In the first two chapters of the Hunger Games franchise, Katniss is thrust into the arena and into the spotlight in a way she doesn’t fully anticipate. Finnick’s death gave even more weight to Katniss’s mission to kill Snow, since he was directly responsible for the death of one of her friends - making it all the more poignant when she chooses to kill President Coin (Julianne Moore) instead of getting to personally kill Snow herself.

Watching Finnick die, and later, witnessing Prim (Willow Shields) killed in a bombing that Gale (Liam Hemsworth) helped plan, served to break Katniss emotionally since it’s another example of the Capitol eliminating someone she cares for, and a stark reminder of the cost of war. It’s unfair that Finnick was so close to escaping - and being able to live in the future he was fighting so hard for with his family - only to be dragged back down and killed.įinnick’s death also had an effect on Katniss. The evil of President Snow is made clear by his manipulation and targeting of even those he favored. Even though Finnick was a favorite of the Capitol, he still ended up being tortured and killed by them. Finnick Odair’s death represents the unfairness of life and war. There are also thematic reasons for Finnick’s death at this particular point of The Hunger Games' story. Sadly, characters don’t always have happy endings, especially in a dystopia like the Hunger Games. If Katniss and Peeta got their happy ending after the trauma inflicted by the Capitol, then Finnick deserved the same with Annie and his future child. However, it can be argued that Finnick’s death wasn’t needed, as he didn’t have to stay in the sewers fighting off the mutts while everyone else climbed up the ladder to safety. In this sense, Finnick is the perfect candidate for upping the stakes of the plot via his death, as his hope for a future with his partner Annie made his demise seem even more untimely. The films, trying to be as faithful to the source material as possible, naturally had to include Finnick's death as well.

The story also deals with the harsh realities of war, which include people dying on the battlefield. Mockingjay is the final installment of the original series - not including the Hunger Games prequel, Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - and when there’s an epic finale like this one, there’s bound to be some casualties. From a storytelling perspective, it is clear why Finnick was killed off.

Collins mockingjay