At the end of the 75th Games, Peeta is captured by the Capitol and hijacked to believe that Katniss is an evil muttation. He manages to fall in love with her all over again during the end of the war and the years afterward. Eventually, Katniss realizes that she is also in love with him, and they have two children.
It took time for Peeta to break out of that conditioning, and even when the possibility existed that Peeta could be a danger to Katniss, the two of them still elected to be together and build a future in a post-Hunger-Games world. Their love for one another is evident.
Once he was stable again, Peeta seemed depressed and asked to be killed. For a long time afterwards he did not trust himself and refused to let the others remove his handcuffs. Eventually his personality went back to normal, and he never lost his grip on reality again.
She is under an immense amount of pressure and has no time to worry about love interests, and Peeta gets that. He never demands that she choose between him and Gale, as he knows that she will make the decision when she is ready. He loves her, but he does so selflessly.
Later, the two learn President Snow considered their actions to be an act of rebellion against the Capitol. After their last interview, in which the two continue to affect their romantic feelings for one another, Peeta comes to the realization Katniss has staged her love for him all along.
Hunger Games: Why Katniss Ends Up With Peeta, Not Gale
How did Peeta betray Katniss?
He has betrayed her and is betraying all of District 12 by buddying up with the Careers, whom she calls the "Capitol's lapdogs." She decides that if the Careers don't kill him, she'd be more than happy to. Then, she wonders why Peeta hasn't told them about her bow and arrow skills yet.
Katniss's focus on survival and her family's safety prevented her from fully considering romance, but her feelings for Peeta and Gale diverged in the end. Katniss ultimately chose Peeta because he understood her trauma and she didn't want to lose him, proving her love for him.
Gale does not marry anyone in The Hunger Games. He and Katniss talk about running away together and starting a new life in the wilderness, but they never officially marry.
Although she will never know for sure, Katniss does recognize that she cannot be with Gale. She will never be able to forgive him for his idea — the parachute bombs — that killed Prim.
Katniss Fell in Love With Peeta During the Quarter Quell
However, it wasn't until Mockingjay -- when Peeta got kidnapped by the Capitol -- Katniss realized how much she cared about him and that she couldn't live without him.
On March 23, 2011, Lionsgate began casting the role of Peeta for the film of The Hunger Games. According to The Hollywood Reporter, contenders for the role included Josh Hutcherson, Alexander Ludwig (later cast as Cato), Hunter Parrish, Lucas Till, and Evan Peters.
Why so evil, Peeta? Well, as we learn at the beginning of Mockingjay (spoilers, obv), he's been brainwashed by a method called “hijacking,” in which Tracker Jacker venom is injected to create hallucinations. In this particular case, he's been brainwashed to hate Katniss.
Black, oily matter spouts like a geyser from the street, billowing between the buildings, creating an impenetrable wall of darkness. It seems to be neither liquid nor gas, mechanical nor natural. So it's a tarlike substance designed to drown people.
It's only implied that they get it on via snuggling and other affectionate acts in close quarters — but if you have read the book, they really imply that they took their relationship to the next level.
Katniss is acquitted of murder by reason of insanity and sent home to District 12, while her mother leaves for District 4 and Gale for District 2. Other District 12 natives later return, including Peeta, who has recovered his memories and his love for Katniss.
Gale was responsible for creating weapons that would trigger a second wave of bombs to target first responders and combat healers. This invention potentially ended up killing Prim, but even if he wasn't directly responsible, Katniss found this tactic so abhorrent that she lost her affection for him.
When Katniss comes home to District 12, Gale immediately confesses his love for Katniss, and she realizes she might have feelings for him, too — but she can't explore them, because she has to continue her fake relationship with Peeta or else her entire family, including “cousin Gale,” will be killed.
At the end of Mockingjay, Gale relocates to District 2 and begins working in the district's government. He helps train replacements for the Capitol's Peacekeepers.
He only uses Katniss because the Capitol is brutally oppressive and he realizes that, with Katniss's help, the rebels have a real chance of bringing it down. This sort of cynical pragmatism largely defines Haymitch, and it stems from a combination of realism and a rebellious spirit.
Remembering Snow's words, Katniss puts on a happy face for the cameras. She and Peeta embrace and share a romantic but playful kiss — their first in many months.
After Prim's death, Gale leaves voluntarily because neither of them can avoid the matter of Prim's death having been caused by Gale's invention, with Katniss letting him go without a word. Katniss subsequently grows back together with Peeta, whom she finds she loves again now that he is recovered from his hijacking.
The love triangle between Katniss, Gale, and Peeta is a major part of The Hunger Games franchise. There always appeared to be a spark between Katniss and her best friend, but when Katniss is reaped, everything changes. To survive, she's forced to fake a romance with Peeta, a boy who lives in her district.
Gale is jealous of Peeta and the relationship he has with Katniss, and he wants Katniss to decide between them, though he doesn't press Katniss during her recovery in District 13. Gale is an excellent hunter and excels at setting snares and traps.
