Wicked Ending Explained: Going Out On A High Note

Spoilers for "Wicked" follow.

At the outset of the production of the "Wicked" movie, it wasn't entirely clear what director Jon M. Chu and company were planning to do with the daunting prospect of adapting both Gregory Maguire's novel and the stage musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman to the big screen. Initially conceived and announced as a single film, Chu ended up revealing shortly before principal photography commenced in 2022 that the movie would be split into two parts. Chu stated that the reason for this is because "As we tried to cut songs or trim characters, those decisions began to feel like fatal compromises to the source material that has entertained us all for so many years." Schwartz echoed Chu's sentiments, adding that the song "Defying Gravity," which is the close of the first act in the musical, is "written specifically to bring a curtain down, and whatever scene to follow it without a break just seemed hugely anti-climactic."

Let's hope that such a sentiment of anti-climax doesn't extend to next year's "Wicked: Part Two," which we'll all have to wait for in order to see the second half of this story. At least this first "Wicked" doesn't appear that it will suffer the same actual anti-climactic fate as this year's "Horizon: Part One" has, as the early box office news indicates that "Part One" will be a massive smash. In the meantime, "Wicked" follows in the tradition of other "Part One" films such as "Kill Bill," "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay," and "Dune." That is to say that while this movie on its own doesn't have an actual ending per se, its set up of its central characters, their interpersonal dynamics, and the conflict that arrives during the film's cliffhanger ending is compellingly established. For those familiar with either the novel or the musical, that knowledge will help them wait for "Part Two" to arrive. For the rest of us new to the world of "Wicked" and its revisionist, prequel-like take on "The Wizard of Oz," this article seeks to analyze what the film gives us on its own, as well as speculate what may lay ahead down the Yellow Brick Road.

"Wicked" begins at the end — not just the end of the "Wicked" sag, but also the end of "The Wizard of Oz." Assuming the events of that film weren't actually the fever dream of a lonely Kansas farm girl, the Wicked Witch of the West has been defeated, and Glinda the Good Witch (Ariana Grande, credited as Ariana Grande-Butera) arrives in Munchkinland to share the glad tidings. When one Munchkin inquires about Glinda being friends with the Witch once upon a time, however, Glinda begins to recall the real, whole story of the Witch. Like Darth Vader, Magneto, Frankenstein's monster, and even Pinhead, it turns out that the Wicked Witch has suffered from a highly unfair reputation.

The Wicked Witch — whose real name is Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) — was unfairly maligned from the start, being born to Governor of Munchkinland Frexspar (Andy Nyman) and his wife Melena (Courtney-Mae Briggs), who seemingly had an affair with a mysterious man right around the time she fell pregnant with Elphaba. Born green, the Oz-ians have regarded Elphaba with suspicion and distaste since her birth, and even though Elphaba quickly learns to ignore their bigotry, she cannot abide their teasing of her younger sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode). Whenever this happens, Elphaba's latent powers of sorcery are activated via her anger, causing her to affect the world around her in ways resembling telekinesis (again, more shades of Magneto and Vader). While her father all but disowns her and dotes on Nessarose, Elphaba is loved by her nanny, a bear who's also a Midwife (Sharon D. Clarke), establishing a bond between her and Oz's population of sentient, talking animals.

When Elphaba attends the first day of classes at Oz's prestigious Shiz University, she's only intending to see Nessarose off on her education. However, a moment where Nessarose appears to be mistreated by a staff member causes a demonstration of her powers. Instead of causing a scandal, the display is taken credit for by the magic professor Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), who insists that Elphaba attend her private tutelage to better hone her skills.

While at Shiz, Elphaba unwittingly draws the ire of Galinda, a Queen Bee type who believes herself to be a bastion of goodness yet can be very cruel when she doesn't get her way. Believing herself to be the next great sorceress, Galinda is highly jealous of Madame Morrible lavishing attention on Elphaba. When the two women are forced to be roommates, their differences (legitimate and petty) quickly make them into bitter rivals. This extends to matters of the heart, too; while Galinda sets her sights on the perfect Winkie prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), Elphaba and Fiyero share their own burgeoning attraction in secret.

Elphaba has little time for school drama, however, as she's content to put effort into her studies, particularly in her history class, which is taught by a goat known as Doctor Dillamond (Peter Dinklage). Dillamond is one of the last animal professors at Shiz, a school whose faculty used to be made up of numerous animals, and while the human student body gives the goat grief, Dillamond tries to keep the true history of Oz alive, teaching the students about a time when animals and humans co-existed without the odd wave of bigotry that's recently increased. Through her friendship with Dillamond, Elphaba learns that all the animals in Oz are slowly losing their ability to speak, and are being rounded up and kept in cages. One day, some guards forcibly take Dillamond away, and despite Elphaba's protests, the students are told that caged, silent animals are the future, with the government assuring everyone that the animals like it better this way. Elphaba, of course, isn't so sure.

Despite people feeling suspicious of or hostile toward her, Elphaba has a good heart, best demonstrated in how she insists that Madame Morrible include Galinda in their sorcery studies. Perhaps Morrible begrudgingly acquiesces knowing that anger activates Elphaba's powers, and that Galinda tends to get on her nerves. Yet all that animosity goes away upon Elphaba's gesture, causing Galinda to selflessly return the favor and dance with Elphaba during the Ozdust ball. With Elphaba thusly legitimized by Galinda, the two women become fast friends, Galinda in particular becoming very excited to give Elphaba a social makeover.

Although her newfound acceptance is welcome, Elphaba has long felt separate from the rest of her family and Oz at large, causing her to wish with all of her heart to eventually meet the only other person she feels a kinship to: the Wizard himself. Thanks to Madame Morrible's friendship with the Wizard, a letter she sends to him regarding Elphaba's training gets returned with a personal invitation for Elphaba to meet him at the Emerald City. Knowing that Galinda has always wanted to visit the Emerald City as well, Elphaba invites her to join, and the two women head off to the City at the height of their popularity.

The City itself is as perfect as Elphaba and Galinda expect it to be, even though any animals they see appear to exist in a state of indentured servitude. When they finally meet the Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum), the man quickly drops his "giant talking head" act and emerges from behind the curtain, greeting Elphaba with an eager warmth. As he describes the plans he has for Oz's future (including building a giant main road connecting every realm of the land, which Galinda advises should be yellow) and inviting both women to stay in the palace, Oz's attitude toward Elphaba appears to be highly paternal. It's not confirmed yet, but this plus a moment at the beginning featuring Melena's secret lover seems to strongly hint that Oz might be Elphaba's true father.

Of course, all of this seems to good to be true. Elphaba has the friendship of her one-time rival, the respect of her father, the attention of her potentially true father, and, as Madame Morrible joins the trio in the palace, an important task to do for Oz: to read The Grimmerie, an ancient book of magic spells that Oz supposedly read long ago to help make the land what it is today, and one that Morrible herself can barely decipher. Elphaba proves her natural knack for all things magic by easily reading the spell that Oz and Morrible insist the monkey guards of the palace want: to be given wings to fly with. After the spell is cast, however, Oz and Morrible reveal that their true intention was to use these new flying monkeys as spies for government purposes. That, coupled with the fact that the transformation of the monkeys appears very traumatic and painful, keys Elphaba into the truth that Oz and Morrible are not to be trusted, and that it is they who've been behind the quelling of the animal population in Oz, having decided that the populace needed a scapegoat for order and control to be established.

As quickly as the scales fall from Elphaba's eyes, she and Glinda (who renamed herself in tribute to Doctor Dillamond's speech-impeded pronunciation of her name) flee from a number of guards who attempt to forcibly restrain the women. Elphaba makes an impassioned plea for Glinda to come with her, and reject the rule of Oz. Glinda, despite wishing no ill will toward her best friend, cannot follow; all she can do is add to her gift of a black hat, giving Elphaba a flowing black cape to complete her new look.

With her eyes fully opened and purpose clear, Elphaba finds her magic abilities fully activated now, allowing her to defy gravity and fly at her will. Realizing that their hoped-for pet sorceress has gone rogue, Oz and Morrible decide to tell the flying monkeys that Elphaba gave them their wings on purpose, and tell the rest of Oz that Elphaba is a wicked witch with horrible powers who is not to be trusted.

With this being the midpoint of the story, many questions remain. Why did Oz deem talking animals such a threat, or is it just their non-human status that made them a target? Did Oz father Elphaba, and if so, was it for the sole intention of having a true wizard under his control? Is Glinda little more than her replacement, a mouthpiece for the government, or will she have some backbone of her own? What is Elphaba's plan to revolt against Oz? If her cause is righteous and she's this misunderstood, are we to believe that the experience of Dorothy Gale from Kansas isn't what we thought it was? Wasn't the Wicked Witch truly wicked toward that girl? Did Dorothy pour that fatal bucket of water on her, or not? Whatever happens, Elphaba's enemies had better watch out in "Wicked: Part Two." Now that she's self-actualized and singing her iconic "Defying Gravity" battle cry, she might just do something to earn that wicked moniker that's been foisted upon her.

"Wicked" is in theaters everywhere.