Warning: This post contains spoilers for Wicked: For Good.
By the end of Wicked: For Good‘s two-hour-and-17-minute runtime, the second installment of director Jon M. Chu’s two-part Wicked film saga has significantly expanded on the approximately hour-long second act of the hit Broadway musical. But while the movie includes two new songs, a dramatic wedding scene, and some original flashback sequences, its most significant departure from the stage show comes in the form of a surprise final twist.
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Despite these additions, For Good largely sticks to the overall trajectory of the musical. The sequel picks up the story following the point of intermission in the Broadway production, a few years after the paths of rivals-turned-besties Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) have diverged as a result of their meeting with the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) in the Emerald City at the end of the first movie. Elphaba has been branded the fugitive Wicked Witch of the West by the powers-that-be of Oz as she fights to expose the lies of the Wizard, while Glinda has risen to prominence as Glinda the Good, the adored spokesperson for his regime.
However, the pair still maintains their friendship in private. That is, until Glinda discovers her fiancé Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), the Captain of the Wizard’s Guard, has secretly been in love with Elphaba for years—and Elphaba feels the same. After Fiyero flees the Emerald City with Elphaba, a heartbroken Glinda suggests to Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) that they should use Elphaba’s love for her younger sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) to draw Elphaba out of hiding by spreading a rumor that Nessa is in danger. However, believing Elphaba wouldn’t fall for a rumor, Madame Morrible instead calls on her weather control magic to conjure up the tornado that flies the Kansan home of Dorothy Gale (Bethany Weaver) into Oz and crash lands it on top of Nessa, crushing her.
As the events of The Wizard of Oz begin to intersect with the Wicked timeline, a grieving Elphaba falls for Madame Morrible’s trap and shows up in Munchkinland to retrieve her sister’s enchanted shoes, only to find Glinda has gifted them to Dorothy for her journey to the Emerald City. The two then get in a physical fight before the Wizard’s guards rush out to seize Elphaba. However, Fiyero shows up in time to defend Elphaba, allowing her to escape while he is taken prisoner. Knowing Fiyero is going to be tortured and likely killed, Elphaba casts a spell to make him impervious to pain but inadvertently ends up turning him into the Scarecrow of Wizard of Oz fame.
Back in the Emerald City, Glinda realizes Madame Morrible was responsible for Nessa’s death and begins to come to terms with the role she has played in the scapegoating of her dear friend and perpetuation of injustice and systemic corruption in Oz. She then rushes to reach Elphaba at her hideout at Fiyero’s family castle of Kiamo Ko ahead of the angry mob that has been incited against her friend. Following a reconciliation and tearful goodbye, Elphaba tells Glinda to hide while she surrenders so that Glinda doesn’t go down with her. However, Dorothy then throws a bucket of water on Elphaba, seemingly causing her to melt and killing her. When Glinda emerges from her hiding place, the only remaining traces of her friend are Elphaba’s hat and the bottle of green elixir that belonged to her mother.
Fueled by grief and a newfound resolve to truly use her influence for good, Glinda returns to the Emerald City. She presents the bottle of elixir to the Wizard, revealing to him that he was Elphaba’s father, and orders him to leave Oz before she exposes his lies. She also has Madame Morrible arrested and imprisoned. Glinda then assumes her role as the de facto leader of Oz, allowing all persecuted animals to return to their homes and vowing to honor Elphaba’s legacy.
But while Glinda thinks Elphaba is dead, it’s revealed Elphaba really just disappeared through a trap door in the floor to make it seem as though she had melted and was laying in wait for the danger to pass. Shortly after, Scarecrow Fiyero showed up to reunite with her and the two escaped into the land beyond Oz together. In the musical, the show ends with Glinda believing the two people closest to her are dead and having to confront her complicity in their fates.
However, in the movie, as Glinda stands looking out from the highest balcony of the Royal Palace, the same place where she has chosen to store the Grimmerie, Elphaba sends a wave of magic from the land beyond Oz that causes the pages of the spellbook to flutter. This simple act alerts Glinda to the fact that Elphaba is still alive somewhere. Or, depending how you look at it, this moment could also be seen as the Grimmerie responding to Glinda coming into her own and resolving to do good, and, as a result, allowing her to access true magic.
Either way, it’s a deviation from the Broadway show that packs an additional bittersweet punch into an already emotional ending.