Wicked is the story of Elphaba and Glinda’s relationship, but there is another iconic Ozian witch who holds a significant position in the tale, and Wicked: For Good stands to accomplish a lot with just one change concerning the Wicked Witch of the East. While Elphaba and Glinda are, respectively, fantastically played by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera — now both Oscar nominees for their performances — the role of Elphaba’s younger sister Nessarose was taken on by newcomer Marissa Bode. Bode has discussed Nessa’s darker turn in Wicked 2, after her charming presence in the first movie.

Everything up to Wicked‘s ending proves it to be a largely faithful adaptation of the Broadway show, and the second half will more than likely be the same. In the second act of the show, Elphaba returns home to Munchkinland, where Nessa is now the governor, to request help now that she is a fugitive. Nessa is only angry at Elphaba for her campaign and for never thinking of using her power to enable Nessa to walk, as she has used a wheelchair her whole life. Elphaba then enchants the famous slippers, giving Nessa what she asked for.

Wicked 2 Is Confirmed To Change Nessarose’s Controversial Magic Slippers Storyline

Marissa Bode Talks Changes To Nessa’s Story That She Is Excited For

Marissa Bode recently gave an interview with Teen Vogue and discussed some of the changes that will be made to Nessarose’s storyline, as the character and this plot beat have not historically been regarded as good disability representation. According to Teen Vogue‘s Madison Lawson:

“Some argue that Nessa’s disability is something that makes her bitter and vengeful, which is a harmful stereotype that has been repeated in media throughout history. […] Elphaba makes Nessarose walk with some enchanted shoes. Walking makes her feel powerful, suggesting that her worth and power is only validated when she has the ability to walk. Many disabled people feel this reduces her disability to a plot device and doesn’t create a fully developed character they can relate to.”

Bode revealed that she was able to talk about this with original Wicked scriptwriter Winnie Holzman, who also adapted the play to the big screen. Holzman reportedly was aware of the criticisms and consulted her friend, another wheelchair user, about what changes she could make to do better in the movie without altering the overall story.

The jeweled slippers are, of course, a famous piece of iconography in Wizard of Oz lore, and wanting to hold on to them having significance in the plot as well as another memorable display of Elphaba’s magic makes sense. So, the sensical way to go about leaving most of the story intact while doing away with the worst parts is for there to be a different reason and result of Elphaba enchanting the shoes. Bode also said that she is happy with the changes that were made, which could even be read as hinting at this theory:

“[…] there will be movie magic and just magic in general, but just not in the way that I think a lot of people think it might be. There have been changes that I think are great in terms of representation in a healthy way, but I don’t think I can say more than that.”

Elphaba Could Be The Key To Fixing Wicked 2’s Nessarose Problem

Elphaba & Nessarose’s Reunion Will Be A Vital Scene

The second Wicked movie has a better option than Elphaba “fixing” Nessa’s disability — she could instead use a spell from the Grimmerie to make the shoes a conduit, allowing Nessarose to wield some magic of her own. The movie would be required to pull off some narrative legwork to justify this decision, but there are some possibilities: For one, Elphaba could benefit from having an ally with some magic to bolster her own, and if she is asking Nessa to stand with her, she could give her something to make this more possible.

Nessa could ask for this for a similar reason if she is mad at Elphaba for fleeing and angrily says that she would be no help when she does not have the power Elphaba does anyway. Nessarose does not have any powers in Wicked, certainly not like how Elphaba naturally causes things to go haywire. However, Nessa is also wrapped up in an unrequited love story with Boq (Ethan Slater), and as she proves, may also resort to asking for magic to make him fall in love with her in return.

Wicked 2 Can Keep The Enchanted Shoes While Explaining How Nessa Has Power & Why Elphaba Wants The Shoes Back

Elphaba Will Also Have A Reason To Worry About The Shoes Being Delivered To The Wizard

Also part of this sequence in the Wicked show is when Boq arrives and confesses to Nessa that he has always loved Glinda. Nessa lashes out and snatches away the Grimmerie from Elphaba and casts a spell on Boq. The spell goes horribly wrong, and she almost kills him; he is only saved by Elphaba turning him into the Tin Man. Wicked wants to have its Wizard of Oz cameos, but the fact that Nessa can do this is entirely bizarre when the story stresses how rare it is to be able to read the Grimmerie.

Wicked‘s magic system isn’t all that clear about whether magic can be learned or one needs to be born with it — but there being a magical reason for Nessarose’s curse’s efficacy would smooth this out. Additionally, it would provide stronger motivation for Elphaba to so viciously pursue the shoes once Dorothy comes into possession of them. If Dorothy is headed towards the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) with an artifact that can give any person magical power, Elphaba has reason to worry that they will end up in the wrong hands.

This would ironically draw upon the original Wicked novel, in which Elphaba wants to prevent the shoes from ending up with the Wizard because of both their magical and symbolic power. They are a known possession of Nessarose, the previous ruler of Munchkinland, and the Wizard claiming them might allow him more power over this territory. The Wicked Witch of the East is a fascinatingly peripheral villain, and with Wicked‘s stellar reception, people are more eager than ever to see Wicked: For Good deliver a powerful, human tale of Nessarose that works for her and the story.

Source: Teen Vogue