It has been 10 years since the last installment of the YA dystopian movie series, The Hunger Games, was released. Still, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), the winner of the 74th Hunger Games and the rebels’ Mockingjay, isn’t going anywhere. Even though she doesn’t appear in it, Katniss’ presence can still be felt in Francis Lawrence’s Hunger Games prequel from 2023, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. While the captivating prequel focused on Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) and his time spent mentoring one of the tributes from District 12, Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), it also highlights the nomadic group from which Lucy Gray is from. The Coveys are trading musicians who were forced to live in District 12 as a result of the first rebellion, and there are theories that Katniss Everdeen is somehow related to them.

Even though the upcoming release of another movie based on a novel written by Suzanne Collins, the highly anticipated prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping, is more than exciting (because who could ever have enough of the insane events unfolding in the Capitol and the districts, and finding out more about some of the best characters), the movie adaptation simultaneously brings along some sore updates. The downside of the new Hunger Games prequel is the fact that it dives deeper into a fan theory about Katniss Everdeen and Lucy Gray Baird’s connection, and if it turns out to be true, then it would truly ruin the best part of The Hunger Games. Let’s take a look at the fan theory and what it could mean.

Katniss Everdeen and Lucy Gray Baird’s Potential Relationship

The theory that Katniss Everdeen and Lucy Grey Baird are related hasn’t been officially confirmed, but the evidence is becoming undeniable. Collins seems to be laying a subtle foundation in case she would later want to connect some dots, and it looks like Sunrise on the Reaping might be the time to unveil it all. Seeing how Sunrise on the Reaping fits into the Hunger Games timeline, the new prequel would be a good opportunity to offer some clarity.

The prequel novel confirms that Asterid March and Burdock Everdeen are the names of Katniss’ parents. Burdock and Haymitch Abernathy, who was Katniss’ mentor later in his life, were friends at a young age and used to go into the woods together. During their adventures in the forests, young Haymitch also met Lenore Dove Baird for the first time. Despite her last name being Baird, Lenore was allegedly raised by two Coveys who also appear in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Tam Amber and Clerk Carmine, Lucy Gray’s friends. There could be an important connection between Burdock and Lenore, because the novel reveals that he refers to her as his cousin. On top of this, Haymitch says in the Sunrise on a Reaping novel that Lenore wasn’t Burdock’s first cousin, but explains that someone on his friend’s mother’s side had a connection to the Coveys.

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These points tie right in with the two different theories that Lucy Gray or, more likely, Barb Azure might be Katniss’ grandmother. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes introduces the three Covey cousins, Lucy Gray Baird, Barb Azure, and Maude Ivory. In Sunrise on the Reaping, a Covey gravestone in District 12 reveals that Lucy Gray, Lenore Dove, and Maude Ivory are buried there. Looking at Haymitch’s tragic backstory, it’s clear that his love interest, Lenore, was killed, and since Maude is the only one left, she has to be Lenore’s deceased mother, who died during childbirth. This is also why Lenore Dove was raised by Tam and Clerk.

Hence, Barb Azure could potentially be Katniss’ grandmother and Burdock’s mother, because Barb and Maud were cousins, which would then again make Burdock and Lenore second cousins. This would align with what Haymitch said about a Covey connection from Burdock’s mother’s side.

‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ Ruins the Main Character in ‘The Hunger Games’

Katniss Everdeen was the perfect protagonist for The Hunger Games because she really was just a random girl swept up in something she had no desire to be a part of. The first three movies in the unsettling Hunger Games franchise repeatedly highlight how insane Katniss’ journey is. Despite all the opposition and the danger, she continuously prevails or takes setbacks as what they are and then fights back even harder. There is no denying that Katniss Everdeen has been an inspiration to Hunger Games fans, and the reason for that is that she was relatable. She was just thrown into this mess without any real reason behind it.

Katniss, coming from District 12 and having no special status or connection to the Capitol, just like almost all the other tributes in danger of being chosen to fight for their life, offered a sense of reality. It showed that Katniss was just a random girl whose luck wasn’t on her side on the day of the reaping. She was just a random girl who (unwillingly) ended up as an entire population’s symbol for the fight for freedom, revolution, peace, and justice.

It’s important that she wasn’t chosen by Snow as a means of revenge. The fact that she wasn’t connected to him created the image that anyone who finds themselves at the right place and time can have the power and the strength to make a change. It was all about Katniss coming out of nowhere and turning the entire Capitol and all the districts upside down. It wasn’t because she was related to Lucy Gray and carried on a legacy. The attention was on her because she had the guts to fight against the Capitol’s injustice.

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If Sunrise on the Reaping reveals that Katniss and Lucy Gray are related, it would ruin the idea of Katniss dealing with a terrible stroke of fate and prevailing against all odds. In addition to this, it would fundamentally change all the interactions between Katniss and Snow. If he knew that she was a relative of the person who almost destroyed him (as he would probably see it), then, of course, utter contempt would guide his every choice. This would add a whole new layer to the Hunger Games franchise, which is simply too much. It takes away from what the focus should be on: Katniss Everdeen as the random girl who defeated the odds. The Hunger Games movies are available to rent on Apple TV.