Character Cage Match: Twilight's Bella vs. The Hunger Games' Katniss
Posted 11.16.12 by Ryan
Movie heroines are at an all-time high these days, with several of the year's most successful movies featuring female characters as the central role. For instance, Pixar's Brave, the first movie for the animation studio to feature a lead female character, is currently the fifth highest-grossing movie of the year, following The Hunger Games, which is currently the third. Snow White and the Huntsman is 11th, with Snow White actress Kristen Stewart likely eclipsing that when The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 arrives in theaters this weekend.
No doubt the increase in movie heroines is anchored by the success of the Twilight franchise, with The Hunger Games cementing the trend. As franchises go, both are amongst the 100 top-grossing movies of all time, despite The Hunger Games being only one installment in. Box office receipts aside, with Breaking Dawn Part 2 closing out the franchise this weekend, we thought the time was right to compare the two movie heroines — Twilight's Bella Cullen née Swan (Stewart) and The Hunger Games' Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and see which would come out on top of our Character Cage Match.
The Rules: It's pretty simple. With Breaking Dawn Part 2 closing out the franchise, we start where Bella is at the end of the franchise (a vampire) and with where Katniss is after only one installment (co-winner of the 74th Hunger Games). Then, we take them and place them in a non-televised, cyber-battle to the death. May the best movie franchise heroine win!
Bella's Strengths: As a newly-turned vampire, Bella is much stronger than her previous human self, engaging in arm-wrestling competitions, leaping from tall distances, and tackling mountain lions. Due to Twilight author Stephenie Meyer's re-imagining of the vampire, Bella has diamond-hard skin, can walk around in daylight, and is close to impossible to destroy.
Bella's Weaknesses: Meyer didn't make it easy to kill off her version of the vampire, eliminating the traditional methods of sunlight, holy water, stakes, garlic, crosses and anything else that has worked over the years. Beheading seems to the best way to kill off a Twilight vampire, which, ironically, requires the strength of a vampire to pull off. Bella, and other Twilight vampires, can also be destroyed by being ripped to shreds. Either way, the leftover pieces of Bella would then have to be burned in order to complete her destruction and stop her from reforming herself.
Katniss' Strengths: An eagle eye with a bow and arrow, Katniss has keen survival instincts, most of which include climbing into tall trees and staying there. Katniss also knows how to make fire, set traps and has a working knowledge of plants and their poisonous properties. Katniss is a strong swimmer, and has an invaluable mentor in Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), who often sends her needed gifts during battle (fingers crossed, something stronger than a bow and arrow).
Katniss' Strengths; We're not sure what a bow and arrow will do against a vampire that can't be killed by a wooden stake, though it's possible that Katniss could fashion one sharp enough to cause a beheading on someone with diamond-strength skin. Still, could be a case where her strength is a weakness as well. Other weaknesses include Katniss' stubbornness, which keeps her from hearing good advice at times, and her impulsiveness, which keeps her on her own most of the time. Another Katniss weakness is her knack for falling for two guys at once — but the same goes for Bella.
Vote to determine who will rule the octagon.