Warning: this article contains spoilers for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.The Hunger Games has no shortage of iconic characters both on the page and the silver screen, with unforgettable heroes like Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), and the almighty Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) gracing the films with standout performances. However, the blockbuster franchise also features plenty of memorable figures not present in the main quadrilogy, but instead in their prequels.

Despite being confined to these prequel stories, these characters have all played a mᴀssive part in fleshing out the radically dystopian society of Panem and the earlier years of the Hunger Games. From Capitol aristocrats to resilient District 12 tributes, each has left their mark on Suzanne Collins’ hit series as a pivotal figure in The Hunger Games‘ greater saga.

Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman

In The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, we got our first look at Panem’s original host of the Hunger Games, the charismatic Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman (Jason Schwartzman). Unlike Caesar (Stanley Tucci), who presided over a far more polished production, Lucky was instrumental in establishing the iconic spectacle and showmanship of the Hunger Games for a then-apprehensive audience.

In particular, Lucky’s past professions as a weathercaster and amateur magician (not to mention his flamboyant style and dress) served as precursors to the flashier and more exploitative elements first introduced in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ transformative 10th Hunger Games; his wit as Host set the standard for what was expected from this horrific extravaganza—blood, laughs, and drama.

Finally, it cannot be stressed enough that Lucky played an essential part in selling the Hunger Games as entertainment to the majority of Panem, since the Games were initially far cruder and less stylized in their first nine years. Indeed, his impact as Host can be seen in the Games all the way up to the arrival of Katniss Everdeen.

Sejanus Plinth

Born in District 2 to the wealthy Plinth family, Sejanus Plinth (Josh Andrés Rivera) was a mentor in the 10th Hunger Games who spoke out against its patent injustice. Despite his family’s wealth, Sejanus—who moved to the Capitol at age 8—is nevertheless viewed as an outsider by his peers, a reality that shaped his perception towards the Capitol’s totalitarian government.

In the 10th Hunger Games, Sejanus mentors Marcus (Jermome Lance), a childhood friend whose victory he deeply sought after. After Marcus was captured and badly beaten following the rebels’ bombing of the Capitol Arena, Marcus publicly denounced the Games’ brutality. Later that night, he also attempted to retrieve Marcus’ body, for which he was sent to District 12 as punishment.

In District 12, Sejanus became involved in rebel activities and attempted to involve Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) in his plot to escape Panem. Unbeknownst to Sejanus, however, Snow recorded him using one of the “jabberyjays,” which would result in his execution at the Hanging Tree after both his father Strabo (Michael Greco) and Snow were unable to prevent his death.

Casca Highbottom

It’s hard to argue that there’s a more pivotal figure in the creation of the Hunger Games than its ideator himself, Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage). First seen as the Dean of the Academy in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Casca is a morphling-guzzling cynic who holds a vicious animosity towards Snow over his father’s role in introducing the Games.

As it’s revealed later in the film, Casca and Snow’s father, Crᴀssus, teamed up during their university years for a project that tasked them with creating the most extreme punishment imaginable. The two, both being heavy drinkers, went on a routine binge-drinking retreat one night, where Casca conceived the idea for the Hunger Games in a humorous and heavily-intoxicated state.

Thinking that the matter was purely an inside joke, Casca was aghast to see that Crᴀssus had actually turned in his idea as their final project, which was then taken by their professor, Dr. Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis), and implemented following the “Dark Days.” As the unintentional creator, Casca then reluctantly acted as the public face of the Hunger Games.

Because of Crᴀssus’ betrayal, Casca despised his son, Coriolanus, during the boy’s time studying at the Academy whilst apathetically carrying out his duties as the face of the Games. Following the tumultuous 10th Hunger Games, however, his life would be cut short after confessing to Coriolanus Snow the reason behind his hatred, as Snow soon after poisoned his morphling.

Dr. Volumnia Gaul

As Head Gamemaker, Dr. Volumnia Gaul served an critical role in implementing the modern vision of the Hunger Games in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, in many ways being the true force behind its ultimate creation. As a Capitol professor of military theory, she took Casca Highbottom’s sozzled concept and orchestrated it into the ᴅᴇᴀᴅliest form of class punishment.

Furthermore, as head of the Capitol’s Experimental Weapons Division, Dr. Gaul discovered numerous ways to genetically modify animals for use against tributes and rebels, creating the class of creatures known as “muttations” across The Hunger Games‘ saga. These “mutts” fundamentally changed the Games’ stakes and also led to the accidental mutation that would become the symbol of the Second Rebellion.

Her influence on the Games doesn’t only extend there, however. Though Casca Highbottom was initially presented as the visionary behind the mentor program, Dr. Gaul was the true visionary that paved the way for the Games’ overwhelming popularity. By fashioning the public images of tributes, Dr. Gaul helped pioneer the spectacle and glamor that would dominate the Games for decades.

Finally, Dr. Gaul was instrumental in grooming Coriolanus Snow for his future role as the President of Panem, mentoring him as a Gamemaker and military strategist in preparation for his rise to the Capitol’s highest seat of power. Plus, if for nothing else, her immortality is secured through her famous eight-word phrase: “May the odds be ever in your favor.“

Lucy Gray Baird

As a singer, songwriter, guitarist, snake-charmer, and Hunger Games champion, Lucy Gray Baird holds a formidable resume among her prequel peers (not including her possible kinship with Katniss Everdeen). Emerging from District 12 as a popular underdog in the 10th Hunger Games, Lucy Gray was mentored by a young Coriolanus Snow before tragically falling in love with the future tyrant.

What’s so unique about Lucy Gray is her enigmatic, almost bard-like role as a rebellious symbol for the lower Districts (thanks in large part to Rachel Zegler’s brilliant acting and vocal performance). Her music, in contrast to the drab, difficult life bestowed on her disenfranchised lot, elevates audiences from their miserable conditions, if only for a fleeting moment in time.

Furthermore, her disappearance at the end of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes helps perpetuate this mythic air surrounding her character, which is only then advanced further by Dr. Gaul’s erasure of her victory in the 10th Hunger Games; consequently, her existence lingers like a beacon of hope for those in an otherwise merciless world.

Knowing Suzanne Collins and the original run of The Hunger Games’ novels and films, it seems only fitting that a female character as remarkable as Lucy Gray would come to dominate Panem’s imagination in the decades before Katniss’ uprising. Indeed, her performance is undoubtedly one of the finest in the entire saga.