by Brett Manero
Wicked has been in theaters for nearly a month, and I finally got the chance to see it on December 20, 2024. From start to finish, it is immensely enjoyable, thought-provoking, and sheerly entertaining, even if the musical numbers become a bit too much (no offense to musicals!). I highly recommend it and look forward to its sequel (coming in November of 2025) with great excitement.
I had never seen the famous Broadway show, so this was my first introduction to the legend that is Wicked. Of course, I have seen The Wizard of Oz countless times, and remain a huge fan of that 1939 classic. Oz remains one of the greatest achievements in the history of the moving picture, period. For anyone who hasn’t been around for the last twenty years and hasn’t heard of Wicked, it acts as the backstory of how the Wicked Witch of the West becomes exactly that, and the tragic and unfortunate circumstances and turns of events that lead her to becoming one of cinema’s most enduring villains. As of today, she sits at number four of the American Film Institute’s greatest villains in film (“AFI’s 100 Years…100 Heroes and Villains, American Film Institute, afi.com).
So according to Wicked, how does the Witch become the evil Witch? It is a fascinating psychological and emotional look into the psychosis of evil, and how a good person becomes evil. Perhaps it can be compared to another classic, The Godfather, which remains probably the greatest film to address the mystery of how a good person becomes evil. According to Wicked, Elpheba’s (the original name of the Witch) falls to the dark side after a long and winding road of disappointment and pain. As I watched, the following insights came to mind.
Her disappointment in leadership drives her to evil. We all know the “great reveal” of The Wizard of Oz is that the wizard, despite his fantastic theatrics and shows of power, is not a true wizard at all. He is a decent, meek man, but nothing like the Wizard that the people of Oz believe him to be. At the end of the day, he is a fraud. Elpheba’s realization of this terrible truth is one of the final straws that leads her to fly off into the sunset on her broom. Isn’t this the experience of many with organized religion, even in the Church? A bad experience with someone in the Church, especially a leader, and especially a priest or bishop, will often drive one into anger and resentment against the Church. Heaven forbid that we ever cause such a scandal.
Her pain of rejection and distrust drives her to evil. Born with irregular green skin and an awkward persona, Elpheba appears like an unlucky member of society. Even worse, her father resents her, showing obvious preference for her younger sister. At one point during the film, Glinda (who eventually becomes the good Witch of the North), remarks that Elpheba does indeed feel the pain that others force upon her, but that she doesn’t show it. Perhaps the human spirit can only endure so much – like the Prophet Jeremiah, who endures unimaginable persecution and suffering at the hands of his own people, breaks down several times throughout his prophetic ministry. Unlike Jeremiah, however, Elpheba eventually succumbs to despair and darkness.
It is true that many fall into evil because of pain. Take the example of Ephelba’s disillusionment with the Wizard and all that appeared to be “good.” As I noted before, many have indeed chosen sin because they see the Church as full of hypocrites and even worse. They have been hurt by a Christian, they have seen the Christian faith abused and used for evil rather than for the tremendous good that it is. They become angry with the Church, with Catholicism, and with God, and they turn to evil. So many violent attacks have been committed by those who were abused and rejected. Teenagers who were bullied have too often become shooters in their schools. Adolf Hitler is perhaps the best example: he was so often rejected by society, perceived as “strange” by his fellow soldiers, and struggled to get by in life. And look at the horrific evil that he perpetrated. This certainly does not excuse the evil that these people commit, but it is worth thinking about.
It is true that some fall into evil because of their pain, but we should not sympathize with evil. Evil is still evil: the lack of good, the rejection of God. Nothing excuses sin and the infliction of evil and pain upon another. As I kept watching, I wondered about how much we sympathize with the Wicked Witch and her sufferings, and how this trend has been common in films in recent years. The other example is Joker, which shows the journey of a tragically awkward and suffering man who, like Elpheba, silently endures the cruelty of the world only to eventually succumb to the allure of evil. I can’t help but ask: is it dangerous to sympathize too much with these characters? Are films showing too much of the backstories of these villains, to the point where they are no longer really villains? The Joker is often cited as the greatest fictional villain in history, a true psychopath, and while it is worth look at his backstory, one ought to be careful of sympathizing with him too much. Likewise with the Wicked Witch, I found myself wondering: “Is this really the same Witch as in ‘The Wizard of Oz?’” The Witch of Oz is sadistic, cruel, with a complete lack of empathy. She laughs at and mocks Dorothy when the latter cries out for her aunt and the comfort of Kansas. She intentionally sets the Scarecrow on fire, with a smile of pure enjoyment on her face. By the time she ends up as a puddle on the floor of her castle, no one – not even her flying monkeys or her guards – miss her, everyone ending up praising Dorothy for killing her. My point is this: The Witch of Wicked and the Witch of Oz seem like strikingly different characters: one we feel great sympathy for, the other we rightfully disdain. Perhaps Wicked Part II will show more of her downfall into evil and bridge that gap to The Wizard of Oz.
Pain can also be used to turn one towards goodness. Suffering has the incredible ability to be used for either good or evil: one can allow their suffering to destroy them, or they can allow their suffering to save them. Perhaps Pope St. John Paul II is one of the finest examples. A witness of the horrors of the Second World War and the Holocaust, he witnessed both the Nazi and the communist Soviet invasions and occupations of his native Poland. He lost his entire immediately family by his early twenties. He lived right in the epicenter of the worst atrocities of the twentieth century, and he became a Catholic priest and bishop as the Soviets brought atheistic communism to Poland. John Paul achieved what seems to be impossible: he did not allow evil to make him embittered, but rather he allowed it to cleanse him and bring him closer to God. And if Hitler allowed evil to overtake him and lead him to commit unimaginable horrors, look at the tremendous good accomplished by John Paul in his lifetime.
Oftentimes, evil is evil just because it is. The Book of Isaiah famously gives us the backstory of the downfall of Lucifer (or Day Star) the good angel, who of course becomes Satan, the “adversary,” the true villain of Scripture. Isaiah offers no sympathy for Lucifer, bluntly telling him of his downfall due to pride:
“How you are fallen from heaven,
O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!
You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will make myself like the Most High.’” (Isaiah 14:12-14).
There is zero indication that Lucifer was somehow mistreated, neglected, or unappreciated, which leads him to reject God and live an eternity of self-service. He was apparently the most beautiful of the angels, which we can deduce from his name of Lucifer or “Light Bearer” or “Day Star.” If God is all-good, then God certainly never failed to love or show goodness to Lucifer. Lucifer chose evil on his own account, because for whatever mysterious reason, he found it attractive and alluring. He chose to try to exalt himself above the height of God because again, for whatever bizarre reason, he just did. We never show sympathy for him or attempt to understand “his side of the story,” because there simply isn’t one. He chose evil with all of its ugliness, and he knew very well what the consequences of such a choice would be.
It is indeed all too true that suffering can lead to wickedness and evil. This has been the sad reality of so many throughout history. But it is just as true that suffering can lead to intimacy with God, to kindness, to beautiful empathy for the sufferings of others. Such is the genius of Christianity: the crosses of life do not have to be paths to despair, but to holiness and resurrection.
It is also true that some deliberately prefer evil because for whatever horrible reason, they just do. Lucifer did so. Jesus even describes Satan as being “a murderer from the beginning” and as lacking any truth, being “the father of lies” (John 8:44). He chose evil because it allured him, and with his completely free will he chose it and deserves no empathy for it.
Unlike Lucifer, humanity always has hope for conversion before death. Ezekiel the Prophet makes it beautifully clear that even a man who commits the most horrible sins can be saved if he repents:
“But if a wicked man turns away from all his sins which he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness which he has done he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? (Ezekiel 18:21-23).
Evil is a mysterious thing, indeed. The answer for its existence isn’t always so easy. But God is perfectly good, and He brings good out of evil, which is the only reason for why He allows evil to exist. Some fall into evil because of their suffering – which is all the more reason for why kindness and truth and sincerity among Christians is so vital. Some also choose evil because they like it and desire it. According to Wicked, Elpheba almost seems forced into becoming evil due to the cruelty and unfairness she encounters. If so, she is a tragic hero for sure. But what her character eventually becomes in The Wizard of Oz is nothing to sympathize with, for her cruelty at this point is shocking.
I look forward to Wicked Part II. How appropriate that the film was released just before Christmas and the celebration of the birth of Our Savior, the light that shines in the darkness and that counters the powers of evil.
Leave a Reply