Does Elphaba Die at the End of Wicked: For Good? The Movie Features a New Twist From the Broadway Show

Spoilers ahead for Wicked! Wicked: For Good is the epic ending to the beloved tale that we’ve all been obsessed with for the past two years.

The last time we saw our dear friend Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) in Wicked: Part 1, she was being chased down and hunted by the citizens of Oz because she was labeled as a traitor. The sequel takes place five years after the incident, and the time Elphaba and Glinda (Ariana Grande) bid farewell to each other in the ultimate music number “Defying Gravity.” The events of the movie expand on Glinda’s life after being recruited by the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), Nessarose’s (Marissa Bode) rise as the governor of Munchkinland, and inevitably set up the story we all know and love from The Wizard of Oz.

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It all culminates in that iconic moment where Dorothy confronts the Wicked Witch of the West, but does it play out in real time?

Does Elphaba die at the end of Wicked: For Good?

Elphaba doesn’t die at the end of Wicked: For Good. When Dorothy throws a pail of water at the witch, it seems like she’s really melting. However, it’s revealed that Fiyero had helped her fake her death by putting her in a trapped door. The two escape Oz to live a fulfilling life together, while Glinda keeps it a secret from all the citizens.

Before all of that, though, is a heartfelt moment between Elphie and Glinda, as they say “I love yous” to each other as their final words to each other. This moment isn’t really in the stage version of the musical, so this special moment between the two main characters hit so hard for us fans. Glinda also tells the Wizard that Elphaba was a child of both worlds,” instead of Morrible.

Flash over to Glinda after the moment, who has the now-earned title of Good Witch and can use the Grimmerie. She finds out that the Wizard of Oz is actually Elphaba’s father and banishes him from Oz, and she puts Madame Morrible in prison for life for manslaughter and deception in Oz.