The Hunger Games: Why Was Haymitch's Family Killed?

In the film adaptation of The Hunger Games, Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) keeps things close to the chest. His hobbies include drinking, plotting, and preparing tributes for their inevitable demise. But just like any survivor of the Games, he is a shell of a person, who was changed forever by his experiences. Haymitch won the 50th installment of the Hunger Games, meaning he was also part of a Quarter Quell. Instead of the typical 24 players, the tributes were doubled to 48. At only 16 years old, Haymitch contended with 47 foes trying to kill him at every turn. This required him to get creative with his victory, and Haymitch used the arena's protective shield to his advantage. 

In his final stand against a girl from District 1, he lured her to the edge of the force field, where he purposefully dodged her axe throw so it rebounded and killed her. Just as Katniss' (Jennifer Lawrence) survival is seen as an act of defiance, so was Haymitch's win. Because he used the Capitol's weapons against them, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) ordered his entire family killed, as well as his girlfriend. Like all tributes before and after, Haymitch nurses emotional wounds that will never heal. He keeps everyone at a distance, hardened by his experiences and drowning himself in alcohol. This only changes when he encounters someone with the ability to bring it all crashing down.

When Haymitch first encounters Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), his instinct is to keep them at arm's length. Every year, he has to mentor children who will inevitably die in the arena, and getting emotionally attached to anyone is unrealistic. But in Katniss, he finds a kindred spirit. Though they chafe at each other at first, Haymitch quickly comes to learn that the young tribute has the skills and tenacity to win. And when she humiliates the Capitol in front of the entire country, she becomes a mirror image of what he did 24 years prior. 

Neither of them intends for their actions to have consequences. But while Haymitch inadvertently triggered the deaths of the people he cared about most, so too does Katniss in triggering a war. What they have in common is guarded hearts and questionable social skills — and of course, their care for the best tribute of the Hunger Games movies, Peeta.

Katniss may not know the degree of her feelings for Peeta at first, but she and Haymitch are partners in crime when it comes to saving him from the Capitol. And when they lose him to the clutches of Snow, they are determined to get him back no matter the cost. Katniss and Haymitch probably know each other better than anyone else because of how similar they are, and they remain close confidantes until the dissolution of the Games.