Who Is Riding The Horse In Wicked’s Opening Scene? It’s Not Fiyero

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Wicked, Wicked: For Good, and the Wicked Broadway musical!

Wicked’s opening scene has a cloaked horse rider fleeing from the castle as the flying monkeys fly over Oz, raising a question about their identity. The first movie of the cinematic two-part Wicked adaptation has taken the world by storm, breaking box office records and garnering multiple award nominations. Wicked: For Good, which comes out in 2025, has many questions to answer, but curious viewers can answer most by looking at act 2 of the Broadway musical. However, one has taken the internet by storm because multiple answers could be true based on the source material.

In the opening moments of Wicked, a cloaked figure rides a white horse away from Kiamo Ko, the castle that Elphaba takes over in act 2. This moment will undoubtedly appear in Wicked: For Good, solving the mystery. In the meantime, the identity of the person riding the horse has become the source of debate among fans, with many theories popping up. Some suggestions directly contradict the story of the Broadway musical, needing significant narrative changes to be true. However, other theories make sense based on the events of the Wicked Broadway musical.

Fiyero Is Not The Character Riding The Horse In Wicked’s Opening Scene

Fiyero Is Seen In The Wicked Opening Only Moments After The Cloaked Rider Appears

When it comes to the identity of the rider in the introduction, the easiest assumption is Fiyero. After all, when Elphaba meets him, he’s riding his horse to Shiz. Then, at the end of Wicked, he’s riding his horse away from Shiz. (It’s unknown where he’s going since this part of the movie doesn’t happen in the musical.) However, Fiyero cannot be the rider for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, in Act 2 of the Broadway musical, Elphaba transforms Fiyero into the Scarecrow to save his life during the Wicked song “No Good Deed.” The Scarecrow is seen walking down the Yellow Brick Road only moments after the movie shows the cloaked figure. Because the camera continues the same panoramic movement without any cuts during this part of the introduction, it’s implied that the events are happening at the same time, rather than a time break existing between the castle and the Yellow Brick Road. Additionally, the horse shown in the introduction is light-colored, whereas Fiyero’s horse is black.

In order for the cloaked figure to be Fiyero, a massive part of the Broadway musical would need to be changed, and he would need multiple horses. While it’s true that Fiyero isn’t the Scarecrow in the dark Gregory Maguire book, he is also murdered in the rated-R book. If they stuck to the novel story, that couldn’t be Fiyero. Moreover, the movie has aligned so closely with the stage version of the story that it seems unfathomable that they would divert in such a massive way. Ultimately, the pieces just don’t add up to the rider being Fiyero.

Elphaba Flees The Castle After Faking Her Death – Wicked Theory Explained

The Cloaked Rider In The Opening Scene Could Be Elphaba

Since the rider isn’t Fiyero, the next most likely candidate is Elphaba. This suggestion seems unfathomable to those who don’t know the Broadway musical’s story. In both The Wizard of Oz and the Wicked book, Elphaba dies when Dorothy throws water on her. However, in the musical, she and Fiyero devise a plan to fake her death. He specifically sends her to Kiamo Ko because it was previously his castle, and he knows the ground has many trap doors. When Dorothy throws water on her, she falls through the trap door, allowing others to think she melted into a puddle.

The musical shows Fiyero/The Scarecrow going back to the castle to get her after everyone thinks she’s dead. However, unlike Fiyero turning into the Scarecrow, this plot point doesn’t impact the narrative drastically. The part that matters is that Fiyero and Elphaba are reunited, not the specific location where they come back together. It’s plausible that the movie could have the duo meet somewhere else instead of at Kiamo Ko.

Could The Character On The Horse Be Glinda In Disguise?

There’s Reason To Believe The Cloaked Rider Could Be Glinda

The other theory suggested frequently online is that the cloaked figure is Glinda in disguise. In the Broadway musical, Glinda is hidden in the castle when Elphaba “dies.” She leaves, unaware that her best friend is still alive. If the introduction scene for Wicked is right after Elphaba fakes her death, then the person leaving could be Glinda. After all, she wouldn’t want to leave in her bubble since that method of transportation is unique to her and would, thus, identify her as being present when Elphaba died.

There are two main issues with the suggestion that Glinda could be the cloaked figure. Firstly, in the Wicked musical, Glinda is wearing a ball gown at Kiamo Ko. The person on the horse does not appear to have a ballgown under the cloak. Secondly, she’s present only a few scenes later to tell the Munchkins that the Wicked Witch of the West is dead.

Related

Wicked Makes Wizard Of Oz’s First Death So Much More Tragic Than Before

The Wicked Witch of the East is a major character in Wicked, and the musical’s reveals make this Wizard of Oz death even more upsetting.

However, some explanations could push back against these arguments. Glinda doesn’t necessarily have to be wearing her ballgown in the scene for it to have the same narrative impact. Wicked: For Good could have her wear a different outfit or have her change into other clothing to escape the castle. Additionally, there are cuts between the cloaked figure riding the horse and the scene in Oz, which could point to a time break. There’s also nothing saying how fast or slow the bubble travels.

As such, Glinda could have left on horseback, gotten to a safe distance, and then switched to traveling by bubble to get back to Oz faster. Neither of these suggestions break the established narrative of the Wicked Broadway musical irreparably, making it possible that Glinda could be the figure fleeing the castle in the introduction of Wicked.

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Release Date

November 22, 2024

Runtime

160 Minutes

Cast

Cynthia Erivo
, Ariana Grande
, Michelle Yeoh
, Jeff Goldblum
, Jonathan Bailey
, Ethan Slater
, Marissa Bode
, Bowen Yang
, Bronwyn James
, Keala Settle
, Peter Dinklage
, Aaron Teoh
, Grecia De la Paz
, Colin Michael Carmichael
, Adam James
, Andy Nyman
, Courtney Mae-Briggs
, Sharon D. Clarke
, Jenna Boyd

Character(s)

Elphaba Thropp
, Glinda Upland
, Madame Morrible
, The Wizard
, Fiyero Tigelaar
, Boq
, Nessarose Thropp
, Pfannee
, ShenShen
, Miss Coddle
, Doctor Dillamond (voice)
, Avaric Tenmeadows
, Gilligan
, Professor Nikidik
, Glinda’s Father
, Governor Frexspar Thropp
, Melena Thropp
, The Midwife

Director

Jon M. Chu

Writers

Gregory Maguire
, Winnie Holzman
, Dana Fox
, L. Frank Baum

Studio(s)

Marc Platt Productions

Distributor(s)

Universal Pictures

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