Includes SPOILERS for Wicked: Part 1 and some SPOILERS for the Wicked stage musical, which may apply to Wicked: Part 2.
Wicked dives deeper into the world of Oz, which many film fans will know from the 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz. The original film is considered one of the greatest films of all time and has been a lasting cultural influence on film, literature, and the world of Broadway musicals. Author Gregory Maguire was fascinated by the character of the Wicked Witch and offered a re-exploration of her life in the 1995 novel. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the Westwhich was then adapted into the iconic stage musical in 2003.
In 2024, filmmaker Jon M. Chu released his film adaptation of the musical, with his version of Evil cast led by Cynthia Erivo and Arianna Grande. For film fans unfamiliar with the book or play, it may be somewhat shocking given the many differences from the classic film. Maguire’s novel is considered revisionist fiction, as reexamines the characters of L. Frank Baum’s original The Wizard of Oz book and subsequent film, offering different perspectives on how their lives may have been.
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The Wicked Witch and Glinda are friends at school
Wicked shows the origins of two iconic characters
The main plot of Evil sees The Wicked Witch, named Elphaba, attending school at Shiz University, where she meets Glinda and other notable characters from The Wizard of Oz. Elphaba and Glinda come from very different upbringings, as the former was ridiculed her entire life for being unexpectedly born green. She spent her years as an outcast, and although she has learned to live with it, it still hurts her.
Glinda, on the other hand, is a rich, aristocratic girl who knows how to charm people and be popular, and they instantly get off on the wrong foot. Due to their differences, Elphaba and Glinda take time to accept each other.especially after being assigned each other as roommates. However, throughout the film, a beautiful friendship forms, configuring Wicked: Part 2 to unfold in a tragic and bittersweet way when Elphaba is struck down.
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Wicked dives deeper into Oz lore
Wicked explores new aspects of Oz
As much as The Wizard of Oz introduces the viewer to the charming and strange world of Oz, there isn’t much exposition about what happens in this land or how it works. This is mainly because the story is told from Dorothy’s perspective, and the film frames Oz as not being “real” when she finally returns to Kansas after waking up after hitting her head. In EvilOz isn’t just someone’s dream world; It’s a real setup.
As in The Wizard of OzThe Wizard is a character who came from the real world in a hot air balloon and uses steampunk-like technology to make the Ozians think he is magical. So in this version, both Oz and the real world exist in different spaces. Oz has its own political situation, with various lands, species, schools, and more that offer a sense of more detailed worldbuilding.
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Dorothy is not a prominent character in Wicked
Dorothy is barely in Wicked
Dorothy, who was immortalized by the majestic Judy Garland, is the main protagonist in The Wizard of Oz. She is a charming teenager who just wants to protect her dog, but ends up in Oz and becomes embroiled in a conflict against the Wicked Witch of the West after accidentally killing her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East, and stealing her ruby slippers. She then goes on her adventure to the Emerald City to find the Wizard and return home.
Although Dorothy has a cameo Evilshe is not the main character of the musical. In the stage play, she appears only briefly as a silhouette, killing Elphaba by throwing water at her.tying the end of the story to the end of The Wizard of Oz. Perverse Part 1 the ending saw Elphaba fully transforming into the Wicked Witch, and Part 2 will explore some of the events of the original film, but will still be told from Elphaba’s perspective.
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The wicked witch is the protagonist of Wicked
Wicked is a revisionist narrative about the main villain of The Wizard of Oz The play and musical explore the idea of “nature versus nurture,” showing how being mistreated causes Elphaba to commit evil acts.
Of course, the biggest difference between Evil and The Wizard of Oz is that the Wicked Witch of the West is the main protagonist. The thesis of Gregory Maguire’s book was to explore what exactly would transform a character, and a crucial quote from the stage musical is, “Are people born bad or is evil imposed on them?” The play and musical explore the idea of “nature versus nurture,” showing how being mistreated causes Elphaba to commit evil acts.
Wicked: Part 1 nor does it see Elphaba doing anything evil, and at this point, she is still clearly the hero of this story, while the Sorcerer and Madame Morrible are the villains. Elphaba just wants to protect the animals of Ozwhile the Wizard tries to oppress them to build his own power and status.
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Wicked explores the politics surrounding animals in Oz
Animals are being oppressed in Oz
The political situation surrounding the animals of Oz is the central thread of the plot, causing the division between Elphaba and the Wizard. Dillamond is a goat professor at Shiz University who explains that the animals were once a powerful species in Oz.and many managed to talk. However, in current times, talking animals are becoming less and less abundant as the Wizard begins to oppress them.
Madame Morrible believes that animals should be “seen and not heard” and writes this on Dr. Dillamond’s board, causing a disturbance in his classroom. None of Shiz’s students seem to sympathize with Dr. Dillamond, except Elphaba, who agrees with him being different. The Wizard of Oz is famous for featuring a talking lion, but there is no mention of the oppression and silencing of animals in the original film.
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The wizard is a villain in Wicked
The wizard is a much more sinister character than in the original film
The titular character of the classic 1939 film isn’t necessarily a hero, as Dorothy and her followers discover he’s a fraud. He’s a conman who tricked Oz into believing he’s some kind of deity, but the original film doesn’t involve him being directly evil. In fact, he ends up helping Dorothy and company. to realize the personal growth they went through on their journey. Evil the portrait is totally different.
Elphaba admires the Wizard at the beginning of the film and believes he is the unique man in Oz who will recognize her for how special she truly is. Played by Jeff Goldblum, the Sorcerer manages to live up to her expectations at first, charming her and Glinda when they arrive in the Emerald City. Things quickly get worse when Elphaba realizes that the Wizard is leading the crusade against animals and becomes a clear antagonist.
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Glinda is not a hero in Wicked (or at least not exactly)
Glinda supports Elphaba to a point
Glinda is played fantastically by Arianna Grande in Evilenchanting audiences with his whimsical humor. While the original film portrayed Glinda as a selfless and kind-hearted witch, the new film explores her nature in a more complicated way. Glinda is introduced in Evil as a superficial and spoiled girl who sometimes bullies Elphaba. She does good deeds, but it’s usually just to project her own good imageand Shiz University students often fall for it because it is popular.
The second half of the film shows that Glinda truly has empathy and begins to care for Elphabaleading to a sweet friendship. Ultimately, however, Glinda is unwilling to take a stand with Elphaba. She may have decent intentions, but she is not willing to risk her own image for the sake of others. The beginning of Wicked: Part 1 shows her after Elphaba’s fall, and although she shows regret for her involvement in her friend’s death, she is not that shaken.
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The Yellow Brick Road Hasn’t Been Built Yet in Wicked
The wizard plans the construction of the yellow brick road
The Yellow Brick Road is an iconic image in The Wizard of Ozand is used as transportation for Dorothy to follow, taking her from Munchkin Land to the Emerald City. It’s an unforgettable part of the lyrics to the song “We’re Off To See The Wizard” that Dorothy and the Munchkins sing at the beginning of the original film when she sets off on her journey.
The absence of the Yellow Brick Road is notable in Evilhow it is one of the quintessential building blocks of the vibrant world of Oz. Later in the film, when Elphaba and Glinda first meet the Wizard in the Emerald City, he shows them a set of models of Oz, explaining his plan for a new form of infrastructure that will connect everything, asking the girls to help him to decide. one color. Glinda is the one with the eye to decide on the classic yellow bricks.
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Wicked shows the origin of the Wicked Witch of the East
Elphaba isn’t the only nice evil witch
In addition to showing Elphaba and Glinda’s origins, Evil it also shows how the Wicked Witch of the East came to be. In the original film, she dies when Dorothy’s house falls on her, so she is never explained beyond being the sister of the Wicked Witch of the West. Elphaba’s sister in the new film is called Nessaand she is explored as another deeply sympathetic character who isn’t as evil as the original film makes her out to be.
Nessa is an outcast like her sister, but at one point in the film, Glinda encourages Boq Woodsman, a tiny boy, to ask her out. Boq has a crush on Glinda and asks Nessa out, believing that Glinda will see him as a better person. Although he shows some genuine affection for Nessa, it’s clear that he’s not as interested in her as he should be, and the film suggests that their affair will end badly. Part 2. Wicked: Part 1 it also shows the origin of Nessa’s ruby slippers.
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Dorothy’s companions have not yet been transformed
The Tin Man and the Scarecrow don’t look like the Wizard of Oz
Dorothy’s iconic team of companions from The Wizard of Oz are all present in Wicked: Part 1although only one of them is easy to spot. Courage the Cowardly Lion is shown caged in a classroom, and Elphaba releases him back into the desert, recognizing that he is being harmed. This explains his fearful nature in the original film. Boq Woodman is transformed into the Tin Man and mounted on his heart by Elphaba in the Evil musicalwhat will probably happen in Part 2 of the films.
Prince Fiyero was Elphaba’s love interest for Wicked: Part 1and he eventually became the Scarecrow in the musical and the book, setting up a plot for the next Evil film. Without going into too much detail about why this happens, it’s important to note that all of these characters eventually participate in the witch hunt that brings Elphaba down.