Wicked completely changed Elphaba, Glinda and Fiyero's love triangle from the book

9 January 2025, 15:32

By Sam Prance

Here's who Elphaba, Glinda and Fiyero end up with in the book that Wicked is based on.

Loading audio...

Wicked's Elphaba, Glinda and Fiyero love triangle is integral to the plot but it pans out very differently in the book.

Just like the musical, Wicked makes pretty clear that Fiyero and Elphaba have feelings for each other despite the fact that Fiyero is in a relationship with Glinda. There's an instant chemistry between them that builds as the film goes on. This dynamic evolves in the second act of the stage musical and we'll see it explored further in Wicked: For Good.

However, what you may not know is that the musical completely changed the love triangle from the Wicked novel.

Read more: Wicked's Michelle Yeoh drops Part 2 spoiler in viral Golden Globes clip
Read more: Wicked director Jon M. Chu defends film's lighting following criticism

Who does Fiyero end up with in the Wicked book?

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande sang live on Wicked

WARNING: Major spoilers ahead for the plot of Wicked Part 2 and Wicked the stage musical.

WARNING: WICKED MUSICAL SPOILERS BELOW. Picture: Universal Pictures

In Gregory Maguire's original 1995 book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, there isn't any romantic relationship between Fiyero and Glinda. Not only that but Fiyero is only a passing character when he's first introduced at Shiz. It's later revealed that his family arranged a marriage between him and a girl named Sarima.

Nevertheless, Fiyero and Elphaba's relationship does end up being romantic just like the musical. After Elphaba finds out that the Wizard will not help her in her quest to give animals back their rights, she puts Glinda on a train back to Shiz university, goes into hiding and joins an underground terrorist organisation.

The book then flashes forward five years and Fiyero bumps into Elphaba by chance. Elphaba discovers that Fiyero is now married to Sarima with three kids: Irji, Manek, and Nor. It's clear Fiyero is not in love with Sarima and he and Elphaba begin a passionate affair that's cut short when Fiyero is murdered by The Wizard's police force.

Fiyero's death sends Elphaba into a depressive coma in which she unknowingly gives birth to their son Liir. Later Elphaba falls victim to insomnia and paranoia. She becomes convinced that Fiyero survived and became the Scarecrow but this isn't true and Dorothy kills her like in The Wizard of Oz.

As for Glinda, she marries an older named Sir Chuffrey and becomes known as Glinda the Good because of her charitable nature. She then becomes entangled in the entire Dorothy saga.

Who does Fiyero end up with in the Wicked musical?

If you've seen the musical, you will already know that Elphaba, Glinda and Fiyero's story is not the same as the book. At the start of Act II, Fiyero is shocked when Glinda announces in a press conference that they're engaged. He then leaves Glinda when he finds out that the Wizard is using her to spread false propaganda about Elphaba.

Realising that Fiyero is in love with Elphaba, Glinda then sings 'I'm Not That Girl (Reprise)' from her perspective. As for Fiyero, he finds Elphaba and the two confess their love for each other in 'As Long As Your Mine' but their future looks uncertain when Nessarose is killed by a tornado dropping Dorothy's house on her.

Elphaba goes to see Nessarose. The Wizard's guards then attempt to capture Elphaba. Fiyero stops them so that Elphaba can escape. In order to prevent the guards from harming Fiyero, Elphaba casts as spell to save him. Unbeknownst to her, he transforms into the Scarecrow.

At the end of the musical, Elphaba fakes her own death with Dorothy so that she can flee Oz with Fiyero. The pair then spend the rest of the lives together with Glinda and the rest of Oz believing they're dead.