Elphaba

"Elphie" redirects here. For people and with fictional characters with similar names, see Elfi.

Elphaba Thropp (/ˈɛlfəbə ˈθrɒp/ ^ⓘ) is the protagonist of Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the novel's musical theatre adaptation, and the musical's two-part film adaptation, Wicked (2024) and Wicked: For Good (2025). She is a reimagining of the Wicked Witch of the West from L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Elphaba
The Wicked Years character
Myra Ruiz as Elphaba in the musical theatre version of Wicked, Brazil 2016
First appearance	Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995)
Created by	Gregory Maguire
Based on	Wicked Witch of the West by L. Frank Baum
Portrayed by	Idina Menzel (musical adaptation) Cynthia Erivo (Wicked, Wicked: For Good)
In-universe information
Full name	Elphaba Thropp Third Descending
Alias	Wicked Witch of the West Fae Sister Saint Ælphaba Auntie Witch
Nickname	Elphie Fabala
Family	Oscar Diggs (biological father) Melena Thropp (mother) Frexspar The Godly (step-father) Nessarose Thropp (half-sister) Sheltergod "Shell" Thropp (half-brother) Rain (granddaughter)
Significant other	Fiyero Tigelaar
Children	Liir Thropp (son)
Religion	None (atheist)
Nationality	Ozian Munchkinlander of American descent

In the Baum novel, the Witch is unnamed and little is explained about her life; Wicked creates a backstory for her and explores the world of The Wizard of Oz from her perspective. Elphaba is modeled after Margaret Hamilton's portrayal in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz: green-skinned, clad entirely in black and wearing a tall peaked hat. Maguire formulated the name "Elphaba" from the pronunciation of Baum's initials—"L.F.B.". In-universe, she is also nicknamed "Elphie", mostly by Galinda Upland.

Characterization

As Winnie Holzman observed in an interview with Playbill, "It was Maguire's brilliant idea to take this hated figure and tell things from her point of view, and to have the two witches be roommates in college, but the way in which their friendship develops – and really the whole plot – is different onstage."^[1] Schwartz justified the deviation, saying "Primarily we were interested in the relationship between Galinda – who becomes Glinda – and Elphaba...the friendship of these two women and how their characters lead them to completely different destinies."^[2] In addition to this change in focus, other major plot modifications include Fiyero's appearance as a scarecrow, Elphaba's survival at the end, Nessarose using a wheelchair instead of being born without arms, Boq having a continuing love interest for Glinda – and eventually becoming the Tin Woodman instead of Nick Chopper, the complete cutting of Elphaba's years in the Vinkus, the deletion of Liir's birth, Fiyero not having a wife and children, and Doctor Dillamond not being murdered.^[3]

Portrayals

The role was originated on Broadway and the West End by Idina Menzel, who won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

Cynthia Erivo portrayed Elphaba in the 2024 film adaptation of the musical's first act, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, and will reprise the role in the 2025 adaptation of the second act. Karis Musongole played the character as a child in the first film.^[4]