FANS of The Hunger Games dove back into the brutalities in Panem for the prequel film The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
But the much-abated film left more questions than it answered, like what actually happened to Lucy Gray?
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Who is Lucy Gray in the Hunger Games?
Lucy Gray was the female tribute from District 12 in the 10th Hunger Games.
Her mentor at the time was the young Coriolanus Snow, who she first met when all the tributes arrived in the Capitol.
Although she initially seemed unbothered by him, she still went on to protect him against attacks from other tributes.
Any who met her were immediately enamored by her, and she quickly became a Capitol favorite – going on to win the Games.
What happened at the end of Hunger games: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes?
Although, it should be clarified that Lucy only wins the Games as a result of Coriolanus Snow – who cheats to help her.
He is banished to District 12 as a punishment, where his relationship with Lucy finally blossoms.
All is well, for a while, until a local rebel kills Lucy’s former lover, and Coriolanus kills the mayor’s daughter.
Coriolanus and Lucy flee District 12 as a result, but it’s during their journey that things really turn sour.
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Lucy figures out that Coriolanus had killed Peacekeeper, Sejanus Plinth, and escapes into the forest.
Forever witty, she lures Coriolanus to a snake that bites him and sends him into a state of delirium.
Furious, and delirious, Coriolanus fires into the trees – and it soon seems as though he’s hit Lucy.
However, her body can’t be found, and her tracks come to a swift end.
In the last scene of the film, Coriolanus poisons Dean Casca Highbottom.
But, not before Casca asks about what happened to Lucy.
What happened to Lucy Gray at the end of the prequel?
Lucy’s fate at the end of the prequel is purposefully left vague, to allow viewers to interpret their own ending.
Her tracks disappear, and the murderous Coriolanus is just as confused as the audience.
He may hear her singing The Hanging Tree song, but his state of delirium adds little clarity to the scene.
Although the song sounds like Lucy, it could just as well be Jabberjays lurking nearby in the forest.
Indeed, in the final showdown, Casca Highbottom goes on to tell Coriolanus that his sources told him Lucy has disappeared.
But, he adds: “Mysteries have a way of driving people mad.”
A sentiment many Hunger Games fans are relating to right now.
Will Rachel Zegler return as Lucy Gray Baird?
Given that the ending of The Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes left Lucy’s fate unanswered, whether or not actress Rachel Zegler will be returning is also ambiguous.
The book, much like the film, leaves her story open-ended, offering fans little more than the ability to speculate.
However, other Hunger Games stars have recently opened up about returning to The Hunger Games – with Josh Hutcherson calling his time on set “the time of his life”.
“You never know,” Josh told the GMA crew when fielding a question about whether he’d come back to the franchise.
“I’d love to find a way to get back into the Hunger Games role with them, or anything,” he said of castmates Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth.