Why did Nessarose become the Wicked Witch of the East in the Wizard of Oz universe?

This article contains Potential spoilers About “Evil: For Good”.

The first part of the film adaptation of “Wicked” It was a huge success at the box officea critically acclaimed new title on Rotten Tomatoes, has become an unexpected darling in the middle of awards season. While many debated the decision to split the Tony Award-winning musical into two films (This writer personally supports the division), and this has given fans plenty of time to speculate about what to expect in “Wicked: For Good.” Well, these are the fans who never read “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” the book by Gregory Maguire that would inspire the musical that serves as the basis for the film.

However, as a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz,” there are a few things that fans know are coming After the end of the first movie “Wicked”.. The Wizard is an imposter who escapes Oz in his hot air balloon, Elphaba is melted down by Dorothy Gale in search of her broom on the way back to Kansas, and perhaps most importantly, Dorothy’s house will be swept by a tornado and land on the head of the Wicked Witch of the East. If you’re only familiar with the 1939 film, you know that the Wicked Witch of the East dies, but you probably don’t know anything about it. Fortunately, “Wicked: Part One” introduced us all to the tragically beautiful Nessarose, the tragically beautiful little sister of Elphaba.

Nessarose is so cute in “Wicked: Part One”, how does she become the Wicked Witch of the East? Let’s follow the yellow brick road and find out.

Nessarose Throop is the younger sister of Elphaba and the daughter of Melina Throop and Frexpar the Godly, the former ruler of Munchkinland. In the book, she is born prematurely and without arms, requiring her to receive constant care, while in the musical, she is born paralyzed and requires the use of a wheelchair. Her father gave her the enchanted silver shoes (the ruby ​​red slippers in “The Wizard of Oz”), and they remain her most prized possession. In both versions of the story, Nessarose is incredibly beautiful, but her use of a wheelchair initially paints her as a tragic figure.

Nessarose is spoiled compared to Elphaba, because her disability causes her father and nanny to prioritize their attention to her. This also pressures Elphaba to put her own wants and needs second to her sister’s emotions. Despite this intense conflict, Elphaba cares deeply for Nyssa, even if this care is not always reciprocated, and even if Elphaba feels a slight resentment towards her little sister. As a child, she was played by Cecily Collette Taylor, a young actress with Spina Bivida.

Although they were not aware of it in their younger years, Elphaba and Nessarose are actually half-sisters, as Elphaba’s father is the Wizard of Oz, and her green skin is attributed to the green elixir that the wizard and their mother consumed. Elphaba and Nessarose were very close as children, and Elphaba even served as a “mother figure” to Nyssa after their mother died – which sent their father into a deep depression. However, the seeds of resentment are planted because Nyssa’s physical disability is the result of her mother being forced to chew milk flowers during her pregnancy in the hopes that this child would not be born with green skin like Elphaba.

While it’s clearly not Elphaba’s fault, it’s easier for Nyssa to blame her than to accept that her parents made a mistake, especially when their father also blames his eldest daughter rather than his own decisions. This also led Elphaba to feel guilty, inspiring her to protect her little sister. She also blames herself and thus is easily manipulated by Nyssa under the guise of her “entitlement”.

When the girls arrive at Shiz, Frexpar asks Elphaba to follow her to ensure Nessarose is stable and safe. Her protectiveness shows her face when head Shizstress Miss Coddle (Keala Settle) tries to grab Nessa’s wheelchair to push her around the university in order to get away 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 beginning,” Nyssa told her, before turning away from her sadness. But this display of magic gives Elphaba a place in Shiz, and the sisters remain in each other’s lives. Later, Elphaba is overjoyed for Nyssa when Puck asks the latter to the Ozdast ballroom, and when she learns that Glinda is the reason Puck asked for her sister (even if it was Glinda’s way of pawning him off so she could go with Prince Fiyero). , Elphaba convinces Madame Moribel to let Glinda enter the seminar to learn magic despite her “hate” for the future Good Witch.

The following information comes from the second act of the “Wicked” musical, so it’s possible that “Wicked: For Good” will change certain details regarding Nessa’s on-screen story.

After Elphaba was painted as the Wicked Witch of the West in retaliation for not agreeing to perform in The Wizard of Oz and Madame Morebelle, Nessarose married Puck and became the Eminence of Munchkinland. Their father died in disgrace due to Elphaba’s supposed evil, and since everyone in Oz knows Nessarose is Elphaba’s sister, she becomes bitter and cruel. After years on the run, Elphaba seeks refuge with her sister, who refuses to help her and cites her position as an elected official as a reason not to shelter a runaway.

But these years have also given Nessarose plenty of time for her anger toward her sister to grow – not because she considers her evil, but because Elphaba’s magic is so powerful, Nessa feels angry that her sister never used her abilities to allow her to walk. Without help. Elphaba, guilt-ridden, enchants Nyssa’s silver shoe. Her color goes from silver to the famous ruby ​​red, and she is able to walk.

Nessarose treats Puck not as a husband, but as a servant, because deep down she knows that he never loved her and still misses Glinda. When her engagement to Prince Fiyero is announced, Puck wants to tell the truth, which inspires Nessarose to cast a grimiri spell. But she got it wrong, causing Puck’s heart to shrink. She is overcome by her obsession to prevent Puck from leaving her and her resentment of her sister’s reputation (as well as the one that “caused” her father’s death). If anyone in Oz is truly evil, it’s Nessarose. But this is not an evil she was born with; it was, as Glenda explains, an evil forced upon her.

Nessarose’s anger and bitterness were directed not only at her sister, but also at Puck and all of Munchkinland. She engaged in one-sided business deals, was cruel to her constituents, and used her basic magical skills to control others. There’s a reason the Munchkins of Munchkinland sing “Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead” in “The Wizard of Oz,” after Dorothy Gale’s house falls on top of her, killing her. Just as Elphaba was called the “Wicked Witch of the West,” Nessarose is known as the “Wicked Witch of the East.”

“Wicked: For Good” is currently scheduled to hit theaters on November 21, 2025.