Ariana Grande as Glinda standing in front of Dorothy's house in Wicked For GoodCredit: Giles Keyte / © Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
By
Allison Hambrick
Published 38 minutes ago
An avid comic book fan since she first read "Stan Lee's Soapbox," Allison Hambrick is your friendly neighborhood generalist writer. Journalism, editing, media production, copywriting—she does it all. From her very first blog post about Smallville as a primary schooler, Allison developed a passion for superheroes and the entertainment industry at large.
Majoring in writing and film at SCAD, Allison put her skills to work writing, editing, podcasting, and more. Currently, she moonlights as an editor at the ASHRAE Journal by day and Screen Rant by night. Allison also previously worked for Warner Bros. Entertainment and for Disney.
Through her writing, she hopes to inspire, to entertain, and to empower others to be the best versions of themselves, and her mission in life is to make Stan proud. In her free time, she enjoys reading, video game design, traveling, and spending time outside with her dogs, Loki and Elphaba. Allison is fluent in movie quotes, and her favorite film is Superman II.
Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recapThis article contains spoilers for Wicked: For Good.
A year after Wicked hit theaters, its sequel, Wicked: For Good, is already defying gravity at the box office. Adapting the second act of the hit Broadway musical, the film stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as the witches of Oz, Elphaba and Glinda. The supporting cast is rounded out by Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Marissa Bode, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, and Jeff Goldblum.
The conflict at the core of For Good is Elphaba's fight against the Wizard of Oz (Goldblum) to stop the oppression of Animals. Glinda is caught in the middle as the Wizard elevates her to a position of power that allows her to be loved by the masses, but at the cost of turning a blind eye to his crimes. Consequently, the two former friends find themselves at odds for most of the film's runtime, something exacerbated when Fiyero, Glinda's fiancé, leaves her for Elphaba.
As in the play, however, Glinda still comes through for Elphaba at the end, warning her when an angry mob sets out to kill her. Unlike the stage version, Glinda's decision to help Elphaba is explored through a new song, "The Girl in the Bubble." Marc Platt, who produced both the musical and the films, revealed that the creatives behind the musical always wanted to expand on her arc:
To be fair to Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, who created the original musical, when we did, there were –because of time that you can be on stage, literally – there were elements of the story we had to cut out, or could never elaborate upon. And we always said to each other, if we ever make a movie, there’s elaboration that feels very organic, that we never got to do, and most of it’s in the second half.
According to Platt, the first film was "very much the journey of Elphaba, in terms of how she changes as a character," while "For Good is really, in terms of character, a journey of Glinda, and how she changes over the course of the film." He then added: "And once you understand that, you understand why it’s so organically two movies. And the second film allowed us to tell more of Glinda’s story. What happened as a kid to her, that she’s got this need... to be magic?"
"How does she allow herself to kind of live a lie?" he continued. "Present herself as somebody who has qualities she doesn’t? And so understanding what her mom would’ve said to her as a kid, how that informed her, was very important." Because For Good is a musical, he explained that the goal was to give her a moment like "Defying Gravity" that signified her change in motivations.
Glinda smiling as she is surrounded by adoring attendants in Wicked For Good
"Glinda never had a song in the second act of the stage musical... which allows her to look in the mirror, literally, and say 'who do I want to be?'" Platt said. "Do I have the courage to be who I really am? Or do I need to be what I think the world wants me to be?” And so those are examples, her backstory, her song of how elaborating, having the time really filled in the story."
The choice to add extra songs to For Good has been met with mixed reactions from fans and critics. Both "The Girl in the Bubble" and Elphaba's new track, "There's No Place Like Home," showcase the stars' immense vocal talent, but have been criticized for weighing down the pace of the film.
In addition to the new tracks, the movie also revises Glinda's arc by having her follow up on Elphaba's mission and making Oz safe for Animals once again, as opposed to implying she would. Regardless of the changes made from stage to screen, Wicked: For Good fulfills the promise of its premise, showing how performative goodness damages society and breaking hearts along the way.
Your Rating
close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Leave a ReviewYour comment has not been saved
Like Follow Followed Wicked: For Good PG Drama Fantasy Romance
8/10
8.3/10
Release Date
November 21, 2025
Runtime
137 Minutes
Director
Jon M. Chu
Writers
Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox, Gregory Maguire
Cast
See All-
Cynthia Erivo
Elphaba
-
Ariana Grande
Glinda
Expand
Collapse
-
Movies
-
Wicked: For Good
We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.
Be the first to post Images Attachment(s) Please respect our community guidelines. No links, inappropriate language, or spam.Your comment has not been saved
Send confirmation emailThis thread is open for discussion.
Be the first to post your thoughts.
- Terms
- Privacy
- Feedback
9 hours ago
Jason David Frank's Mature Power Rangers-Like Movie Finally Gets Release Window 3 Years After His Death
9 hours ago
Brendan Fraser's Buzzy New Drama Smashes Box Office Record Set By His Oscar-Winning Comeback Movie
7 hours ago
10 Exhilarating Journalism Thrillers
6 hours ago
A Classic Star Trek: The Original Series Fight Has Aged Very Poorly (It's Technology's Fault)
More from our brands
'Wicked: For Good' — What We Know About Glinda and Elphaba's Second Act
The Best Movies in Theaters Right Now
Why Disney Changed the Name of Tangled
The Best Movies In Theaters Right Now
The Love Triangle Between These Three 'Wicked' Characters Runs Even Deeper in the Book
This Deleted Scene From 'Wicked' Explains Exactly Why Glinda Can't Do Magic
Everything We Know About 'Wicked: Part 2', Explained
Trending Now
10 Quotes That Perfectly Define Hulk’s Character In The MCU
2:18
Chris Hemsworth Strives To Better Understand His Father In A Road Trip To Remember Clip
This Behind-the-Scenes Star Trek Feud Killed Kirk's Best Romance
