The first section of this article includes a brief reference to sexual assault.
MAJOR SPOILERS for Wicked: Part 1, Wicked: Part 2, the Broadway musical Wicked, and the book Wicked lie ahead!
Although Frexpar Thropp creates Elphaba in Wicked: Part 1his biological father is a major mystery created during “No One Mourns the Wicked”, with the film obscuring his face throughout the scene. Based on the Tony-winning Broadway musical, the first installment of Universal’s big-screen adaptation of Wicked was released in theaters on November 22, 2024, to immediate praise from viewers. The story tells the origin The Wizard of Ozantagonist character of – The Wicked Witch of the West – whose real name in Evil It’s Elphaba Thropp.
While the musical provides some insight into Elphaba’s backstory through exposition, the show spends less time focusing on her childhood and more time emphasizing her time at Shiz University. While the focus is still on Elphaba’s time with Glinda in Shiz, the film makes a change from the Wicked Broadway musical, providing more insight into the character’s creation. The context explains aspects of Elphaba’s personality in adulthood. A question Wicked: Part 1 cannot answer about his childhood, however, it is the identity of his biological father, which will be a significant revelation in Wicked: Part 2.
The wizard is Elphaba’s real father in Wicked
Wicked: Part 1 provides insight into Elphaba’s complicated family tree, which includes Frexpar Thropp – a father who loathes his eldest daughter – and a mysterious biological father who is not in the picture. Although his face is never shown in Wicked: Part 1, The Wizard is Elphaba’s biological father, which is only revealed at the end of the book and Broadway’s frothiest musical.
The dark Evil The book makes it clear that The Wizard drugged and raped Melena Thropp, resulting in Elphaba’s conception. The musical softens the incident but still blurs the line of consent by having the Wizard repeatedly pressure her to get drunk before approaching her. However, Wicked: Part 1 it makes the interaction seem a little more consensual, as Melena Thropp appears conscious, chooses to drink the green elixir before the Wizard starts singing, and begins to undress him rather than him approaching her.
The Magician doesn’t know that Melena got pregnant and had a child after dating. The musical has him learn this information after she is already dead, causing him sadness. Elphaba never knows the true identity of her biological father in this version, whereas she learns the information in The Time Dragon’s Clock in the book. Since the two-part Wicked film more significantly aligns with the musical, it’s likely that Elphaba is unaware of her parentage in Wicked: Part 2.
How Wicked sets up the reveal about Elphaba and the wizard
Even though it doesn’t reveal the Wizard’s identity, Wicked: Part 1 provides small foreshadowings leading up to the reveal in Wicked: Part 2. First, Jeff Goldblum, who plays The Wizard, sings the role of the father in the “No One Mourns the Wicked” scene. and on the Wicked soundtrack. His vocal tone is a little different in this song compared to “Sentimental Man,” so not every viewer can connect to the voice. The song “The Wizard and I” could also be seen as foreshadowing, considering the relationship she sings about desire sounds a lot like a father-daughter bond. She seeks his approval because she doesn’t receive that kind of love and approval from the man who raised her. Elphaba’s music isn’t as obvious as The Wizard’s Wicked: Part 1 song, “Sentimental Man”. He mentions throughout the song how much The Wizard always wanted to be a father, which lays the foundation for his emotional reaction to the news in Wicked: Part 2. The lyrics go like this:
I am a sentimental man
Who always wanted to be a father
That’s why I do the best I can
Treat every citizen of Oz as a son or daughter
So, Elphaba, I’d like to lift you up high
Because I think everyone deserves the chance to fly
And helping you on your ascension
Let me feel so parental
Well, I’m a sentimental man.
Despite the fact that he clearly does not treat all of the citizens of Oz with fatherly love, he does demonstrate a small degree of sincerity during “Sentimental Man.” Ultimately, the knowledge that he is responsible for helping to harm and kill his own daughter breaks The Wizard of the musical. With this in mind, he agrees to leave Oz once and for all.
Wicked hides Elphaba’s father’s face to create a Wicked 2 twist
In both the book and the musical, the identity of Elphaba’s father is used as a plot twist, and it looks like the Wicked movie is heading in the same direction. Throughout “No One Mourns the Wicked,” the film skillfully uses cinematic elements like camera angles, video cuts, and lighting to obscure his face. He is often shown from behind. Even when the camera is from the front, his face is in the shadow of the hat, making it impossible to tell who he is from the images. Ultimately, this scene alone proves the brilliance of Evil creative team.
Given the character’s hair, which is one of the only noticeable elements of Elphaba’s father, it is possible that Jeff Goldblum did not act in the scene, just providing the voice in post-production. The actor is famous for having short salt and pepper hair, while the character in the “No One Mourns the Wicked” scene has dark hair that is slightly longer in the back. Whether he acted in that scene is pure speculation. Interestingly, the character’s hair color, texture, and style are extremely similar to Jeff Goldblum’s hairstyle in Jurassic Park.
Why the wizard being Elphaba’s father is so important in Wicked’s story
The fact that the Wizard is Elphaba’s father may seem like a small detail connecting the character, but it has much larger implications for Wicked’s main character. The Wizard’s green elixir is why Elphaba has green skin in Wicked. Her childhood experience as a bullied outcast shaped her personality and helped her build a connection with Dr. Dillamond. If she didn’t have that connection and empathy, she might not have acted towards the talking animals. It is impossible to know whether this part of her is innate or developed. As such, the Wizard’s actions at the beginning of the story become his undoing at the end.
Furthermore, The Wizard is from Earth and conceived Elphaba with Melena Thropp, an Ozian woman. The story implies that the reason she has such extraordinary powers is because she was born into both worlds. Somehow, this genealogy gave him a stronger connection to magic. The only other Wicked character known to possess this magical aptitude is Madame Morrible, but she can only read a small portion of Grimmerie, which is written in an Earth Latin language. Even Glinda does not possess Elphaba’s natural ability for magic, as seen during “Popular” in Wicked: Part 1.