The final trailer for Jon M. Chu’s Wicked: For Good has been released, and it offers some crucial details that had previously been kept hidden from the sequel’s marketing. The movie will follow the second act of Wicked‘s Broadway production, where Elphaba and Glinda’s story finally catches up with the Wizard of Oz timeline.
The first Wicked movie ended with Glinda’s decision to stay behind in the Emerald City and work alongside the Wizard, forcing Elphaba to go into hiding alone and expose the city’s corruption to the rest of Oz. This was a huge turning point for the story, and it sets the stage for even more conflict between Elphaba, Glinda, and the Wizard.
Dorothy Has Arrived In Oz
It had already been confirmed in Wicked 2‘s previous trailer, but the latest glimpse back into the Emerald City shows even more of Dorothy’s arrival in Oz, including Madame Morrible’s creation of the tornado that ultimately transports her there. This is a huge plotline in the stage production, and Wicked 2 seems to be adapting it very closely.
Wicked isn’t officially a direct prequel to The Wizard of Oz, but rather an “alternate history” that uses the same characters to tell an entirely new story. But still, much of Dorothy’s journey in the Emerald City plays out exactly as it does in the 1939 film, giving a new perspective on her rivalry with the Wicked Witch and showing her own complicity in Elphaba’s downfall.
Elphaba Meets The Tin Man & The Scarecrow
For those who aren’t familiar with the stage production, Wicked: For Good is when many audiences will finally discover the true idenтιтy of the Scarecrow, including how this connects to Elphaba’s personal journey throughout the two films. There’s only one sH๏τ of the Scarecrow in this new trailer, in which Elphaba cups his face and sheds a tear.
The Tin Man gets a little more screen time in the Wicked 2 trailer, loudly exclaiming, “What have you done to me?“ after a sH๏τ of Elphaba using her magic in the same location. This clearly hints towards the Tin Man’s creation, which audiences can expect to be one of the most crushing and emotional scenes in the entire film.
Glinda And Fiyero Are Engaged
After a fairly simple love triangle in Wicked, it’s Glinda and Fiyero who ultimately find themselves getting married in the second movie. However, it’s clearly not the most loving relationship. After seeing how positively Glinda responds to her new position in the Emerald City, Fiyero scornfully remarks that she “can’t resist this.“
And when Glinda playfully responds, “Who could?,” the answer is obvious. Fiyero is clearly still longing for Elphaba, as proven by several other sH๏τs in the trailer where they’re together, but he’s been forced into this cold political marriage to secure Glinda’s status among the Wizard’s officials — the love triangle officially got complicated.
Elphaba Is Beginning To Master Her Magic
While audiences can expect much of Wicked: For Good to be told from Glinda’s perspective, since she’s the one in the public eye, that doesn’t mean Elphaba is altogether absent. There are multiple clues in this trailer as to what she’s been getting up to during her exile — most notably, improving her magic a lot.
After creating the flying monkeys in Wicked, Elphaba now seems to have complete control of the creatures, using them to her advantage when the Witch Hunters arrive to bring her down. She also uses several other spells in the trailer, including some kind of fire-based incantation and a levitation spell that causes Nessarose to fly.
Elphaba’s new and improved magical abilities make a lot of sense after the talent that she displayed at Shiz University, including the private lessons that Morrible gave her throughout the first movie. Ironically, these lessons are now coming back to bite Morrible and the Wizard as Elphaba is using them to fight off the Witch Hunters.
Fiyero Has Joined The Wizard’s Guard
Fiyero’s journey throughout Wicked: For Good is one of the most tragic character arcs in the entire story. Not only is he forced into a political marriage with the girl who’s openly slandering Elphaba to the public, but he’s also forced to serve the corrupt Wizard as part of his trusted Wizard’s Guard. There are several sH๏τs of Fiyero in the yellow-green uniform in the new trailer.
Despite acting the role of the carefree charmer in the first movie, Fiyero clearly isn’t as happy in Wicked: For Good. The only moments that he shows any peace is when he’s with Elphaba, and there’s one crucial moment in the trailer where he pᴀsses Elphaba a weapon to defend herself against the rest of the Wizard’s Guard, suggesting that his loyalty to the Wizard won’t last long.
Glinda Has Embraced Her Role As The “Good Witch”
Glinda’s character is one of the most complex figures in Wicked. On the one hand, she’s Elphaba’s closest friend from the start, and the only person who actually sees her for the noble, dignified person she is. But equally, she’s chained down by her need to be popular and adored, and will push her closest friends down to achieve that.
The latest trailer for Wicked: For Good is the first time we’ve really seen the film’s marketing lean into this selfish, egotistical side of Glinda’s character. She’s a willing accomplice to the Wizard’s propaganda machine, and she accepts that it’s “more important [she] lifts everyone’s spirits” than actually tells the truth about Elphaba.
While Glinda’s new song in Wicked 2 will surely offer some much-needed insight into what ultimately makes her change her mind about doing the right thing, it’s comforting to know the sequel isn’t glossing over these glaring flaws in her character. This trailer really leans into that, demonstrating how she willingly lets Morrible use her as a propaganda tool.
Elphaba Is Taking The Fight To The Wizard
After the dramatic conclusion of “Defying Gravity” in the first movie, Wicked leaves it fairly open-ended regarding Elphaba’s plan to bring down the Wizard. She explains that she needs to go into hiding to protect herself, but there’s very little information about what she’s actually going to do to bring the Wizard down and protect the animals of Oz.
Thankfully, the sequel’s new trailer seems to answer some of these questions. There are multiple sH๏τs of Elphaba back in the Emerald City with the Wizard, including an ominous showdown with his large mechanical head. It seems like Elphaba isn’t just going to sit back and let the Wizard slander her name anymore — she’s actively fighting against him.
Elphaba & Glinda’s Friendship Is On The Line
The relationship between Elphaba and Glinda is the driving force of Wicked, and that’s clearly not going to change in the second movie. Despite the obstacles that stand in their way, and the mistakes they’ve both made throughout their journey, the two friends remain drawn to each other and clearly want to protect each other.
But for the first time, this trailer really shows how Elphaba and Glinda may never be able to return to where they were in the first movie. There are sH๏τs of them fighting, lines where Elphaba condemns her friend’s complicity in the Wizard’s politics, and moments where Glinda questions whether she can actually sacrifice status for friendship.
There are vital questions that will ultimately make or break Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship, and Wicked never takes the easy way out. These flawed, complex characters are the reason that Wicked is such a compelling and enduring story, and they’re truly going to be pushed to their limits in Wicked: For Good.
