The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes 2 Can Reverse 1 Unjust Character Death

A sequel to The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes can potentially reverse a compelling character’s unfair death. Although a Songbirds & Snakes follow-up movie has yet to be officially announced, the chances of one happening still look pretty good. Whether The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes 2 is the best idea for the franchise is very much up for debate. However, a sequel to Songbirds & Snakes could allow one character the return they deserve.

A prequel to 2012’s The Hunger Games, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes portrayed the early years of Coriolanus Snow before he became the ruthless dictator of Panem. The film focused on Snow’s time as a student at the Academy and a mentor to District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird. At the Academy, Snow was shown to have a friendship with fellow student Clemensia Dovecote. Unfortunately, Clemensia ended up meeting her maker in what was possibly the movie’s most unfair character death.

Clemensia Wasn’t Supposed To Die In The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes

The Hunger Games Prequel Novel Tells A Different Story

Like the other installments in the series, Songbirds & Snakes made several changes to Suzanne Collins’ original novel. One of which had to do with the character of Clemensia. Played by actress Ashley Liao, Clemensia was depicted as a friend and classmate of Snow’s who was assigned a District 11 tribute to mentor. The character’s role in the movie was relatively small, especially compared to the larger part she played in the source material. Despite this, Clemensia did have one highly memorable scene in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes: her death scene.

After Clemensia, who had been with Snow as his academic partner, took credit for Snow’s proposal, Head Gamemaker Dr. Volumnia Gaul challenged Clemensia’s claim by placing the proposal paper in a tank of genetically-modified snakes. Clemensia attempted to retrieve the paper and was bitten by the snakes as Snow watched on. The scene, which served as a crucial moment in Snow’s arc, also happened in the book. However, in the case of Collins’ novel, Clemensia was shown to survive the snake incident, though she was left with permanent injuries.

It’s possible that the amendment to Clemensia’s fate was done to imbue Snow’s story with greater impact. The implication that she died in the snake tank meant that Snow played a role, albeit a passive one, in Clemensia’s death. This would have a bigger effect on the character of Snow compared to if Clemensia had merely been wounded. In this regard, Clemensia’s death in Songbirds & Snakes existed to fix a problem rather than being one that feels deserved.

The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes Left A Way For Clemensia To Still Be Alive

There’s Still Hope For Clemensia’s Hunger Games Character

Though her death in the film version of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes seemed conclusive, given the violent nature of it, Clemensia’s demise was far from a foregone conclusion. After all, Clemensia was never confirmed to be dead onscreen. Indeed, if it weren’t for the fact that co-writer Michael Lesslie confirmed Clemensia’s Songbirds & Snakes death, her demise would’ve remained ambiguous following her fate in the movie.

Theoretically, Clemensia could still be alive. As much as the movie’s writer and its director, Francis Lawrence, can speak of the character’s death, with no in-universe confirmation, there’s still a way she can return in a sequel. If anything, by not explicitly revealing the character to be dead in Songbirds and Snakes‘s script, the film left the option open for more to be done with the character of Clemensia. Though Clemensia only had a small role in the movie when compared to the book, this wrong could still be righted in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes 2.

Clemensia’s Return For The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes 2 Would Be Great For Snow’s Story

Clemensia’s Suprise Return Would Certainly Shake Things Up For A Sequel

By bringing Clemensia back for The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes 2, a wealth of storytelling possibilities would open up. As it stands, a sequel to Songbirds & Snakes would have to be entirely original, given that no source material currently exists. The only requirement for the film would be that it would need to further Snow’s story and see him move closer to the character in the four original Hunger Games movies. As such, Clemensia would be a perfect addition.

If the character were to return, she’d be living with life-changing injuries, like in the book. No doubt, she would be traumatized by the incident, too. She may have been guilty of claiming credit for work she didn’t do, but Clemensia didn’t deserve to be wounded for life. While Snow wouldn’t be directly responsible for Clemensia’s injuries, he certainly would’ve played a part, and that alone would cause tension between the two characters. A return for Clemensia in a Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes sequel could even cause Snow to feel guilty and rethink some of his actions.