Why Do Fans Think Nessarose Could Be Wicked Part Two‘s Big Villain?

With Wicked reigning astatine the container bureau this week, fans are losing their Shiz implicit which villain is astir liable for the fallout betwixt Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande). Blame is being squarely placed connected the sister with the bejeweled shoes. But with different large bads revealed by the extremity of the two-part philharmonic epic’s archetypal installment, are the claims that Nessarose (Marissa Bode) has it coming (“it” being Dorothy’s location landing connected her) valid?

The Wicked Witch of the East—Nessarose’s destined identity—being squashed by Dorothy’s farmhouse is the canon lawsuit that’s been the main fixture of each adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. The Kansas tornado carries the location implicit the rainbow; it falls connected the witch with lone her feet peeking out, enabling Dorothy to assertion her famed slippers. That sets disconnected the concatenation of events which leads to the Wicked Witch of the West’s decease by h2o melting.

Now we cognize that genuinely evil Madam Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) has powerfulness implicit the upwind (Tornadoes) and that the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) is simply a fraud, but however does Wicked acceptable up the conception that Wicked Witch of the East is Nessarose—and that her shoes are mostly power-less for now?

The hints are successful however Nessarose treats Elphaba passim the film. As TikTok commentator (like @aspoonfulofchae below) person comedically pointed out, “I’m connected the broadside of the house, the location did thing wrong,” speechmaking Nessa for filth successful her blistery take.

The points person been made. Nessa treated Elphaba arsenic poorly arsenic their dada did—and tin we besides constituent retired she couldn’t hold to get distant from her astatine Shiz for a caller commencement without her help, until Morrible overruled their father’s precise unusual determination to lone fto Nessa spell to college? I mean, what was helium having Elphie bash successful Munchkinland portion helium lorded implicit things arsenic Mayor? Was helium conscionable actively hiding her? She intelligibly had endowment and Nessa was pissed erstwhile it jumped retired successful bid to support her and gained her peculiar admittance to Shiz with Morrible arsenic her mentor. She wasn’t blessed for her sister astatine all, and that’s weird!

Then there’s Nessa’s thirst for Boq and giving Glinda recognition for mounting them up astatine the Ozdust ballroom; adjacent though she knew the full clip “it’s due to the fact that I’m successful this seat and you felt atrocious for me,” she proceeds to fto him settee for her, knowingly. To adhd connected to her showing her manus arsenic the much Wicked Witch from the jump, erstwhile Elphaba shows up and interrupts her day with Boq she does thing to basal up for her erstwhile the full nine ostracizes her sister. HER SISTER! The pettiness runs heavy present and it’s nary wonderment their mother’s shoes go the sticking constituent successful Wicked Part Two erstwhile Dorothy takes them.

To not spell excessively overmuch into spoilers for Wicked Part Two, Nessarose’s shoes bash go enchanted successful a mode that contributes to her emergence arsenic the Wicked Witch of the East earlier Dorothy’s arrival, that’s a given. The musical’s 2nd enactment jumps into the aboriginal a spot and volition prime up connected Nessa arsenic she presumably takes implicit enactment from her begetter successful Munchkinland—and based connected however the blessed they were successful The Wizard of Oz astatine her demise, sets up a bigger villain turn. They truly don’t similar the Thropp household and possibly their happiness astatine being freed from it stems from their horrid father, too.

There’s a batch to beryllium said astir Nessarose and Elphaba catching the fume from their radical erstwhile not adjacent their parent liked their begetter capable to beryllium faithful. They’re some othered their full lives. Nessa’s relation successful the communicative goes beyond ableist tropes allowing her to beryllium a afloat realized quality defined beyond her disability, and her communicative plays with that self-deprecation astir her disablement successful the mode that Elphaba’s ostracization plays with themes of racism. Each woman’s narration with society, stemming from those roles, is what yet transforms them done magic successful Part Two. That’s wherever the communicative reveals however existent wickedness tin travel from each excessively quality flaws anyone is allowed to have.

And, we request to springiness abstraction to spot that Nessarose fell into enactment with her father’s communicative astir Elphaba and however he’s the existent atrocious feline present too. We’re gladsome helium dropped dormant erstwhile helium saw Elphaba emergence to her powerfulness during “Defying Gravity;” Nessa, meanwhile, looked pissed their family’s estimation was ruined.

Despite Wicked not being an authoritative prequel to The Wizard of Oz film, these quality variants truly consciousness dimensional and springiness you truthful overmuch to basal for (and against) successful its mentation of what really happened starring up to Dorothy sidesplitting the Wicked Witch of the West.

Elphaba is astir decidedly not the dog-hating Mrs. Gulch/Wicked Witch of the West from the 1939 Oz movie (as portrayed by the iconic Margaret Hamilton). Rather, she’s overmuch similar a Marvel-style variant whose communicative unfolds arsenic a leader with definite fixed points, including her tendency for her sister’s shoes erstwhile Nessarose is deservedly pancaked by Dorothy’s house.

Truly, though, large props to Marissa Bode for an astonishing occupation acting and sowing those Wicked Witch of the East seeds—because adjacent aft her inescapable fate, her beingness lingers, causing each the play betwixt Elphaba and Glinda implicit those sparkly heels erstwhile a kid snatches them.

Wicked is present successful theaters and Wicked Part Two opens Thanksgiving 2025.

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