Wickedis a prequel toThe Wizard of Oz, but the musical features several characters who don’t appear in the original story such as Fiyero.The narrative takes place several years beforeThe Wizard of Oz, following Elphaba during her time at Shiz University, where she’s invited to the Emerald City for an audience with the infamous Wizard. Although it’s unclear exactly where theWickedmovies will split up the Broadway story, the first part will surely focus closely on Elphaba’s time at the university - and Fiyero is a key player in this segment of the narrative.
Fiyero is among several characters who are never mentioned by name inThe Wizard of Oz, but he plays an enormous role in the story nevertheless. Like many ofthe characters inWicked,Fiyero’s fate ties neatly into the original text and adds a whole new dimension to the narrative that’s only possible because of the play’s major twists.He’s one of several figures whose “true” identity isn’t revealed until the end ofWicked, as the two stories finally converge and his importance in this narrative becomes clear at last.
Why Fiyero Wasn’t In The Original The Wizard Of Oz
The Character Was Originally Created For The Prequel
At least under this name, Fiyero wasn’t present inThe Wizard of Oz. Gregory Maguire invented the character for his novel upon whichWickedwas based; he’s another student at Shiz University, where he soon becomes Elphaba’s love interest. The pair have a complex relationship that takes many forms throughoutWicked’s story, butit’s a completely new aspect of the narrativethat wasn’t present in the original film. InThe Wizard of Oz, Elphaba is a much more solitary and selfish character who’s never seen with a love interest, andWickedsets out to explain why.
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WhileMaguire invented the majority ofWicked’s characters for his book, they all have clear connections to existing figures inThe Wizard of Oz. The musical is a very strict prequel that neatly ties into the original film, carefully forging characters and relationships that still make sense in the original context. They aim to explain certain aspects ofThe Wizard of Ozwithout changing anything about the original story, offering a new perspective on events that audiences are already familiar with. Fiyero is an obvious example of this, serving to explain why Elphaba becomes the Wicked Witch.
Fiyero’s Backstory In Wicked Explained
The Character Comes From An Important Family
During the first act ofWicked,Elphaba and Fiyero go through a whirlwind romance at Shiz University. The former is shunned by the majority of her peers thanks to her unconventional appearance and taboo family history, but Fiyero is among the only characters who see her for herself. He isn’t disturbed byElphaba’s green skinlike the rest of her classmates, and the pair quickly fall in love. He sticks by Elphaba’s side when she travels to the Emerald City and discovers the truth about the Wizard, staying among the only characters who don’t turn against her.
Fiyero comes from a family of incredibly high status,and this makes him extremely popular during his years at Shiz. He’s admired by both Elphaba and Glinda, but he’s always drawn towards the former because of her selflessness and lack of ego. This love triangle is the central drama of the play’s first act, and it perfectly sets up the sacrifice and suffering that follow towards the end.
As the play progresses, and every character begins turning against Elphaba and her revolutionary philosophies, Fiyero is the only character who remains loyal to her.
As the proverbial witch hunt commences and the Emerald City turns against Elphaba, Fiyero is appointed as the Wizard’s Captain of the Guard, a position that he gladly accepts in the hopes that it will bring him back to Elphaba. As the play progresses, and every character begins turning against Elphaba and her revolutionary philosophies, Fiyero is the only character who remains loyal to her. He even sacrifices himself for Elphaba towards the end of the film, allowing her to flee the Wizard’s guards and fake her own death at the hands of Dorothy Gale.
Fiyero Has One Of The Most Heartbreaking Stories In Gregory Maguire’s Wicked
His Loyalty To Elphaba Is Ultimately His Undoing
Fiyero’s unwavering loyalty to Elphaba is the emotional core ofWicked, and it makes his journey one of the most emotional to watch. The entire play centers around embracing yourself for who you are, treating others as you’d wish to be treated, and judging people not by their appearance but by their actions. Fiyero’s behavior is the pinnacle of this, and he ultimately suffers for it. AlthoughElphaba manages to save him from the Wizard’s guardsafter his sacrifice, he’s transformed into the scarecrow (fromThe Wizard of Oz) and forced to give up all his titles and respect.
Wicked’s timeline intersects withThe Wizard of Ozin the second act, and Fiyero’s actions play a huge role in understanding the importance of the scarecrow in the original text. The musical reframes his actions as an attempt to get back to Elphaba and save her from the city that unfairly wants her dead, and he loses his brain in the process.He’s the one character who doesn’t deserve any of the sufferingthat’s inflicted upon them, but he arguably suffers the most - proving the play’s heartbreaking message about selflessness and social injustice.
The Films Will Likely Adopt The Character’s Happier Ending
Surprisingly, Fiyero’s story is completely different in theWickedmusical compared to the original story upon which it’s based. As it was first written, the Wizard actually executes Fiyero for his loyalty to Elphaba - the entire scarecrow subplot was rewritten for the stage to make Fiyero’s journey less tragic. This is undoubtedly the biggest change between the two versions. Whilethe stage play gives Fiyero a more suitable ending, there’s a certain tragedy to the original version that fits the story’s main themes.
Given the glitz and glamor of the on-screen adaptation, it’s highly likely that theWickedmovies will adopt the stage play’s version of Fiyero’s story. It’s a much safer and more fulfilling ending to the character’s journey, and it fits neatly withThe Wizard of Oz’s story. Going for the darker path would be an extremely bold choice for the movies, but admittedly, it would be a big swing that could definitely pay off.
In the first movie, Fiyero is there to help both Elphaba and Glinda. At the end ofWicked, Fiyero rode off, seemingly searching for Elphaba. However, his story stopped there in the first film. It won’t be until the second movie that fans will see if he becomes the scarecrow or if he dies for helping Elphaba. The play made both Elphaba and Fiyero’s stories happier, with them leaving together and faking her death, whereas the book kills both of them. This resolution won’t be unveiled until the second part hits theaters in late 2025.
Fans Loved The Movie Version Of Fiyero
Fans Say Fiyero Is Better In The Movie Than The Play
Jonathan Bailey was widely praised for his role as Fiyero inWicked. He had just the right amount of charm and was there to both woo Glinda and become a close companion to Elphaba.What made people fall for Fiyero was that he could easily have been the most popular boy on campus,and Glinda wanted him, but he seemed to see a kindred spirit in Elphaba. She was shunned for her looks but was good inside. He was praised for his looks but didn’t care about all the attention.
ARedditthreadpraised his greatness. One person wrote about the wave that he gave Elphaba in the library, and then @CartoonistLive1738 wrote, “Especially since he does it right after he says there’s so many to choose from. Looking right past Glinda as she is showing the book place with a collection of rare and medium rare books, and does her hair flick. Elphaba caught his eye.” Many fans are already lamenting that when it comes time for his song, “As Long as You’re Mine,” it will destroy the audiences.
It also helps that he is a wild one who gets into trouble and does so for fun. He is the least stuffy person at school. In another Reddit thread, the OP said that the character in theWickedmovie was much better than the play since the play didn’t give him time to develop as much. Redditor @Blablablablaname wrote, “I’m glad his lack of bigotry was better grounded in the movie! I really enjoyed movie Fiyero as a character much more than original musical Fiyero, which I’ve always found a bit boring.”
Wicked
Cast
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
