Why Nessarosa becomes the Wicked Witch of the East in the Wizard of Oz universe

This article contains potential spoilers for Wicked: For Good.

The first part of the adaptation of “The Villain” was a huge success at the box officea certified fresh title with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and even became an unexpected favorite in the midst of awards season. While many debated the decision to split the Tony Award-winning musical into two films (this writer personally favors the split), this has given fans plenty of time to speculate about what to expect from Wicked: For Good. Well, that is, fans who have never read Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the book by Gregory Maguire that would inspire the musical that served as the basis for the film.

However, as a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, fans know there will be some things after the end of the first Wicked movie.. The Wizard is a quack who escapes from Oz in his hot air balloon, Elphaba is melted by Dorothy Gale in pursuit of her broomstick to return to Kansas, and perhaps most notably, Dorothy’s house is blown away by a tornado and lands on top of the Wicked Witch from the East.” If you’re only familiar with the 1939 film, you know that the Wicked Witch of the East dies, but you likely don’t know anything about her. Fortunately, “Wicked: Part One” introduced us all to the tragically beautiful Nessarose, the younger sister of the tragically beautiful Elphaba.

Nesarosa is super cute in The Wicked: Part One, so how the hell did she become the Wicked Witch of the East? Let’s take the yellow brick road and find out.

Nesarosa Throop is the younger sister of Elphaba and the daughter of Melena Throop and Fraxpar God, the former governor of Munchkinland. In the book, she is born prematurely and without arms, requiring constant care, but in the musical, she is born paralyzed and requires the use of a wheelchair. Her father gave her a pair of enchanted silver slippers (the ruby-red slippers in The Wizard of Oz), and they remain her most prized possession. In both versions of the story, Nessarosa is incredibly beautiful, but her use of a wheelchair initially paints her as a tragic character.

Nesarosa is spoiled compared to Elphaba, as her disability has prompted her father and nanny to pay attention to her. It also causes Elphaba to put her wants and needs second to her sister’s passions. Despite​​​​this simmering conflict, Elphaba cares deeply for Nessa, even if that care is not always reciprocated, and even if Elphaba harbors mild resentment toward her younger sister. As a child, she is played by Cecily Colette Taylor, a young actor with Spina Bifida.

Although they didn’t know it when they were younger, Elphaba and Nessarosa are actually half-sisters, as Elphaba’s father is the Wizard of Oz and her green skin is attributed to the green elixir the Wizard and their mother used. Elphaba and Nessaroz were very close as children, with Elphaba even acting as a “mother figure” to Nessa after their own mother died, causing their father to become deeply depressed. However, a grudge has been planted as Nessa’s physical disability is the result of her mother being forced to chew milkweed while she was pregnant in the hope that this child would not be born with green skin like Elphaba’s.

Although Elphaba is clearly not to blame, it is easier for Nessa to blame her than to admit that her parents made a mistake, especially when their father also blames his eldest daughter instead of his own decisions. It also devastated Elphaba with guilt, inspiring her to protect her younger sister. She also blames herself, which is why Nessa easily manipulates her into pretending she “deserves”.

When the girls arrive at Shiz, Fraxspar demands that Elphaba follow her to make sure Nesarosa is settled and safe. Her protectiveness is revealed when Shizstress head Miss Coddle (Keala Settle) tries to grab Nessa’s wheelchair to push her around the university to escape Elphaba. In an attempt to stop them, Elphaba’s uncontrolled powers cause a massive scene, including tossing Nessa into the air in front of everyone. “This was my chance, my fresh start,” Nessa tells her before driving away heartbroken. But this display of magic gives Elphaba a place in Shiza, and the sisters remain in each other’s lives. Elphaba is later smitten with Nessa when Bock invites the latter to the Ozdust Ballroom, and when she learns that Glinda was the reason Bock asked her sister out (even if it was Glinda’s way of pawning him off so she could go with the prince Fiera) , Elphaba convinces Madame Morrible to allow Glinda to attend a workshop to learn witchcraft, despite ​​​​”hatred” of the future Good Witch.

The following information comes from the second act of “Wicked” the musical, so it’s possible that “Wicked: For Good” will change some details of Nessa’s storyline for the screen.

After Elphaba is painted as the Wicked Witch of the West in retribution for refusing to obey the orders of the Wizard of Oz and Madame Morrible, Nesaroz marries Bock and becomes the Eminence of Munchkinland. Their father died of shame because Elphaba was considered wicked, and since everyone in Oz knows that Nessarosa is Elphaba’s sister, she became bitter and cruel. After years on the run, Elphaba seeks refuge with her sister, who refuses to help her and cites her position as an elected official as a reason not to shelter a fugitive.

But those years have also given Nessa plenty of time for her anger at her sister to grow – not because she thinks she’s wicked, but because Elphaba’s magic is so powerful that Nessa is furious that her sister never used her powers to allow her to walk unaided. Elphaba, overcome with guilt, enchants Nessa’s silver shoes. They turn from silver to the famous ruby ​​red and she can walk.

Nesarosa treats Bock not as a husband but as a servant because deep down she knows he never truly loved her and still misses Glinda. When her betrothal to Prince Fiera is announced, Bock wants to tell the truth, inspiring Nessarosa to cast a Grimmary spell. However, she is wrong, and it makes Bock’s heart sink. Her obsession with keeping Bock from ever leaving her, and her resentment of her sister’s reputation (as well as the reputation that “caused” her father’s death) overcome her. If anyone in Oz is truly evil, it’s Nesaroz. But this is not an evil she was born with, it was, as Glinda explains, wickedness forced upon her.

Nessarosa’s anger and bitterness was directed not only at her sister, but also at Boko and all of Munchkinland. She engaged in one-sided business deals, abused her constituents, and used her basic magical skills to control other people. There’s a reason why in The Wizard of Oz, the Munchkins of Munchkinland sing “Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead” after Dorothy Gale’s house falls on top of her, killing her. As Elphaba was dubbed the “Wicked Witch of the West,” Nessarosa is called the “Wicked Witch of the East.”

Wicked: For Good is currently set to premiere on November 21, 2025.