The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping Character Speculation - 20+ Characters That Could Return

The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping - Which characters could return?We only have a few clues about Suzanne Collins' upcoming Hunger Games prequel book, Sunrise on The Reaping. Still, they're enough to make us start speculating (obsessing?!) about what characters from the previous books might return and what surprises the new book might hold. 

Here are some of the potential returning characters and the intriguing reasons why they might appear in the new book. Remember, this is all in good fun, and none of these characters are confirmed to be in the story. 

Haymitch Abernathy: Haymitch is the victor of the 50th Hunger Games, which means his presence in Sunrise on the Reaping is almost guaranteed. We know from the book announcement that the story starts on the morning of the Reaping of the 2nd Quarter Quell. Catching Fire (book) includes a scene where Katniss and Peeta watch a recording of his Games.

Plutarch Heavensbee: Suzanne Collins said of the new book, "The story lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative." Who better to include in this deep dive into propaganda than the head of propaganda during the rebellion and the Secretary of Communications after? In an interview for The Hunger Games's 10th Anniversary Special Edition, Suzanne Collins revealed that Plutarch had been plotting as an underground rebel since at least Finnick Odair's Games (65th). The Second Quarter Quell could have been his awakening.

President Snow: By the 50th Games, Snow had already been president for a while, so he is another character likely to appear. The Catching Fire book featured a scene involving Snow announcing the 2nd Quarter Quell.

Tigris Snow: We don't know exactly what happened to Tigris between The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and The Hunger Games, but SOTR may provide some insight. Katniss remembered Tigris as one of the most celebrated Hunger Games stylists, so we might see her in her prime during the 50th.

Sunrise on the Reaping possible returning characters include Haymitch, Plutarch, Tigris, Snow and more. 

Mrs/Mr. Everdeen: Katniss' mother, who was unnamed in the books and films, was around the same age as Haymitch, and we find out in Catching Fire that she was also in the Reaping for the 50th Hunger Games. She wasn't selected, but her good friend, Maysilee Donner, was. Though he was never mentioned in the context of the 50th Hunger Games, Katniss' father could also make an appearance. He's presumably around the same age as Mrs. Everdeen, and there's a lot of speculation about his potential ties to the Covey.

Suzanne said in an interview about Katniss' parents, "Her parents have their own histories in District 12, but I only included what's pertinent to Katniss's tale. I have a world of information about the characters that didn't make it into the book. With some stories, revealing that could be illuminating, but in the case of The Hunger Games, I think it would only be a distraction unless it was part of a new tale within the world of Panem." We're getting that new tale now, so some of those histories may come to light. 

Maysilee Donner: Maysilee Donner has so many connections to the 50th Hunger Games that I'd be shocked if she wasn't in the book. She was reaped along with Haymitch and two other children from District 12. She and Haymitch were allies in the arena, and she used the poinsins in the arena as a weapon. She was the original owner of the Mockingjay pin, friends with Katniss' mother, and owned a CANARY, which was given to Katniss' mother after she died in the arena. The bird references are off the charts. Is that wing shadow on the cover of Sunrise actually a canary???

Caesar Flickerman: In The Hunger Games book, Katniss mentions that he was The Hunger Games host for as long as anyone could remember, and in Catching Fire (book), she and Peeta watch a tape of him interviewing Haymitch before the 50th Games.

More potential characters for the upcoming Hunger Games prequelMags: Mags was one of the tributes in the Third Quarter Quell and was the oldest surviving victor in The Hunger Games, having won the 11th Games (the year after Lucy Gray won the 10th). She would have likely been a mentor in Haymitch's 50th Hunger Games. Mags would be around 56 in Sunrise on the Reaping. 

Beetee/Wiress: Beetee and Wiress are also 75th Hunger Games tributes who could be mentors in the 50th Hunger Games. Exactly which Games they won is unknown, but it's believed to have been before Haymitch's.

Beetee, Wiress, and Haymitch were all rebels aware of District 13's existence, and Sunrise on the Reaping may explore how they became part of the rebellion.

Chaff/Seeder: From the books, we know that Chaff was the victor of the 45th Hunger Games and became close friends with Haymitch after his victory in the 50th Games. Katniss says, "I know Chaff by sight 'cause I've spent years watching him pass a bottle back and forth with Haymitch on television." In the book, Katniss remarks that Seeder is around 60, and at the end of Catching Fire, Haymitch reveals that Seeder was one of the 12 victors who knew of the rebellion and was part of the alliance to save Katniss.

Greasy Sae: In the Hunger Games movie, Greasy Sae is briefly shown when she gives Katniss the Mockingjay pin at the Hob. However, in the book, Greasy Sae is well known by the District 12 citizens for selling bowls of soup at the Hob, and after Katniss returns home in Mockingjay, Greasy Sae cares for her. She's the right age to have been around District 12 during the 50th Hunger Games, and since Haymitch is from the Seam, he likely knew her in his youth. Her character could be valuable to Sunrise on the Reaping since they must explain how she ended up with Maysilee's Mockingjay pin in the movie's version of events.

Effie Trinket: We don't know Effie's exact age, but she makes many references to getting promoted to a better district in the books, which could mean she's at the beginning of her career at the time of the 74th Hunger Games. This COULD put her in her late 20's - early 30's and make her too young for Sunrise on The Reaping. Since we don't have a definite age and she's more of a contemporary of Haymitch in the films, I wishfully speculate that she might make an appearance there somewhere. There's one tiny line in THG where Haymitch drunkenly tries to give Effie a big hug at the Reaping, so I'm clinging to my delusions until I read otherwise.

Alma Coin: We don't know much about Alma Coin's early life, but we do know that she's in her 50s, has been leading District 13 for some time, and lost her husband and child to a pox epidemic. She's an interesting character to bring into the new book because she's a massive part of Panem's rebellion that we know very little about. She'd be in her twenties in Sunrise. 

Seneca Crane: We don't know Seneca Crane's age in the books, but since Suzanne introduced Arachne Crane in Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and Seneca was a Gamemaker in the 74th Games, I had to include him as a possible character. Wes Bentley was in his 30s when they filmed The Hunger Games, but since Seneca's age isn't explicitly stated in the books, there's a chance he could be included. 

Claudius Templesmith: Claudius Templesmith was the announcer of the Hunger Games and had an expanded role as a Hunger Games commentator alongside Caesar Flickerman in the films. He would be the appropriate age for Sunrise. His character is unlikely to play a big part in Sunrise, but Suzanne does love to surprise us.

Sunrise on The Reaping potential characters 

Lucky Flickerman: Lucky Flickerman is the first Host of the 10th Hunger Games and, based on clues from the books and Ballad movie ("Table for Two and a High Chair"), is likely Caesar Flickerman's father. Lucky's age is undefined in the book, so depending on his supposed age, he could still be alive at the time of Sunrise. 

The Covey: Lucy Gray's adopted family was left behind when she disappeared, and there are some clues from the books that they may still be a part of District 12 through the time of the 2nd rebellion. A "lone fiddler" escaped the bombing of District 12 with his instrument. As a refugee in District 13, he performed at Finnick Odair and Annie Cresta's wedding. This may have been Clerk Carmine, the Covey's fiddler. In Ballad, the Covey kept a pet goat named Shamus. They also discuss building a herd of goats and selling the milk, so it's theorized the Goat Man from the original trilogy may have been one of the Covey, possibly Tam Amber.

Peeta Mellark's parents - Mr. Mellark was a member of District 12's merchant class, along with Katniss' mother. He wanted to marry Mrs. Everdeen in his youth, but she "ran off with a coal miner," Mr. Everdeen. If they were all around the same age as Haymitch was during the 50th Games - 16 - there's a potential to get a peek at the relationship between Mrs. Everdeen and Mr. Mellark. 

The Plinths: At the end of Ballad, Strabo Plinth adopted Coriolanus as his heir, ending the poverty that had plagued the Snow family since the end of the First Rebellion. Mr. and Mrs. Plinth moved into the apartment below the Snows' and Ma came by daily to help the Grandma'am. They may be elderly at the time of Sunrise, but there's a chance of their mention in the book.

10th Hunger Games Mentors/ Academy Students grown up: The remaining Academy Students who served as mentors in the 10th Hunger Games are at the perfect age to be established in their careers by Sunrise. Perhaps we'll see some of them working in positions of power within Snow's regime.

Which character/s are you hoping Sunrise on the Reaping will focus on? I'm always eager to hear your insights and speculations in the comments!

You can pre-order Sunrise on the Reaping HERE. It hits shelves on March 18, 2025 with the movie to follow November 20, 2025.