- "Brutus, a volunteer from District 2, who must be at least forty and apparently can't wait to get back in the arena. "
- ―Katniss Everdeen watching Brutus' reaping[src]
Brutus was the male Career tribute from District 2 for the 75th Hunger Games, and the victor of the 46th Hunger Games.
Biography[]
Being in his 40s, he likely won anyone between the 41st and 53rd edition of the games, barring the 45th and 50th, which were won by Chaff and Haymitch Abernathy respectively. Brutus won his Games fairly close to the time of fellow District 2 Tribute, Lyme won hers. Both Lyme and Brutus became mentors for later tributes and probably other District 2 victors, including Enobaria.
Being a Career tribute, Brutus was named seemingly perfect as it mirrors his brutality, animal-like nature, and strength, which very likely played a role in his victory. He is believed to be very skilled, as Haymitch was surprised that even he wanted to team up with Katniss after seeing her skills with a bow.
75th Hunger Games[]
When the time came for the third Quarter Quell, the victors were the chosen tributes once again to show that even they do not have power over the Capitol. Brutus happily volunteered to partake in the 75th Hunger Games, saying he couldn't wait to get back into the arena.
Training[]
During training, Brutus and Peeta got on each other's good side. He was shown training at the spear-throwing station with Peeta and Chaff. When Brutus saw Katniss' skill with a bow and arrow along with her combined strength and tactical knowledge, Brutus expressed interest in an alliance with the two to Haymitch. Katniss turned down his offer and told Haymitch that they should go into the arena without any allies.
During the interviews with each of the tributes, Brutus did not try to express any anger or feelings of betrayal, but he did reluctantly join hands with the other victors as a chain symbolizing their strength. He wore a silver chest plate, a black pair of shorts, and black boots.
During the Games[]
At the Cornucopia his, his pedestal was between the District 5 male and Katniss. When the gong sounds he jumped to his spoke and swam to the Cornucopia. Inside the arena, Brutus, along with Enobaria, Cashmere and Gloss approached the Cornucopia, where he had shown a unique way of dodging Katniss' arrows with his belt. However, he, along with the other Careers, were driven off by Katniss and
Finnick who got there before the Careers. While Katniss and Finnick left with Mags and Peeta, Brutus and the other Careers stayed and helped massacre the competition. In the film, he killed the District 9 female confirmed by her actress. He was able to secure a spear during the bloodbath, which he likely used to kill his victims.
Together, Brutus, Enobaria, Cashmere and Gloss followed the rebel alliance's tributes in the arena (those left being Wiress, Beetee, Mags, Finnick, the Female Morphling, Johanna, Blight, Chaff, Katniss and Peeta). Over time, the alliance began to shrink with the deaths of Mags, the Female Morphling, and Blight, and the remaining members (minus Chaff who was off on his own) traveled back to the Cornucopia to retrieve any weapons they needed that had been left behind. In the film, he was nearly killed by Finnick but was saved after Enobaria threw a knife at Finnick's arm. Gloss killed Wiress and he and Cashmere died shortly after, forcing Brutus and Enobaria to retreat from the cornucopia.
Back in the jungle, the alliance soon learned that, with the deaths of the District 10 male and the District 5 female, the Games were now down to them, Chaff, Enobaria, and Brutus. Beetee set up a plan to electrocute the water and cut off Brutus and Enobaria's resources. He sent Katniss and Johanna to run the line across the jungle, pursued by Brutus and Enobaria.
Johanna stops and cuts out Katniss' tracking device to make it appear that Katniss is dead, then leads Brutus and Enobaria away from her. In the chaos that followed, Enobaria stabs Beetee again but doesn't manage to kill him as Finnick chases her away. Brutus runs into Peeta who had recently met up with Chaff. In the battle that follows, Chaff is killed by Brutus. Peeta, in a fit of rage, kills Brutus seconds later (which he reveals in Mockingjay.).
Brutus placed 7th and was the last tribute to die. Shortly after his death, Katniss destroyed the arena and ended the Games, leaving six surviving tributes.
Victims[]
As a victor and Career tribute from District 2, he presumably managed to kill many tributes in the 48th Hunger Games. In the 75th Hunger Games, he kills the District 9 female in the bloodbath. Toward the end of the Games, he kills Chaff, which led to his death.
Trivia[]
- Brutus was also the last tribute to die in all the Hunger Games, and therefore the last District 2 tribute to die.
- Brutus and Enobaria most likely mentored Clove and Cato, which could explain their similar qualities.
- In the book, Katniss talks about the District 2 tributes, saying "Cato. Clove. Brutus. Enobaria. I've seen their eagerness. I've seen their bloodlust, too."
- In the 74th and 75th Hunger Games, both District 2 males (Cato and Brutus) were the last to die, and their last kills were the District 11 males.
- Both male volunteers from District 2 in the 74th and 75th Hunger Games were killed by volunteers from District 12. Cato was killed by Katniss, and Brutus was killed by Peeta.
- The book states that Brutus killed Chaff and caused Peeta to go on a rampage killing Brutus. In the film, it is shown that Chaff was killed, but Brutus' fate is ambiguous. However, in the film The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, Brutus is not present at the meeting of the surviving victors, indicating he died prior to that point.
- Brutus' name is another reference to Ancient Rome as several Romans in history went by this name, most famously Julius Caesar's assassin, Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger who often went by the name Brutus alone.