Who are the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion in Wicked? Full spoilers and roles explained
Wicked explores several other Wizard of Oz backstories, alongside the Witches'.
*Warning: Major spoilers ahead for Wicked.*
Wicked: Part One has been taking cinema-going audiences by storm since its release in November.
The musical film is the first part in a cinematic adaptation of the the Tony-winning Broadway musical Wicked, itself based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel which re-imagines the classic novel The Wizard of Oz, famously adapted itself in the 1939 film starring Judy Garland.
The story follows 'Wicked Witch' Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and her backstory, charting her days as an ostracised sorcery student at Shiz University where she had a complicated friendship with Galinda aka. Glinda the Good Witch (Ariana Grande).
Alongside this central story, the film explores several other Wizard of Oz backstories, including the beloved characters like the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion, who help Dorothy defeat the witch in the original story The Wizard of Oz by author L. Frank Baum.
Despite mostly being absent in their iconic forms, the characters do make appearances in Wicked Part: One, which is set before the events of The Wizard of Oz. However, these appearances might not be as you expect.
So, ahead of the reveals of their true identities in Wicked: Part Two, which will take place during the events of The Wizard of Oz, read on for everything you need to know about the characters.
Be warned though: spoilers follow.
Who are the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion in Wicked? Full spoilers and roles explained
Who is the Scarecrow in Wicked?
The character who becomes the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz is also present in Wicked: Part One – it’s Elphaba's love interest, Fiyero Tigelaar (Jonathan Bailey).
In Wicked: Part Two, Fiyero will cotton on to the fact that Elphaba has been scapegoated by the Wizard and follows her on the run. He manages to prevent The Wizard’s guards from capturing her but ends up in danger in the process.
In the musical, Elphaba casts a spell to save his life, but accidentally transforms him into the scarecrow.
Who is the Tin Man in Wicked?
The character who becomes the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz is present in Wicked: Part One – you just might not have realised.
He’s Boq Woodsman (Ethan Slater), the nervous munchkin who attends Shiz University with Elphaba and Glinda and ends up in an unrequited love triangle with Glinda and Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose.
When Nessarose discovers that Boq only asked her to Fiyero's party because he’s infatuated with Glinda, she casts a spell from Elphaba’s spell book to make him fall in love with her.
It doesn’t quite go to plan, however, and ends up causing his heart to shrink and disappear.
Elphaba manages to save his life but this transforms him into the Tin Man in the process.
Who is the Cowardly Lion in Wicked?
The Cowardly Lion we see in The Wizard of Oz also appears in Wicked: Part One as the little cub that Elphaba and Fiyero release into the wild after he’s caged and displayed in their classroom at Shiz University.
After being freed from captivity by Elphaba, the lion meets Dorothy and the Tin Man.
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Wicked: Part I is now showing in cinemas.
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Authors
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
