Brainwashing, betrayal, bows, and
ballads. The story of "The Hunger Games" begins way before Katniss
— and even before Snow. Here's the whole timeline. Spoilers ahead for
the entire "Hunger Games" franchise. The nation of Panem doesn't just appear overnight
— it forms in the ruins of our civilization. The world changes forever with the onset of climate
change. Natural disasters like fires, droughts, and storms cause the planet's resources
to dwindle. Countries begin to fight over the remai
ning resources, causing war to break out
across the globe. With such widespread bloodshed, governments around the world begin to collapse
and the human population rapidly decreases, nearly creating an extinction-level event. From the ashes of society in North America
rises Panem — a new nation with a capital based in the Rocky Mountains. History's a
little murky around this period. It isn't clear exactly when Panem forms after the
fall of other preexisting civilizations, or when Panem divid
es into districts. "You're not off to a real good start." What we do know is that each district
provides the Capitol with a vital resource, though the districts are reliant on the Capitol
to ensure the distribution of those resources. The Capitol exploits the districts it rules
over by controlling its exclusive access to necessities, and this eventually causes
the districts to turn on the Capitol. The idea for the Hunger Games comes long
before the rebellion that causes its implementation.
Crassus Snow, future
President Coriolanus Snow's father, attends the Capitol's University with
his best friend Casca Highbottom, the Dean of the Academy Coriolanus attends
years later. The two are in a class taught by Dr. Volumnia Gaul, a scientist who
later becomes the first Head Gamesmaker. While Gaul and Crassus Snow get along well, Gaul
and Highbottom do not. For their final project, Gaul tasks the students with developing a
hypothetical punishment that would ensure their enemies never
forgot what they did
to them. Snow works with Highbottom and gets him drunk while hearing what
he has to say about the assignment. Snow turns his idea in as their assignment. The
two fight over this; Highbottom never forgives Snow and eventually takes out that frustration on
Snow's son. Even though it's originally meant as a class assignment, Gaul uses the proposal to
create an annual punishment for the districts after the rebellion, and Highbottom goes down
in history as the brains behin
d the games. At an unknown point after the founding of
Panem, the districts begin to grow restless with the power dynamics at play. This part of
history is documented mostly by the Capitol, and since they're pretty good at propaganda,
it's hard to say how much is true. Capitol children learn that "rebels" in District
13 were the instigators behind the First Rebellion and used its privilege as a
nuclear research facility to its advantage. "This was the uprising that rocked our land." War spr
eads throughout Panem with
other districts rising up and holding their resources hostage from the Capitol. The unrest continues to grow over
the course of around three years, turning into air raids on the country's political
center. The ruling class of Panem spends most of the war under the grip of the districts. Because
of its reliance on them for goods and services, the elite often find themselves without power or
essentials as different districts join the cause. When the districts invade
the Capitol, the
direction of the war turns. Despite being the alleged starting point of the rebellion, District
13 begins to pull back and eventually brokers a deal with the Capitol. The conflict ends with the
secret agreement that District 13 will be allowed to live on ... just not as a member of Panem. The
other 12 districts watch as the Capitol bombs and destroys the surface of District 13, which
leads them to believe the district is gone. Without 13's support, the rest of the
distric
ts can no longer maintain their war efforts, falling to the Capitol as
the military sweeps through the country. As the Capitol regains control, they develop
the Treaty of Treason. The treaty creates a variety of restrictions for the citizens of Panem, including banning communication
and travel between districts. It also leads to the implementation of
their punishment. The Hunger Games is the most significant part of the treaty —
the annual event that forces the districts to sacrifice two ch
ildren every year
in a televised battle to the death. "Since the Dark Days, our great
nation has known only peace." The First Rebellion and Dark
Days also mark a turning point in Coriolanus Snow's life. Just
5 years old when the war begins, the young Snow watches on as the civilization
he grows up with almost falls to the districts. Snow's mother dies in childbirth,
and shortly after, his father, who has risen through the military
ranks, dies in rebel fire. With his cousin Tigris' parents
also dead, the
two of them live with their grandmother. The Snow name affords the future president of
Panem many privileges early on, but that all goes away with District 13. Most of the family's assets
are in nuclear research, so when District 13 is "bombed" the family's riches and status plummet.
Even as Snow becomes an adult, his home is still significantly damaged from the First Rebellion
because his family can't afford the repairs. The first nine Hunger Games are
drastically differen
t from what the event eventually becomes by, oh, the 74th one. When it is time for The Games to begin,
all 24 tributes enter the Capitol Arena with few weapons and no food and are left to
fight to the death. Once crowned the winner, the victor goes home, returning to their life
as it was before they competed in The Hunger Games. The early Games were particularly barbaric,
even compared to later evolutions of the event. "This is the price of peace." The only thing that remains unchanged from
the early games is the selection of tributes. From the beginning, the tributes from each
district are chosen through a lottery system, selecting one female and one male
child between the ages of 12 and 18. The 10th Hunger Games is when the event changes
to create a more watchable experience. To do this, several key elements that later become
staples in The Games are introduced, including mentors, the ability to give gifts
to tributes once they are in the arena, and tribute interviews. The
first mentors
are Academy students who are just Capitol teens trying to finish their high school-level
education before heading off to University. To help introduce these new elements, several
changes take place in how The Games function. Rather than The Games starting soon after
all of the tributes arrive in the Capitol, the contestants are instead placed in an
old animal enclosure in the Capitol Zoo, essentially on display for Capitol citizens
to come and see. Over several days, they tou
r the arena, meet with their mentors, and
participate in interviews on Capitol television. Starting with the 10th Games, the event
moves in a more spectacle-like direction. "Your role is to turn these children
into spectacles, not survivors." Coriolanus Snow is one of the first mentors,
overseeing and advising Lucy Gray Baird, the musically gifted female tribute from District
12 during the 10th Hunger Games. This begins his close connection with The Hunger Games, moving
from mentor to a Ga
mesmaker apprentice while attending University. The young Snow connects
with his tribute, Lucy Gray and uses tricks to ensure she becomes the victor, making him
the first mentor to coach a winning tribute. While working as a mentor, he writes the
proposal for the implementation of a betting and odds system and the ability to send food
to tributes in the arena — two ways Capitol citizens can "participate" and create an emotional
attachment to The Games. He also gets to see and learn about on
e of the muttations — Dr. Gaul's
snakes — before she drops them in the arena. After Highbottom discovers that Snow used that
info to cheat to help Lucy Gray win, Snow becomes a Peacekeeper. But before long, he heads back to
the Capitol and starts an apprenticeship under Dr. Gaul to be a Gamesmaker. During this time, he
continues introducing new concepts for the Games. After winning the 10th Hunger Games and
returning to her life in District 12, Lucy Gray Baird continues to play music. The a
tmosphere in District 12 is less than ideal,
to put it lightly. People are really struggling with the newly reinforced regime of the Capitol,
and as Lucy Gray watches these events play out in her home, she takes to her guitar to express her
thoughts on the subject. She writes "The Hanging Tree" about the death of Arlo Chance, a miner
and supporter of the rebellion. It is one of many songs she writes, but this one has the most
impact after her disappearance and presumed death. Despite the ba
nning of music, the song survives
for generations, with Katniss' father teaching it to her before his death. While considered an act
of rebellion by Peacekeepers when it is written, the song becomes synonymous with the
Second Rebellion when Katniss sings it during a rebellion-filmed TV spot in
"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1." "A little on the nose, but of course, so is war." When it comes time to select tributes for the
74th annual Hunger Games, everything proceeds as usual ... unti
l Primrose Everdeen is drawn as
the female tribute for District 12. Prim is only 12 years old, meaning this is her first year
of eligibility for the Games, and has already had to endure the loss of her father in a mining
accident years prior. Unwilling to allow Prim to be selected for almost certain death, her older
sister, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to compete in her place. Peeta, the son of a local baker,
is chosen as the male tribute from District 12. Although both Katniss and Peeta kno
w only
one of them will make it out of the arena, they grow fond of one another in the days
leading up to the Games. During their training, Katniss establishes herself as an accomplished
archer, while Peeta impresses his fellow tributes with his natural strength and his uncanny
ability to paint tree bark. Meanwhile, back in District 12, Katniss' best friend
Gale Hawthorne looks after Katniss' mother and sister as they all watch the TV coverage.
All these people may seem like normal citizen
s, but they turn out to be pretty
important in the years to come. As the 74th Hunger Games begin, Katniss
ventures out on her own. She becomes convinced that Peeta is working
with other tributes to kill her, even though he's actually trying to protect
her by throwing them off her scent. Eventually, Katniss teams up with Rue, the 12-year-old tribute
from District 11, and things start looking up. "We're gonna be okay." Unfortunately, they aren't okay. Rue
is killed, and Katniss mourns her by
covering her body with flowers — an
action that galvanizes District 11. Following Rue's death, a change to the rules is
announced: Two victors may be crowned this year, provided they're from the same district. Peeta
and Katniss promptly team up to defeat the other tributes. This strategy wins the hearts of
Capitol sponsors, who enjoy what they perceive as a blooming romance between the two. Thanks to
the timely supplies they send, some very quick thinking, and a fair amount of luck, Katnis
s and
Peeta become the final two tributes standing. But then the announcer reveals that the
previous rule change has been undone: Only one of them will be allowed
to leave the arena alive. Neither Katniss nor Peeta is willing to kill the
other, so they resolve to kill themselves by eating poisonous berries. Panicked at
the thought of not having a victor at all, the announcer changes the rules yet again to
allow for two victors, ending the Games. Head Gamemaker Seneca Crane is subsequently
executed
by President Coriolanus Snow for this decision. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" opens as
the citizens of Panem prepare for the 75th Hunger Games. In the lead-up to each Games, it's
customary for the winner of the prior bloodbath to go on a "Victory Tour" of the 12 districts
to drum up enthusiasm, as well as demonstrate loyalty to the Capitol. But Katniss and Peeta's
defiance in the 74th Hunger Games has stirred unrest ahead of the 75th Games. The people of
Panem see Katniss as a
symbol of resistance, and the Capitol isn't pleased. Before
Katniss and Peeta leave on their tour, President Snow tells Katniss she needs to convince
the public that her attempt to subvert the rules by eating the berries was motivated solely by
love for Peeta, or he will kill her family. "It must be a fragile system if it can
be brought down by just a few berries." "It is indeed. But not in the way you imagine." Katniss and Peeta do their best to present
themselves as a legitimate couple d
uring their tour. But it's not enough to
quench the anger of the districts, which is spreading like wildfire. It doesn't help
that Katniss isn't a very convincing actress, and also prone to acting impulsively:
She intervenes in several instances of Capitol-sanctioned brutality. This only
strengthens the public's perception of her as the "Mockingjay," a potent
symbol of freedom and rebellion. The 75th Hunger Games are much different
than the ritual the year before. They're the third Quarter
Quell — a special game
that takes place every 25 years. Still seeking to smother the people's anger,
Snow — along with newly appointed Head Gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee — decides
that the tributes will be selected from the existing pool of victors. Since Katniss is
the only living female victor from District 12, there is no question that she will be
among those forced to return to the arena. Of District 12's two male
victors, Haymitch Abernathy, victor of the 50th Games and
Katniss and
Peeta's mentor, is selected to compete. To Katniss'
horror, Peeta volunteers to take his place. Once they've arrived at the Capitol, the mood of
the 75th Hunger Games' tributes is revealed to be markedly different than that of previous years.
Already having survived one round of brutality, this group is rightfully angry that instead
of being allowed to live out their lives in peace and comfort, they are instead being
sent back into the arena. As they're older and considerably more experienc
ed than the
children typically selected for the Games, these tributes boldly try a number of
tactics to get the Games shut down. Unbeknownst to Katniss, secret resistance
ally Plutarch Heavensbee meets with Haymitch, as well as a number of other tributes, to conspire
about what will happen if the Games proceed. Under instructions from president Alma Coin,
leader of District 13 — which not only exists, but is actively plotting a rebellion — Heavensbee,
Haymitch, and several tributes includi
ng Finnick and Johanna devise a plan to extract Katniss
and Peeta from the Games once they are underway. The 75th Hunger Games' circular arena has
a large lake in the center and is divided into 12 wedges. This time, Katniss and Peeta
immediately team up, and are quickly joined by Finnick and elderly Mags. Although Mags
soon sacrifices herself to save the others, the rest survive and are joined by Johanna,
along with Wiress and Beetee from District 3. An accomplished engineer, Beetee devises
a plan to use one of the arena's precisely timed traps to their advantage. Using
a spool of copper wire, he intends to harness the electricity from a lightning
strike to electrocute the other tributes. "How do we know the wire's not going to burn up?"
"Because I invented it." Presumably, his intent following the
elimination of the other tributes is to trigger District 13's rescue plan — though of
course, Katniss and Peeta know nothing about this. When the plan goes awry at the last second,
Katniss wraps the end of the copper wire around an arrow and shoots it at the force field
ceiling of the arena, right as lightning strikes. The current is drawn into the dome, causing it to
short out and subsequently crumble. This allows a large District 13 ship to enter and extract
Katniss and several other tributes. Unfortunately, Peeta and Johanna are left behind and sent to the
Capitol, while Katniss is taken to District 13. Unable to be rescued by District 13, Peeta and
Johanna are i
nterrogated and tortured by the Capitol. Peeta doesn't know anything about
the resistance, but Snow rightly assumes he can use him as leverage to influence Katniss.
Through a number of televised propaganda spots filmed in the Capitol, Katniss sees Peeta
become ever more alarmingly brainwashed. During this time, another former winner,
Annie Cresta, and Johanna are also tortured by the Capitol, although they are not shown
on television as Peeta is. But the Capitol's actions are even worse tha
n they think: When he
isn't filming propaganda spots, Peeta is being subjected to vicious brainwashing techniques
which cause him to become fearful of Katniss. Although she would like nothing more than to
go charging into the Capitol to rescue Peeta, Katniss is now subject to the
administration of President Coin, who is determined to work more strategically. As
"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1" opens, Coin convinces Katniss to embrace her persona as
the Mockingjay and film a series o
f propaganda videos to inspire the people of Panem. With
District 12 reduced to smoking rubble and Katniss' mother, Prim, and Gale now residing in
District 13, Katniss feels she has no choice. "People of Panem, we fight. We dare
to end this hunger for justice." Unfortunately for Coin, Katniss is no
more convincing when delivering scripted monologues for a cause she believes
in than one she doesn't. However, she is occasionally inspired to improvise, and
manages to give a few impassioned sp
eeches that successfully rally the districts. Once again,
Snow doesn't like what Katniss is up to, and he finally orders an airborne attack on
District 13. Peeta is able to regain control of himself just long enough to warn Katniss and the
other residents of the district to take shelter, resulting in far fewer casualties
than there otherwise would have been. Finally, President Coin authorizes a
mission to rescue Peeta and the other victors from the Capitol, though Katniss is
not allowed to
join the rescue team. Instead, she is tasked with filming a live broadcast
to Snow in the hopes of distracting him from seeing what's happening right under his
nose…until he reveals that he knows exactly what's happening. Yet somehow, Peeta, Johanna,
and Annie are successfully rescued. Gale, who participated in the rescue mission, observes that
finding and retrieving them was almost too easy. "Every gun was back online and on us and
we flew right past them. They let us go." The reason for
this is made clear when
Katniss eagerly rushes to reunite with Peeta, only to have him viciously attack her. At this
point, it becomes clear to the resistance that Snow has brainwashed Peeta into wanting
to kill Katniss, then allowed him to be rescued. While the resistance's doctors work
diligently to counteract Peeta's brainwashing, Katniss is told she will have to keep
her distance for the safety of them both. As "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part
2" begins, Katniss is determined to se
ek revenge for Peeta's condition. Following a
series of successful attacks by rebel forces, the Capitol troops withdraw from the districts
to regroup within the Capitol itself. They place a number of lethal traps called
"pods" around the outskirts of the city, to prevent resistance fighters from advancing. Fortunately, the resistance is able to
procure a device which allows them to see the placement of most — but not all —
of these pods, increasing their chances of being able to successfull
y reach the Capitol's
center, where President Snow resides. Katniss and Gale are placed on a team dubbed the
"Star Squad," which is meant to follow the combat troops and film propaganda videos
showcasing the resistance's successes. They've barely made it into the city when Peeta is
added to the group under Coin's orders, allegedly to show the Capitol that he is still loyal to the
resistance. However, the team suspects he's there to kill Katniss, since her high-profile status
as the Mocking
jay poses a threat to Coin's power. "She doesn't like anybody or
anything that she can't control." "So she would put my life in danger?" But despite their misgivings, the group
pushes deeper into the city. Unfortunately, between the pods and Peeta's violent programming, this mission proves deadly for most of the
team, including Finnick. Only Katniss, Gale, Peeta, and a couple members of the camera crew
make it to the center of the Capitol alive. Realizing that the Capitol is losing the war,
President Snow invites the remaining Capitol citizens to gather around his mansion
and bring the children toward the gates, in the hopes that a human shield will
dissuade the rebels from fighting their way inside. But as Katniss and Gale work their
way toward the mansion disguised as civilians, fighting breaks out. They're separated when
Gale is arrested by Capitol Peacekeepers. Alone, Katniss nearly makes it to the gates of
President Snow's mansion. But as the Capitol's citizens desperate
ly pass their children
forward through the crowd, bombs are dropped from a Capitol airship, blasting Katniss off her
feet. When she opens her eyes, she sees all the dead and wounded civilians, and the volunteer
medics who have rushed in to treat them. Just as Katniss spies Prim among the medics, a second
wave of bombs goes off, knocking Katniss out. Katniss awakens to the news that the rebels have
won the war, Snow has been taken into custody, and Prim is dead. After being given a room in
the mansion, Katniss goes to the greenhouse where Snow is being kept and demands an audience.
The condemned Snow reveals to her that it is Coin, not him, who's responsible for the
Capitol bombing and her sister's death. "I must concede, it was a
masterful move on Coin's part." Horrified, Katniss realizes that Gale was
likely the one who gave Coin the idea, driving a permanent wedge between them. Later, during a meeting with the leaders of the
resistance, several of the remaining victors are
appalled when Coin suggests a new Hunger Games.
Capitol children will be the tributes this time, in order to satiate the people's need for
revenge without giving in to massive bloodshed. Katniss votes in favor of these new Games, on
the condition that she be the one to execute Snow. But when the time for this execution
comes, Katniss kills Coin instead. She has realized that allowing Coin to remain in charge
will only lead to more of the same oppressive conditions that got them into this s
ituation. Snow
is subsequently killed by the angry spectators. Following the deaths of Presidents Coin
and Snow, Katniss is placed under arrest, but is then pardoned and allowed to return to
District 12. Commander Paylor of District 8 is quickly elected Panem's new president. She acts
to abolish the Hunger Games, demolish the arenas, and build memorials to the many people who
died. It is implied that henceforth, Panem will be governed by its people, who will select
their leader through fre
e and fair elections. Sometime during the years that follow, Katniss
marries Peeta and has two children with him. They both still suffer from PTSD, with Peeta bearing
the worst of it due to the lingering effects of his brainwashing — he sometimes has to ask for
Katniss' help in determining what is real. Though the scars that have been left by the Games and
the Capitol's reign of terror linger, Katniss' decision to start a family indicates her faith
in the future. Prior to the Games, Katniss
swore to never have children, believing she could not
bear to bring them into such a harsh world. Now, despite the horror she has lived through, her only
game is believing the world is worthy of hope. "It gets a little tedious after all these
years, but there are much worse games to play."
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