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Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for Elphie by Gregory Maguire.
WhileWickedchronicles the backstory of the Wicked Witch, the 2025 prequel novel takes readers even further into her past.
This adds to the confusion surroundinghow old Elphaba is.
And her enrollment feels somewhat surprising given how young she is.
That reality means that she could be teetering the line between 16 and 17 in the newWickedprequel.
TheWickedmusical ages up the character by several years, making her 20, and the film adaptation follows suit.
This feels more congruent with the story’s university setting.
However, the actors' ages ensure she and Glinda feel like full-blown adults.
Elphie: A Wicked Childhoodis available wherever books are sold as of March 25, 2025.
One would hardly guess from the adaptations alone that Elphaba is a teenager upon arriving at Shiz University.
Fortunately,Elphie: A Wicked Childhoodclears up any confusion about her age in the source material.
Custom Image by Yeider Chacon
