Do we like them?

Do we like Elphaba?

A character from Wicked (2003–present)

Our score: 9 out of 10. Yes, we'd back her. She's principled, fiercely loyal and brave. She stands up for the voiceless even when it costs her everything.

Elphaba is born green-skinned in Oz and is mistreated for it from childhood. She arrives at Shiz University to look after her younger sister. There she is paired as a roommate with the bubbly, popular Galinda (later Glinda). They start out as enemies and slowly become close friends.

Elphaba is clever, stubborn and sharp-tongued, with a rare magical talent. She wants to use it to do good and hopes to meet the Wizard of Oz. She cares most about justice. When Animals start to lose their rights and voices, she cannot look away. She is not perfect: she can be impulsive, prickly and too proud to ask for help. But her heart is steady, and that is why we give her a 9.

She meets the Wizard and learns that Oz's leader isn't what he seems. She refuses to go along with his schemes. The government then turns public opinion against her and brands her wicked. She becomes a fugitive, and the label sticks even though she did nothing to earn it. Her story shows how propaganda can twist a hero into a villain.