The final Wicked: For Good trailer has dropped.
Folks, the people who have not seen the full musical are not prepared for how much Part 2 is going to hurt.
In the trailer, we see a few moments of levity (and gravity-defying levitation) and a lot of conflict.
Ariana Grande’s Glinda and Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba fight it out on screen. And that’s not even the part that will hurt the most.
‘Wicked: For Good’ is going to destroy us, actually
On Wednesday, September 4, the final trailer for Wicked: For Good released across the internet.
Cynthia Erivo returns as Elphaba and Ariana Grande returns as Glinda, now seemingly on opposite sides after their parting of the ways in the previous film’s “Defying Gravity” number.
Elphaba continues to fly upon her broom.
Glinda clearly needs a little help, acting as propaganda for the Wizard with a magical bubble that Michelle Yeoh’s Madame Morrible has provided.
Obviously, Glinda and Elphaba are the central characters of the film. But they are not the only familiar faces.
From the first part of the film, we see Nessa (Elphaba’s sister), Fiyero, the Wizard, and more.
Other iconic characters from The Wizard of Oz begin to appear, like the Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man.
We shan’t spoil what’s going on with them, of course, but you’ve seen them in other guises in the first film.
The soundtrack is going to bring you to tears
On the musical side of things, the Wicked: For Good trailer plays bits and pieces of some of the play’s most iconic works.
“Thank Goodness” is a deeply ironic song of pining and outright denial, and should take place early in the film. It is, ostensibly, about Glinda and Fiyero’s happily ever after.
Meanwhile, the trailer also shows Elphaba and Fiyero while “As Long As You’re Mine” plays. Life is complicated.
Now, as for the more painful parts.
“No Good Deed” is perhaps the second part of the musical’s most impactful and iconic song.
It is, in my opinion, a close second to “Defying Gravity.” (It is also a plot-significant song)
As for “For Good,” this duet between Ariana and Cynthia is going to wreck us all. Some of us, and I’m not saying who, are going to be silently sobbing in the theater. (To quote Elphaba, it’s meeeeee)
Talking animals and green skin aside, things may feel a little ‘too real’
Thematically, Wicked: For Good is going to double down on the dark aspects of Oz that were only slowly unfolding during the first film.
The novel is a tale of a charlatan’s fascist takeover of the land of Oz, one in which he uses religion, discrimination, censorship, propaganda, and force of arms to establish full control over every institution.
This may end up feeling a little on-the-nose considering the horrors of current events.
But the novel came out in 1995. Fascism is just always like this.
The film releases on November 21, 2025. We’ll be holding space for this entire soundtrack until then.