Evil is a prequel to the widely loved fantasy classic The Wizard of Ozbut the musical features several characters who do not appear in the original story. The narrative takes place several years before The Wizard of Ozfollowing Elphaba during her time at Shiz University, where she is invited to an audience in the Emerald City with the infamous Wizard. Although it is not clear exactly where Evil The films will split the Broadway story, the first part will certainly focus closely on Elphaba’s time at university – and Fiyero is a key player in this segment of the narrative.
Fiyero is among several characters who are never mentioned by name in The Wizard of Ozbut he still plays a huge role in the story. Like many of the characters in Evil, Fiyero’s fate ties in perfectly with the original text and adds a whole new dimension to the narrative that is only possible because of the play’s major twists. He is one of several figures whose “true” identity is not revealed until the end of Evilas the two stories finally converge and their importance in this narrative finally becomes clear.
Why Fiyero wasn’t in the original The Wizard of Oz
The character was originally created for the prequel
At least with that name, Fiyero was not present in The Wizard of Oz. Gregory Maguire invented the character in his novel about whom Evil was based; he is another student at Shiz University, where he soon becomes Elphaba’s love interest. The pair have a complex relationship that takes many forms throughout Evilthe story, but is a completely new aspect of the narrative this was not present in the original film. In The Wizard of OzElphaba is a much lonelier and more selfish character who has never been seen as a love interest, and Evil proposes to explain why.
While Maguire invented most of the Evilcharacters from your bookthey all have clear connections to existing numbers in The Wizard of Oz. The musical is a very tight prequel that connects perfectly to the original film, carefully forging characters and relationships that still make sense in the original context. They aim to explain certain aspects The Wizard of Oz without changing anything about the original story, offering a new perspective on events with which the audience is already familiar. Fiyero is an obvious example of this, serving to explain why Elphaba becomes the Wicked Witch.
Fiyero’s story in Wicked explained
The character comes from an important family
During the first act of Evil, Elphaba and Fiyero experience a whirlwind romance at Shiz University. The former is shunned by most of her classmates thanks to her unconventional appearance and taboo family history, but Fiyero is among the only characters who see her for herself. He is not put off by Elphaba’s green skin like the rest of his classmates, and the two quickly fall in love. He stays by Elphaba’s side when she travels to the Emerald City and discovers the truth about the Wizard, being among the only characters who do not turn against her.
Fiyero comes from an incredibly high-status family, and this makes him extremely popular during his years in Shiz. He is admired by Elphaba and Glinda, but is always attracted to the former because of her altruism and lack of ego. This love triangle is the central drama of the play’s first act and perfectly sets up the sacrifice and suffering that follows at the end.
As the play progresses and each character begins to turn against Elphaba and her revolutionary philosophies, Fiyero is the only character who remains loyal to her.
When the proverbial witch hunt begins and the Emerald City turns against Elphaba, Fiyero is named Captain of the Wizard’s Guard, a position he gladly accepts in the hopes that it will bring him back to Elphaba. As the play progresses and each character begins to turn against Elphaba and her revolutionary philosophies, Fiyero is the only character who remains loyal to her. He even sacrifices himself for Elphaba at the end of the film, allowing her to evade the Wizard’s guards and fake her own death at the hands of Dorothy Gale.
Fiyero has one of the most moving stories in Gregory Maguire’s Wicked
His loyalty to Elphaba is ultimately his undoing
Fiyero’s unwavering loyalty to Elphaba is the emotional core of Eviland this makes his journey one of the most exciting to watch. The entire play revolves around accepting who you are, treating others how you would like to be treated, and judging people not by their appearance but by their actions. Fiyero’s behavior is the culmination of this, and he ends up suffering for it. Although Elphaba manages to save him from the Wizard’s guards After his sacrifice, he turns into the scarecrow (of The Wizard of Oz) and forced to give up all his titles and respect.
EvilThe timeline intersects with The Wizard of Oz in the second act, and Fiyero’s actions play an important role in understanding the importance of the scarecrow in the original text. The musical recasts his actions as an attempt to get back to Elphaba and save her from the town that unjustly wants her dead, and he loses his brain in the process. He’s the only character who doesn’t deserve any suffering. this is inflicted on them, but he probably suffers the most – proving the play’s poignant message about altruism and social injustice.
The Wicked Musical wildly changes its story (and the movie will probably change too)
The Movies Will Likely Adopt the Character’s Happier Ending
Surprisingly, Fiyero’s story is completely different in the Evil musical compared to the original story on which it is based. As first written, Fiyero is actually executed by the Wizard for his loyalty to Elphaba – the entire scarecrow subplot was rewritten for the stage in order to make Fiyero’s journey less tragic. This is without a doubt the biggest chance between the two versions, and although the play gives Fiyero a more fitting endingThere is a certain tragedy to the original version that fits perfectly with the main themes of the story.
Given the glitz and glamor of the screen adaptation, it is highly likely that the Evil the films will adopt the theatrical version of Fiyero’s story. It’s a much safer and more rewarding ending to the character’s journey, and it fits perfectly with The Wizard of Ozthe story. Going the darker route would be an extremely bold choice for film, but it’s sure to be a big change that could definitely pay off.