Snow’s Hunger Games Future Means His Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes 2 Return Would Be Pointless

There’s been speculation about whether Coriolanus Snow could return in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes 2, but his Hunger Games future makes any continuation of his story pointless. The Hunger Games prequel hit theaters in November 2023, adapting Suzanne Collins’ best-selling book of the same name. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes digs into President Snow’s backstory and his influence on Panem’s deadly tournament. It intertwines his story with that of Lucy Gray, the District 12 tribute he’s told to mentor during the 10th annual Hunger Games.

Lucy and Coriolanus form an unexpected bond with one another. However, their experiences during and after the tournament set the latter on his path to becoming the villain from the original Hunger Games movies. And after Lucy realizes the truth about Coriolanus, there’s no turning back for either character. Snow’s return to the Capitol cements his choices and fully establishes him as a villain. While there are still years of his life unaccounted for between the prequel and The Hunger Games, it wouldn’t make much sense for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes 2 to cover them.

President Snow’s Hunger Games Story Is A Dead End For Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes 2

Revisiting The Character Is Pointless When Viewers Know Where He Ends Up

President Snow’s origin story comes to a close in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which clearly sets the stage for him to become Panem’s leader later on. Viewers know what happens to Tom Blyth’s character in the original series. And even if they don’t see what unfolds in the years between Lucy Gray’s Hunger Games and Katniss Everdeen’s, they know enough to piece together what Snow was up to. His role in Katniss’ story shows the outcome of his efforts in the years after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. And Finnick Odair offers further insight into his suspicious rise to power in Mockingjay.

While it could be interesting to see the string of poisonings that leads to Snow’s presidency — and his continued development of the Hunger Games — there’s no real point to revisiting his character. Because of The Hunger Games, the character’s story is a dead end. As such, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes 2 would lack a major element that makes the first movie compelling. And without it, a Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes sequel just wouldn’t be as effective.

Why There’s No Point To Another Hunger Games Prequel About President Snow

There Would Be No Growth Or Surprises For Tom Blyth’s Character

Another Hunger Games prequel focused on Coriolanus Snow wouldn’t work because there are no fresh and interesting places to take the character’s story. Snow’s journey is set in stone thanks to the Hunger Games series. With that in mind, he’ll only become more wicked as time goes on. And while watching the character choose that path in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is interesting, it’d be difficult to make his continued descent into villainy equally compelling.

Knowing that Snow will never do the right thing eliminates the possibility of growth for the character. And without someone like Lucy Gray to root for, such a narrative would get dull surprisingly fast. It’s not like The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes 2 could count on plot twists and shock value to hook its audience, either. For the most part, they know where Snow and the rest of Panem will end up. With the original prequel’s character study over and the future laid out in the Hunger Games movies, there’s no reason to return to Snow’s backstory. Plus, there are better ways for Lionsgate to expand the franchise.

The Franchise Can Still Continue Without The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes 2

Other Hunger Games Spinoffs Make Far More Sense

Although The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes 2 doesn’t make sense for Lucy Gray or Coriolanus Snow, the Hunger Games franchise can still continue in other ways. There’s no shortage of possible Hunger Games spinoffs for Lionsgate to explore. Characters like Haymitch, Finnick, and Mags all have more untapped storytelling potential than Snow does after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Any of the previous tributes could carry a prequel, as could Capitol citizens who eventually support the rebellion, like Cinna and Plutarch.

There’s also room to expand on the history of Panem, as the Hunger Games movies have yet to show the initial civil war or the Dark Days in any real depth. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes offers a glimpse of this history at the beginning of the film, but it’d be interesting to see it play out in a full-length feature. That would certainly add to the franchise in a more significant way than The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes 2, and it wouldn’t require any huge deviations from Collins’ source material.