Who is Elphaba’s real father in Wicked

This article contains a discussion of sexual assault.

If you don’t know the entire plot of the original Broadway musical Wicked, don’t continue down the infamous yellow brick road! Major spoilers ahead!

In “Wicked: Part One” – the first half of the epic adaptation of John M. In the musical “Wicked”, which premiered on Broadway in 2003, we meet Elphaba Trop, a green-skinned young girl who unexpectedly ends up studying magic and sorcery at the prestigious Shizu University. So why is her skin green and she is like that only character we see in the story with this particular appearance? Does this have anything to do with her father’s true identity? Thanks for the question! That’s for sure!

When we first meet Elphaba’s parents, Melena and Governor Frexspear Throop, played by Courtney-May Briggs and Andy Nyman, respectively, in the blockbuster, they seem happy enough and expecting their first child … only to react with horror when she comes out with a completely green belly. As a result, Governor Throop is not particularly kind to his eldest daughter, preferring the company of his youngest child, Nessarose (newcomer Marissa Bode), who was born with chronically weak legs after the Governor forced his wife to drink a potion made from milk flowers. to prevent another child from, as Elphaba says in one of her songs, “verdigris”. (Melena also dies tragically after giving birth to Nessaroz early and difficult.)

The story of how Elphaba became green is different in Stephen Schwartz’s musical and Gregory Maguire’s book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which serves as the source material for the musical, but here’s the gist and how we can expect this storyline to end Wicked: For Good, the second half of Chu’s film.

Let’s get this out of the way: yeah The Wizard of Oz, played by Jeff Goldblum in Wicked: Part One., there is Elphaba’s father. Basically, the point is that he and Melena have an affair that results in Elphaba, and her green skin is most likely due to a green potion fed to Melena by the Wizard himself. It also explains why Elphaba’s “father”, Governor Thrope, who keeps and raises the child, seems to resent and even hate the girl who is believed to be his eldest daughter; although it is never confirmed by the character, it is possible that Governor Thrope knows that Elphaba is the epitome of his wife’s infidelity.

Being green is not easy, as Kermit the Frog tried to tell us years – and the added conflict with Elphaba’s real father certainly makes things that much more difficult for her. As a child, Elphaba (played by Karis Musongole) is bullied for being different, and usually charms by accident when she is bullied for the color of her skin. By the time she arrives at Shiz, Elphaba is emotionally withdrawn and harsh as she does everything she can to protect Nessarosa (who keeps telling Elphaba that she’s fine on her own). Elphaba ends up becoming close friends with her roommate Galinda Upland (Ariana Grande-Butera), despite their differences, and settles in Sheez well before the Wizard summons her to Oz’s capital, the Emerald City. That’s when things go awry for the future Wicked Witch of the West.

I should point out here that in Gregory Maguire’s book, the story of Elphaba’s conception is completely different and much more disturbing. All in all, Maguire’s book is there a lot darker than the musical, but the story of Melena’s encounter with the Wizard is particularly rough, so here goes.

When we first meet Elphaba in Maguire’s novel, the child has green skin, but she too has razor-sharp teeth, a penchant for violence and brutality, and a terrible fear of water. (Fear of allergies, which obviously will come into play later.) Everything unfolds the same as in the musical: Elphaba goes to Shiz, meets Glinda, impresses the school’s dean of wizardry, Madame Morrible (played by Michelle Yeoh in the film adaptation), and then realizes that the Wizard is a big old con. However, discovering that the Wizard is both an impostor and Elphaba’s real father is much worse.

At the very end of the book, Heroine “Wizard of Oz” Dorothy Gale accidentally kills Elphaba by throwing a bucket of water on the witch to put out the fire on her skirt (unaware of the life-threatening allergy). She then brings one of Elphaba’s belongings to the Wizard, who realizes that it is a green potion he once used Melena’s drugs and sexual abuse. The fact that Elphaba is the product of a brutal attack lends a particular darkness to her character, but it certainly makes sense that the musical cut out that particular aspect.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, help is available. Visit st The website of the National Rape, Violence and Incest Network or contact the RAINN National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Yes, Jeff Goldblum there is in the opening issue of Wicked: Part One, a group number called “No One Mourns the Wicked” is largely led by Glinda the Good Witch, as she clearly explains why Elphaba, the “dead” Wicked Witch of the West, was so “wicked.” After the people of Oz celebrate Elphaba’s apparent death (I say “apparent” here, because in the musical Wicked, Elphaba fakes her death by using a hatch and escapes Oz with her lover Fierro Tigelaar), Glinda explains that the Trope family had “secrets.” At this point, we see a flashback of Melena and the Wizard continuing their romance.

It’s not just the voice that comes from Melena’s mysterious lover clearly Featuring Goldblum’s extraordinary voice, the song’s track listing features Goldblum as co-vocalist along with Ariana Grande-Butera, Courtney May-Briggs, Andy Nyman, Sharon D. Clark and Jenai Boyd. (These last two artists voice Dulcibear, the Trope family’s nanny, and Dr. Lubin, who helps deliver Elphaba.) If that’s not a spoiler, I don’t know what is, especially since it’s pretty easy to put together the smooth talk of a guy feeding a green potion to his beloved Melena with the green skin tone of Elphaba.

In case you haven’t put the pieces together thanks to Jeff Goldblum’s very obvious cameo in None Mourn the Wicked, Goldblum’s Wizard indeed fleshes out his only solo song on “Wicked: Part One” called “A Sentimental Man.” Towards the end of the movie – before the Wizard’s evil intentions become apparent and Elphaba flees the Emerald City under considerable pressure — Goldblum irreverently performs the Wizard of Oz song from the musical, showing off his miniature version of Oz to an enthralled Elphaba and Glinda. So let’s look at these lyrics for a moment, shall we?

After Elphaba uses a wish promised to her by the Wizard to free Oz’s imprisoned, tame talking animals, the Wizard tells her he agrees before getting straight to the point: “I’m a sentimental man / Who’s always longed to be a father / That’s why I do everything possible / to treat every resident of Oz like a son daughter.” (Goldblum is a must indeed click the word “daughter” as well.)

Immediately afterwards, the Wizard specifically names Elphaba and says that he would like to “lift (her) high” because “everyone deserves a chance to fly” – a line that returns in the final Act 1 of Elphaba’s Gravity Release. Let’s not forget.” that the Wizard ends his song by crooning, “And helping you on your way up makes me feel like this / Okay, man, you’re Elphaba’s dad.

Okay, so what can we expect from the Wizard — and his corrupt sidekick Madame Morrible — in Wicked: For Good when it releases in November 2025? Well, as Wicked: Part One closes, the Wizard and Madame Morrible begin what can only be described as a smear campaign against Elphaba, telling all of Oz that she is pure evil and must be captured to save the world. As the audience knows, this is a lie; Madame Morrible and the Wizard just want to use Elphaba’s powerful magic to bend the world of Oz to their will. A wizard can’t even to read a magic book known as the Grimmary (he doesn’t really know how to do magic at all) and Madame Morrible, although she can control the weather, is still not as powerful as Elphaba (despite the green witch’s lack of formal training) .

At the end of Gregory Maguire’s Wicked, the Wizard abandons his trick and leaves Oz for good, presumably returning to Omaha, Nebraska (the Wizard’s canonical home according to L. Frank Baum’s original books). As for the musical, Glinda, believing Elphaba to be dead and seeking justice for her fallen friend, appears in the Emerald City, confronts the Wizard with the green elixir he once fed Melena, and arrests the rogue wizard and Madame Morrible for their many crimes—while Elphaba is safe and sound with her one true love, Fierro. Presumably, since the first film by John M. With Wicked pretty closely following the musical, we can expect Jeff Goldblum’s Wizard to be locked up for good.

Wicked: Part One is available to rent or buy on demand now. Wicked: For Good is set to be released on November 21, 2025.