Warning: This article contains spoilers for Wicked, the 2024 movie and the Broadway show.Wickedhas become a bigger hit than anyone expected, raising expectations sky-high for the back half expected in November of 2025. Yet as the story of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande-Butera) progresses and the stakes are raised, fans new and old can expect some key differences between the first and second movies.Wicked: Part Twowill continue the prequel tale of the (in)famous witches of Oz, who are well on their way to being known as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good byWicked’s ending.
Whilethe first act of the Broadway musicalWickedfollows Elphaba and Glinda’s school days and their enemies-to-friends arc,the second act shows them grappling with the harsh realities of Oz after leaving school (Elphaba having flown away in a blaze of glory and Glinda presumably actually graduating). The two-part movie adaptation is following the same framework, meaning there will be some fundamental differences between the two installments. However, even if the music, story structure, and characterizations shift, audiences can expect the same breathtaking spectacle as was delivered in 2024.
8Elphaba & Glinda Will Be Split Up In Wicked 2
Elphaba & Glinda Aren’t Conveniently In The Same Place Anymore
The first half ofWickeddoes the bulk of the work of establishing Elphaba and Glinda’s relationship, a task made much easier by the fact that they are within proximity of each other for most of the runtime, attending Shiz University and being forced to room together. This allows for some more inconsequential shenanigans and humorous beats stemming from their contrasting personalities, as well as sweet affirmations of their friendship. However, this is all the groundwork for their relationship to still matter deeply throughoutWicked 2when physical distance separates them.
How Old Are Elphaba & Glinda In Wicked
Elphaba and Glinda, the two main characters from the Broadway musical, are played by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in the Wicked movie.
As Elphaba is on the run, she does not risk casually meeting with her family or friends.She and Glinda have only a handful of scenes together,which are emotionally charged moments defined by conflict or reconciliation between the two. Their friendship gradually developing through lazy nights in their dorm room isn’t in the cards because of their locations.Wickedpossibly teases an Elphaba and Glinda flashbackin the next movie, which would add to their screen time together, but they are still rarely in the same place in the main timeline.
7Shiz Won’t Be The Primary Setting In Wicked 2
The Days At “Dear Old Shiz” Are In The Past, Changing The Nature Of The Story
The majority ofWicked(part one) also takes place at Shiz University, facilitating Elphaba and Glinda’s burgeoning friendship through a natural story setup that has them in the same place.Wickedinitially launches itself into a familiar boarding school story (with the age of the characters being older than in most similar narratives), with some nostalgic tropes of a magical curriculum, a bully turned friend, a night out dancing, etc. However, school cannot last forever, and the characters grow up and are forced to test what they have learned in the outside world.
Assuming thatWicked: Part Twopicks up where the second act of the show does, the story starts again after a time jump. Elphaba effectively dropped out of Shiz, but the others presumably finished their education. Glinda is now a spokesperson, Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) is the Captain of the Guard, and Nessarose (Marissa Bode) is the governor of Munchkinland. The setting is less one defined place for it all to play out, as Elphaba especially is constantly moving around.The overall tone shifts with less comfort and stability as was found at Shiz,even if there were hints of something sinister there.
6Wicked 2 Will Have Original Songs
The Legendary Wicked Composer Is Returning Yet Again With New Tunes
A highly anticipated element ofWicked: Part Twois the confirmed two original songsto be added to the soundtrack. It was announced ahead ofWicked’s release that it would include some new tracks, as the overall runtime is greater and more music is needed to keep up the pacing. With the first half ofWickedsimply having more and longer musical numbers already, it was natural that the second installment would end up with more original musical material. The movie’s “One Short Day” already includes a new song embedded within it, performed byIdina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth in their magicalWickedcameo.
Now the focus is on the next two songs that Stephen Schwartz, the composer behind the Broadway production ofWicked, will write for the subsequent movie. Additionally,Cynthia Erivo has teased theWickedsong she co-wrotefor the next movie, which appears to be another solo ballad performed by Elphaba. Schwartz has a monumental task ahead of him in delivering songs that live up to the tunes that have been iconic for more than 20 years, made only more so by their execution in the highly acclaimed movie. Yet the prospect of Erivo performing another showstopper is very promising.
5Nessarose & Boq Will Both (To An Extent) Be Villains In Wicked 2
Nessa Becomes The Wicked Witch Of The East, & Boq Another Enemy To Elphaba
The fraudulent Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) and his sorceress ally Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) remain the primary villains in the second half ofWicked. However,the supporting characters of Nessarose and Boq (Ethan Slater) also become somewhat antagonistic,making selfishly dangerous decisions — on both their parts, because of a desire for love. Glinda suggests that the Munchkin boy who admires her ask out Elphaba’s younger sister to get him off her back, which leads to Boq and Nessa being in a perfunctory relationship wherein Boq does not return Nessa’s feelings.
Why Wicked’s Love Triangle Is Way More Complicated Than I Thought
Wicked’s characters are in a chain of unrequited love — Nessa to Boq, Boq to Glinda, Glinda to Fiyero — which complicates the main love triangle.
Both character arcs are delicate matters, as they need to portray unrequited love as a corrupting force that leads to greater consequences. Nessa is technically the legitimate leader of Munchkinland but becomes a tyrannical ruler in an effort to keep Boq near her, coming to be known as the more quietly evil Wicked Witch of the East. In the show, she doesn’t hesitate to blame Elphaba for Boq’s transformation into the Tin Man; Boq then leads a mob of witch hunters against Elphaba. Both characters are lessons in denial and make the story more dynamic with more enemies at large.
4Fiyero Will Have A More Active Role In Wicked 2
Fiyero Doesn’t Sit Idly By When Elphaba Is In Trouble
Fiyero is largely pulled through the plot by Elphaba and Ginda in the first half ofWicked. He ropes the entire school into a somewhat illegal night out when he first arrives at Shiz and performs “Dancing Through Life.” His arc then sees him falling into a relationship with Glinda without much thought, and helping Elphaba rescue the lion cub when she (possibly unintentionally) leaves only him awake when casting a sleeping spell on the rest of the class. However,Wicked’s ending shows Fiyero leaving Shizin a rush after Elphaba is declared a danger to the public.
This sets up his role in the rest of the story:Fiyero becomes the Wizard’s Captain of the Guard, a position he mainly uses to search for Elphaba,trying to reach her before someone who would harm her does. He stays with Glinda all this time, but pretty much the moment he reunites with Elphaba, he confesses that she is the one he truly loves and leaves with her. The show also includes a dramatic confrontation where Fiyero threatens Glinda to force the other guards to let Elphaba go, which will likely transfer over.
3There Won’t Be As Many Big Musical Numbers In Wicked 2
The Rest Of Wicked’s Soundtrack Limits Opportunities For The Wicked Movie Production To Show Off Its Strengths
In addition to there just being more songs in the first half ofWicked, there are a greater number of bombastic ensemble numbers. Now that director Jon M. Chu and his production team have proven that they are masters in staging and shooting such sequences, the fact that there aren’t as many of them in the future is a disappointment. There is the possibility that one of the new songs could be another ensemble number, or that the movie will extend some of the shorter songs performed by the entire cast from the musical.
“The Wicked Witch of the East”
“The Wizard and I”
“March of the Witch Hunters”
“Defying Gravity”
Elphaba, Glinda,Ensemble
As performed on stage,the biggest musical number inWicked’s second act is the first one, “Thank Goodness,“where Glinda tries to reassure the Ozian public while the Wicked Witch is still free. “Finale” is a very brief reprise of “No One Mourns the Wicked,” while “March of the Witch Hunters” claims some dark theatrics, but is also on the short and simple side. There are some opportunities to flesh out these songs, but people can generally expect that they won’t be the same as the back-to-back bangers of “What Is This Feeling?,” “Dancing Through Life,” and “One Short Day.”
2Wicked 2 Will Overlap More With The Wizard Of Oz
Wicked’s Timeline Eventually Reaches The Original Storyline
Wickedbegins in what can be called sequel territory forThe Wizard of Oz, with Glinda greeting the Munchkinlanders after the Wicked Witch’s reported death, a scene during which she mentions that the Wizard has already left Oz (to take Dorothy home but accidentally leaving her behind, according to the 1939 movie).Wickedthen segues into its main setting, long before Dorothy’s arrival when Elphaba and Glinda meet at school. Most ofWicked’s narrative is definitively a prequel, delving into the characterizations and backstories of people who will someday fill out Dorothy’s adventure.
Every Wizard Of Oz Character Who Appears In Wicked
Wicked includes many characters from the original Wizard of Oz story, but their arcs are reframed to reveal more about the complex politics of Oz.
However,Wickeddoes eventually catch up toThe Wizard of Oz;going off the show, this is about midway through the second half, when a plot to endanger Nessarose to draw Elphaba out of hiding leads to Dorothy being brought to Oz and the death of the Wicked Witch of the East. Much of Elphaba’s actions are then concerned with getting back her sister’s shoes, which Dorothy has come into possession of. It begins to feel much more like a reimagining ofThe Wizard of Ozthan a prequel, as the plot of the former is implied to be taking place off-screen.
1Wicked 2 Will Feature Dorothy
Dorothy Has Already Been Prominently Featured In Wicked’s Marketing
Finally,the long-awaited and mysterious role of Dorothy in theWickedmovie adaptation will come to fruition in the next installment.Dorothy was teased in theWickedtrailers, although her face was never shown, and it is still unknown who is playing her in the movie. While Elphaba has face-to-face interactions with Dorothy in this narrative, Dorothy is never seen on stage in the Broadway production; she is only heard crying off-stage and is seen as a silhouette when she melts Elphaba.
Dorothy is seemingly set up to have a larger role in the movie, potentially taking inspiration from her single conversation with Elphaba in the original novel, despite the many majorchangesWickedmakes to the book. While fans of the show may be apprehensive of this change, there is some great potential for the movie to deal with themes of innocence in contrast with experience through Dorothy’s presence. Much about the sequel toWickedis still shrouded in mystery, which will hopefully make the original and familiar elements all the more enjoyable when the movie finally arrives in theaters.
Wicked
Cast
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Wicked: For Good
Wicked: For Good concludes the two-part film adaptation of the acclaimed Broadway musical.
