‘Wicked’ Fans Theorize About Who Was Riding the Horse in the Film’s Subtle Opening Scene (SPOILERS)

Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for Wicked: Part One and Wicked: For Good.

One of the most significant highlights of 2024 (at least to me and other musical theatre lovers) was the premiere of the first part of the musical adaptation of Wicked. The movie, starring Ariana Grande as Glinda the Good Witch and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, The Wicked Witch of the West, has attracted new fans and is set to attract even more after it's released on streaming starting on Dec. 31, 2024.

As Wicked's audience awaits the final part of the two-part film Wicked: For Good, many are still unpacking the first film, which included multiple Easter eggs from The Wizard of Oz, the movie that inspired Gregory MacGuire's book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. One Easter egg some have found from rewatching Wicked came at the movie's beginning.

Now, if you didn't read the "Spoiler Alert" initially, here's where you need to stop reading.

During Wicked's opening scene, amid the "OMG" moment of seeing the characters from The Wizard of Oz — Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow, and The Cowardly Lion — there's a quick moment where someone is riding a horse away from Kiamo Ko, the castle Elphaba lives after she becomes Wicked. The scene raises many questions and theories about who is riding a horse in the opening scene.

Sadly, Wicked: For Good will show Elphaba's death. Well, sort of. In the film, she dies when Dorothy throws a bucket of water on her, as fans of The Wizard of Oz have seen. However, those who have seen the Broadway show Wicked know that Elphaba doesn't actually die. Instead, she and her love interest (and BFF's fiance!) Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) plots for her to fake her death so that they can run away together. This differs greatly from Elphaba's fate in the book, as she dies from the water, like in The Wizard of Oz.

Since the opening scene debuted during Wicked, fans have shared their thoughts on who could be on the horse. Those familiar with Elphaba's fate in the universe believe it's her riding the horse to meet Fiyero at Kiamo Ko. At this point, Fiyero turns into the Scarecrow after Elphaba turns him into an inanimate character to save his life in the song "No Good Deed." The theory supports the musical's ending, which shows Fiyero coming to get Elphaba from Kiamo Ko once everyone thinks she's dead.

The theory of Elphaba being on the horse only has one flaw. In the musical, she's trapped under a pathway in Kiamo Ko at Fiyero's advisement. If she's already there when the musical ends, there wouldn't be a need to go to Emerald City, since everyone there believes she died.

Another popular theory is that Glinda is riding the horse, though she's in disguise. Fans believe she met Elphaba once the coast was clear and reunited with her friend. However, as sweet as the theory sounds, it's also flawed. Though some fans are convinced Glinda is riding the horse, her being behind it would mean she's known about Elphaba being alive the whole time. That would debunk what Elphaba tells Fiyero at the film's end: Glinda can never know she was alive.

While the theory of Glinda being the person behind the horse would ruin the musical's plot, Wicked the musical took some creative licensing from the book it was inspired by. It's pretty plausible the movie will do the same, though fans won't know for sure until part two comes out in November 2025. Until then, we'll be sharing more theories as they come about!