Did Lucy Gray Baird Survive The Hunger Games Prequel? Rachel Zegler Has A Theory

Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) may have survived the Hunger Games in "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," but she's still not safe in the dystopian world of "The Hunger Games." She and Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) leave District 12 together, but along the journey, Lucy Gray learns of the darkness within Snow and leaves him. Her fate remains a mystery as to whether she eventually makes it to the mythical District 13 or dies along the way. However, Zegler has her theories on what happened to the character.

In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Zegler spoke about her thoughts on Lucy Gray's destiny. "I always think about what happens to my characters while the credits roll for audiences," the actor said. "When it comes to Lucy Gray, I like to think she's free. I hope one day I'll get to hear that from ['Hunger Games' author Suzanne Collins], though." Both the book and movie leave her fate up in the air, so it appears Zegler is choosing an optimistic interpretation. 

But it's not simply wishful thinking that has Zegler believing that. She's looking at who Lucy Gray is as a character throughout the prequel. "Lucy Gray's main goal throughout the film is survival," Zegler continued. "She's surviving her fellow tributes, surviving Snow, and surviving herself." It would be great if potential future "Hunger Games" stories reveal Lucy Gray's fate, such as whether she plays a role in building out District 13, setting the stage for Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) to overthrow Snow all those decades later. For the time being, everyone can have their own ending for Lucy Gray.

With the ambiguous ending to "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," numerous fan theories have emerged concerning Lucy Gray Baird. Some believe she makes it to District 13, sowing the seeds for the future rebellion. Others believe she goes out on her own for a while only to return to District 12 under a new guise. A variation of this goes so far as to say that Lucy Gray becomes Greasy Sea, the merchant who looks out for Katniss years later. 

Until author Suzanne Collins offers clarification, Lucy Gray's fate will remain a mystery. But it seems many people who worked on the movie want to believe everything worked out all right in the end. "Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" producer Nina Jacobson spoke with People about the film, and she shares a similar opinion to Rachel Zegler. "I 100% believe that she's a survivor. She's clever. She knows the woods," she said. "I think she knows how to take care of herself. And I would love to find out. I hope I'll get to find out someday."

Whether Lucy Gray survives or not is superfluous to the rise of the rebellion and the eventual downfall of Snow. She represents resilience in the face of adversity and how performance is crucial to any just cause. It's not clear whether she lives or dies, but she lights the flame that others would carry on for the ensuing decades, leading up to Katniss having a chance to unseat Snow once and for all. Lucy Gray played her part well, and hopefully, she got some much-deserved rest after her confrontation in the forest with Snow.