Fans of the Wicked musical know that Nessarose eventually becomes the Wicked Witch of the East, but how she gets there is a bit of a process.
In the Wicked film adaptation, Marissa Bode plays Nessarose, the wheelchair-bound sister of Cynthia Erivo's green-skinned hero, Elphaba.
The pair join each other at Oz-based Shiz University in Wicked: Part 1, as Nessarose grapples with everything from her busy class schedule to young love (even if that person may or may not reciprocate the feelings).
How Did Nessarose Become the Wicked Witch?
Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for the Wicked musical and potential spoilers for Wicked: Part 2.
One of the key plot points of the second half of the Wicked musical, which will surely be one in the upcoming Wicked: Part 2 film, is Elphaba's sister, Nessarose, becoming the Wicked Witch of the East.
In the original Wizard of Oz movie, the Wicked Witch of the East is the poor, unfortunate soul crushed by Dorothy's house as the structure careens from the sky and lands in Munchkinland.
Like her sister, Nessarose's 'Wicked' moniker is not something she chooses for herself but rather something that the citizens of Oz thrust upon her.
However, while Elphaba's 'Wicked' name may not be justified, Nesarose's is something she may earn over the years between the events of the first and second half of the Wicked musical.
In Act 2, Nessarose rises to power in Munchkinland, taking over as governor after her and Elphaba's father's death.
She first appears in the story's second half, as her sister, Elphaba, looks to her father for refuge after being on the run for years following the events of Act 1's gravity-defying climax. However, she discovers that her father is dead, and Nessarose is filling his seat.
As governor, Nessarose earns the nickname "Wicked Witch of the East" as she slowly becomes a more tyrannical leader over the citizens of Munchkinland. As her reign becomes overbearing, the Munchkins dub her the Wicked Witch of the East as a form of protest over her ruthless ways.
Her story in Act 2 sees her running Munchkinland and crossing paths with her sister again.
Nessarose guilts Elphaca into putting a spell on her simmering silver slippers, turning them from gray to a bright ruby red and allowing her to overcome her disability. She is also seen with the boy she thought she loved, Boq, who now works with her as her personal servant in Munchkinland.
It is revealed that Boq never actually loved her, and his heart lies with the quote/unquote good witch, Glinda (Ariana Grande in the movie).
To hopefully make him fall back in love with her, Nessarose uses a spell from the mysterious Grimmerie (the book seen at the end of the Wicked Part 1 film), accidentally cursing Boq and shirking his heart.
Trying to save Boq from suffering, Elphaba casts a spell on her former Shiz classmate, turning him into the Tin Man, as seen in The Wizard of Oz. Terrified by her sister's actions, Nessarose forces Elphaba from Munchkinland and sends her into exile.
From there, Nessarose's Wicked story ends just as it did in the 1939 technicolor masterpiece. Her last scene in the musical shows her being crushed by the home of one Dorothy Gale, with the citizens of Munchkinland rejoicing in the Wicked Witch of the East's demise.
Wicked: Part 1 is playing in theaters.
