Evil is the beloved prequel story that leads directly into The Wizard of Ozand many of the original’s best-known concepts finally get their story and explanation in this musical-turned-movie. The film revolves around the character Elphaba, who later becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, as she travels from Shiz University at the invitation of the infamous Wizard of Oz. There, she quickly learns that not everything in her world is not exactly what it seems. It is the story of Elphaba’s youth, and it retroactively answers many of the lingering questions of The Wizard of Oz.
One of the coolest features of the original Wizard of Oz The story is about flying monkeys, who serve the Wicked Witch in her quest to defeat Dorothy Gale and her new friends. The creatures appear several times throughout the story, but its origin is never really touched upon – until Evil. The prequel story explains how the monkeys were created, which is not only a nice Easter egg, but also gives a whole new meaning to their mission in the original story. They are one of the smartest connections between Evil and The Wizard of Oz.
Explanation of Elphaba’s creation of flying monkeys in Wicked
The wicked witch is responsible for giving wings to monkeys
In Evilit is explained that the flying monkeys were created by Elphaba herself at the behest of the Wizard. The event marks a major turning point in the story: it is the moment when Elphaba discovers the truth about the Wizard and his magic. He is not the all-powerful ruler he appears to be, but rather someone who exploits magic to oppress others and benefit from their suffering – and she has unknowingly helped him. It’s a tragic moment in Elphaba’s journey, but one of my favorite narratives in the entire musical.
During the main scene, the Wizard introduces Elphaba to his monkey servant Chistery and orders her to use a magic spell to make him fly. However, her lack of experience causes the spell to inflict immense pain on Christeryforcing him to grow wings and fly away. This is the moment when Elphaba discovers the truth about the Emerald City and addresses some of the play’s most moving themes of oppression, resistance, and altruism. The scene comes briefly before “Defying Gravity,” the scene that will likely divide the Evil film half done.
How Wicked changes the way I see flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz
It’s hard to see the humor in the Wizard of Oz after Wicked
This retroactive change in the history of flying monkeys completely changed my perception of flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz. In the original film, they are portrayed as fun-loving creatures whose ability to fly is mostly used for laughs and to show that things are somewhat twisted in this alternate world. Dorothy is no longer in Kansas, and the winged monkeys are just a fun demonstration of that. However, Evil proves that they are actually suffering and feeling pain as a result of his physical form.
The prequel gives depth and complexity to characters or dynamics that previously only existed to keep the story moving – the flying monkeys weren’t as important in The Wizard of Ozand could have been replaced by any other creature.
There is an argument to be made that Evil essentially ruins the fun element of THE Wizard of Oz giving all the light-hearted characters just as tragic backstories, but I’m confident it’s actually the opposite. The prequel gives depth and complexity to characters or dynamics that previously only existed to keep the story moving – the flying monkeys weren’t as important in The Wizard of Ozand could have been replaced by any other creature. But thanks to Evilthey are as crucial to the narrative as any of the other characters who appear in The Wizard of Oz.
Why the Flying Monkeys’ origin story is so important in Wicked
Your story changes everything about your existence
It seems like a small detail to make Elphaba the creator of the flying monkeys, but this quick scene actually has major implications for her character. She feels intense guilt for having inflicted so much pain on Chisteric.and it is this guilt that leads her to rebel against the Wizard and his seemingly impenetrable society. She recognizes her own role in perpetuating his lies and it is for this reason that she feels she has nothing to lose. If she had never created the flying monkeys, I’m not sure Elphaba would ever have run away from the Wizard.
The genesis of the flying monkeys also changes Elphaba’s story The Wizard of Oz: Although the creatures were previously considered his friends, the prequel frames them as his creation, which raises all kinds of questions about the power dynamics at play. It is unclear whether she is intentionally controlling the apes, whether she created them individually using the Wizard’s spell, or whether they simply serve her as their creator. Anyway, Evil gives them a much more complicated purpose in the story.