The Hunger Games co-star Peeta Mellark set fire to the bread, and then threw it at Katniss Everdeen’s head. How awesome is that?
Surely if you’re clicking on this article you know what The Hunger Games and who Peeta Mellark are. But just in case you don’t, The Hunger Games is a book series of young adult dystopian novels written by Suzanne Collins — which was also turned into a movie series. Both follow Katniss Everdeen who ends up partaking in the competition to the death in order to save her sister from being forced to enter. Along the way, Katniss gets to know Peeta Mellark and eventually becomes romantically involved with him.
In May 2020, Suzanne Collins also published a spinoff of the series titled The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes which takes place prior to our the original series.
The incredibly thoughtful yet deeply misguided Hypable staffer Karen Rought tried to sway you over to the dark Gale Hawthorne side. And she made some valid points. Sure, Gale Hawthorne is a brawny family-man who strongly resembles Thor, but at the end of the day, there’s only one little doughboy we want to take home to mama.
Fictional boyfriends are a complicated business, whether his name is Edward Cullen, or Zack Morris, or even Severus Snape (if you’re into that sort of thing) because we end up projecting so much of our life’s expectations onto them. Why can’t real-life guys be sociopaths with great hair like Zack Morris?
Why can’t real-life guys be skin-sparkling insomniacs who passive-aggressively pressure us into marriage like Edward Cullen? Why can’t real-life guys be insecure professors who call us nasty names because they sort-of-inadvertently murdered our family due to peer pressure like Snape?
Just kidding. These fictional boyfriends are horrible, but Peeta Mellark isn’t. He puts them all to shame, and we’re so glad he fell in love with Katniss Everdeen.
So here are 22 reasons why we find ourselves falling in love with a fictional character, despite our better judgment telling us it can only lead to heartbreak. One-sided heartbreak. Because, you know, Peeta Mellark’s not real. Except in our hearts.
Why Peeta Mellark is the best fictional boyfriend
1) Peeta bakes.
With Peeta as your boyfriend, you can eat loaves of bread every day, and that’s great because loaves of bread are delicious. You’re also pretty much set for every major milestone in your life: i.e. you will always have the best birthday cakes.
When he wasn’t trying not to die in The Hunger Games, Peeta was often found working at his family owned bakery. He grew up learning how to bake, and he even helped to feed Katniss when she needed it most with his baking skills. Talk about swoon worthy.
2) So he has strong baking arms.
Do we really need to explain this one? Baking comes with other perks besides the food, and we’re not talking about the money to be made.
He can use these muscles to hold you while you cry at night. Or to toss you over his shoulder like a sack of flour. He would ask permission first, he’s polite that way.
3) Peeta Mellark is kind.
Kindness is by far the most underrated quality in human beings. If you’ve got a good heart, you’ve got it all.
In our essential Harry Potter life-lessons, Sirius Black taught us that the quality of a man is judged not by how he treats his equals, but how he treats his inferiors, and Peeta can’t help but show compassion for his friends as well as his adversaries.
His kind heart is on full display in Catching Fire, as he cradles the Morphling woman on the beach, soothing her into death with stories of his painting’s beautiful colors.
4) He’s witty.
Why just settle for a kind boyfriend when you can also have one that makes you laugh? Witty is the best kind of funny because it means you’re secretly smart too, but kind of too classy to openly brag about your brains.
5) He keeps it real.
His mom is like, “Yah, you’re probs going to die,” and he’s just like, “Dude. I know.” He knew that he wasn’t fooling anyone when he went into the games. He didn’t have the skills that many of the others had and he didn’t pretend like he did otherwise.
He still had super impressive skills though, am I right?
6) Peeta likes the color orange.
Ugh, orange? Calm down now, he doesn’t mean obnoxious-orange, he means like the color of sunset. Now you’re swooning, right?
7) He can keep a secret.
All throughout the series we saw Peeta keeping things to himself. From helping out Katniss secretly with food, to pretending to be in a relationship in front of thousands of people so that he wouldn’t die – he knows when to keep his mouth closed. Which is a pretty useful quality if you work for the CIA and/or are a season behind on Game of Thrones.
8) He’s artsy.
Artsy guys consistently have groupies because they’re totally hot, and totally sensitive, and they aren’t afraid to openly weep when in the presence of Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night,’ because the world is so, so beautiful, and so are you. The way your blue eyes shine put those Georgia stars to shame tonight. That’s not a lie.
9) He’s determined.
So sober up, Haymitch Abernathy. Peeta Mellark don’t mess around. He’s in it to win it. Even when he knew he wasn’t as skilled with murder skills like the others, Peeta never gave up on the games. Which is super useful when your life is on the line, or you need someone to help you build furniture.
10) He’s a leader, not a follower.
His beautiful speeches. His charisma. His courage to stand up to President Snow. The kid sure knows how to work a room and best of all he uses his powers for good, not evil.
11) But he still likes strong women.
He doesn’t mind if you wear the pants. He thinks it’s hot actually. Just look at his infatuation for Katniss who could have killed him at any time with the snap of her bow. So go be an independent woman you hot mama you.
12) He’s smart.
Peeta plays the game so hard he’s two Red Weddings away from the Iron Throne. He manipulated the Capitol audience with some unintended help from Caesar Flickerman, he tricked the Career Tributes, and THEN he did it again the next year. He was the ideal tribute from District 12.
13) He’s humble.
Look, he’s fairly aware that he’s generally pretty useless as a hunter. He’s got other stuff going for him. Like pastry skills. Unlike Caesar Flickerman, Peeta is totally humble.
14) He’s romantic.
Taking away the fact that this might be the least genuine romantic moment in the trilogy, Peeta is a true romantic at heart. He pined after the same girl for ELEVEN YEARS! That’s either ridiculously insane or incredibly sweet. Either way, we’re so glad he fell in love with Katniss starting way back when he would hear her sing the Valley Song.
15) He just sort of gets it.
The guy knows how to take a hint. After he finds out Katniss faked their arena romance, he gives her her space, but he also knows just how much to play it up for the cameras. His understanding of other’s needs is shown in quiet moments, like when he plants primroses in Katniss’ garden after Prim’s death in Mockingjay.
16) He’s generous.
He gave away part of his Victor money to Rue and Thresh’s families. That was a real classy move, Mr. Mellark. Not to mention all the things he did for Katniss throughout the series. Maybe that was for love, but we like to think it’s also a mark of his true generous nature.
17) He’s rebellious.
Peeta Mellark’s generally a pretty clean-cut guy, but when it really counts, he knows how to throw caution to the wind and let his flag fly. The painting he made of Rue’s dead body covered in daisies was a bold move not really in line with his usual carefully strategic battle plans, but like Peeta said before, being true to his values is what’s most important.
18) He’s brave.
He was continuously tortured in Mockingjay, but he still found the strength to warn District Thirteen about the upcoming bombings, even though it took the last bit of his sanity to do it. Also, he confessed his long-time crush on national live television. It’s a toss up as to which of these two actions actually took more guts.
19) He’s good with kids.
The ones Peeta Mellark accidentally killed in the Hunger Games totally don’t count. He’s good with his own kids. Katniss says he plays with them in the dandelion fields and stuff. What more proof do you need?
20) He’s prepared.
The guy always double-knots his shoelaces. How pragmatic. I want him on my team.
21) He knows how to laugh at life.
In The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Peeta is literally days away from certain death and he’s cracking up over Katniss’ inability to deal with immodesty. But come on Katniss, Johanna and Finnick’s strip teases are pretty funny.
22) He’s true to himself.
“I don’t know how to say it exactly. Only… I want to die as myself. I don’t want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I’m not. I keep wishing I could think of a way to…to show the Capitol that they don’t own me. That I’m more than just a piece in their Games.”
We love you, Peeta.