Wicked: For Good Director Reveals Whether Glinda Knows the Tin Man's Identity
That gasp at the end of Wicked: For Good sparked the big question: did Glinda recognize the Tin Man as Boq? Director Jon M. Chu finally lays it out, and his answer reshapes the stakes for everyone in Oz.
Wicked: For Good has plenty of big, loud moments, but the little character beats are what stick. Case in point: that blink-and-you-miss-it stare between Glinda and the Tin Man near the end. Fans have been asking the same thing since opening night: does she know it is Boq under all that metal? Director Jon M. Chu just weighed in, and his answer makes that moment hit even harder.
The setup that made everyone suspicious
- Late in the film, Glinda (Ariana Grande) watches a crowd of Ozians go wild for four Witch Hunters. One of them is a Tin Man, who boasts he will be "heartless" while tracking Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo). Glinda looks rattled.
- Why that matters: earlier, after Nessarose (Marissa Bode) botches a spell by misreading the Grimmerie, Elphaba saves Boq the only way she can — by turning him into the Tin Man. He wakes up disoriented and furious, pins the blame on Elphaba, and that anger drives him to join the hunt.
Chu: yes, Glinda knows
Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Chu acknowledged he left room for interpretation, but he is not exactly coy about what he thinks is going on in Glinda's head during that crowd scene.
"I don't necessarily like to say exactly what it is... but yeah, in my mind, she knows it's Boq," Chu said. "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?'"
He also points to the moment in the number March of the Witch Hunters when Boq locks eyes with Glinda, then deliberately turns away: "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."
Why this tiny beat lands like a punch
If you clock it the way Chu does, Glinda is recognizing an old friend in a new, colder shell and realizing how far Oz has fallen. And for Boq, that quick glance is basically a declaration: the anger fueled by his transformation now matters more to him than any past connection. It is a small cutaway with a lot of emotional shrapnel.
For context, Wicked: For Good is adapted from Gregory Maguire's bestselling novel and picks up after Elphaba has been officially branded the Wicked Witch of the West. It is in theaters now.