Summary
- The Hunger Games prequel reveals that Tigris Snow is a relative of President Snow, shedding light on her role in the franchise.
- Tigris helped raise and initially worked with President Snow, but their relationship changed drastically as he became more involved in the Hunger Games.
- Tigris played a crucial role in assisting the rebels, feeding and clothing them, and even changing their appearance to hide them from the Capitol.
The Hunger Games prequel featured a major revelation regarding the Mockingjay character Tigris and her connection to the franchise’s most menacing antagonist, President Snow; she is Tigris Snow, a relative. Suzanne Collins expanded the franchise by releasing the prequel novel The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes in May 2020. Taking place over six decades before the events of The Hunger Games, it focused on a teenage Coriolanus Snow before he transformed into the tyrannical leader of Panem. While Collins’ latest story introduced several new figures such as Lucy Gray Baird, the book also added depth to a few familiar faces.
Tigris was a minor character who appeared in the Mockingjay book, and in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2. While Tigris didn’t feature in a lot of the story, the role she did have was pivotal. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes gives a better idea of how Tigris came to be who she was. The young woman helped raise the future President Snow and even worked with him initially, but Tigris didn’t approve of the Hunger Games, and their relationship changed drastically after Snow was assigned to mentor a District 12 tribute in the 10th annual Hunger Games.
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What Happened To Tigris After The 10th Hunger Games
After Coriolanus Snow cheated so that Lucy Gray would win the 10th Hunger Games in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes novel, Tigris Snow remained a key ally for her cousin. When he was initially sent to District 12 to train as a Peacekeeper, Tigris kept in touch to inform him about the goings-on within the Capitol. Coriolanus eventually got a second chance in the Capitol, and the Snow family regained their fortune. The young man then climbed the ranks while Tigris became an official stylist for the annual Hunger Games event.
Tigris wasn’t shy about voicing her feelings regarding the Hunger Games. She found them both tragic and cruel. Despite her initial feelings regarding the Hunger Games, Tigris continued serving as a stylist. While doing so, the woman received additional surgical enhancements, which were possibly a way to distract herself from the terrors that plagued Panem. As time went on, she noticed that her cousin was losing his sense of humanity when he began implementing more and more horrific aspects to the Games.
At some point before the 74th Hunger Games, Tigris’ relationship with Coriolanus completely fractured. Snow personally fired Tigris, blaming her feline surgical enhancements. As Tigris Snow eventually explains to Katniss Everdeen, President Snow fired her because she wasn’t pretty enough to be a stylist for the tributes anymore. In reality, it was probably due to his twisted views after gaining power. Tigris would have known the Snow before he became powerful, and thus, could have been a threat to him. He fired her though, not killing her as he did so many of the others who threatened him.
What Tigris Did In The Hunger Games
Tigris Snow went on to help the rebels, which led to the eventual downfall of her cousin Coriolanus Snow. As a citizen of the Capitol, the woman in her mid-80 served as a shopkeeper during the Second Panem Rebellion. Due to her surgical alterations that made her look like a feline, it was insinuated that she was shunned by fellow Capitol members. Tigris, however, was an ally of Cressida, which was why Katniss and her team were brought to the shop to hide in the secret cellar located under the building during Mockingjay.
Not only did Tigris feed and clothe the rebel squad, but she also changed their appearance so that they could continue their mission without being noticed. In addition to her willingness to assist Katniss and the rebels, it was heavily implied that Tigris wasn’t a fan of President Snow. When Katniss mentioned killing him, the Capitol citizen seemed onboard with the notion. It was then shocking that The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes revealed that Tigris was the cousin of President Snow. The character was a member of the wealthy Snow family that lost their fortune during the First Rebellion.
Like Coriolanus, Tigris Snow lost her parents, forcing her to live with her cousin and grandmother. During the prequel, Tigris was 21 years old and serving as a primary caregiver for “Corio” and their grandmother. When Coriolanus mentored Lucy Gray during the 10th Hunger Games, Tigris designed her outfits to give her a boost in the eyes of the Capitol. Because of their strong bond, Tigris greatly supported her cousin in her youth, but that relationship clearly soured. Though her fate in The Hunger Games franchise was never stated, she likely continued aiding refugees after the Second Rebellion.
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The Tigris Snow Backstory Is Depicted On The Big Screen
Tigris Snow’s backstory is depicted on the big screen in The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds and Snakes. The movie focues on Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) and Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), but in building the backstory for the future President Snow, his connections to others involved in the Hunger Games and his family are also explored.
Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer is cast in the role of Tigris Snow. While the character doesn’t feature heavily in the movie, Tigris is present in some of the most vulnerable moments in a young Corio’s life. She’s by his side when they run through ruins after the first rebellion to get home to their grandmother, and she’s the one who makes it clear to him just how much they need money to care for their grandmother. Tigris is also the person with a unique window into just how much Corio changes while mentoring Lucy gray Baird.
Tigris is old enough to know how cruel Coriolanus’ father was before his death. She sees the good in her younger cousin as he mentors Lucy and humanizes her for an audience. She also, however, is the one who sees him gradually shifting from someone connected to his humanity to someone playing with humanity to gain power. She has a front row seat to all the ways Snow changes The Hunger Games for the future as well.
In the end of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, she even compares him to his father, so the cracks in the foundation of their relationship have already begun before the character undergoes any of the feline enhancements the audience sees in Mockingjay. Tigris Snow’s entire story, however, might not play out in just one movie if Lionsgate has plans for more Hunger Games movies after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.