Evil was one of the most successful films of 2024, an adaptation of the 2003 musical of the same name, which was adapted from a book based on the original The Wizard of Oz film. Evil It has received excellent reviews since its release, with most of the praise centering on the characters and performances, with even the smaller roles becoming some of the film's most beloved aspects. EvilCharacters like Nessarose, Boq, Dr. Dillamond, and Madame Morrible quickly became some of the most intriguing parts of the entire Wizard of Oz franchise.
However, as Evil introduced so many characters who were never seen or even mentioned in the original film, the question arises as to what these individuals were doing during the events of the original story. Madame Morrible is one of these characters in Evilas someone who has such a close relationship with the Wizard of Oz while being completely absent of the film that bears his name is an interesting novelty in the history of the franchise. Fortunately, the second half of Evil reveals what she's doing and how it connects to the original story.
Wicked Act 2 reveals where Madame Morrible was during The Wizard of Oz
She is an integral part of the story of Wicked Act 2
The first film goes over everything that happens in the first act of the musical with Evil ending where the act break would be, but the second act is where things get interesting, as much of it takes place at the same time as the original The Wizard of Oz he does. During the events of The Wizard of Ozwe see Morrible continuing to plot with the Wizard, with his first act was to position Glinda as the Wizard's main spokeswomanand eventually announces her surprise engagement to Fiyero, much to her dismay.
However, its greatest contribution to The Wizard of Oz is that Morrible brought Dorothy to Oz, using his weather powers to summon the tornado that destroyed his Kansas home. Even if Morrible's intention was only to kill Nessarose, who has become the Wicked Witch of the East, to lure out Elphaba, she is still responsible for introducing Dorothy. Eventually, she gets her comeuppance, as she is arrested by Glinda at the end of the story for her role in Nessarose's death, leaving her to live out the rest of her days in prison.
Why Madame Morrible wasn't in the original Wizard of Oz
Morrible only exists in Wicked, not the original
The most obvious reason why Morrible wasn't in the original film is that she wasn't in the book either; it simply did not yet exist, as it was a unique creation of the Evil stage musical. The original book and film were full of characters and plot points, and had a great balance between the two, meaning even more characters could get something out of what's there. However, when these other projects emerge to expand the universe, it makes much more sense to create these new characters to inhabit the world.
She could be seen as nothing more than the Wizard's lackey, but this aspect of her character makes her more important to the plot.
While these kinds of additions may seem cheap and sometimes make the original story less interesting, Morrible is a great addition to the play and an even better addition to the film. Evil is an interesting prequel because of how it directly relates to The Wizard of Ozand Morrible's connection to that film makes her character feel much more importantespecially in the musical. She could be seen as nothing more than the Wizard's lackey, but this aspect of her character makes her more important to the plot.
Wicked Makes Madame Morrible Fully Responsible for The Wizard of Oz
Morrible is the one who causes the inciting Wizard of Oz incident
The fact that Morrible is the one who summoned the tornado means that she is the person most responsible for the events in The Wizard of Oz. This change to the original book means that Dorothy wasn't accidentally thrown into Oz by pure chancehis arrival was forced by this character not even in the original story. Without Morrible, Dorothy would have stayed in Kansas, not even knowing Oz existed, and the rest of Oz's story could have been very different.
This part of the Oz story alone makes Morrible a very interesting part of the Wizard of Oz universe, as she is now responsible for the entire first story, even though she wasn't even in it. Obviously, Evil: foreverwhich will cover the second act of the musical, could change things, but with the proximity Evil adhered to the first act, it's likely that the sequel will follow suit, and Morrible bringing the events of the initial film to life will finally be seen on the big screen.