Summary

• Katniss Everdeen has a mysterious family history, sparking theories she might be related to President Snow.
• The rivalry between Katniss and Snow might have a deeper meaning than previously thought.
• Lucy Gray Baird's relationship with Snow and connections to Katniss fuel speculation about their potential family ties.

Even after four books and five movies in led by President Snow. Katniss volunteered to take her sister's place as the female District 12 tribute in the 74th Hunger Games, and the rest is history.

Throughout the Hunger Games movies, Katniss and Snow remain at odds. She outsmarted him when she and Peeta Mellark threatened to eat poisonous berries unless the Gamemakers declared them both the winners. Katniss' rebellious act led to her becoming the Mockingjay and lit the spark that set the Second Rebellion into motion, much to Snow's dismay. Aside from being on opposite sides of a war, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes revealed that Snow also resented Katniss because she undoubtedly reminded him of Lucy Gray Baird, which is the basis of the theory that Snow and Katniss are related.

Katniss' Family Tree Is Filled With Mystery In Hunger Games

What Is Known Of Her Father Hints At Katniss Being Related To Lucy

At the beginning of the Hunger Games series, fans learn that Katniss' family consists of herself, her mother, and her sister, Primrose. The Girl on Fire briefly mentions in the book that Katniss' father died (along with several other workers) during an accident at the mine in District 12 when she was 11 years old. Katniss was evidently close with her father, but neither the novels nor the films offer much information about him (including his name) or his family history. Meanwhile, Katniss' mother is also a mystery despite her being alive throughout the entire series.

It's possible that during Lucy Gray and Snow's brief romance in District 12, Lucy Gray got pregnant, and the baby was Katniss' father, making Snow her grandfather and Lucy Gray her grandmother.

Katniss occasionally reminisced about her time with her father in the novels, so readers were able to visualize their relationship and how he helped shape her character. Mr. Everdeen taught Katniss about music in the Hunger Games universe and ed on numerous songs like "Deep in the Meadow" and "The Hanging Tree" to his daughter. He also showed Katniss how to hunt, forage, and swim. Based on this information and Lucy Gray's character in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Katniss might be related to the winner of the 10th Hunger Games.

A Hunger Games Theory Suggests Katniss Is President Snow's Granddaughter

Fans Speculate That Lucy Was Pregnant With Snow's Child, Katniss' Dad

Lucy Gray was from District 12 and a member of the Covey, a group of musical performers, but her connections to Katniss seemingly run too deep for them to be a coincidence in the Hunger Games franchise. Katniss' father taught her "The Hanging Tree," written by Lucy Gray, and the Covey are from the Seam like the Everdeens. According to a fan theory on Lucy Gray and Snow's brief romance in District 12, Lucy got pregnant, and the baby was Katniss' father, making Snow her grandfather and Lucy Gray her grandmother.

Following the release of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes book, fans began speculating if and how Katniss was related to Lucy Gray, given their similarities and histories. Some believe that Lucy Gray's cousin, Maude Ivory Baird, could have been Katniss' father's mother, while others thought it could have been Lucy Gray herself. Nevertheless, like Lucy Gray's fate, Collins left Katniss' familial history a mystery, leading to various fan theories. But if Katniss is related to Snow, that information changes a lot about The Hunger Games series.

How Katniss Being Related To President Snow Would Change Hunger Games

Would Snow Have Acted Differently If He Knew Katniss Was His Granddaughter?

If Snow is Katniss' grandfather, the meaning of their rivalry throughout the Hunger Games books and movies completely changes. Of course, if they are related, neither knew about it. Otherwise, their familial connection would have come up in the story. But Katniss and Snow's possible (unknown) relationship surely alters how one views their intense hatred for each other and complicates their bitter feud. They wanted each other dead, after all, and Katniss was almost the one to end Snow's life in Mockingjay before she killed President Alma Coin instead.

Unfortunately, many holes exist in the theory that Katniss is Snow's granddaughter in The Hunger Games.

Snow is a vile person who has no regard for human life, but the films show a warmer side to him when he is with his (confirmed) granddaughter. If Katniss is also his granddaughter, Snow's bitter dynamic with her could be significantly juxtaposed with his affection toward his younger family member. Plus, the fact that Snow was trying to kill a teenager he had no idea was his granddaughter throughout the Hunger Games series is a complex storyline with numerous layers in and of itself.

The Problems With The Katniss Is Snow's Granddaughter Theory

Would Lucy Gray Return To District 12?

Unfortunately, many holes exist in the theory that Katniss is Snow's granddaughter in The Hunger Games. For starters, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes never suggests that Lucy Gray and Snow have sex during their time together in District 12. So, logistically, Lucy Gray probably wasn't pregnant before she died or left District 12. Lucy Gray's fate in The Hunger Games is ambiguous, so it's unclear what happened to her after she ran from Snow in the woods and he tried to shoot her.

The theory that Maude Ivory is Katniss' grandmother is more plausible than Lucy Gray being her grandmother in The Hunger Games.

However, the most glaring problem with the theory that Katniss is Snow's granddaughter is that, even if Lucy Gray survived, there's no evidence suggesting she ever returned to District 12. If Lucy Gray survived Snow's wrath that day in the woods, she probably retreated to District 13 or died from the elements outside the lines of her district. So, even if she was somehow pregnant, that baby wouldn't have grown up in the Seam, meaning that Mr. Everdeen's mother is most likely not Lucy Gray, and the chances of Katniss being related to Snow are slim.

Of course, anything is possible in this franchise, and Snow could be Katniss' grandfather by some miracle. Suzanne Collins will likely never confirm or deny this theory or any assumption regarding the Girl on Fire's familial history. Ultimately, though, the theory that Maude Ivory is Katniss' grandmother is more plausible than Lucy Gray in The Hunger Games.

Other Hunger Games Theories

Was Katniss Brainwashed Into Loving Peeta?

The potential connection between Katniss and President Snow makes for one of the most explosive Hunger Games theories and there is enough evidence behind it to convince many fans. However, there are a number of other compelling theories in this world that range from believable to somewhat ridiculous. One interesting theory about the world of Panem itself and the reality these characters find themselves in is that it is the result of an alternate version of the American Revolution in which the British triumphed and crushed the rebellion.

Many people have pointed to the fact that Panem seems to resemble a version of the United States of America with its districts fitting into the breakdown of the country. The way Panem is governed by the Capitol is a frightening display of an empire that remains unchecked by its people and the idea that the British Empire was never forced to leave America to its own devices makes it easy how it could grow into something like Panem.

This notion not only works based on evidence, but it is also not the kind of theory that needs to be addressed in the story to be believable. Part of the reason it is easier to doubt the Katniss and Snow theory is that it is the kind of secret that would benefit from being revealed between those characters rather than left as something for fans to discover. In of the American Revolution theory, it only serves as an interesting background without affecting the story too much.

One of the darker Hunger Games theories concerns the central relationship of the movie. Katniss begins her romance with Peeta as a way of surviving the games. However, by the end of the story, she has embraced her true love for him. This change led some to wonder if Katniss might have been subjected to the same "hijacking" or brainwashing methods that Peeta himself experienced, forcing her to love him as a way of weakening her place in the rebellion.

It is a heartbreaking idea, but another one that doesn't make much sense if it wasn't revealed in the story itself. Ending the story with Peeta and Katniss together only to be hiding the truth that it is all a lie seems pointless. However, this might have been a brilliant twist to have introduced in the last Hunger Games book to add to the emotional impact of the conclusion.

Source: Reddit