With Wicked reigning at the box office this week, fans are losing their Shiz over which villain is most responsible for the fallout between Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande). Blame is being squarely placed on the sister with the bejeweled shoes. But with other big bads revealed by the end of the two-part musical epic’s first installment, are the claims that Nessarose (Marissa Bode) has it coming (“it” being Dorothy’s house landing on her) valid?
The Wicked Witch of the East—Nessarose’s destined identity—being squashed by Dorothy’s farmhouse is the canon event that’s been the main fixture of every adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. The Kansas tornado carries the house over the rainbow; it falls on the witch with only her feet peeking out, enabling Dorothy to claim her famed slippers. That sets off the chain of events which leads to the Wicked Witch of the West’s death by water melting.
Now we know that truly evil Madam Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) has power over the weather (Tornadoes) and that the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) is a fraud, but how does Wicked set up the notion that Wicked Witch of the East is Nessarose—and that her shoes are mostly power-less for now?
The hints are in how Nessarose treats Elphaba throughout the film. As TikTok commentator (like @aspoonfulofchae below) have comedically pointed out, “I’m on the side of the house, the house did nothing wrong,” reading Nessa for filth in her hot take.
The points have been made. Nessa treated Elphaba as poorly as their dad did—and can we also point out she couldn’t wait to get away from her at Shiz for a fresh start without her help, until Morrible overruled their father’s very odd decision to only let Nessa go to college? I mean, what was he having Elphie do in Munchkinland while he lorded over things as Mayor? Was he just actively hiding her? She clearly had talent and Nessa was pissed when it jumped out in order to protect her and gained her special admission to Shiz with Morrible as her mentor. She wasn’t happy for her sister at all, and that’s weird!
Then there’s Nessa’s thirst for Boq and giving Glinda credit for setting them up at the Ozdust ballroom; even though she knew the whole time “it’s because I’m in this chair and you felt sorry for me,” she proceeds to let him settle for her, knowingly. To add on to her showing her hand as the more Wicked Witch from the jump, when Elphaba shows up and interrupts her date with Boq she does nothing to stand up for her when the whole club ostracizes her sister. HER SISTER! The pettiness runs deep here and it’s no wonder their mother’s shoes become the sticking point in Wicked Part Two when Dorothy takes them.
To not go too much into spoilers for Wicked Part Two, Nessarose’s shoes do become enchanted in a way that contributes to her rise as the Wicked Witch of the East before Dorothy’s arrival, that’s a given. The musical’s second act jumps into the future a bit and will pick up on Nessa as she presumably takes over leadership from her father in Munchkinland—and based on how the happy they were in The Wizard of Oz at her demise, sets up a bigger villain turn. They really don’t like the Thropp family and maybe their happiness at being freed from it stems from their horrid father, too.
There’s a lot to be said about Nessarose and Elphaba catching the smoke from their people when not even their mother liked their father enough to be faithful. They’re both othered their whole lives. Nessa’s role in the story goes beyond ableist tropes allowing her to be a fully realized character defined beyond her disability, and her narrative plays with that self-deprecation about her disability in the way that Elphaba’s ostracization plays with themes of racism. Each woman’s relationship with society, stemming from those roles, is what ultimately transforms them through magic in Part Two. That’s where the story reveals how true wickedness can come from all too human flaws anyone is allowed to have.
And, we need to give space to see that Nessarose fell into line with her father’s narrative about Elphaba and how he’s the true bad guy here too. We’re glad he dropped dead when he saw Elphaba rise to her power during “Defying Gravity;” Nessa, meanwhile, looked pissed their family’s reputation was ruined.
Despite Wicked not being an official prequel to The Wizard of Oz film, these character variants really feel dimensional and give you so much to root for (and against) in its interpretation of what really happened leading up to Dorothy killing the Wicked Witch of the West.
Elphaba is most definitely not the dog-hating Mrs. Gulch/Wicked Witch of the West from the 1939 Oz film (as portrayed by the iconic Margaret Hamilton). Rather, she’s much like a Marvel-style variant whose story unfolds as a hero with certain fixed points, including her desire for her sister’s shoes once Nessarose is deservedly pancaked by Dorothy’s house.
Truly, though, major props to Marissa Bode for an amazing job acting and sowing those Wicked Witch of the East seeds—because even after her inescapable fate, her presence lingers, causing all the drama between Elphaba and Glinda over those sparkly heels when a child snatches them.
Wicked is now in theaters and Wicked Part Two opens Thanksgiving 2025.
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