In the 2024 film *Wicked* (Part 1), the characters are entangled in a web of personal, political, and biological secrets. While some of these are revealed to the audience through flashbacks or dialogue, many remain hidden from other characters, setting the stage for the second part of the story.
### **Elphaba Thropp**
* **Biological Parentage:** The biggest secret regarding Elphaba—which she herself does not know—is that **The Wizard is her biological father**. The film’s opening sequence shows her mother, Melena, having an affair with a traveling salesman who gives her a mysterious "green elixir." This elixir is the reason for Elphaba’s green skin. In the movie, the salesman’s face is obscured, but his voice and the green bottle are clear indicators of his identity.
* **Nature of her Magic:** Elphaba keeps the true extent of her power secret because it is volatile and triggered by emotion. She views it as a "curse" or an "affliction" rather than a gift, which is why she is hesitant to use it until Madame Morrible encourages her.
### **The Wizard (Oscar Zoroaster Diggs)**
* **The Fraudulent "Great and Powerful":** The Wizard’s primary secret is that **he has no real magic**. He is a "humbug"—a conman from Earth who uses mechanical inventions, "smoke and mirrors," and Madame Morrible’s help to appear omnipotent.
* **The Political Agenda:** He is secretly orchestrating the systemic oppression of the **talking Animals** of Oz. He intends to use them as a "common enemy" to unite the human citizens of Oz under his control. He wants to use Elphaba’s raw, natural magic to power his mechanical surveillance systems (like the flying monkeys).
### **Glinda (née Galinda) Upland**
* **The Name Change:** Early in the film, she is "Galinda." She changes her name to "Glinda" as a public gesture of solidarity with Doctor Dillamond (who consistently mispronounced it), but it is also a calculated move to "curate" her public image as a benevolent, selfless figure.
* **Social Manipulation:** Glinda keeps several social secrets, most notably her initial cruelty toward Elphaba. The "witch hat" she gives Elphaba was originally intended as a mean-spirited prank to make Elphaba look ridiculous at the Ozdust Ballroom. She hides the guilt of this act until their friendship deepens.
### **Madame Morrible**
* **The Wizard’s Accomplice:** While she presents herself as a dignified headmistress, she is secretly a **political operative for the Wizard**. She uses her own magic (specifically weather manipulation) to create "prophetic" signs that serve the Wizard’s agenda.
* **The Suppression of Animals:** She is complicit in the "Animal" purge. The film hints that she has a role in silencing Doctor Dillamond and other sentient Animals to ensure the Wizard’s rise to power remains unchecked.
### **Nessarose Thropp**
* **The "Milk Flowers" Secret:** Nessarose believes her disability (the inability to walk) is a tragic accident of birth. However, the secret—known only to her father, Governor Thropp—is that her condition was caused by him. After Elphaba was born green, the Governor was so desperate for a "normal" second child that he forced his wife to eat **milk flowers** during pregnancy to "drain the green out." This caused Nessarose’s mother to die during childbirth and left Nessarose with weakened legs.
* **The Silver Slippers:** These shoes are a secret heirloom from her father, intended only for her. They are later revealed to have latent magical properties that Elphaba eventually activates.
### **Boq**
* **Unrequited Love and Manipulation:** Boq’s secret is that he is deeply in love with Glinda. He only spends time with Nessarose because Glinda manipulated him into doing so to get him out of her way. He keeps his resentment and his true feelings for Glinda hidden from Nessarose to avoid hurting her, though this eventually leads to a tragic misunderstanding.
### **Fiyero Tigelaar**
* **The "Brainless" Mask:** Fiyero plays the role of a shallow, "brainless" Winkie prince who only cares about "Dancing Through Life." However, he is keeping a secret depth: he is actually quite observant and disillusioned with the shallow nature of Ozian society. His "I don't care" attitude is a protective mask against the expectations of his royal status.