Heading out of Wicked Part 1, fans need to know how the Wicked Witch of the West dies in Part 2.
For over 80 years, the death of the Wicked Witch of the West has been witnessed in The Wizard of Oz. Wicked, originally a book that became a Broadway musical and now a 2024 smash-hit movie, tells the backstory of the Wicked Witch (Elphaba) and the Good Witch (Glinda).
However, there's more to the well-known story than just learning more about the iconic witches; some of the narrative in The Wizard of Oz also gets flipped on its head.
What Happens to the Wicked Witch of the West
The Wicked Witch of the West's demise is one of the most iconic moments in cinematic history, as seen in 1939's The Wizard of Oz. In the film, Dorothy's accidental splash of water causes the witch to melt, swiftly ending her reign of terror.
However, Wicked takes a vastly different approach, offering a deeper and more sympathetic exploration of the character's fate.
Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for Wicked the Musical and Wicked Part 2.
In Act 2 of Wicked, Elphaba fakes her death in a carefully orchestrated plan with Fiyero. By leveraging the Ozian rumor that water is her ultimate weakness, the two create a scenario where Elphaba "melts" when Dorothy throws water on her.
The scene is an act of genius in deception. While the citizens of Oz believe they’ve witnessed the end of the Wicked Witch, Elphaba survives and lives in exile with Fiyero, who was transformed into the Scarecrow earlier in the story.
Unlike the 1939 film, which depicts water as a genuine threat to Elphaba, the musical reframes it as a mere myth.
And despite their core friendship in the story, Glinda is unaware of Elphaba's survival, believing the Wicked Witch is dead.
This act of self-preservation by Elphaba is a stark contrast to the abrupt and unintended act of her death in The Wizard of Oz.
In Wicked, the plan stems from Elphaba's need to escape the hatred and persecution she faces in the second half of the story.
After confronting the Wizard's corruption and Madame Morrible's manipulation, Elphaba is relentlessly hunted. The public's belief in her villainy becomes so entrenched that faking her death is the only way to protect herself and Fiyero.
Their escape is a bittersweet triumph, allowing them to live free but far from the society that rejected them. Earlier in the story, there are subtle hints that water does not affect her, such as her tearful moments and calm demeanor in the rain.
This reinterpretation highlights Elphaba's cunning and resourcefulness as she turns the misconception into her means of survival.
As anticipation builds for Wicked Part 2, releasing on November 21, 2025, the cinematic adaptation is poised to follow this narrative thread. Fans are eager to see how Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba will navigate her supposed "melting" and whether her escape with Jonathan Bailey's Fiyero will mirror the musical's ending.
The film will offer an opportunity to explore this twist further, emphasizing that Elphaba's "death" is not the end of her story but rather a new beginning and possibly giving more to Ariana Grande's Glinda in the closing moments.
Wicked is defying gravity in theaters worldwide.
