Spoilers Alert: This article contains spoilers for WIcked and its upcoming sequel, Wicked: For Good.
InWicked, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) used the poppy flowers in class to make everybody around her fall into a deep sleep, but surprisingly, one classmate, Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), was not affected by the spell. Adapted from the Broadway musical and Gregory Maguire novel,Wickedwas released to overwhelming critical acclaim, due to its faithfulness to the musical adaptation, captivating performances, andcleverWizard of OzEaster eggs. The movie has grossed more than $600 million at the box office, making it one of the highest-grossing movies of 2024, and won the Golden Globe Award for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement.
Elphaba’s magical powersare explored throughoutWicked, and she was shown to be able to levitate items and see glimpses of the future; during her time at Shiz University, she was trained by Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) to control her abilities.Elphaba is shown to use her magic at times when her emotions overcome herandwhat happens to Doctor Dillamond inWickedcauses her to make everybody fall asleep in class. However, she spared one classmate, Fiyero from the spell, and they worked together to take action against the cruelty of animals in the movie.
Elphaba Subconsciously Protected Fiyero Because She Loves Him
Elphaba’s Feelings For Fiyero Were Explored In The Song “I’m Not That Girl”
In one class,Elphaba put everybody to sleep using poppies, to save a lion cub from a live experiment. However, she spared Fiyero from the spell, and the two traveled to the woods to release the cub. When they entered the woods, they got into a brief argument about what happened in class, before Elphaba noticed a scratch on Fiyero’s face, leading them to share a brief moment of connection. Fiyero went further into the woods to release the cub, leaving Elphaba to reflect on her feelings towards him in “I’m Not That Girl,“part ofWicked’siconic soundtrack.
When Elphaba first met Fiyero, she acted dismissively toward him. InWicked,Elphaba’s green skincaused her to be ostracized by everybody, and she immediately believed Fiyero would do the same.Elphaba eventually came to realize that she was in love with Fiyero, which explained why she subconsciously spared him from the flowers in class. However, as shown in “I’m Not That Girl,” Elphaba didn’t believe Fiyero would be interested in her over Glinda, so she kept her feelings to herself. When Fiyero asked her why she spared him from the spell, she didn’t give him an answer.
How Fiyero’s Poppy Scene Foreshadows His Wicked 2 Story
Fiyero Will Return In Wicked: For Good
The movie’s poppy scene subtly gave clues toFiyero’s eventual fate in theWickedsequel.It is confirmed that Fiyero will return in the sequel,Wicked: For Good,and will play a large part in Elphaba’s continued fight against the Wizard and Madame Morrible. As seen in the Broadway musical, Fiyero is eventually captured by the guards, but Elphaba casts a spell to protect him from dying. While the movie offers hints about his fate in the sequel, it’s Fiyero’s resistance to magic that foreshadows his eventual transformation into the Scarecrow.
Can Elphaba See The Future? What Wicked Hints About The Witch’s Powers
Throughout Wicked: Part 1, there are hints that Elphaba has certain powers as a witch, including the ability to potentially see into the future.
Ina critical Scarecrow moment inThe Wizard of Oz,when Dorothy and her friends walk through a poppy field, only to have the Wicked Witch of the West cast a sleeping spell over them. Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion immediately fall asleep, butthe Scarecrow and the Tin Man remain unaffected by the magic. Fiyero’s ability to resist the sleeping spell inWicked’spoppy scene is a subtle reflection of the Scarecrow’s resistance towards magic inThe Wizard of Ozand this connection between the movies offers viewers a clever foreshadowing of his eventual fate in the upcoming sequel.
Wicked
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.
