By Alicea Alford
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is filled with the smartest characters logically, socially, and physically.
Given the nature of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and the Quarter Quell pulling its Hunger Games tributes from the existing victor pools of each district, the level of intellect among its characters across the board is higher than the other films in the franchise.
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All victors were smart enough to make it out of The Hunger Games in one way or another, and some mentored other tributes to victory, so there’s a lot of brainpower going into the arena in this film. Beetee is the smartest mechanically and logically, but Peeta navigates social interactions better than most. For Catching Fire victors, gamemakers, and leaders, excelling intellectually is vital, and it’s up to them how they use that to their advantage.
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10 President Snow
President Snow was the perfect villain who knew no limits to his willingness to scheme to promote his political agenda and keep the districts in line. Catching Fire sees President Snow plot against Katniss Everdeen and all past Hunger Games victors because they inspire hope in the districts’ revolution.
Snow successfully manipulates the Quarter Quell rules to reinforce his vendetta against past victors, and he understands the necessity of ensuring a victor who will help extinguish the revolution. Snow understands the message that goes with a victor and the power they hold, which makes him dangerous as he meticulously exerts his power to try and suppress them and the districts.
9 Primrose Everdeen
Prim and Katniss have always been close, so it makes sense that Prim knows how to read her sister more than anyone. When Katniss returns home from hunting, her mom asks how the “walk” went. When Katniss starts to correct her, Prim interrupts, alerting Katniss that guests are in their home.
If Prim didn’t know Katniss well, there may have been significant repercussions had the Peacekeepers and President Snow found out where Katniss was. Prim is also shown with an expert calm as she knows exactly how to help Gale when he’s whipped. Prim may be young, but that doesn’t stop her from being smart on multiple levels.
8 Katniss Everdeen
Katniss is easily one of the strongest female heroes in film, but in Catching Fire, the escape plan is withheld from her for everyone's safety. However, she made one of the smartest moves in the film by aligning herself with the right people.
When given her pick of allies for the games, she immediately went for intellect and experience by asking for Wiress, Beetee, and Mags over The Careers. Katniss knows to surround herself with strategists over anything else because she can handle a fight with the best of them.
7 Plutarch Heavensbee
Plutarch Heavensbee knew what he was doing when he volunteered to replace Seneca Crane as head gamemaker, and he didn’t disappoint. As a major part of the revolution, Plutarch knew how to design the arena for maximum entertainment and breakout potential.
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Plutarch knew how to sell his ideas to President Snow for approval, and he knew how to let Katniss and others know he was aligned with them the entire time. Once he knew exactly which victors were tributes for the Quarter Quell, he became even stronger as he knew what supplies to put in the arena for the escape to happen. Plutarch was always ahead of everyone.
6 Haymitch Abernathy
Haymitch helped mastermind the arena escape and ensured President Snow would never find out because of how heavily monitored Katniss was. If Katniss had never heard anything about the plan, neither would Snow.
Haymitch expertly played the game when he didn’t give Katniss any information about aligning with Finnick outside of Finnick wearing his token bracelet in the arena. He knew what it would take for Katniss to trust Finnick to set the plan in motion, and he was right. Katniss followed the plan without knowing it because Haymitch set everything up perfectly.
5 Wiress Plummer
Wiress can spot a pattern quicker than anyone. In the training area, Wiress caught the force field protecting the gamemakers from the tributes before Beetee, who works heavily with technology, should have caught that as well. In the arena, Wiress did it again.
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After making it out of blood rain alive, thanks to Johanna, Wiress couldn’t stop saying “tick-tock” to warn her allies that the arena is a clock. Without Wiress’ understanding of patterns, it may have taken the tributes much longer to understand how to evade life-threatening obstacles in the arena based on the hour. Wiress is the canary who warns others when something is off.
4 Beetee Latier
What Beetee lacks in practical survival skills, he more than makes up for in his abilities with electronics. Haymitch alerts Katniss and Peeta that Beetee is one of the smartest as he won his games by simultaneously electrocuting the last six tributes.
Beetee went on to design technology for The Capitol, and the coil he invented was placed in the arena for his use. The coil alone wasn’t enough to escape. Beetee had to figure out how to use it. By analyzing the arena and listening to his allies about the clock, he concocted the plan with the lightning tree for the tributes to escape the Quarter Quell.
3 Finnick Odair
Finnick was smart enough to take what he could back from The Capitol as he decided to deal in secrets over currency. Finnick understands the value of information and has been used enough to recognize and express authenticity in the right settings. Finnick knows how to read people and puts it to use with Katniss.
In the arena, he knows the only thing that will stop Katniss from putting an arrow in him is showing him the bracelet from Haymitch. To further prove his loyalty, Finnick saves Peeta because Katniss trusts action. Finnick has the social prowess and fighting ability that strikes a balance of intellect like no other victors.
2 Johanna Mason
Johanna is physically and mentally strong. Some may see her rage at the Quarter Quell as erratic, but it’s actually well thought out. Johanna has nobody she loves, so President Snow’s threats don’t impact her. She has no reason to soften her feelings or her words.
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Johanna weighs her options, and has nothing to lose, which makes her invincible. She can’t really be punished when she’s already under the threat of death with the games. Johanna’s blunt words in her Caesar Flickerman interview and when she yells at President Snow directly during the games may have gotten through to some districts, greatly impacting the revolution.
1 Peeta Mellark
Peeta is the mastermind behind the “if it weren’t for the baby” interview moment. He attempts to appeal to The Capitol’s sympathies for him, Katniss, and unborn children to try and force President Snow to put a stop to the Quarter Quell.
Not only that, but Peeta is also a major reason Katniss is willing to work with people. When Katniss suggested breaking off from the group, Peeta saw the bigger picture and knew she’d trust his judgment because he knows social dynamics. Peeta may sometimes be too trusting, but he’s always thought his decisions through.
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