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The trailer for Wicked: For Good has finally arrived, and with it, a tidal wave of excitement, speculation, and screen grabs.
The sequel to last year’s Wicked, which soared to $755million (£590m) at the global box office and landed 10 Oscar nominations, brings back Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda to continue the witches’ origin story.
Based on the second act of the Wicked stage musical, itself adapted from Gregory Maguire’s novel (and of course, L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), Wicked: For Good picks up with Elphaba in hiding and Glinda navigating the aftermath of their diverging paths.
The trailer teases heartbreak, rebellion, and the arrival of a mysterious figure in ruby slippers.
But beyond the drama and vocals, fans are noticing something else: Easter eggs.
X user @2nnjenn_ wrote: ‘Quick someone smarter than me find all the easter eggs and spoilers from the Wicked: For Good trailer. #wicked’
@juan_g_lopez605 agreed: ‘me looking for easter eggs in the trailer #WickedForGood’
One of the most talked-about elements of the trailer is the implied arrival of Dorothy Gale. Several users pointed out that the shot of Dorothy on the yellow brick road directly references the original Wizard of Oz film, even mimicking an exact shot.
Many fans connected a lot of the imagery to the 1939 classic, suggesting that director Jon M Chu is intentionally tying the two film worlds together.
One X user pointed out that the trailer also included cut scenes from part one, perhaps suggesting there’s more crossover between the parts than previously thought.
This makes sense, given that both Wicked films were edited simultaneously. Fans now speculate that some moments were intentionally held back to enrich Part Two’s emotional and narrative stakes.
One of the most widely shared discoveries involves Michelle Yeoh’s Madame Morrible, who appears to summon a massive tornado in the trailer. Fans noticed that the skies outside during this moment look eerily familiar.
@TheeStellaBrown wrote: “YALL OMG in the wicked for good trailer, when Morrible summons the tornado, outside it’s the same colours as the wizard of oz before oz omg !!!”
The sequence seems to directly reference the sepia tones and swirling clouds from the moment Dorothy’s farmhouse is swept away in the 1939 film.
The trailer’s emotional center is a tearful goodbye between Elphaba and Glinda. ‘You’re the only friend I ever had,’ Elphaba tells her. ‘The only one that mattered,’ Glinda replies.
It’s underscored by a new version of the duet For Good, and follows Erivo’s haunting rendition of No Good Deed – it also features purpleish/blue and pink lighting, often referred to as ‘bisexual lighting.’
For many fans, the moment reads as more than just friendship.
@thisredwine: ‘new wicked trailer featuring ‘no good deed’ (the best elphaba/fiyero song) and ‘for good’ (the best elphaba/glinda song) as a symbol of elphaba’s bisexuality in this essay i will—’
Whether read as subtext or text, the deep emotional intimacy between the two women continues to resonate with queer audiences.
From the Wizard’s smoke-filled throne room to shots of the Yellow Brick Road curling into the horizon, the trailer is filled with visual homages to The Wizard of Oz.
As one user put it: ‘It’s giving vintage MGM… and I’m not mad about it.’
Now, with Wicked: For Good set to close the curtain on this reimagined Oz, fans are soaking in every frame.
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