The movie Wicked, based on Gregory Maguire’s novel and the Broadway musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, defied gravity by kicking off a worldwide cultural event that resonates strongly with marginalized communities. Wicked is not just a story about magic and power; it’s a story that shows society a mirror of the complexities of identity, social dynamics, and the consequences of marginalization. In 2025, the film provides a mainstream opportunity to reflect on the importance of marginalized voices, particularly in the realm of popular culture.
Representation in media is a critical tool for fostering empathy, understanding, and a more just world, inclusive of all voices. When we think of marginalized groups—whether by race, gender, sexuality, or disability—visibility matters for the very legitimacy of their lived experiences. Wicked’s world shows us characters on the margins of society, a mirror for all of us who grapple with the need for inclusive representation. It’s critical for us to name marginalization as a reality.
Elphaba and Glinda: The Intersections of Humanity
Elphaba, the misunderstood “Wicked Witch of the West,” and Glinda, her more traditionally represented counterpart, offer us entry into a complex narrative. Both characters wrangle with their assigned societal expectations. Elphaba’s green skin marks her as different from birth. Physically and socially abused, traumatic events shape her personhood and resilience. Glinda counters with conventional beauty and a higher place in the social hierarchy, yet her character arc shows how privilege is often about more than just the juxtaposition of appearance.
As written, performed, and sang, character Elphaba’s oppression originates from her race, identity, and willingness to challenge the status quo. At the same time, Glinda’s evolves from a shallow, self-absorbed person to someone who questions their fragility and ease of life, learning the importance of curiosity across difference and the experiences of others. The story is a critique of society’s entrenched power structures, and so marginalized representation in the film is crucial. This is why Wicked has enchanted so many of us: It’s not just a story of enchantment and friendship. It’s a mirror to the painful reality many marginalized communities face every day.
Wicked’s film adaptation gives the story access to a broader, more global audience. Elphaba’s experience, especially, speaks to the intersections of race, power, and social stigma. Ostracized, she is a literal and metaphorical representation of the consequences of marginalization, not just in Oz but in our own world. I am grateful that Cynthia Erivo gives us all a glimpse of the cultural humility much needed in society.
The Integrity of Bold Storytelling
Identities and history are often shaped not by reality, but from the stories we are told. From childhood, the books we read, the toys we play with, the media we consume, and the art we experience collaborate to create a framework for how we see ourselves and others. When marginalized groups are omitted or misrepresented, it fosters feelings of pain, erasure, and oppression—an equation that can translate into a sense of inferiority or otherness. For many, characters like Elphaba are not just fictional; they’re reflections of real-life experiences.
Elphaba, is smart, witty, aware, and defiant, and she operates from a place of integrity—a counter-narrative to the often one-dimensional depictions of “villains” we witness through oral history, stories, or film. Her role as the “wicked” witch challenges binary notions of good versus evil. The film asks audiences to reconsider how labels are applied to those who exist outside of mainstream representation. Elphaba, for many of us, helps give voice to the intense emotions that come with oppression, marginalization, and inequality. She also gives me, a Latinx, Gender Queer person living with a disability something critical: Hope.
When stories center on a marginalized character we have space to be honestly and openly complex, multifaceted, and heroic amid pain and confusion. We are given space for a more nuanced understanding of what it means to live outside the norms. Elphaba’s struggle to be seen for who she truly is rather than the stereotype imposed upon her offers a profound commentary on the dangers of exclusion. She accepts herself, but those watching the film from all intersections have an important question to wrestle with: How do we see her? Each person’s answer will be critically and theoretically different.
Inclusive Representation Weaves a Pattern of Reality
Representation is not just trendsetting; it has real-world implications for us to study our social impacts, be they hopeful or disastrous. Studies consistently show that diverse and inclusive representation in media, books, and play and toy culture can positively impact societal attitudes toward marginalized groups. When people can see themselves authentically portrayed in empowering, realistic ways, it fosters a sense of belonging and validation. For members of marginalized communities, encountering Elphaba on screen, in books, on stage, and in toy aisles offers a kind of recognition that can be a source of truth, as part of a story weaving us through patterns in social experience that need something critical: Inclusion.
In the world of Wicked, marginalized representation serves a dual purpose: It gives voice to those who are marginalized while educating those who may not have direct experience with these struggles. The film is a “yellow brick road” to fostering empathy and understanding instead of problematic approaches to diversity, equity, and inclusion. By offering a rich, emotional narrative centered around Elphaba’s experiences of alienation, the film has the potential to challenge entrenched societal views about power, varied lived experiences, and what it means to belong. As I look at the dolls from various Wicked toy lines, I see the opportunity. The film, the merchandise, the music, and the visual design of the film’s characters ask us all to confront our own biases.
“Wicked” Is Calling for Inclusivity and Change
Wicked serves as a reminder that storytelling has the power to transform perceptions—an important ask of Hollywood as it continues to grapple with representation, inclusivity, and equity. Wicked creates a timestamp of a moment in history for inclusion in media. It was never enough to simply cast diverse actors or include characters from marginalized backgrounds. The narrative and mirror to social marginalization had to be in the words, the notes, and the influence of the brand. The creative team understood the assignment: Hollywood, and all media, need to reflect the real struggles, threats, pain, resistance, resilience, and above all, humanity of these individuals. Wicked approaches a critique of social structures, showing audiences the ways in which society continues to marginalize certain groups, while also celebrating their resilience and humanity.
Today, I walked the toy aisles of Target, seeing children selecting Wicked dolls off the shelves. I held Elphaba in my hands and thought: This film is far from a franchise about witches and wizards; it is a chance for Hollywood to engage in a larger conversation about the importance of marginalized voices in both art and society. It’s due time for Elphaba to have the opportunity to be seen and heard…and it’s time to defy the marginalizing social structures that keep us on the ground. I’m honored to see Elphaba fly.
