Wicked (2024) ends with Elphaba rejecting the Wizard and fleeing Oz on a broom as a hunted outcast while Glinda stays behind. It means her "wicked" label is state propaganda, not proof that she turned evil.
Wicked is the first half of a two-part screen adaptation of the Broadway musical about the witches of Oz. According to NBCUniversal, it was directed by Jon M. Chu and stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda, released theatrically in November 2024.
Table of Contents
- How do Elphaba and Glinda meet?
- What does Elphaba learn in the Emerald City?
- Why does Oz call her wicked?
- Why doesn't Glinda go with her?
How do Elphaba and Glinda meet?
Misunderstood green-skinned Elphaba meets popular Glinda at Shiz University in Oz. Their early clash gives way to an unlikely friendship. School rivalry, ambition, and prejudice shape both women before power pulls them apart.
Their paths then diverge toward opposite destinies. Elphaba moves toward defiance as the Wicked Witch of the West. Glinda moves toward status as Glinda the Good.
What does Elphaba learn in the Emerald City?
In the Emerald City, Elphaba learns that Animals have lost civil rights and suffered. As ComingSoon.net reports, the Wizard and Madame Morrible caused that oppression, including forced winged-monkey experiments using the Grimmerie spellbook. The discovery reframes Oz as managed by control, not benevolence.
Elphaba also finds that the Wizard has no real power and is a sham. She refuses to help him control Oz, takes the Grimmerie, and flees as guards are sent after her. Her refusal is moral, but it leaves her exposed.
Why does Oz call her wicked?
As The Review Geek reports, Madame Morrible publicly brands the fleeing Elphaba a "wicked witch" to all of Oz. The label turns justified defiance into propaganda. It gives citizens a villain and gives the palace a reason for pursuit.
The film climaxes with "Defying Gravity" as Elphaba escapes above Oz on a broom with winged monkeys. She accepts rebellion and saves herself. The same escape seals her feared reputation because Oz watches flight and calls it threat.
Why doesn't Glinda go with her?
Glinda wishes Elphaba no ill will but cannot follow. She stays behind weeping in the palace and aligns with the Wizard. Fear, love of approval, and loyalty to order hold her in place.
That choice fractures the friendship and leaves Elphaba isolated. According to Movie Gaze and Bustle, the 2024 film adapts only Act One and ends at intermission, so viewers must watch Wicked: For Good, slated for Nov. 21, 2025, for Dorothy and later consequences.