Wicked

Wickedauthor Gregory Maguire affirm lesbian subtext between Glinda and Elphaba was always designed while he was developing their relationship . TheWickedmovie adjustment ’s positive reviewshave often foreground the nearness in the relationship between Glinda ( Ariana Grande - Butera ) and Elphaba ( Cynthia Erivo ) , especially as their friendship starts to dwindle throughout the story . However , there have been interpretations of the brace having an LGBTQ+ kinship , with bothGrande - Butera and Erivo plump for the possibilityof looking at their link through a romantic lens . However , nothing had ever been confirm about just how shut the couple truly were .

talk withThem , Maguire confirmed that , when he first wrote theWickednovel in 1995 , the tribade subtext between Glinda and Elphaba was intentional . The source explicate how , " it was pocket-sized and restrained and down " in its presentationto leave enough up to the readers ' imagination , such as whether there was an unrequited connection , or if they were secretly in a loving relationship . He said that , while he purposefully laced subtext within his Good Book , he never wanted to be forthright so reviewer could interpret it for themselves . see out what Maguire had to say below :

That was intentional , and it was minor and moderate and refine in such a direction that one could envisage that one of those two young woman had feel more than the other and had not want to say it . Or perhaps because a novelist ca n’t write every scene , perhaps when the lights were out and the novelist was out make a green goddess in the back alleyway , the girl had sex in the bed on the way to the Emerald City . I wanted to project this opening , but I did not desire to make a asserting statement about .

Wicked - Poster

What Maguire’s Confirmation Says About Glinda & Elphaba’s Relationship In Wicked

Maguire ’s confirmation about Glinda and Elphaba ’s relationship offer up a new meter reading of the account , one that emphasizes romance as another link between the main characters . While theWickedmovie differs from the bookin many important ways , as does the Broadway musical , both stories are still about the tragic end of a relationship and the path of good and evil they go down . Because their canonic premises are the same , it tolerate room to construe both rendering of the musical as telling a love story between the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West .

Wicked ’s Elphaba and Glinda learn audiences many authoritative deterrent example about the power of friendly relationship , standing by each other in moment of crisis .

The generator ’s statement arrive just as the feature film adaptation has crossed $ 450 million at the global box office , making it a huge success against its $ 150 million budget . WithWicked : Part Twogetting releasedon November 21 , 2025 , Maguire ’s reveal opens the doorway for a potential geographic expedition of this subtext even more in the next movie . While it ’s unclear if any adaption would ever be direct about it , thus offering the audience multiple ways of looking at the story , his verification offers new way the story can be present in next rendition .

Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) looking up in Wicked

Our Take On Wicked’s Confirmed Lesbian Subtext

Should It Change Adaptations Going Forward?

SinceWickedhas already been filmed , whatever lesbian subtext make out to make its way into the film adjustment already is likely all that will be present across both parts . Despite Maguire ’s confirmation , it does n’t entail next Broadway adaptations or other performances necessitate to directly confirm Glinda and Elphaba are in a romantic relationship . However , it does start the door for a more direct version in the future , potentially exploring the duo through a different lens without just subtext to emphasize their connexion to each other .

Maguire’sWickedis much darker than the Broadway musical , which lifted some elements but finally tells a much dissimilar story .

Source : Them

Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) posing in Wicked

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Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two - part film , following the improbable friendship between Elphaba , born with green skin , and Glinda , a popular blue blood , in the Land of Oz . As they navigate their counterpoint path , they develop into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West .

Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda in Wicked looking confused

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Headshot Of Cynthia Erivo

Headshot Of Ariana Grande In The 2024 Met Gala

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Wicked