President Snow Unintentionally Made Haymitch’s Hunger Games Win Much More Impressive

The Hunger Games is a complex franchise in which most things are connected, including how future President Coriolanus Snow’s actions as a teenager made Haymitch Abernathy’s chances in the 50th Hunger Games slim, which made his win all the more impressive. The science fiction dystopian adventure film series is based on Suzanne Collins’ book series of the same name and is undoubtedly one of the most successful young adult movie adaptations of all time (especially in the dystopian genre). Five films have been released, and the most recent one served as a prequel to the original four.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, based on Collins’ novel of the same name, centered around Tom Blyth’s Snow’s time as a 10th Hunger Games mentor for the District 12 female tribute — Lucy Gray Baird, played by Rachel Zegler — when he was 18 years old. The 2023 prequel movie filled in many blanks concerning Snow’s past and why his hatred for Katniss Everdeen ran so deep. However, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes also could make fans appreciate Haymitch (portrayed by Woody Harrelson in the first four films) more.

Lucy Gray Should Have Been Haymitch’s Mentor In The 50th Hunger Games

Lucy Gray Was The Only District 12 Victor Before Haymitch

Lucy Gray was the last tribute standing in the arena during The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, making her the winner of the 10th Hunger Games and the first victor from District 12. As fans recall, the Hunger Games were quite different compared to how they were when Katniss and Peeta Mellark were reaped for the 74th annual horror show. It was the first year that mentors were introduced. Instead of being former victors, the Gamemakers decided to give the job to the most promising students at the Academy (including Snow).

It’s unclear when the mentor roles shifted to former victors. But it was likely before the 50th Hunger Games, indicating that Lucy Gray should have been Haymitch’s mentor when he was reaped alongside three other District 12 kids. However, as depicted in the ending of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Lucy Gray never returned shortly following her win. The prequel left Lucy Gray’s fate ambiguous, but it was implied that either Snow killed Lucy Gray or she somehow escaped into the woods. Consequently, Lucy Gray wasn’t around to mentor Haymitch for the 50th Hunger Games.

Snow Erasing Lucy Gray From History & Possibly Killing Her Gave Haymitch A Disadvantage

All Records Of The 10th Hunger Games Were Erased

Given that the 10th Hunger Games was an all-around disaster (in the Gamemakers’ eyes), The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes‘ Volumnia Gaul erased all footage and records of the event, something that Snow was well aware of and in favor of. He didn’t want anyone to know about his history with Lucy Gray, especially if he killed her. So, erasing all evidence of Lucy Gray from Snow’s life (and everyone else’s) seemed like his only option to move forward with his nefarious plans for Panem. Of course, Lucy Gray would continue to haunt Snow for the rest of his life.

Nevertheless, erasing Lucy Gray from history in Panem led to Haymitch being at a severe disadvantage during the 50th Hunger Games. While tributes from other districts assumingly had past victors to advise them on how to survive in the arena, Haymitch had no one to guide him. If Snow never got rid of Lucy Gray, she would have been around to help Haymitch prepare for the Second Quarter Quell. But because Snow’s greed and madness overtook his love for Lucy Gray, Haymitch entered the arena unprepared.

Haymitch Winning The Hunger Games Is More Impressive Without Lucy’s Help

Haymitch Won The Second Quarter Quell

Even though Haymitch didn’t receive any help in the form of a mentor for the 50th Hunger Games, he was the last tribute standing of the 48 who initially entered the arena, making him the victor. Haymitch evidently did not need Lucy Gray’s help to win, which makes his victory much more impressive than originally thought. Then, 24 years later, in The Hunger Games, Haymitch’s win proved why he was a great mentor for Katniss — something he didn’t have when he was 16.