Elphaba's "Death" in 'Wicked: For Good' Leaves Glinda in Oz Alone — Does Glinda Know the Truth?

By the end of the first Wicked movie, Glinda and Elphaba's friendship morphs into something much closer that feels more like family. So when Elphaba "dies" at the end of Wicked: For Good, you see the full effect of that loss as Glinda cries watching her "melt" from Dorothy's bucket of water. But does Glinda know Elphaba is actually alive at the end of the second movie?

Although the original Wizard of Oz book includes water as the main weakness of the Wicked Witch of the West, that fact was not translated to the musical, on which the Wicked movies are based. Instead, the rumor that water can kill Elphaba is shown as Oz-fueled propaganda. Does Glinda know this, though? Her tears at the end of Wicked: For Good seem very real.

At the end of Wicked: For Good, Glinda witnesses Elphaba "melt" after Dorothy throws a bucket of water on her. Viewers see Elphaba and Fieryo escape Oz and leave for their own safety, as it is the only way for Elphaba to live on, rather than try to clear her name in Oz. Glinda doesn't know this, at least where movie-goers are concerned, and she cries as she seemingly watches her best friend die.

There is nothing in the movie to indicate that Glinda knows Elphaba is alive. According to fans who have seen the Broadway version of Wicked, Glinda doesn't know that Elphaba is alive. Since the movie franchise is based on the Broadway production, complete with the songs that hardcore fans know better than the back of their hands, chances are, Glinda's tears in the movie are legitimate, and she really believes her friend is gone.

But some fans believe the ending of the Wicked Broadway show is more ambiguous, so the same can be said for Wicked: For Good. Maybe Glinda is crying because her friend is secretly leaving Oz, and she knows that. Her tears could still be out of mourning, though not in the sense that she believes Elphaba is actually dead.

As far as the musical goes, Wicked ends in the same way that Wicked: For Good does. Since director Jon M. Chu has talked about a potential third Wicked movie, things could drastically change. There was never an official follow-up stage play to the end of Wicked. A third movie could see Elphaba return to Oz, or see another side of the ending of Wicked: For Good, which shows that Glinda knew all along about Elphaba and Fiyero's plan.

"There's a lot of ideas flying around right now," Jon told Variety on the red carpet at the Wicked: For Good premiere. He also said his young daughter wrote her own opening to a potential third movie that he loves. But, he added, "Let's enjoy this ride first."