The Mysterious Fate of Dr. Volumnia Gaul After The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Introduction

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes introduced Coriolanus Snow's mentor, Dr. Volumnia Gaul, but a dark theory suggests that her story didn't get a happy ending. Though it's clear that young Coriolanus Snow had some concerning tendencies as a child and teenager, he wasn't entirely void of goodness. Ultimately, it was the terrible Hunger Games and the cruel lessons from Dr. Gaul that pushed the boy over the edge and set him on the path to becoming The Hunger Games' dictator. Gaul loved to create monsters, and Snow was her crowning jewel. Still, this may not have worked out well for her in the end.

Viola Davis as Dr Volumnia Gaul in The Hunger Games The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Dr. Gaul was Corionalus' teacher in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and she was also the Head Gamemaker for at least the first ten Hunger Games after Panem's war. She took a particular interest in Coryo because of his intelligence and put him through a series of brutal tests to see if he understood what the Hunger Games were truly for. Through her lessons, the future President Snow developed his belief that humanity was, in its rawest form, violent and dangerous and that the Hunger Games were meant to demonstrate society's need for total control. Once this set in, Coryo was made Dr. Gaul's apprentice Gamemaker—but what happened to the pair after?

Custom image of young Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes next to President Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games Catching Fire

After becoming an assistant Gamemaker, Coryo eventually became Head Gamemaker before later making his way up the ladder to President of Panem. We don't know precisely when this all happened, but Finnick said in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay that Snow was a young man when he became president, indicating that Coryo's career trajectory accelerated quickly after the events of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. It seems that Dr. Valumnia Gaul did a great job raising her protege, but since she was thriving as Head Gamemaker at the end of the Hunger Games prequel, it is strange that Snow could take her place so quickly.

Dr. Gaul, Coriolanus Snow & Lucy Gray Baird In The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes.jpg

The Dark Theory

It's clear that Dr. Gaul played a significant role in shaping Coriolanus Snow's ideology and career in the Hunger Games universe. However, a dark theory suggests that their relationship took a sinister turn after the events of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. As Snow's career trajectory accelerated rapidly, questions arise about the fate of Dr. Gaul. It's speculated that their mentor-apprentice dynamic may have turned into a power struggle, ultimately leading to a tragic end for Dr. Gaul.

Viola Davis as Dr. Volumnia Gaul in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

Considering what has been established regarding both these characters, it seems far more likely that things eventually went sour between them. As his mentor, Dr. Gaul would have known far more about Snow than he would have been comfortable with. She knew that he had betrayed Sejanus and was clever enough to put together the pieces about Dean Casca Highbottom's murder, which means she was a danger to Snow. Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes makes it clear what Snow does to those he thinks are in his way.

Viola Davis as Volumnia Gaul in The Hunger Games The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

It's well known that Snow used poison to eliminate his political rivals, and this is how he managed to become president so young and keep the position for so long. Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes provides some answers as to when Snow developed his penchant for poison, and because the book and movie ended with him murdering Casca Highbottom this way, it's implied that similar deaths would begin shortly after. Once Snow learned all he could from Dr. Gaul, it would have been too easy to make a sudden death look like an accident. The woman loved experimenting on her dangerous muts, and with as much access as Snow had to her labs, he could have made it look like one of these creatures turned on their creator. Snow could have poisoned her himself, or he could have simply released one of Dr. Gaul's beasts when she didn't expect it. Her knowledge would have died with her, and there would have been no one left who knew the extent of Snow's secrets.

Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Gaul Snakes

Snow's Respect and Ruthlessness

Coryo has no love for Dr. Gaul throughout his story, and it's evident through his inner dialogue in Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes that, in the beginning, he is disturbed by what she does and says. However, after his experiences with the 10th Hunger Games, Lucy Gray, and District 12, he developed a newfound respect for his teacher. He understood Gaul's brutality, and since she didn't pretend to be a good person, she is someone that he could've been himself around after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Still, all Snow cared about was what benefitted him, and if he reached a point where Dr. Gaul was of more use to him dead than alive, he wouldn't have hesitated.

Snow (Tom Blyth) is crying as Dr. Gaul (Viola Davis) sews up his back in Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Ultimately, if Coryo truly did kill Dr. Valumnia Gaul after the events of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, she only had herself to blame—the boy was just another mut of her own creation.