One critical deleted scene from Wicked proves that Nessarose Thropp’s (Marissa Bode) story will be even more tragic in the upcoming sequel. Released as an adaptation of the celebrated Broadway musical and the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked explores the life of Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo), her friendship with Galinda Upland (Ariana Grande-Butera) during her time at Shiz University, and how she eventually became known throughout Oz as the Wicked Witch of the West. Released in 2024, Wicked broke musical box office records, and won the Golden Globe Award for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, exceeding expectations in terms of success.

A supporting character in Wicked’s cast, Nessarose Thropp, is Elphaba’s younger sister, and was born paralyzed from the waist down. Having been coddled by her father all her life due to her disability, Nessarose desires to find independence and love; she eventually believes she has found it with the Munchkinlander, Boq (Ethan Slater). However, one deleted scene shows their future is set for tragedy and sets up a Wicked 2 plot theory that Nessarose’s fate will be even more heartbreaking than expected.

Elphaba Confirms She Knows Boq Doesn’t Love Nessarose In A Wicked Deleted Scene

In A Deleted Scene Elphaba & Boq Talk Before Her Journey To The Emerald City

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In one of several deleted scenes from Wicked, Elphaba and Boq talk at the train station before the former’s journey to meet the Wizard at the Emerald City. While sitting together, Elphaba says to Boq that he should tell Nessarose the truth about his feelings and when Boq admits that he doesn’t want to hurt Nessarose, Elphaba remarks “he’s going to end up hurting her anyway“. This confirms that Elphaba knows that Boq loves Glinda, not Nessarose, and she would rather have Boq tell the truth, than let Nessarose live a lie with somebody who doesn’t love her.

Throughout Wicked, Elphaba and Boq rarely interact with each other, so this deleted scene offers viewers a chance to see the two share a quiet and meaningful talk away from everybody else. Their talk shows that Boq does care for Nessarose’s feelings, despite not loving her, and further displays Elphaba’s protective nature towards her sister. Elphaba and Boq’s conversation about love and their dreams shows a connection between the two characters which could have been potentially explored further, so it’s understandable why Cynthia Erivo was “gutted” by the scene’s deletion from Wicked.

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Wicked’s Deleted Scene Proves Everyone But Nessarose Knows Who Boq Really Loves

It Shows That Everyone Except Nessarose Knows Boq’s Feelings Lie Elsewhere Until The Movie’s End

Throughout Wicked, Boq is obviously attracted to Glinda, and he does his best to catch her attention through small gestures and conversations. Despite Glinda continuously getting Boq’s name wrong throughout Wicked, Boq is still smitten and, as he says to Elphaba in their deleted scene, he “can’t change his feelings” for Glinda, despite Elphaba warning him that he will hurt Nessarose if he continues to lead her on. Elphaba and Boq’s brief conversation at the train station in Wicked depicts the sad reality that everybody knows that Boq is truly in love with Glinda, except Nessarose.
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In Wicked, Nessarose is delighted when Boq asks her to the Ozdust Ball; Boq does so at Glinda’s suggestion so that he will appear as a hero. In this scene, Glinda and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) both recognize Boq’s admiration for Glinda and her tactic at letting him down gently by distracting him with somebody else. Nessarose believes Boq is her true love, and her repeated statement of “we deserve each other” further displays her obliviousness to Boq’s feelings. But by Wicked part 1’s ending, Nessarose notices Boq’s longing stares towards Glinda, which raises her suspicions that their romance may not be what she believes it to be.

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Wicked’s Boq & Elphaba Deleted Scene Helps Set Up Wicked 2 Better

Nessarose Will Learn The Full Truth About Boq’s Feelings In Wicked: For Good

The events of Wicked: For Good see Nessarose serving as Governor of Munckinland after her father’s death, with Boq acting as her servant. Her growing suspicions of Boq’s true feelings lead her to stripping the Munckinlanders of all their rights in an attempt to ensure Boq doesn’t leave her. Her tyrannical leadership results in Nessarose eventually becoming known as the Wicked Witch of the East. Elphaba’s spell on Nessa’s silver slippers will see the truth about Boq’s love for Glinda and Boq and Elphaba’s deleted scene in Wicked sets up this moment better than its depiction in the Broadway musical.

Elphaba and Boq’s conversation in their deleted scene from Wicked could offer a deeper sense of betrayal for Nessarose, as she has to deal with the fact that Boq never loved her and Elphaba knew all along.

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Nessa’s discovery of the truth could lead to her questioning Elphaba about whether she knew about Boq’s feelings for Glinda. While she does her best to protect Nessa throughout Wicked, given her talk with Boq at the train station, Elphaba could be forced to admit the truth to her sister. Elphaba and Boq’s conversation in their deleted scene from Wicked could offer a deeper sense of betrayal for Nessarose, as she has to deal with the fact that Boq never loved her and Elphaba knew all along, which makes Nessarose’s eventual demise in Wicked: For Good even more tragic.