Wicked: For Good ending explained: What happened to Elphaba?

Wicked: For Good follows the story of the 2024 movie, adapting the second act of the Broadway musical to the cinema. The two stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, once again play Elphaba and Glinda.

As the unrest escalates in Oz, the girls' last choices are shown in the movie, which also shows the changing political scenery. The story of the play is set before and at the time of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and the main theme of the sequel is how the personal decisions of these two women affect the future of Oz.

After a wait that lasted a few months, Wicked: For Good finally hit the Brazilian big screen on the 4th of November, 2025, and the movie was later released in the US on the 21st of November.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers about the film. Viewer's discretion advised.

Elphaba survives the events of Wicked: For Good by faking her death with water and secretly escaping through a hidden passage, leaving Oz behind with Fiyero.

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Elphaba escapes Oz with a trick in Wicked: For Good

Elphaba is the centre of a major issue in the second part of the story, as she couldn’t change the views of the people of Oz. She realizes that Ozians would not listen to her nor would they take her point of view, although she had the power.

Finally, she concludes that the only way for Oz to be safe again is to get rid of it completely. It is in line with the animals’ prophecy that they warned her that if she stayed in Oz, her presence would be the reason for continuous tension.

The most significant change in Wicked: For Good is that Elphaba is alive after the event that everyone else interprets as her death. Instead of perishing when water is thrown on her by Dorothy, Elphaba takes advantage of the common belief to fake her death.

She gets the bucket ready well before the moment when Dorothy arrives on the scene. The moment the water is poured on her, she acts as though she is melting and uses the secret staircase under the castle floor, the way Fiyero had brought her to, to make a getaway.

It is only upon Fiyero’s arrival, now the Scarecrow, that Elphaba comes out of the closet and tells him she is alive. He was instrumental in the plan by having Chistery deliver the message, warning her of the approaching attack and advising her to hide till he could come to her.

Leaving Oz behind and starting a new life in some other place is what they decide on in the end after discussing it together.

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What happens to Glinda and Fiyero?

Wicked: For Good (Image Via Universal Pictures)

When Elphaba is no longer seen in Oz, Glinda takes up the mantle of leadership. Wicked: For Good portrays a scene wherein she faces The Wizard, after which she drives him off, telling the truth to his face about his link with Elphaba.

Next, she makes sure Madame Morrible is jailed for the part she played not only in deceiving the whole of Oz but also in the incidents that led to the death of Nessarose, Elphaba's sister, among the events in that area.

Glinda doesn’t stop at becoming the leader; she also publicly announces her intention to rectify the imbalance prevailing in Oz. What she promises is equal rights for humans and animals, which was at the centre of Elphaba’s visionary plan.

The film depicts the process of animals’ going back into the community, one example being Dr. Dillamond, who returns to teach at Shiz University. It is a new dawn under Glinda’s leadership, and the reform she sets out to carry is initiated.

As far as Fiyero is concerned, the film confirms his journey with Elphaba’s to be the same. They are last seen going through a desolate, unnamed area that is referred to as the place beyond Oz.

Neither the movie nor the musical specifies the location of their departure, thus keeping the mystery intact of both the stage and the original ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌work.

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What‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ else happens in the movie?

Wicked: For Good (Image Via Universal Pictures)

The ending of Wicked: For Good also touches on the fate of some well-known characters from The Wizard of Oz. After The Wizard flies away in his hot-air balloon, Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, and Boq the Tin Man, by this time, are seen briefly in Emerald City.

The film leaves their futures to the imagination; however, the original book series hints that Dorothy goes back to her home in Kansas, and the Lion eventually becomes an official in Oz.

One of the final scenes in Wicked: For Good is about The Grimmerie. After Elphaba hands the spell book to Glinda, Glinda looks on in amazement when the book mysteriously opens itself.

Although Glinda is not capable of doing magic, the movie offers a few explanations: the book could recognize her change of view, it might be reacting to her new mission, or it could be quietly indicating Elphaba's presence.

Even though Elphaba had made a promise that no one would know that she had survived, at that moment, the closeness between the two women is there for interpretation.

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Interested viewers can watch Wicked: For Good in theatres.

Edited by Sakshi Singh