivations, and characterizations didn't make the jump from the books to the big screen. To discover all the nuances of Peeta Mellark, listen to the Hunger Games audiobooks narrated by Emmy Award-winning actress Tatiana Maslany.
Best Peeta Mellark Quotes
"I want to die as myself. Does that make sense? … I don't want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I'm not." —The Hunger Games
"So that day, in music assembly, the teacher asked who knew the valley song. Your hand shot right up in the air. She stood you up on a stool and had you sing it for us. And I swear, every bird outside the windows fell silent. And right when your song ended, I knew—just like your mother—I was a goner." —The Hunger Games
"Having an eye for beauty isn't the same thing as a weakness. Except possibly when it comes to you." —Catching Fire
"I must have loved you a lot." —Mockingjay
"Friend. Lover. Victor. Enemy. Fiancée. Target. Mutt. Neighbor. Hunter. Tribute. Ally. I'll add it to the list of words I use to try to figure you out." —Mockingjay
