Many fans have long wondered why Elphaba’s skin is green in the Wicked: Part 1 movie and stage play. Popularly known as the Wicked Witch of the West, her unconventional appearance has a significant impact on her origin story given that she has faced prejudice and challenges due to her rare traits. However, her skin color has been constant since her birth, bringing to light the elixir effect, which played a prominent role in turning her skin green.
Here’s a detailed explanation of why Elphaba’s skin is green.
Did the green elixir change Elphaga’s skin in Wicked?
Yes, Elphaba’s mother Melena consumed a potion of elixir during conception with an anonymous man, which seemingly resulted in Elphaba being born with green skin.
Wicked: Part 1 features Glinda narrating the origin story of Elphaba to Munckinland residents, specifically fleshing out more details about her parents and birth. She reveals that Governor Frexspar Thropp and Melena were married. However, Elphaba was likely not Thropp’s child and he wasn’t responsible for her skin color too.
She opens up that when Thropp was out of town for business, Melena struck up an affair with an anonymous traveling salesman. During their intimate moments, the unidentified man likely gave Melena the elixir. Due to her consumption of the elixir, nine months later, her baby turned out to be green in color.
Nevertheless, Melena doesn’t survive to see her baby grow into the Wicked Witch of the West in the future as she dies while giving birth. In her loving memory, Elphaba keeps the green elixir bottle with her. However, Melena’s husband, Thropp has distanced himself from her child due to her unconventional appearance, which he perceives as some kind of curse.
Given that the latest installment is staying true to its source material, Stephen Schwartz’s stage play—it will explore more of Elphaba’s backstory in the upcoming sequel. In Part 2, Glinda will eventually learn about Elphaba’s connection with the Wizard of Oz and dive deeper into her struggles over the years.
