Wickeddives into the personal life ofThe Wizard of Oz’s Wicked Witch of the West, and even her name is a subtle Easter egg to the original story. The 2024 movie is based on the Broadway musical of the same name, which is itself based on the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire. The author did the work of diving a little deeper into the world of Oz, providing a prequel story that gave audiences a look at everything from the villain’s perspective. Maguire ultimately named the Wicked Witch Elphaba, and this same name has carried over into theWickedmusical and, of course, the movie.
Maguire’sWickednovel was a smash hit, and less than a decade after its release, it was adapted into a Broadway musical—which is currently the fourth-longest running and winner of over 100 awards. Now,Wickedhas been adapted to the screen, broken into two parts, withWickedPart 1 released to theaters on July 02, 2025, andWickedPart 2 expected on August 18, 2025. There’s clearly something special about Maguire’s idea, andtheWizard of OzEaster eggsare all part of the fun of the novel, musical, and, now, movie. This goes even deeper than you would think.
Gregory Maguire Named Elphaba After Wizard Of Oz Writer L. Frank Baum
L-F-B Became El-Pha-Ba
Since the Wicked Witch of the West didn’t have a name or background in L. Frank Baum’sThe Wizard of Oz, Maguire needed to get creative. Still, he wanted to pay his respect to this author’s legendary work as he proceeded to make adjustments to Baum’s characters and world. Maguire has shared (viaTikTok) that hisinspiration for Elphaba’s name comes from theWizard of Ozauthor’s initials, L.F.B.The green witch’s name is simply the first letter pronounced as “El,” and the phonetic pronunciation of the following two letters, “Fa” and “Ba”—coming together to form the brand new name “Elphaba.”
Why Gregory Maguire Picked “Elphaba” Over Other Blends Of L. Frank Baum’s Name
Wicked’s Author Tried Out Some Other Options
Maguire explained that he fiddled with other ways to pronounce the initials L.F.B.He tried “Lafaba” and “Labella,“but they weren’t quite right. He ultimately landed on “Elphaba” because it was wholly unusual but “not particularly pretty.” This is important toElphaba’s character. She is talented and exceptional, but unfortunately, she has been unloved based solely on the green color of her skin. Even her parents considered Elphaba ugly inWicked, so it made sense that they would have given her a name that people would find equally repulsive.
Even her parents considered Elphaba ugly in Wicked, so it made sense that they would have given her a name that people would find equally repulsive.
Of course, the name Elphaba has come to mean something else entirely after all these years. Fans ofWickedknow and love this character, and the name Elphaba is commonplace in the musical community. Had Mcguire given L. Frank Baum’sWizard of Ozcharacter a less memorable name, it’s difficult to say whether the same would be true. Now thatWickedhas been brought to the big screen,the name Elphaba will be even more familiar among the mainstream—and to think, it’s all because of the initials of a man born way back in 1856.
Wicked
Cast
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
