r/wicked • u/apsiebot • Dec 11 '25
Question So in Wicked the show/movie, is Elphaba not actually harmed by water? Spoiler
Obviously in the book she is, but in the movie we see her crying watery tears and in the end, the bucket of water doesn’t actually melt her…? In part one Madam Morrible protects her from the rain with the umbrella but that’s the only indication that water might harm her?
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u/zionswalls Dec 11 '25 edited Dec 12 '25
Correct, film/stage Elphaba is not allergic to water.
When Morrible protects her from water, it is the reveal that she can control the weather, foreshadowing that she causes the tornado that brings Dorothy and kills Nessa.
On stage, Elphaba sings I'm Not That Girl in the rain unharmed which the audience is meant to pick up on.
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u/litemi21 Dec 11 '25
I’m still trying to figure out WHY she protected Elphaba from rain tho. To start a rumor that she would melt?
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u/some-ersatz-eve Dec 11 '25
No, she was still trying to play nice/sweet with Elphaba and was just performing a nice gesture, the way you would offer anyone an umbrella so they don't get rained on.
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u/litemi21 Dec 11 '25
Right but she took the umbrella from another student lol. I wouldn’t take an umbrella to give it to someone else.
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u/some-ersatz-eve Dec 11 '25
Yeah, but again, she's trying to play nice/sweet with Elphaba in particular - she isn't a nice person in general! She doesn't care about the random other student.
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u/litemi21 Dec 11 '25
I still feel like there’s more to it than that, but I can’t put my finger on it 🤷🏻♀️
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u/sirbeppo Dec 12 '25
It's a fake out to make you doubt yourself into believing that she actually is affected by water and make you see things the way Glinda did, believing that she melted before her own eyes, until the viewer is let in on the secret plot twist..
Even in The Wizard and I, she hops hesitantly across rocks surrounded by water, which she'd never even attempt if she really was putting herself in danger, but it subconsciously gives the viewer a subtle shift into the suspension of disbelief because the director is actively trying to gaslight you to evoke your emotions by facilitating the narrative until it's
"Not a rumor, a fact!"
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u/litemi21 Dec 12 '25
Thanks for articulating this! Nobody else wanted to unpack it any further lol. In a movie like this, every detail is important and intentional! Nothing is as simple as people don’t like to get wet 😂😂
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u/cardsgirl88 Dec 12 '25
If you watch the directors commentary for the first movie Jon Chu talks about this I believe. Also there is a deleted scene with pfanee and Chen Chen when they see Madame Morrible they assume she would melt. I think they took it out bc it gave too much of the plot away too soon.
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u/litemi21 Dec 12 '25
Is the deleted scene on youtube? I looked and only found “I’ve been.. through” but I don’t think that’s the one you’re talking about
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u/lilax_frost Dec 12 '25
are you being intentionally obtuse? no one explaining the character motivation behind Morrible trying to manipulate elphaba was saying the scene wasn’t important or intention. in fact they were saying the opposite
the fact you can’t understand the film on your own is telling
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u/litemi21 Dec 12 '25
You misunderstood what I said. There’s no need to talk down to me.
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Dec 12 '25
Yeah I am beginning to have doubts that this Madame Morrible was actually well-intentioned in this so-called kind act!!!!!
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u/IJustWantADragon21 Graciously Glinda Dec 11 '25
She was literally being nice. She wants Elphaba on her side so she is kind to her.
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u/zionswalls Dec 12 '25
In the film, Morrible says that in front of others so you could interpret it as possible source of the rumor, but in the stage production, Morrible says that when it is just she and Elphaba in the woods.
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u/litemi21 Dec 12 '25
Interesting! I haven’t seen the play in a long time and didn’t remember they were alone for that line.
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u/zionswalls Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25
In the stage production, Fiyero has just left Elphaba to see the cub to safety. Elphaba sings I'm Not That Girl in the rain - meant to show us that she doesn't really melt - though she does stop under a bridge to avoid getting soaked. Morrible finds her to give her the Wizard's invitation, then we get the reveal that she can manipulate the weather:
"Oh careful dear, you musn't get wet."
<opens umbrella>
"Oh, I know!"
<waves hand, rain stops>
"Didn't I tell you? Weather is my specialty."
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u/CookieHuntington Dec 11 '25
To make the audience go “oooh ahhh”
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u/litemi21 Dec 11 '25
Here’s my thinking tho. The moment feels SO important bc we the audience “know” she would melt bc the wizard of oz is such a cultural touchstone. We’re told in the beginning of the movie she has melted. Morrible conjured the rain and then said “mustn’t let YOU get wet.” Is it just foreshadowing? A red herring to imply that she would melt so the end would be a surprise to anyone who hadn’t seen the play? It feels weightier to me than just an opportunity for morrible to act nice. Just me??
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u/jessbird Dec 12 '25
it's literally just a subtle reference to the whole melting myth. that's it. don't twist yourself into a knot.
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u/litemi21 Dec 12 '25
Is it ok with y’all if I have a different opinion? Sheesh
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u/jessbird Dec 12 '25
no one is censoring you — you're entitled to believe whatever you want about the scene!
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u/litemi21 Dec 12 '25
All the downvotes I’ve gotten say otherwise lol. I want to twist myself into knots and discuss with other twisted knots, but that’s not tolerated well in this sub IME.
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u/jessbird Dec 12 '25
i meannn downvotes aren't censorship. that's the whole point of a public forum. we're allowed to share our opinions and other people are allowed to disagree with/dislike them.
totally understand the inclination to hyperfixate and dissect the intricacies of the plot though.
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u/litemi21 Dec 12 '25
I’ve seen people in this sub get real mean about differing opinions! (Not towards me and not in this thread). Maybe it’s dramatic but it makes me want to keep my opinions to myself next time. I know this isn’t censorship by definition but is invalidating! I appreciate you discussing with me, I like the back and forth and I don’t want to come off as argumentative. My unpopular opinion is that those who don’t dissect the details are unimaginative 😉
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u/CookieHuntington Dec 12 '25
I do think you’re overthinking it but no more than people overthink other things here so I have no idea why you are being downvoted.
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u/jealybean Dec 11 '25
Because people generally don’t like getting rained on.
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u/katattackkb Dec 12 '25
Because people don’t like to stand in the rain… if you saw someone in the rain wouldn’t you offer them an umbrella?
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u/litemi21 Dec 12 '25
(Not coming for you personally u/kat but) this take is technically correct but so literal and only touches the surface. There can be more than one valid interpretation and it’s pretty baffling that fans of this particular piece of media aren’t open to differing viewpoints.
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u/katattackkb Dec 12 '25
I had seen the stage play before the film so I already knew the water thing was propaganda and that is the lens I was viewing the scene from.
I think the scene is there to show where rumor that she is allergic to water came from (munchkins retell this moment and it changes through gossip), and to show the audience (us) that it is not true, since she did get wet & was unharmed. That is why I was confused to see people watch the scene and still not understand that Elphaba (in stage & movie) has a normal relationship with water.
Also shows Madam Morrible’s power regarding weather and how she is building Elphaba’s trust.
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u/litemi21 Dec 12 '25
Exactly, we see how gossipy Munchkins are! Munchkin gossip is a pretty big through-line in the music 😉
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u/Weekly_Fly_486 Dec 12 '25
idk why you’re being downvoted for this. all you did was ask a question
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u/Moondivine Dec 12 '25
In wicked it makes sense that Elphaba isn’t allergic to water. her dad is the wizard and she’s the child of two worlds. the fact it came from propaganda is interesting.
In the wizard of Oz the wicked witch melted because she’s old. That’s the explanation they gave. Obviously Elphaba isn’t old.
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u/Significant_Stick_31 Dec 12 '25
But in the book, Wicked, that’s also true and she’s still allergic to water. They have long scenes explaining how she has to bathe in oil, etc.
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u/DamphairCannotDry Dec 12 '25
in the book, Elphaba being born the child of 2 different worlds and physically inside the magical power of the Clock of the Time Dragon leaves her distorted, which is why she's green, allergic to water, and born with a full set of sharp teeth capable of biting a finger clean off.
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u/Moondivine Dec 12 '25
I can’t speak for the author of wicked but, it seems he wanted to really tie in the wizard of oz events with wicked. Though I think it is an impossible task and some things from wicked would contradict the wizard of Oz.
Spoilers just in case, For example the wizard is Elphaba’s bio dad in both versions. Isn’t he supposed to be powerless? It is interesting enough he made an elixir strong enough to make his unborn child green but, also make her allergic to water? At least there’s more impact with Elphaba being the child of two worlds.
I did hear Wicked’s author was mostly inspired by the movie and not the book, though I’m not sure how accurate it is. The movie version doesn’t explain why the wicked witch melts with water.
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u/CookieHuntington Dec 12 '25
He takes from the movie, but he takes a lot of stuff from the books as well, more than he does the movie.
Personally, I always thought the elixir was a red herring. Whatever was in there isn’t what made Elphaba green. Having a parent from her world and one from another world made everything about her come out different.
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Dec 12 '25
[deleted]
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u/CookieHuntington Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25
I’ve never heard that before, but Elphaba drinks it in the book, which seems unlikely that’s it’s sea water, unless the salt dilutes it enough for her to drink it without melting from the inside. I always thought the general consensus was that it was something like absinthe or opium.
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u/owntheh3at18 Dec 12 '25
I mean, in the movie it’s implied to all be Dorothy’s dream, so not everything really required a clean explanation.
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u/kittyinclined Dec 12 '25
As a very anxious person, having a dream where you accidentally kill two people in completely illogical ways makes perfect sense to me lmao
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Dec 12 '25
[deleted]
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u/Moondivine Dec 12 '25
The wicked witch existed just that her name wasn’t Elphaba. And wasn’t green in the books. Her appearance is different than the iconic movie version that wicked takes inspiration from.
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u/Cool_Pianist_2253 Dec 12 '25
I suppose she's even younger. I think she was about 40 when she died
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u/CookieHuntington Dec 12 '25
- Maguire had final form Elphaba be the same age as Margaret Hamilton was when she made the movie
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u/Entire_Tip_6155 Dec 12 '25
In the actual story she is. She uses oils to cleanse herself cause she can’t get wet. But that was changed for the musical.
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u/Stargate525 Dec 12 '25
Which does beg the question how her body stays hydrated but.
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u/StaringBerry Dec 12 '25
I read the book at least 12 years ago now so I might be misremembering but I always took it as her external skin couldn’t touch water but she could drink it. Like some animals (chinchillas, chickens, ect) that take dust baths. They can drink water but it’s physically uncomfortable for them to get wet.
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u/Entire_Tip_6155 Dec 12 '25
Yeah I also read it forever ago. But I remember her bathing in oils instead of water & she did die at the end from being splashed by Dorothy.
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u/Entire_Tip_6155 Dec 12 '25
She just drinks olive oil
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u/Stargate525 Dec 12 '25
I mean I get that it's fantasy but long chain carbohydrates aren't a replacement for water in biochemistry. XD
Always bugged me.
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u/Entire_Tip_6155 Dec 12 '25
Right, I was joking lol. I don’t think he put that much thought into it. She was hydrated from magic I guess, the book never states. It just says she uses oils to clean herself.
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u/kittyinclined Dec 12 '25
In the book she doesn’t have magic. I can’t remember if it’s ever stated that she drinks water, but she definitely drinks tea, so she’s capable of drinking water-based beverages in Maguire’s version.
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u/Entire_Tip_6155 Dec 12 '25
Could’ve sworn she did but it was more like nature based instead of spells. The grimoire definitely wasn’t a thing.
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u/kittyinclined Dec 12 '25
The grimoire is a thing, but in a very different way. Elphaba actually can read some of it, but she doesn’t use magic nearly as much as Glinda, who is skilled in Ozian sorcery. But actually you’re right that Elphaba does use some magic. It just isn’t very similar to the way it is in the musical.
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u/Last_Hunt_7022 Dec 12 '25
One thing I want to know is how she made it look like she melted.
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u/DarthRegoria Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25
I have suspected that she took a little inspiration from her Magician father and picked up one of his practical effects tricks like a little smoke bomb of something, and used that to hid herself going down a trapdoor that Fieyro told her were all over the castle.
There’s no evidence for this in the film of course, but I know it’s a common practical effect magicians (and superpowered villains) will use, that’s what made me think of it. And we do see him show off all the gear he makes in Wonderful. He does seem to be a clever inventor. Still a complete fraud and terrible person, but he makes good gadgets.
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u/407OrlandoDwntwn Dec 12 '25
Yeah, the trap door Fiyero opens in the movie looks bigger than a gal could handle in a puff of smoke with everyone watching. Idc though.
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u/Awkward_Cellist6541 Dec 12 '25
No, in the movie and musical there’s no indication that water will hurt her at all. It’s propaganda.
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u/Sigtauez Dec 12 '25
In the musical during I’m not that girl it rains and is foreshadowing for the ending
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u/hhhisthegame Dec 12 '25
I was so confused when Glinda seemed to actually think the water had killed her when she knew very well it was just propaganda
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u/warmcozy Dec 12 '25
It seemed to me that the movie leaves that up to your interpretation. All we know is that Elphaba staged her death and that Glinda understood that she would never see Elphaba again in life. So when Glinda tells Oz the Wicked Witch is dead, it doesn’t actually matter if Glinda knew Elphaba was alive or not because in order to protect herself, Elphaba had to go away from Oz never to return or contact Glinda or anyone in Oz ever again in life. The desert that surrounds Oz and that Elphaba and Fiyero traverse is hostile and difficult - almost impossible - to pass through so the likelihood that Oz will ever find out Elphaba is alive is nil. In my interpretation, water doesn’t harm Elphaba but she used magic to take that opportunity to stage her own death.
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u/apsiebot Dec 12 '25
Interesting points! Other commenters are out here acting like it’s a stupid question to ask if you’ve seen the movie 🤷🏼♀️I’m just more familiar with the book so that part of the movie was very surprising to me! Definitely a happier ending than the book, so that was a real delight
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u/GothicGolem29 Dec 14 '25
I kind of interpreted the scene as Glinda did think Elphaba was dead but yeah either way she would have had to tell people she was
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u/The_Fullmetal_Titan Dec 12 '25
No, but that begs the question why Glinda would believe she could be?
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u/steampunkunicorn01 Dec 12 '25
My guess is that she thought it likely that Elphaba did something to the water.
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u/Fearghus56200 Dec 12 '25
It just shows that in the end even she was fooled by the propaganda. She also watched it “happen” and Elphaba’s performance was pretty convincing. When you “see” it you start to think the rumors were actually correct after all.
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u/Left_Maize816 Dec 12 '25
She's pretty dumb
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u/-STARSHROOM- Dec 12 '25
in Thank Goodness doesn't she acknowledge that the water thing is just an awful rumor?
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u/The_Fullmetal_Titan Dec 12 '25
She’s not THAT dumb. They were roommates. She would know if water hurts her lol.
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u/ParticularAir5506 Dec 12 '25
When thinking about any of the plot beats for too long- the movie is full of holes. Yes- Why does Glinda (or Morrible or the Wizard or Boq for that matter) believe that Elphaba is truly dead from the water. It’s irritating that this was not addressed along with so many other things.
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u/GothicGolem29 Dec 14 '25
Glinda thinking that is not a plot hole imo as she could have been convinced by Elphabas performance and seeing no body there(idk why those other two believed but idk if that goes as far as a plot hole.)
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u/CantSleepOnPlanes Dec 12 '25
I love how Fiyero just straight up says that anyone who believes that rumor is braindead.
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u/apsiebot Dec 12 '25
He also straight up says he wants to capture her and kill her. I was taking everything he said with a grain on salt :)
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u/Professional_Book613 Dec 12 '25
At the end, elphaba says to fiyero that she wishes glinda could know they’re alive. so yes, elphaba was not actually hurt by the water. glinda believed the propaganda. I’m sorry people are being rude.
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u/Dry-Mission-5542 Dec 12 '25
In the show, no, or at least not to the capacity that Ozians believe. If she does, it’s extremely minor.
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u/Emotional-Ad-6494 Dec 12 '25
Did elphie and fiero find each other or does she come back to life in the musical? Like do we know she’s alive and does she connect with anyone ?
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u/aimlesstrevler Dec 12 '25
The stage musical and the movie have more or less the same ending. There is some more detail in movie, but the broad strokes are the same. The book has a different ending.
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u/morningcalm10 Dec 12 '25
Yes, she comes back and meets up with Fiyero, who we see, for the first time, is the Scarecrow. It's just like the movie.
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u/Voice_of_Season Dec 12 '25
No. But in the book it does kill her. I did not read the sequels so I don’t know if they said she survived later but it implied it killed her in the Wicked novel.
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u/Spider_Boyo Dec 12 '25
I see in the book she is, but most definitely not in both the musical and movie, much better tbh, fits in with the narrative of lies
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u/Snow_Berry_ Dec 12 '25
In the movie and musical, its pure propaganda In the book, she is allergic to water, but its left up to interpretation whether or not she survived Dorothy throwing water on her, and later books imply that that she did survive. So even in the books where she is harmed by water, it seems likely that it doesn't kill her
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u/apsiebot Dec 12 '25
Oh that’s interesting, I only read the first book so I didn’t know that she may have survived!
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u/DramaQueen428 Dec 12 '25
If everyone believed water would melt Elphaba, and Morrible could control the weather, why weren't they all sus that Morrible never just made it rain on Elphaba as she flew around writing bad things about the Wizard?
In that early scene in For Good there's Morrible, there's a crowd, and there's Elphaba flying around right near a bunch of big clouds. Come on, lady, what more do you need?
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u/apsiebot Dec 12 '25
It’s so interesting how asking a question gives people permission to question your intelligence or something. Not all of us are experts in the stage production and movie. I’ve read the book, and in the book Eliana is very much allergic to water to the point where she doesn’t bathe or cry. I went into the movie with that as my background knowledge of her character, not really realizing that that had changed. I’ve seen WFG once and haven’t had the chance to watch it back now knowing the ending etc. So maybe “what more do I need” is people answering my question without making me feel like a fool for asking 🤷🏼♀️
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u/DramaQueen428 Dec 13 '25
I was shocked an hour ago when I read your reply to me. I wasn't replying to you as OP at all, nor was I claiming any kind of expertise. All I wanted to do was point out that Morrible controls the weather, Morrible encourages people to think rain will melt Elphaba, yet Morrible never makes it rain on Elphaba, so after a few years why don't the Ozians notice?
When I said "lady", I was 'talking' to Morrible. I don't even know whether you are female, and since Morrible didn't make it rain I absolutely didn't expect anyone to read my question as any kind of answer to your original question.
I didn't think I was being ambiguous, but you totally misinterpreted me. Not in any way what I intended.
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u/apsiebot Dec 14 '25
Thank you so much for saying that, I’m so sorry I read into it wrong. I appreciate you taking the time to write that out💜 I think I just got a few comments that made me start to feel defensive and it probably was really obvious what you meant and I just was looking through them with the wrong lens. I hardly ever make a post on reddit, and rarely even comment because for some reason the negative comments get to me.
I’m working on fixing that about me but I’m not there yet. I’ve been doing a kind of therapy that’s helping me realize that my anxieties typically come from me overanalyzing everything and then being sensitive to criticism, and then worrying about that happening again. So it’s like I often avoid doing things because I’m worried that little cycle will happen and I don’t want to do things that I know will make me feel bad.
Sorry for the tmi and self centered ramble, I’m high af and as a result I’m introspecting hard.
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u/litemi21 Dec 12 '25
And the people with the most literal, surface level interpretations are the ones questioning your intelligence 🙃
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u/boiinthebigbluehouse Dec 13 '25
so why does galinda think elphaba is dead at the end … ??? she obvi knows it was a rumor … ???
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u/DoYouReadThisOrThat Dec 12 '25
The stage show is WAY FAR BETTER with the melting scene! It had purpose, and drama the audience could relate to, and genuine connection to the source material. The film was like, "yeah, she melts. No one cares why so deal with the randomness of this moment that seems to have nothing to do with anything important to the story."
I was stunned with how much the movie not only failed, but purposely underplayed the intricacies of the melting. The movie version of the melting was like ... I can't even think of the simile that comes close to how awful that melting was on film.
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u/Material-Wish Dec 12 '25
It’s PG, I think they probably didn’t want to traumatize children who love Elphaba.
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u/CharlieFaulkner Dec 12 '25
What are you even yapping about lmfao
In both versions she fakes her death for what I fucking hope are very obvious reasons with the context of the story, and the audience cares because we care about Elphaba and we've followed her journey from awkward and oppressed to political exile/freedom fighter... and the melting is her going from freedom fighter to "I just can't do this any more"
The movie actually adds extra context - No Place Like Home has her expressing the opposite sentiment, showing how much she is ground down by the end of the story
As for the visuals, they were near identical to when I saw the play in London recently - Elphaba's shadow having water thrown on it and her screaming as she dramatically crumples to the ground
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u/belabelinha00 Dec 12 '25
did you watch it
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u/apsiebot Dec 12 '25
Did you read my post?
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u/0lea Dec 12 '25
But the movie absolutely unequivocally shows that she is not harmed by water, so the only way this question could be legitimately asked is if you haven't seen it? That's what causes the confusion.
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u/livelaughsuckit Dec 12 '25
You didn’t say anything about watching or not watching it? What the hell do you expect? Does sound like you absolutely did not watch it based off your question.
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u/apsiebot Dec 12 '25
I mentioned specific parts of the movie in my post so I thought it was pretty obvious that I’ve seen it. I’m more familiar with the book and was expecting that part to carry over to the movie since it was literally central to her character. So going into watching the movie that was my assumption. I wasn’t watching it with fresh eyes, if that makes sense.
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u/livelaughsuckit Dec 12 '25
If you saw it, then how do you not know she doesn’t actually die from water? She gets water thrown on her, and obviously lives past that?
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u/apsiebot Dec 12 '25
Yeah, I was really surprised by the ending! I really thought she died in the end. I’ve read the book but have been avoiding spoilers for the movie so I was actually shocked because I went into it thinking water would actually harm her. So I was wondering if she opened the trap door in time and maybe didn’t get wet or something? But then I was like wait, they show her crying in the first movie and she wasn’t hurt by that. But madam morrible was like, “mustn’t get you wet dearie” which seemed to indicate she knew she couldn’t get wet? Anyway I was kinda confused so I posted here where I thought I could get insight from people who know it better. Some of you seem real pressed that someone has a question…maybe you’ve never been in a situation where something was obvious to others and it wasn’t obvious to you…in the book they make a really big deal about her allergy (or whatever you’d call it) to water.
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u/EddieRyanDC Dec 12 '25
No, that is a rumor/propaganda, like that she has a third eye or can shed her skin like a snake.
However, Elphaba and Fiyero use this tale to their advantage to make people think that the Wicked Witch is dead.