The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Ending Explained

Highlights

Catching Fire's dramatic ending leaves fans with questions and sets up the action for the final movies.
Katniss destroys the Quarter Quell Arena and defies the Capitol, becoming a symbol of rebellion.
Plutarch Heavensbee reveals that other tributes were part of a plan to protect Katniss and ignite the revolution.

With the recent release of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, more and more fans are re-watching the original Hunger Games films. Released in 2013, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is the second installment in the original Hunger Games franchise. Set during the 75th Games, known as the Quarter Quell, Catching Fire is regarded as one of the most popular films in the franchise, as proven by its impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 89%.

Although the popularity of Catching Fire cannot be questioned, some viewers are perplexed by the film’s dramatic ending. Catching Fire ends on a shocking cliffhanger and sets up the action for the final two installments, Mockingjay: Part 1 and Part 2.Catching Fire concludes with Katniss Everdeen’s (Jennifer Lawrence) outright defiance of the Capitol. In a shocking moment, Katniss destroys the Quarter Quell Arena, forcing the 75th Hunger Games to end prematurely. The plot continues to thicken when it’s revealed that some tributes have been working behind Katniss’ back to secure her safely. Because of this, Catching Fire’s whirlwind ending has left fans with an abundance of questions.

Poster of The Hunger Games_ The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Ending Explained

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes features an ambiguous ending.

What is The Hunger Games: Catching Fire About?

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Director	Francis Lawrence
Writers	Simon Beaufoy, Michael Arndt
Cast	Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson
Release Date	November 22nd 2013
Runtime	2h 26 m

The first installment of the Hunger Games concluded with Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) threatening to eat the infamous poisonous berries. Because of this act of defiance, the 74th Hunger Games was forced to conclude with not one, but two victors. While Katniss and Peeta attempt to disguise this act of rebellion as a sacrifice for love, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) refuses to believe the pair’s feigned romance.

Catching Fire begins in the aftermath of Katniss’ and Peeta’s victory. They are haunted by their participation in the Hunger Games, enduring night terrors and flashbacks. However, a rebellion is brewing – and the Capitol is desperate to nip it in the bud. While Katniss and Peeta believe that they are safe, President Snow has other plans for the star-crossed ‘lovers’ of District 12. In an attempt to suppress the rebellion, it is revealed that tributes for the 75th Hunger Games will consist of previous victors.

As the only living female victor from District 12, Katniss’ participation in the Quarter Quell is unavoidable. Katniss is rapidly becoming the symbol of the looming rebellion, and President Snow wants her dead. The Gamemaker, Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman), assures Snow that Katniss will meet her end in the Quarter Quell. At the Reaping, Peeta volunteers, despite the protests of both Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) and Katniss.

Haymitch advises Katniss and Peeta to form an alliance with some of the other tributes. Reluctantly, Katniss opts to form an alliance with Wiress and Beetee (‘Nuts and Volts’) from District 3, and Mags from District 4. Once the Games commence, Katniss also allies with Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin), also from District 4. The stakes are higher than ever, but Catching Fire’s dramatic finale demonstrates that not all is what it seems.

How Does Catching Fire End?

Towards the end of the Games, Beetee devises a plan to electrocute the remaining tributes by using lightning that strikes a tree in the Arena every twelve hours, and a copper wire. The group splits up, separating Katniss and Peeta. Katniss is left with Johanna Mason (Jena Malone), a tribute from District 7. However, after spotting two other tributes approaching them, Johanna attacks Katniss, cutting her arm before running away.

Believing she has been betrayed, Katniss races back to try and find Peeta, but instead discovers Beetee, who has been knocked unconscious by the impact of the Arena’s force field. Katniss then hears the sound of a canon and fears that Peeta has been killed by one of their alleged allies. Desperately trying to find him, Katniss stumbles across Finnick and threatens him with her bow and arrow, believing he is responsible for Peeta’s death. Katniss is moments away from killing Finnick, but he gives her a crucial reminder:

Katniss, remember who the real enemy is.

Katniss snaps back to her senses, realizing that the lightning is about to strike the tree under which she and Finnick are standing. She wraps the copper wire around her arrow and fires it into the Arena's roof just as the lightning strikes. Katniss and Finnick are both blown backwards by the explosion, as the roof of the Arena caves in and the cameras cut out. By shooting the arrow at the Arena’s roof, Katniss is explicitly defying the Capitol. After the explosion, Katniss is knocked unconscious, but is carried away by a hovercraft.

When Katniss awakes, she is in a hospital bed onboard the vehicle. She hears Haymitch’s voice and discovers him talking to Finnick and Plutarch Heavensbee, the Gamemaker. Believing she has been betrayed, Katniss lunges towards Haymitch. Haymitch defends himself and explains the situation, telling Katniss that they couldn’t have told her with President Snow watching. Plutarch informs Katniss that:

The plan was always to get you out. Half the tributes were in on it. This is the revolution, and you are the Mockingjay.

In a shocking twist, it’s revealed that Plutarch has been working against the Capitol and has been outwardly defying Snow by protecting Katniss. Plutarch wanted to protect Katniss in order to keep the revolution alive, installing her as the symbol of the looming uprising against the Capitol. After Katniss asks about Peeta’s whereabouts, Haymitch tells her that Johanna had successfully managed to remove Katniss’ tracker from her arm, explaining her apparent attack. He then explains that Peeta still has the tracker in his arm, and that he and Johanna are being kept prisoner in the Capitol.

Katniss lunges towards Haymitch, calling him a liar. Before the Quarter Quell, Haymitch had promised Katniss that he would save Peeta over her. To calm her down, she is injected with a tranquilizer, sending Katniss into another deep sleep. When she awakes, she finds Gayle (Liam Hemsworth) by her side. She asks him “Are we home?” Gayle looks distressed, forcing Katniss to repeat herself. Gayle informs Katniss that her mother and Prim are both safe and have been rescued, causing Katniss to ask: “They’re not in 12?” Gayle then tells Katniss:

There is no District 12. It’s all gone.

After hearing this, Katniss’ sorrow turns to rage. That the revolution has begun, and Katniss isn’t backing down. In this scene, Katniss understands that the revolution revolves around her. Undoubtedly, Catching Fire has a dramatic ending, one which sets up Katniss’ role in the revolution in Mockingjay: Part 1 and 2. However, all this drama has left fans with some pressing questions, notably surrounding Plutarch Heavensbee’s statement that the other tributes were part of the plan.

Why Were the Other Tributes Protecting Katniss?

Before the Quarter Quell commenced, multiple tributes agreed to protect Katniss Everdeen at all costs. In accordance with Plutarch’s orders, numerous tributes put their lives in danger to keep Katniss alive. Mags, from Finnick’s District, sacrifices herself by walking into poisonous fog. Similarly, the female ‘Morphling’ from District 6 sacrifices herself to save Peeta, knowing that Peeta’s protection would be an essential part in Katniss agreeing to become the Mockingjay.

Fans have often questioned why so many tributes chose to sacrifice themselves to protect both Katniss and Peeta. This is rooted in Plutarch’s plan to rebel against the Capitol. Plutarch knew that if Katniss agreed to be the figurehead of the revolution, the rebellion against the Capitol would be in motion. This is why Plutarch wanted to keep Katniss alive during the Quarter Quell – a desire which was in direct opposition to Snow’s orders.

After experiencing the horror of the Hunger Games first-hand, it’s unsurprising that so many tributes were willing to stand against the Capitol. Multiple tributes supported the revolution, which is why they strove to keep Katniss alive throughout the Quarter Quell. The tributes knew that if Katniss Everdeen was alive, then the rebellion would begin. Ultimately, Catching Fire’s ending raises the stakes for the franchise’s final two installments and demonstrates that the plan for a revolution has been brewing for some time.