5 Worst Hunger Games Characters, Ranked

Based on the books by Suzanne Collins, "The Hunger Games" is a dystopian film franchise mostly following Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), a resident of District 12 who ends up in the annual Hunger Games after volunteering to take her younger sister's place. Each year in Panem, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 are randomly chosen to represent their district in a fight to the death, a continued punishment that the Capitol forces the districts to participate in because of a war that took place almost 100 years ago in the "Hunger Games" timeline. 

As a tribute — and then victor — of the Games, Katniss meets plenty of people from across the country, and some are better than others. Tributes like Finnick (Sam Claflin) and Rue (Amandla Stenberg) immediately captivated audiences, while others have more sinister intentions. Some want to use Katniss for personal gain, whereas others simply want to be as powerful as possible, causing them to be ruthless in their pursuits, no matter who gets hurt. These five individuals aren't the only ones causing problems in Panem, but they're the worst people Katniss comes across.

Katniss' childhood friend and one of the only people who understands the pressure she's under to care for her family, Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth) is one of the worst "Hunger Games" characters because of his personal journey throughout the trilogy. He goes from a caring friend to someone who appears jealous because of how Katniss made it out of the arena to a perfect soldier, uncaring and cold. At the end of the rebellion, rather than returning to District 12 with Katniss, he heads to District 2. He essentially turns his back on the people he knew, making his journey feel similar to that of Snow at the same age.

Gale creates a life that lets him become an important political figure, and while that ambition is admirable, it doesn't excuse how he drops everyone else from his life. He's known Katniss forever, and now they just don't talk anymore. This wasn't the first time he put distance between himself and his best friend, either — his jealousy over her relationship with Peeta is arguably when it all began, but turning his back on the person who would do anything for him? It's the opposite of finding the bright side after everything they've been through. After such a promising start, he turns into one of the worst — and most disappointing — characters in the franchise.

Romulus Thread (Patrick St. Esprit) may not be a name that casual fans of "The Hunger Games" know off the top of their heads, but they will recognize him in an instant. He became the new Head Peacekeeper of District 12 after the 74th Hunger Games, and he's clearly someone chosen by President Snow. The previous Head Peacekeeper was a bit more lowkey and even purchased illegally hunted game from Katniss — Thread is the exact opposite of that.

After immediately putting up a whipping post, he doles out punishments for every little thing, rather than arresting someone and just keeping them overnight. The Peacekeeper puts people in stocks, lashing them until they can't stand. It becomes a regular enough occurrence that Katniss' mother and sister are on call with healing ointments, taking care of everyone to the best of their abilities.

Thread even uses the whip against Katniss, not caring who she is or what the Capitol might say about an injury, since she's regularly on television. Ultimately, he embodies the worst traits of the Capitol. He's ruthless, power-driven, and willing to use punishment to set an example. He has no redeeming qualities, and he easily makes the list of worst characters in the franchise.

Dr. Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis) is the Head Gamemaker of the 10th Hunger Games in the prequel film "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes," and she's easily the cruelest Gamemaker we've seen. Even without comparison to Gamemakers Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley) and Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman), everything about Gaul makes you squirm inside — her laughter, her experiments, even the way she speaks in riddles.

You can tell she enjoys her work in a way that isn't normal, considering it's her job to devise a fight to the death with children. She intentionally creates a "muttation" that the tributes can't get away from with the snakes. During Katniss' Games, the mutts are terrifying, but you can defeat them. There's no defeating Gaul's snakes without cheating, making it one of the cruelest things she could do as a Gamemaker.

What's clear about Gaul is that she intentionally wants no survivors in her Games, which ultimately defeats the entire purpose of them. She is intelligent, there's no denying that. However, there's a clear lack of empathy, and when those parts of her personality come together, it's a detrimental combination. She's one of the most interesting characters in the franchise because of that, but it's also what makes her one of the worst.

"The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" introduced viewers to a younger version of Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth), shedding some light on how he became the ruthless leader we saw in the original films (Donald Sutherland). As the president of Panem, his true nature is on full display. As a student, he tried to hide it, masking it with charm, but he dropped the façade after securing the position of power he coveted.

President Snow is the antagonist of the series, and for good reason. He is the one in control of everything happening to the districts, though he recognizes how quickly he can lose it, which is why he does what he can to maintain power through any means necessary. Snow is unafraid to do what he believes he has to in order to keep people in line, including killing their families and loved ones.

Snow thrives on controlling people, and there isn't an ounce of empathy in his body. However, he recognizes that. He never pretends to be nicer, more caring, or more interested than he actually is. Snow is honest with Katniss, believing lying to be beneath him, so he deserves at least a smidge of credit for that. Sure, his honesty is harsh and rooted in horrible personal ethics, but he doesn't fake anything, which is why he isn't at the very top of the list.

District 13's President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) may seem like an odd person to put ahead of Snow on this list, but it's because of how she presents herself to the world. She is the worst character in "The Hunger Games" because she's a wolf in sheep's clothing. She pretends that she's trying to save Panem, that she wants to get out from under Snow's regime and enact positive change, when in reality, she just wants to exert her own form of control.

As Katniss comes to realize, their ideas aren't that different. Coin manipulates Katniss with the death of her sister — an event she likely caused — to further her own agenda, ultimately making her no different than Snow. She wants to control Panem, and she ultimately doesn't care what it takes to get there. Is some of this likely rooted in District 13 being the hidden, ugly step-sibling district for nearly a century? Sure, but that's why it's even more frustrating that she wants to repeat what the rest of the districts have already experienced, just changing who's at the helm.

What sets the two "leaders" apart is how open they are about their intentions. Coin is hiding her true goals from the Mockingjay. She wants to turn the tables, but not make positive progress toward a better society. Under Coin, there would still be restrictions and a repressive power dynamic, no matter how she presented it. It's for that reason that she's the most reprehensible character in the franchise, and that's why Katniss killed Coin.