Why Nessarose Becomes The Wicked Witch Of The East In The Wizard Of Oz Universe

This article contains: Possible spoiler In the case of “Wicked: For Good.”

The Wicked movie prequel was a huge success at the box office, was recognized as a fresh title by critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and even became an unexpected favorite in the middle of awards season. There has been a lot of debate over the decision to split the Tony Award-winning musical into two films (I personally support the split), but it does give fans a chance to watch Wicked: For Good. ” gave you plenty of time to guess what to expect. Well, we’re talking about fans who haven’t read Gregory Maguire’s book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which served as the inspiration for the stage musical on which the film is based.

However, there are some things that fans know about after the end of the first “Wicked” movie, as a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz.” The Wizard is a trickster who escapes from Oz in a hot air balloon, and Elphaba is melted down by Dorothy Gale as she chases a broomstick back to Kansas. And perhaps most notably, Dorothy’s house is swept onto land by a tornado. On top of the Wicked Witch of the East. If you only know the 1939 movie, you know that The Wicked Witch of the East dies, but you probably don’t know anything about her. Luckily, “Wicked: Part 1” introduced us to the tragically beautiful Nessarose, Elphaba’s baby sister.

Nessarose in Wicked: Part 1 is so sweet, but how did she become the Wicked Witch of the East? Follow the yellow brick road to find out.

Nesarose Throp is the younger sister of Elphaba and the daughter of Melena Throp and former Munchkinland Governor Flexper the Godly. In the original, she is born premature and needs constant care as she has no arms, but in the musical, she is born paralyzed and requires the use of a wheelchair. Her father gave her a pair of magical silver shoes (the ruby ​​red shoes from The Wizard of Oz), which remain her most prized possession. In both versions of the story, Nesarose is incredibly beautiful, but is initially portrayed as a tragic character because she uses a wheelchair.

Nesarose is spoiled compared to Elphaba, and her disability causes her father and nurse to give her preferential attention. This also puts pressure on Elphaba to prioritize her own wants and needs over her sister’s passions. Despite this smoldering conflict, Elphaba genuinely cares for Nessa. Even if Elphaba harbors mild resentment toward her sister, her consideration is not always reciprocated. As a child, she is played by Cecily Collette Taylor, a young actor with spina bifida.

Although she does not realize it as a child, Elphaba and Nessarose are actually half-sisters, with Elphaba’s father being the Wizard of Oz and her green skin due to the green elixir ingested by the wizard and her mother. It is thought that. Elphaba and Nessarose were very close from an early age, and even after her mother died, Elphaba served as Nessa’s “mother figure”, which caused her father to fall into a deep depression. However, the seeds of anger are planted as Nessa’s disability is the result of her mother being forced to chew milk flowers during pregnancy in the hope that the child would not be born with green skin like Elphaba. Ta.

It was clearly not Elphaba’s fault, but it’s easier for Nessa to blame her parents than accept that they made a mistake, especially when the father is blaming his eldest daughter instead of his own decisions. This also made Elphaba feel guilty and protective of her baby sister. Because she also blames herself, she is easily manipulated by Nessa in the name of “self-inflicted.”

When the girls arrive in Shiz, Flexpur requests Elphaba to follow them to make sure Nesarose is settled and safe. Her protective nature is on display when Miss Coddle (Keira Settle), head of the Shistress Department, grabs Nessa’s wheelchair and tries to push her around the university to escape from Elphaba. In an attempt to stop them, Elphaba’s uncontrollable powers cause a massive scene, including throwing Nessa into the air in front of everyone. “This was my chance, my new start,” Nessa said, before driving away heartbroken. However, this display of magic earns Elphaba a place in Shizu, and the sisters continue to live with each other. Later, when I invite Nessa to a ballroom dance in Ozdust, Elphaba learns that Glinda is the reason I invited her sister and is overjoyed at Nessa (that’s why Glinda went with Prince Fierro). even if it was the one that pawned him). , Elphaba convinces Madame Morrible to allow Glinda to attend a seminar to learn witchcraft, despite her “dislike” of the future good witch.

The information below is from the second act of the stage musical Wicked, so certain details about Nessa’s storyline may change on screen in Wicked: For Good.

After Elphaba is portrayed as the Wicked Witch of the West in retaliation for disobeying the Wizard of Oz and Mrs. Morrible’s orders, Nessarose marries me and becomes the prince of Munchkinland. Their father dies in disgrace due to Elphaba’s evil beliefs, and everyone in Oz knows that Nesarose is Elphaba’s sister, making her bitter and cruel. After years on the run, Elphaba seeks protection from her sister, but her sister refuses to help her, citing her position as an elected official as a reason for not harboring fugitives.

However, these past few years have also been enough time for Nesarose to grow angry with her sister. Nessa is furious that her sister couldn’t use her abilities to make her walk, not because she considers her evil, but because Elphaba’s magic is so powerful. without assistance. Feeling guilty, Elphaba puts a spell on Nessa’s silver shoes. The color changed from silver to the iconic ruby ​​red, and she was able to walk.

Nesarose treats me not as a husband but as a servant. Because Nesarose knows deep down that I have never truly loved her and that he still has feelings for Glinda. When my engagement to Prince Fierro is announced, I want to tell the truth and urge Nessarose to cast the Grimerie spell. However, she misunderstands this, and that makes my heart shrink. Her obsession with keeping Bok from leaving her and her resentment at her sister’s reputation (and that reputation “caused” her father’s death) overcome her. If there’s anyone truly evil in Oz, it’s Nessarose. However, this was not an evil that she was born with, but, as Glinda explains, an evil that was forced upon her.

Nesarose’s anger and bitterness was not only directed at her sister, but also at me and Munchkinland as a whole. She engaged in one-sided business deals, committed acts of cruelty against voters, and used her basic magical skills to control other people. There’s a reason the Munchkins in Munchkinland sing “Ding-dong! The witch is dead” after Dorothy Gale’s house falls on her and kills her in The Wizard of Oz. Just as Elphaba is known as the “Wicked Witch of the West,” Nesarose is known as the “Wicked Witch of the East.”

Wicked: For Good is currently scheduled to be released in theaters on November 21, 2025.