Warning: The following article includes spoilers for Wicked: For Good!Wicked: For Good director Jon M. Chu has officially clarified one of the movie’s most pivotal scenes. Throughout Wicked, Boq (Ethan Slater) harbors a deep crush for Glinda (Ariana Grande) despite her never remembering his name. During the “March of the Witch Hunters” sequence, having been transformed into the Tin Man by Elphaba, Boq locks eyes with Glinda in anger, but many have wondered if Glinda even recognizes the boy with whom she went to Shizz University.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Chu clarified the scene and whether Glinda recognizes Boq now that he is fully transformed into the Tin Man. “I don’t necessarily like to say exactly what it is… but yeah, in my mind, she knows it’s Boq,” said Chu. “I think she recognizes, she sees it in his eyes. I think there’s also something she knows inherently and it makes her ask herself, ‘What has become of this world that I knew?’.” Chu later added that Boq turning away from Glinda was a huge moment for the character, a sign that his unrequited love for her is forever gone, saying:
“That moment he looks back up to her and then turns away, that is him saying he doesn’t need her anymore — because he has a new family of hate that’s stronger than love for him. That, to me, was a big moment.”
What Comes Next for ‘Wicked’s Tin Man and Glinda
Ariana Grande as Glinda crowning herself the leader of Oz in ‘Wicked: For Good’Universal Pictures
Part of the confusion for many people about whether Glinda recognizes Boq after being transformed is that after the “Dancing Through Life” sequence in Wicked, the two characters never interact except for a brief scene in the distance as Elphaba watches the two of them alongside Nessa and Fieyro during “I’m Not That Girl.” Wicked: For Good attempts to establish a greater bond between this friend group by flashing back multiple times to a scene of the five characters in a field spending a day together, suggesting that Glinda did get to know Boq a little bit more once he began a relationship with Nessa.
The ultimate tragedy is that this friend group is destined to become legendary figures in Oz, for better or worse. Elphaba will be known as the Wicked Witch of the West, while Glinda will be known as the Good Witch of the North. Nessa puts the Munchkins under a strict rule to become known as the Wicked Witch of the East. Fieyro and Boq both become transformed into the Scarecrow and Tin Man, respectively, by spells placed on them by Elphaba. In both cases, Elphaba cast spells to save her friends, but whereas Fieyro accepted the spell as a loving gesture, Boq is filled with anger as he thinks it was done with malicious intent.
With talk of a Wicked follow-up, there is room to explore both Glinda and Tin Man’s new status quo in future installments. What happens to the Tin Man once he has “destroyed” the Wicked Witch? In Glinda’s mind, Boq/Tin Man is the only one of her old school friends left. Does she wish to make amends, and if so, would he even let her? All of these would make for interesting storylines to explore in a sequel.
Release Date
November 21, 2025
Runtime
137 Minutes
Writers
Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox, Gregory Maguire
Producers
Marc Platt, David Stone
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