Elphaba Thropp

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Elphaba Thropp (also known as theWicked Witch of the West) is the titular main protagonist of the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West as well as its Broadway musical and film adaptations.

She is portrayed byCynthia Erivo in the 2024 film adaptation, who also playedthe Blue Fairy in the live-action remake of Disney'sPinocchio.

In the mobile game,Cookie Run: Kingdom, she is voiced by Shara Kirby.

Quick Answers

Is Elphaba Thropp the daughter of the Wizard of Oz?

Elphaba Thropp, known as the Wicked Witch of the West, is indeed the daughter of the Wizard of Oz. Her conception occurred under unfortunate circumstances when the Wizard drugged her mother, Melena. The green-colored drug resulted in Elphaba's distinctive features, including her fluorescent green skin, sharp fangs, and water allergy.

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How did Elphaba become the Wicked Witch of the West?

Elphaba Thropp, the Wicked Green Witch, was born to Melena and The Wizard Oz. Her conception occurred after The Wizard drugged Melena with a green substance, leading to Elphaba's birth with green skin, sharp fangs, and a water allergy. Her journey to becoming the Wicked Witch of the West is detailed in the novel and Broadway musical, both titled 'Wicked'.

Provided by: Fandom

Is Elphaba Thropp featured in the original Wizard of Oz?

Elphaba Thropp, also known as the Wicked Witch of the West, is a character from the 1995 fantasy novel 'Wicked: The Life'. This book details her journey to becoming the Wicked Witch of the West, a character from L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's novel and the 1939 MGM musical film, both titled 'The Wizard of Oz'. Her look is inspired by Margaret Hamilton's portrayal of the Wicked Witch in the 1939 film.

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Character Conception[]

Elphaba was created by Gregory Maguire for his novel. The book chronicles her life and how she became the Wicked Witch of the West from L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's novel,The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and 1939 MGM musical film version,The Wizard of Oz. Her appearance is based on Margaret Hamilton's portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West from the 1939 film.

Appearance[]

Elphaba has fluorescent green skin, black hair, and brown eyes. She also has razor sharp fangs similar to a dragon and a pointy chin. She also wears a black dress with a cloak and a black witch's hat.

Biography[]

Elphaba was born to Melena and The Wizard Oz. She was conceived after The Wizard gave Melena a green-colored drug which made her drowsy. The Wizard then raped her and she became pregnant with Elphaba. Because of the green drug, Elphaba was born with sharp fangs, fluorescent green skin, and an allergy to water. Melena and her husband Frexspar later had Nessarose. Nessarose was born with pink skin and without arms. Frex favored Nessarose over Elphaba, which had caused Elphaba to resent her.

As a young adult, Elphaba had attended Shiz University withNessarose andGalinda Upland; who would become Glinda the Good. Elphaba later became best friends; with Galinda and a munchkin named Boq. She meets Fiyero, the Crown Prince of the Vinkus from the Winkie Country in the Western part of Oz, who later falls in love with her. It is also at this time that Elphaba meets Madame Morrible, a witch and the head of Crage Hall, the part of the university open to women and begins to hate her as Madame Morrible sent her Tik Tok robot to kill Docotor Dillamond, an anthropomorphic goat teacher. After meeting the Wizard, she becomes increasingly angered with the tyrannical and anti-sentient-animal policies the Wizard's regime has enforced.

Dropping out of Shiz, she moves into the Emerald City and meets up with Fiyero and they formed a relationship, despite Fiyero having married and being a family man. Fiyero is eventually killed by the Wizard's secret police after disregarding Elphaba's instructions to stay away from Corn Exchange where she is taking part in an operation for the resistance. Severely traumatized by her lover's murder, Elphaba makes her way to a nearby nunnery where she lapses into a stupor for a year.

While in this state, Elphaba gives birth to her and Fiyero's son, Liir. Later, she visits Fiyero's wife, Sarima, seeking forgiveness for her part in Fiyero's death. Sarima welcomes her and allows her to live at Fiyero's castle of Kiamo Ko in the Winkie Country. While living at Kiamo Ko, Elphaba discovers a spellbook called the Grimmerie in the attic of the castle. Using the limited amount of information that she can decipher from the cryptic book, she begins to practice witchcraft, becoming a witch in the process. The Wizard's Gale Forcers eventually capture Sarima and her family. Because Sarima can no longer provide the forgiveness she wants and Elphaba is left discontented before descending into madness.

After Nessarose is crushed by Dorothy Gale's house, Elphaba attends her sister's funeral, where she meets with Glinda, who is now a witch and known as the Good Witch of the North. The two are initially happy to be reunited, but it soon turned sour when Elphaba learns that Glinda has given Nessarose's shoes to Dorothy. Angered, Elphaba ends their friendship for good.

Sometime after returning to Kiamo Ko, Elphaba finds out that Dorothy, a lion, scarecrow, tin man, and her dog Toto are heading to Kiamo Ko. When the friends are almost at the castle, Elphaba, having convinced herself that Fiyero had survived and was now masquerading as the Scarecrow/his spirit is possessing the scarecrow she sends her dog named Killyjoy out to lead the friends to the castle. Dorothy and her friends misunderstand the group of dogs as attacking them and the Tin Woodman kills them. The Scarecrow somehow kills the crows Elphaba sends next. Elphaba then sends her bees, which are killed as well. With these failed attempts, Elphaba is forced to believe the Scarecrow is not Fiyero and is merely a sentient scarecrow.

When Dorothy arrives, she tells Elphaba that she has been sent to kill her by the Wizard and bring back the Grimmerie, but she herself came to apologize for killing her sister and asks Elphaba if she can use her magic to send her home as she knows Elphaba's status as a witch. However, this only infuriated Elphaba, who waves her now-burning broom in the air and accidentally sets her skirt on fire. Dorothy then throws a bucket of water on her to save her, not knowing of Elphaba's allergy. The water ultimately kills her, in; which she melted her away, leaving behind the green drug. Dorothy then returns to the Wizard; with it, causing the latter to realize that; Elphaba is his daughter. Rumors abound through Oz about what had happened to Dorothy; with a few actually believing that; she had returned to Kansas. The Wizard then leaves Oz forever and commits suicide. The book ends; with the implication that; Elphaba will return to life someday.

Personality[]

This version of the Witch is a good and kind person, if still very flawed. As a child, she was precocious and friendly, as well as protective of her younger sister, Nessa. However, the frequent bullying she suffered from other children, and the disinterest to borderline contempt her father showed her, accumulated into making her an incredibly cynical and jaded person, and quickly defensive. Ironically, the harsh treatment she received for a superficial quality made her often judge others based on surface level details; although, she was capable of respecting the nuances in people if she got to know them, which was rare due to the prejudice her green complexion drew and her own rejection of most attempts to connect with her.

Perhaps due to or merely emphasised by her own experiences of facing persecution, she would sympathise with any being that was similarly targeted, and even becoming fiercely protective of them- more so than she ever would for herself - as she passionately defended Dr. Dillamond the talking goat teacher when he was being taunted for his speech impediment. She also committed to a goal of reversing the (to her) unexplained dispossession of the talking animal citizens of Oz.

While she and Galinda started with a hostile relationship, once Elphaba helped Galinda, Galinda in turn would work to undo the mockery that she flamed in the Shiz Academy, which allowed the other students to not yet like Elphaba, but at least accept her presence; despite Elphaba and Galinda's initially coarse relationship, they would eventually forgive any issues they each had, becoming closest friends, with certain hints of potential intimacy that began even in their adversarial time. Similarly, she was dismissive of Fiyero's flirtations because of his aloof, irresponsible, partying attitude, but upon encouraging him to share his true self, who was intelligent and compassionate, she felt drawn to him; however, she never advanced a deeper relationship because of multiple factors, such as her life of being demeaned made her feel insecure and thus unworthy of love, but a greater complication was the loyalty and affection she felt for now-Glinda because she too was attracted to the handsome prince, therefore Elphaba didn't wish to "steal" that happiness from her closest friend.

She would be strong in her convictions, since she refused the greatest opportunity if it demanded the disadvantage of others. Even understanding the consequences of her resistance, she would rather be a hunted exile, over a collaborator in a fascist regime. While she was strong in her beliefs, she eventually grew beyond her own judgements to better understand that everyone has complexities in their lives, ergo in spite of being upset that Glinda rejected her invitation to run away, she understood her fear and choice to remain under the reign of the Wizard

Trivia[]

• Elphaba's name is a pun on L. Frank Baum's name.
• In the musical and 2024 film, Elphaba's mother conceived her in a consensual affair with a traveling salesman, with her green complexion caused by a liquid narcotic her mother drank as an aphrodisiac and to get high.
  • It was also implied that the drug may have given or at least enhanced Elphaba's magical power and talent.
    • In Wicked: For Good, the source of her magic was revealed to be due to her being a child of "two worlds," that is her mother (from Oz) and her father, the Wizard (from Earth).

See Also[]

• Elphaba Thropp on theVillains Wiki

Navigation[]

Heroes

Main Characters Dorothy Gale |Toto |Scarecrow |Tin Woodman |Cowardly Lion |Wizard of Oz |Glinda the Good Witch of the North |The Munchkins |Aunt Em Return to Oz Dorothy Gale |Tik-Tok |Billina |Jack Pumpkinhead |The Gump |Princess Ozma Legends of Oz: Dorothy Returns Wiser |Marshal Mallow |China Princess |Tugg Book characters Hungry Tiger |Patchwork Girl |China Girl |Queen of the Field Mice Oz Kids Dot Hugson |Neddie Hugson |Andrea Wicked Elphaba Thropp |Glinda Upland |Fiyero Tigelaar