With the news a few weeks back that The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins would be releasing a fourth book, serving as a prequel to the original trilogy, we've been thinking ever since about exactly who or what the new novel could focus on. With such a wealth of brilliant characters to choose from, picking whose story to flesh out may be the hardest thing for Collins to do!
Rumours suggest that another movie is also on the horizon, based on the 2020 release, so Hunger Games fans have a lot to look forward to. With all that in mind, here are seven characters we'd love to see the upcoming prequel focus on...
7. Haymitch Abernathy
As the only living victor from District 12, Haymitch Abernathy has a whole series of skills when it comes to survival. The fan-favourite character doesn't immediately showcase them when he's introduced to readers, instead focusing on his love for alcohol and an easy life, but after seeing a flicker of hope in Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, he turns things around.
Going back in time and seeing him compete in his original games would be a real treat. It's hard to imagine he had the same cocky swagger when he was first selected to fight for his life in the barbaric games.
6. Johanna Mason
Hoping to live the rest of her life in peace following her victory, Johanna Mason is one of the angriest competitors when she's called back to compete in an All Stars version of the games in Catching Fire. Using that ferocity to go against The Capitol, she manages to escape the original Hunger Games trilogy with her life still in-tact. That passion for life and staying alive would be a real sight to behold, if we got to go back and see her reign victorious in her original games.
5. Wiress
Though she plays a huge part in the original Hunger Games trilogy, not much is known about the games in which Wiress was named the victor. From District 3, she may have reaped the riches and rewards following her win, but her mental state quickly deteriorated. It would be interesting to go back, witness what she went through in her original games, and unveil some clues as to why she's such a fragile character upon her return to the annual bloodbath in Catching Fire.
4. President Coriolanus Snow
Having always lived his life in the Capitol, President Coriolanus Snow is a tyrannical and ruthless leader when we first meet him. Having been born two years prior to the start of the games, we know he's not the inventor of the fight for survival, but somebody who stands by it without question.
If author Suzanne Collins wants to show us where President Snow's obsession with power and control stems from, a prequel could be the answer.
3. Mags Flanagan
Though she's completely mute when we meet her in Catching Fire, Katniss muses that this may be as the result of a stroke. Even if it isn't, we've seen books and movies with characters who cannot speak do incredibly well, so there's no reason why a younger Mags shouldn't be the focus of a prequel.
She's one of the nicest characters in the Hunger Games universe, sacrificing herself and volunteering as tribute in the Quarter Quell, so that Annie Cresta didn't have to compete. Her death was one of the most tragic in the original trilogy, so it would be nice to revisit the character, given the opportunity.
2. President Alma Coin
As the leader of the Second Rebellion, and the President of the underground thirteenth District, President Alma Coin is a woman who at one point had the best intentions at heart, but who Katniss believed would eventually turn into a dictator just like the man she was hoping to take down.
Nothing at all is known about Coin's earliest days. Fans assume she grew up in District 13, before the original rebellion, but that's where the details stop. Finding out more about why she decided to rise up and go against the status quo would be an interesting adventure, allowing readers and audiences a glimpse into her life before she was taken down by Katniss.
1. Finnick Odair
Despite his cocky persona, Finnick Odair is one of the most charismatic characters in the original Hunger Games trilogy. Seeing him fall during the Second Rebellion was heartwrenching, and fans have been calling for a comeback ever since. He's the first name that springs to mind when readers are asked about their hopes for a prequel, so it would be more surprising if Collins decides to go in another direction, than if she does in fact go forward with telling more about Finnick's story.
Tagged in The Hunger Games