Wicked Part 2's Story Explained: What Happens After Part 1's Ending (2024)

Warning: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Wicked: Part 1 and Wicked: Part 2!

Because the big-screen adaptation is split into two parts, the ending of 2024’s Wicked: Part 1 sets up the narrative for Wicked: Part 2, building anticipation for the second half of the story. When Marc Platt announced the Wicked movie in 2012, fans immediately expressed excitement. The eponymous Broadway musical was released in 2003, gaining 10 Tony nominations and three wins. Wicked has continued playing on Broadway and the West End, with the musical having multiple US National tours. Since the movie's announcement, the musical has only continued to increase its fanbase.

Twelve years after the movie announcement, Wicked finally hit the big screen, albeit with a twist. Rather than a single film, Universal Pictures decided to split the story into two parts that would come out in theaters one year apart.Wicked: Part 1 debuted with an almost perfect Rotten Tomatoes audience score, increasing the excitement about the second half of the story. However, some fans might not want to wait a year to learn the rest of the story. Luckily, the Wicked Broadway musical provides answers about what will happen in Wicked: Part 2.

How Wicked's Ending Sets Up Wicked 2's Story

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The first half of Wicked: Part 1 provides foundational information on the main characters, displaying their personalities, backgrounds, and interpersonal relationships. Halfway through the movie, the story shifts towards building the central conflict – the mistreatment of the talking animals. As a woman who has been an outsider her whole life, Elphaba is unwilling to stand by and watch the injustice towards this minority group. When she seeks out The Wizard’s help at the end of Wicked: Part 1, she learns that he and Madame Morrible are responsible for the cruelty towards animals.

This reveal and Elphaba’s reaction to it set up the central storyline in Wicked: Part 2. The young woman refuses to work with her former idols to harm the animals, stealing The Grimmerie and breaking out on her own. However, Glinda decides she can have a better impact by complying with the system. Their opposite approaches set up the adversarial relationship between the best friends in the second half of the two-part Wicked movie. Their positive relationship throughout Wicked: Part 1 will create cognitive dissonance for the pair going into the next film.

Unfortunately, Elphaba will struggle to find support from others in her desire to expose The Wizard. At the end of Wicked: Part 1, Madame Morrible takes preemptive steps to discredit the witch if she tries to speak out, spreading disinformation to the citizens of Oz. This sets her up to become the villain of the story in Wicked: Part 2, even if she’s morally in the right.

Elphaba & Glinda's Story In Wicked 2 Based On The Book & Musical

After “Defying Gravity,” Elphaba flies around helping animals, which is mentioned in the Broadway musical’s dialogue rather than shown. This matches up with her Wicked book story, where she becomes a secret animal activist plotting against The Wizard. Wicked: Part 2 will certainly have her help the animals, potentially showing her as part of the animal resistance group Dr. Dillamond was involved in, which was created for Wicked: Part 1. Considering how dark the Wicked book is, it’s unlikely the movie will pull any other aspects of the story.

While Elphaba is helping the talking animals, Glinda joins The Wizard’s administration, becoming the pretty young figurehead that others look to for comfort and security. She feels conflicted about Madame Morrible’s negative statements about Elphaba, but she doesn’t stick up for her friend, which drives a wedge between her and Fiyero. Things get worse when Madame Morrible announces their engagement despite them not being engaged. Based on how loyal the movie was to the musical, all these elements will undoubtedly appear in Wicked: Part 2.

Elphaba returns to The Emerald City to beg for her father’s help with going against The Wizard, only to learn that her sister took over as the governor of Munchkinland after their father’s death. After a tense scene which involves Boq becoming the Tin Man, her sister refuses to help and Elphaba leaves to free the flying monkeys. She’s caught by The Wizard, Fiyero, and Glinda, but Fiyero helps her escape. This drives a wedge between Glinda and Elphaba.

In anger, Glinda suggests Madame Morrible spread a rumor about Nessarose’s safety to lure in Elphaba; however, the villain takes it one step further by actually killing the witch’s sister. After the death, Glinda and Elphaba meet again, with the latter being upset that the former gave Dorothy Nessarose’s shoes. Elphaba gets away because of Fiyero, who is then hurt. However, she turns Fiyero into The Scarecrow to keep him alive.

The musical jumps forward to Elphaba in Kiamo Ko with Dorothy captured. Glinda comes to the castle, pleading for her friend to let the little girl go. Elphaba decides to surrender and gives Glinda The Grimmerie. Glinda hides when the crowd comes. In the book, Dorothy kills Elphaba, mirroring the climactic moment at the end of The Wizard of Oz. However, the musical has Elphaba fake her death and escape with Fiyero as The Scarecrow, a change that Wicked: Part 2 will undoubtedly follow.

What Else Will Happen In Wicked 2 Based On The Book & Musical

While the Wicked musical focuses heavily on the two main characters, the show still includes subplots involving Nessarose, Boq, Madame Morrible, and The Wizard. As mentioned, Nessarose takes over the job as the Governor of Munchkinland. She keeps Boq as her servant, though she tries to force him to love her. When she can’t keep him under her control, Nessa removes the rights of the Munchkins to prevent him from leaving.

However, he tries to flee after Elphaba spells Nessarose’s shoes, allowing her to walk. Nessa gets angry and tries to cast a love spell. When she reads the words incorrectly, his heart shrinks, and Elphaba must turn him into the Tin Man to keep him alive. Ultimately, Nessarose becomes The Wizard of Oz’s character The Wicked Witch of the East, dying when Madame Morrible drops a house on top of her. Boq blames Elphaba for everything and rallies the angry mob to kill her.

Madame Morrible becomes more overt with her evilness, though the musical is still ambiguous about whether she’s the true villain or whether she’s acting on behalf of The Wizard. She continues spreading lies about Elphaba and eventually decides to kill Nessarose to lure the Wicked Witch of the West out, a decision that should appear in the second half of the film. In the last moments of the Wicked musical, Glinda has the guards arrest Madame Morrible for the murder, a decision they might mirror in Wicked: Part 2.

Lastly, The Wizard continues to be a terrible person who’s trying to maintain his power. When he catches Elphaba trying to free the flying monkeys, he offers her a chance to join him again, promising that she won’t have to keep running and hiding. However, she discovers that The Wizard kept Dr. Dillamond captive and took away his speech, which causes her to reject him.

The Wizard isn’t shown again until the final moments of the musical when he learns that Elphaba is his daughter, a devastating reveal that should take place in Wicked: Part 2. The character is then banished from Oz by Glinda, leaving on his hot air balloon. Because A-list actor Jeff Goldblum is The Wizard in Wicked, the second half of the story might increase the number of scenes for the character; however, his general arc should remain the same as the Broadway musical.

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9/10

25

8.2/10

Wicked

PG

Adventure

Fantasy

Musical

Director

Jon M. Chu

Release Date

November 22, 2024

Studio(s)

Marc Platt Productions

Distributor(s)

Universal Pictures

Writers

Gregory Maguire , Winnie Holzman , Dana Fox , L. Frank Baum

Cast

Cynthia Erivo , Ariana Grande , Michelle Yeoh , Jeff Goldblum , Jonathan Bailey , Ethan Slater , Marissa Bode , Bowen Yang , Bronwyn James , Keala Settle , Peter Dinklage , Aaron Teoh , Grecia De la Paz , Colin Michael Carmichael , Adam James , Andy Nyman , Courtney Mae-Briggs , Sharon D. Clarke , Jenna Boyd

Character(s)

Elphaba Thropp , Glinda Upland , Madame Morrible , The Wizard , Fiyero Tigelaar , Boq , Nessarose Thropp , Pfannee , ShenShen , Miss Coddle , Doctor Dillamond (voice) , Avaric Tenmeadows , Gilligan , Professor Nikidik , Glinda's Father , Governor Frexspar Thropp , Melena Thropp , The Midwife

Runtime

160 Minutes

Main Genre

Musical