The sheer ridiculousness of it shows where Elphaba is at by that point in the novel. Really sad. Answer from YardEnvironmental127 on reddit.com
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NBC
nbc.com › nbc-insider › where-did-elphaba-fiyero-go-at-the-end-of-wicked-for-good
What Happened to Elphaba & Fiyero at the End of Wicked: For Good? (EXPLAINED)
One of the lasting scenes in Wicked: For Good occurs when Fiyero makes his triumphant return, is revealed as the Scarecrow, and opens the trap door to reveal Elphaba so they can finally be together.
Published   1 month ago
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/wicked › (book) why did elphie think fiyero was the scarecrow?
r/wicked on Reddit: (Book) Why did Elphie think Fiyero was The Scarecrow?
January 20, 2025 -

So Fiyero in the musical does in fact end up being The Scarecrow. But what led to Elphie thinking he was The Scarecrow in the book? Maybe I'm missing something, but the line of reasoning seemed to come out of nowhere. I've yet to read the sequels.

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The sheer ridiculousness of it shows where Elphaba is at by that point in the novel. Really sad.
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It's a combination of things, really. It's not so much one thing as it is the culmination of everything she's suffered in the years since his death. As mentioned below, Elphaba experimented with the Wizard's elixir to dream about the other world like Nanny said her mother did. After experiencing nightmares from it, though, she slowly stopped sleeping entirely to avoid them. She's always been a conspiracy theorist, but in the years following Dr. Dillamond's and Ama Clutch's deaths, she slowly went off the deep end and began developing paranoia. After seeing the scarecrow talismans after she came to visit Munchkinland again, she began to develop a suspicion around scarecrows in general. Elphie's later years were later spent trying and failing to atone for her affair with Fiyero (first with the Maunts, and later on with Sarima in Kiamo Ko) as her involvement with him is what led to his death. Despite becoming friends with his widow and making Kiamo Ko her home, because Sarima essentially forbade her from confessing what she had done, Elphie spent those years being tormented by guilt and a lack of closure. This, of course, never got resolved for her because Sarima, her sisters, and two of her children ended up dead and his only daughter was taken as a hostage by the Wizard and enslaved. After being haunted by her guilt for well over a decade at this point, she sprung at the chance to make up a sleep-deprivation fantasy about him being alive and well - because she wouldn't need to gain forgiveness if she didn't cause his death in the first place. Liir mentioned right before Dorothy's arrival that his heart's desire was to have a father, which Elphie believes was Fiyero because at this point she is more or less convinced that she was his biological mother. For all her abrasiveness in her later years, Elphie does love Liir, knows how much he longs for a paternal figure, and envisioned Fiyero as the Scarecrow in part because she badly wanted to give him the father he never had. At this point in her life, Elphaba's just... lonely, man. She's lost almost everyone she's ever loved, through either death or perceived betrayal. Dr. Dillamond's Nessa's dead, Sarima's dead, her father's never going to love her like he loved Nessa and the shoes that represented his love have been taken by some random child, Glinda gave said child the shoes even though she knew Elphaba was hurt by them decades ago, and Boq was afraid of her after Madame Morrible. She still had Nanny and Liir, yes, but they didn't understand her like those others did. They see her at her worst, her most crotchety, while knowing nothing of what she's been through. And yes, while she does have her familiars, they can't talk with her, no matter how much she tried to teach them. At the height of her mania, she simply wanted to not be alone anymore. In short, sad reasons. Many, many sad reasons.
Discussions

(Book) Why did Elphie think Fiyero was The Scarecrow?
The sheer ridiculousness of it shows where Elphaba is at by that point in the novel. Really sad. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/wicked
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January 20, 2025
Jonathan Bailey opens up about changing his appearance for Wicked
This is like the second time his eye color and a certain “love scene” (which in the musical happens in ALAYM) were referenced together. We also have this from Frances Hannon’s interview : “And Fiyero, of course, he had a love sequence to do with Elphaba whilst he was a scarecrow. So we did a pass at it where um and the wig worked perfectly well because it was the transition and we, you know, sewed in half the field into a basic wig that was of the color of his original blondes and that just worked really well on Jonathan, but the um our, our burlap face, our sacking, you know, that was his head. … And Jonathan in the film, we gave him, Jonathan has naturally brown eyes. We made him blue for Fiyero because that’s the color of his village and where he comes from his color tones palette. And then we made him dark brown for the fields for when he becomes scarecrows. So his eyes became more of a pool, um which worked really well in the love scenes, I think. But that was the, the prosthetic sort of, and they, they worked beautifully and of course, then the actors brought it all to life, but it was beautifully done.” Is Fiyero in his scarecrow form already in ALAYM? Another love scene towards the end? ALAYM reprise? Because it’s really looking like this atm: Curiouser and curiouser. More on reddit.com
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December 2, 2024
Something I want to know about the Scarecrow and Elphaba during Wicked and The Wizard of Oz
Alternatively: What we know of as “The Wizard of Oz” (movie) is basically a propaganda piece based on the story(s) told by the Wizard/Morrible (and not “corrected” by Glinda, at Elphaba’s request). So while the overall story is “accurate”, we can’t necessarily trust the specific details. More on reddit.com
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December 1, 2024
Fiyero ending in the musical
As they say in the movie, a spell from the Grimmerie cannot be reversed, he's stuck as a Scarecrow. Yes, running off leaves a lot of open questions, but that's the point. They're running off to start a new life, they don't have the answers to those questions themselves. It's intentionally open-ended. More on reddit.com
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November 27, 2024
People also ask

Who turns into what in Wicked Part 2?
Fiyero becomes the Scarecrow, and Boq becomes the Tin Man. The cowardly lion was seen as a cub (rescued by Elphaba and Fiyero) in part 1.
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londontheatredirect.com
londontheatredirect.com › news › what happens in wicked part 2? full plot, character fates and how it all ends
What Happens in Wicked Part 2? Full Plot, Character Fates and How ...
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Forbes
forbes.com › forbes homepage › lifestyle › arts
‘Wicked: For Good’ Fans Have Questions About The Scarecrow
1 month ago - In Wicked: For Good, the Scarecrow is a human, Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), who was transformed by Elphaba’s magic.
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Fandom
wicked.fandom.com › wiki › Fiyero_Tigelaar
Fiyero Tigelaar | Wicked Wiki | Fandom
2 weeks ago - Years later, before her accidental demise at the hands of Dorothy, Elphaba, who is suffering from paranoia, begins to think that Fiyero is alive and in disguise as the Scarecrow. To investigate further, she has her winged monkeys tear the straw out of the Scarecrow's clothing to make certain if he was indeed Fiyero.
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People
people.com › jonathan-bailey-makes-nsfw-joke-about-wicked-for-good-transformation-11854595
Jonathan Bailey Makes NSFW Joke About His Dramatic Prosthetic Transformation in Wicked: For Good
November 21, 2025 - "The first thing that I started ... said of the movie. His character Fiyero is turned into the Scarecrow by Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) when she casts a spell to save Fiyero's life midway through the movie....
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NBC
nbc.com › nbc-insider › jonathan-bailey-is-unrecognizable-as-the-scarecrow-photo-with-cynthia-erivo
Jonathan Bailey as Scarecrow with Cynthia Erivo on Wicked's Set
1 month ago - ... While Bailey spent the majority of the two Wicked films as Prince Fiyero, by the end of Wicked: For Good, he is unknowingly transformed into the Scarecrow by Elphaba in an attempt to save his life.
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Entertainment Weekly
ew.com › wicked-for-good-director-reveals-secret-note-fiyero-sent-elphaba-explains-surprise-ending-11854279
'Wicked: For Good' director reveals secret note Fiyero sent Elphaba that explains surprise ending
1 month ago - So did she not know Fiyero was a scarecrow now? And how did he know where to find her? Wicked: For Good director Jon M. Chu reveals to Entertainment Weekly what audiences didn't see that fills in some of the gaps.
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Variety
variety.com › 2025 › artisans › news › jonathan-bailey-scarecrow-costume-wicked-for-good-1236586062
'Wicked: For Good': How the Scarecrow and Tin Man Got Final Looks
1 month ago - After successfully finding the ... Man, The Cowardly Lion and The Scarecrow. Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), who is in a love triangle with Elphaba and Glinda, becomes the Scarecrow, while Boq (Ethan Slater), a Munchkin, transforms ...
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Fandom
wicked.fandom.com › wiki › Scarecrow
Scarecrow | Wicked Wiki | Fandom
3 weeks ago - The Scarecrow then travels with ... kill Elphaba. In the musical, Wicked, Fiyero turns into the Scarecrow after Elphaba chants a spell to save his life during the song, No Good Deed....
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London Theatre Direct
londontheatredirect.com › news › what happens in wicked part 2? full plot, character fates and how it all ends
What Happens in Wicked Part 2? Full Plot, Character Fates and How It All Ends | London Theatre Direct
October 22, 2025 - While Wicked Part 2 stays faithful to the Broadway and London productions, director Jon M. Chu has expanded several sequences for the big screen. The film adds two new songs and explores the emotional bond between Elphaba and Glinda in greater depth. Unlike Gregory Maguire’s darker novel, the tone remains hopeful and cinematic. Elphaba escapes with Fiyero, who has been transformed into the Scarecrow...
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/Film
slashfilm.com › 1759486 › wicked-fiyero-tigelaar-scarecrow-wizard-of-oz-storyline-explained
How One Wicked Character Ends Up As The Scarecrow In The Wizard Of Oz - SlashFilm
January 19, 2025 - If you're impatient while you wait for "Wicked: For Good" — the recently retitled second half of Chu's epic "Wicked" story — here's how we think Fiyero will undergo his transformation when the movie releases in November of this year.
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Let's Overthink That
letsoverthinkthat.com › home › blockbusters › wicked part 1: fiyero, foreshadowing, and spoilers
Wicked Part 1: Fiyero, Foreshadowing, and Spoilers - Let's Overthink That
January 8, 2025 - In the second act of the Wicked stage musical, Fiyero becomes the Scarecrow. You know, Dorothy’s friend who just wants a brain. Yes, that Scarecrow. And in the movie, there’s a ton of foreshadowing that points toward the movie version of ...
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Cosmopolitan
cosmopolitan.com › entertainment › movies › who does fiyero end up with in wicked part two?
Who does Fiyero end up with in Wicked part two?
December 5, 2024 - But thanks to helping Elphaba escape ... turns out Elphaba is truly terrible at casting spells and Fiyero turns into a human haybale, aka The Scarecrow....
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HELLO!
hellomagazine.com › hello! › tv and film
Wicked II: what happens in part 2 of musical? Read our spoiler-filled reveal | HELLO!
November 26, 2024 - After fleeing, Elphaba believes that the guards could be torturing Fiyero for answers, and tries to cast a spell to save him, inadvertently turning him into the Scarecrow.
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Heart FM
heart.co.uk › showbiz › wicked-who-is-tin-man-scarecrow-lion
Who are Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion in Wicked? Original identities revealed - Heart
June 4, 2025 - The backstory of how Fiyero became ... to be the same in the Wicked Movie (Part Two), Fiyero returns as the Scarecrow when he helps Elphaba escape after she fakes her own death....
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Capital FM
capitalfm.com › news › tv-film › wicked-scarecrow-musical-part-2-who
Who is the Scarecrow in Wicked? Here's how the musical reveals his true identity - Capital
December 4, 2024 - Yes. Jonathan Bailey's character Fiyero is the Scarecrow and we'll see him become the Scarecrow in Part 2. Fiyero and Elphaba in Wicked.
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Cosmopolitan
cosmopolitan.com › pop culture › movies › thirstily wondering who fiyero ends up with in ‘wicked: for good’?
Who Does Fiyero End Up With in Wicked?
November 20, 2025 - But thanks to helping Elphaba escape ... turns out Elphaba is truly terrible at casting spells and Fiyero turns into a human bale of hay, aka The Scarecrow....
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Yahoo!
uk.news.yahoo.com › does-fiyero-end-wicked-part-103000334.html
Who does Fiyero end up with in Wicked part two? - Yahoo News UK
December 5, 2024 - But thanks to helping Elphaba escape ... turns out Elphaba is truly terrible at casting spells and Fiyero turns into a human haybale, aka The Scarecrow....
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Capital FM
capitalfm.com › news › tv-film › wicked-jonathan-bailey-fiyero-blue-eyes-why
Wicked's Jonathan Bailey teases "reason why" Fiyero has blue eyes - Capital
November 30, 2024 - In Wicked Part 2, Fiyero leaves ... 'As Long As You're Mine'. Fans of the musical will also know that Elphaba turns Fiyero into the Scarecrow to save his life....