The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes follows a younger version of Coriolanus Snow, but a theory suggests the movie paves the way for how he becomes the President of Panem. As a prequel to the first four Hunger Games movies, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes unsurprisingly provides plenty of insight into how Snow became the villainous leader of Panem that Katniss Everdeen faces off against decades later. This includes providing new details on his complicated relationship with District 12, his role in changing the Hunger Games into an event, and even why Snow became a villain.
One area of Snow’s life that the movie does not have an opportunity to explore is his future as the President of Panem. Tigris refers to him as Panem’s future president early on, but he is not in that position of power by the time The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes‘ ending concludes. The movie does a good job of setting up that future for him as he ascends through Panem’s political system through the Hunger Games. Although how Snow became Panem’s president is not directly shown, the movie sets up a shocking way this happens through Coriolanus’ actions.
President Snow’s Most Disturbing Hunger Games Update Proves His Other Changes Didn’t Work
Following The Ballad of Singbirds and Snakes, Snow had a lot of influence on the changes made to the Hunger Games, and one of them was horrific.
Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes Showed How Frequently Snow Uses Poison To Kill People
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes emphasizes how much Coriolanus Snow uses poison to kill people, especially when he has an opportunity to get ahead. The original Hunger Games movies established Snow’s connection to poison and the frequent use of them explaining why his mouth bleeds. It was not surprising to have this detail expanded upon in the prequel with him as the main focus. However, he is repeatedly shown using rat poison to his advantage. This includes giving some to Lucy Gray in the Games, while Coriolanus Snow kills Casca Highbottom in the end with the same method.
Snow’s use of poison means his kill count rises throughout the course of the movie. He is shown killing people using a variety of methods, ranging from brute force, guns, betrayal, and poison. However, there is no question that Snow prefers to use poison to quietly take out his enemies without leaving much of a trace of his presence. That is why he killed Highbottom with poison. This is also the reason why theories popped up that Snow killed Dr. Gaul eventually, since it was known that he eventually became Head Gamemaker and replaced her in that position.
Coriolanus Snow Killed Panem’s President With Poison To Succeed Him – Theory Explained
Using the same logic, another Hunger Games theory suggests that Coriolanus Snow will also poison Panem’s president in the future. During the events of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, it is known that President Ravinstill is ruling over Panem at this point in the Hunger Games timeline. This is confirmed during the movie as well. While it is known that Ravinstill is the President of Panem during the 10th Hunger Games, it is not confirmed when he stops ruling over the country or who directly succeeds him. Similarly, when Snow became Panem’s president is not confirmed in the books.
This opens up the possibility that Coriolanus Snow is the direct successor to President Ravinstill and that the ambitious young man takes matters into his own hands once more. If he could manage to kill Dean Highbottom without any repercussions, it would not be surprising for him to continue going after those in power over him. This would first lead him to kill Dr. Gaul, but the President of Panem is ultimately the title Snow wants. It would then make sense for him to also have a hand in killing Panem’s current leader, creating a vacancy he could fill.
Due to the lack of details known about the Hunger Games world between The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and Katniss Everdeen’s life, there is no direct conflicting information to this theory. Ravinstill is the only known President before Snow assumes power. While he might be a bit older during the 10th Hunger Games, Snow’s age in Hunger Games is proof that the country is okay with someone remaining in power for a long time. That allows room for Snow to continue killing people on his way to the top of Panem and taking Ravinstill out last.
Snow Killing President Ravinstill Makes His Reign Over Panem Much Darker
President Snow’s reign over Panem was already largely viewed in a darker light. It was under his rule that the Hunger Games became more of a spectacle, allowing the bigger and wealthier Districts a chance to become more powerful while the lower Districts fell further into poverty and trouble. That is why the Rebellion rose to new heights under Snow’s leadership, as getting him out of power was one of the driving motivations for many. He was never afraid to threaten or kill people who went against his wishes or plans, making him more of a tyrant than a leader.
The possibility that poisoning is the only reason Snow became president at all adds new context to his reign. Instead of him becoming President of Panem because he deserved the responsibility and was thought to be well-positioned to lead, it indicates that Snow forced his way to become the most powerful person in the country. If he was willing to kill President Ravinstill with poison, there is no telling what he would be willing to do to ensure that he was ultimately elected as his replacement. In that sense, Snow’s time as Panem’s president becomes even darker than imagined.
Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes 2 Could Show Snow Kill Ravinstill To Become President
Snow poisoning President Ravinstill is just a theory for now, but the franchise could confirm this with a sequel. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes 2‘s story could go in many different directions, but any of them would require showing more of Snow’s younger life. Since he ended the first prequel movie working for Dr. Gaul, the sequel could jump ahead a bit to the point where he has become Head Gamemaker. Snow could then realistically set his sights on becoming the President of Panem and plot the best way to get rid of the man standing in his way.
While this storyline would likely mean skipping past Mags’ Hunger Games, a deeper dive into Snow’s political ambitions and work in the Games would be fascinating to see. It would position The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes 2 as more of a political movie with a greater emphasis on the state of Panem and his desire to rule over everyone. The franchise moving forward in this fashion would provide a chance to then fully explain how Snow became Panem’s president after The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
- Release Date
- November 17, 2023
- Director
- Francis Lawrence
- Cast
- Tom Blyth , Rachel Zegler , Hunter Schafer , Jason Schwartzman , Peter Dinklage , Josh Andrés , Josh Andrés Rivera , Viola Davis
- Runtime
- 157 Minutes
- Writers
- Michael Lesslie , Michael Arndt , Suzanne Collins
