Unknown to most people, President Snow poisoned others but drank the same drink as them to cover up his tracks, resulting in perpetual blood sores in his mouth.
Later in the series, it is revealed that Snow has bleeding sores on the inside of his mouth, a result of drinking poison in order to trick his enemies into doing the same.
However, when the stakes are as high as they are in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, it makes sense why this character would ultimately become the series' main villain. Snow follows a path the audience can't morally follow, and when he kills Highbottom with rat poison, it solidifies his turn to evil and path toward ...
In Mockingjay – Part 1, we find out from former Hunger Games victor Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin) that President Snow rose to power by poisoning his enemies. He would drink from the same cup to deflect suspicion, then take an antidote. But the repeated exposure left him with bloody sores in his mouth that never healed.
Many characters display symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as nightmares, traumatic flashbacks, hypervigilance, and irritability. Annie Cresta in particular is singled out as having been profoundly affected mentally by her experience in the 70th Hunger Games.
The Life of Coriolanus Snow (UPDATED WITH NEW INFO): Hunger Games Explained
Why did Snow poison himself in Hunger Games?
It is revealed by Finnick Odair that he poisoned his allies, as he believes that they would become future foes, but he had to drink the poison as well so that he wouldn't attract suspicion. Even though he took antidotes, the poison caused permanent sores inside his mouth that never healed.
And with good reason—the scent of blood comes from sores in his mouth. At one point, Snow used poisons to kill people in an effort to gain more control of Panem. First he drank the poisons, to lessen suspicions, before secretly taking the antidote. He was left with sores that never healed.
He grows up in D12 with the Covey, and eventually at the age of 24 in what would be year 36 he gets married and has a baby boy born in year 37. That baby turns out to be Katniss's father. He gets married in year 57 and Katniss is born in year 58. So Snow could be Katniss's great grandfather.
Since the end of Katniss' first Hunger Games, President Snow has been wary of Katniss and the power she wields over the districts. Snow recognized early, from Katniss' first stunt with Peeta and the nightlock berries, that she could mean trouble for his power and control over the Capitol.
Snow laughs after Katniss killed Coin because he enjoys the irony of the situation. He avoided the official execution ceremony, even though Panem's citizens still take their revenge on him, while Katniss ends up snatching away the victory and power that Coin thinks she has successfully secured.
She was also against the games itself, whilst Snow believed the Districts were below him and continued working to implement new aspects of the games. Their relationship was so undesirable that Snow fired Tigris as a stylist personally.
Snow was 18 during the 10th Hunger Games, making him 8 when the first Hunger Games took place. This means that during the 74th Hunger Games, he was indeed 82 (74+8). So he died at 83 in "The Mockingjay," since that was during the 75th Hunger Games...
While she manages to escape both Games with her life, she is left suffering significant psychological distress and displays symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Although he ended up killed by the crowd it wasn't Katniss who ended his life in the execution scene despite that she said over and over that she would kill him. Instead, she ended up killing President Coin and Snow had nothing left to do but laugh as if he won the battle.
Finnick learned many secrets, including that Snow, in his rise to power, poisoned his adversaries but to divert suspicion often drank from the same poisoned cup followed by an antidote that only Snow used. Segments of the propo of Katniss and Finnick are aired.
She remembers that they did indeed promise not to lie to each other anymore, and she realizes that Snow wasn't lying to her about Coin's role in the parachute bombing. He has no reason to lie to Katniss. His death is certain, but the future of the Capitol is not.
Control: As the leader of Panem, President Snow wanted to maintain his power and control over the districts. Katniss became a symbol of rebellion and hope for many people, which threatened Snow's authority.
After being abandoned by her mother for months after her father's death, Katniss does not trust her and has never really forgiven her. Katniss has also taken over the mothering role of Prim. After volunteering, Katniss tells Mrs. Everdeen that she has to take care of Prim, which her mother promises to.
Believing Lucy Gray planted the snake to harm him, Snow goes on a rampage, shooting his gun into the woods. For a moment, it seems like he has hit Lucy Gray but then she starts singing “The Hanging Tree,” causing countless Mockingjays to join in chorus.
For one thing, Songbirds & Snakes is set 64 years before Katniss volunteers as tribute. That means there's probably a generation or two between Lucy Gray and Katniss if they are related. Fans also know who Katniss' mother is, so that rules out Lucy Gray being her mom.
In The Hunger Games series, Katniss killing President Coin instead of President Snow surprised many. Still, it was because Coin was revealed to be a ruthless leader with her own political interests.
After winning the games, Snow forced Finnick into prostitution and sold his body to Capitol residents to gain their trust. Finnick only agreed to take part because Snow threatened to torture his loved ones. Even though he bedded several women throughout his time as a victor, Finnick's love for Annie remained true.
Peeta chokes Katniss in Mockingjay because the Capitol has convinced him that she is a mutt designed to destroy the Districts. At the end of Catching Fire, he was captured by the Capitol when Katniss escaped the arena.
