Elphaba's Biological Father Is a Big Mystery in 'Wicked' Part One (SPOILERS)

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Wicked Part One and potential spoilers for Wicked Part Two.

Content warning: This article mentions rape.

Among many of the mysteries presented to viewers throughout the film Wicked Part One — like why Elphaba becomes evil, how all the Wizard of Oz characters come about, and more — one of the biggest enigmas is the identity of the Wicked Witch's biological father.

Toward the beginning of the movie, viewers learn that years ago, Elphaba and Nessarose's mother, Melena, had an affair with a mystery man, resulting in her pregnancy with Elphaba.

The film keeps his face obscured, but throughout the rest of the story, several hints are dropped as to the identity of Elphaba's real dad. So, is it who we think it is?

If you left the theater after Wicked Part One wondering whether your hunches were correct, you'll be interested to learn that, according to both the musical and the original book the Wizard of Oz is, indeed, Elphaba's real father. This could explain why she feels such an inexplicable connection to him her whole life, or why her skin is as green as the Emerald City.

And if the second film follows the first in its faithfulness to the source material, we can probably expect a big paternal reveal in Part Two.

One thing that the film changes, however, is how Melena's affair went down. In the movie, things are completely consensual. In the musical, the Wizard seems to coerce Melena and feed her copious amounts of mysterious, green alcohol to get her to acquiesce.

However, in the original book, the Wizard drugs and assaults Melena, resulting in her pregnancy.

During the 2024 film, there are several moments that hint at the Wizard's secret paternity.

The biggest hint may be when Elphaba and Glinda first visit him at the Emerald City and he shows them his diorama of the future of Oz. He speaks openly about his paternal instinct toward his citizens, and he explicitly states that the opportunity to help Elphaba grow her powers would make him feel like a father to her.

A more subtle hint that many viewers may not pick up on comes in the form of song: According to reports, Jeff Goldblum, who plays the Wizard, sings the part of the father during the opening song, "No One Mourns the Wicked."

It remains to be seen how Wicked Part Two will reveal the big plot twist, but it's definitely set up to be a major point of contention. One theory about Elphaba's powers even suggests that the reason why she's so prolific in her magic is because she's born of both worlds — Oz and the real world. Omaha, Nebraska, to be exact.

For now, there's only speculation and source material to go on, but all will be revealed some time in 2025.