The Scarecrow in Wicked: Who He Is & How Elphaba Changed Him

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Explore his origin story & deep connection to Elphaba

Co-authored by Klarissa Beckstead and Elaine Heredia, BA

Last Updated: June 26, 2025 Fact Checked

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The Scarecrow's Identity

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Fiyero's Transformation

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Relationship With Elphaba

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The Scarecrow in Wizard of Oz

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Who are Tin Man & the Cowardly Lion?

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Final Takeaway

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Video

Wicked the Musical and its 2024 film adaptation Wicked Part 1 are famous for putting a creative twist on characters we know and love from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. You may, however, have noticed in Wicked Part 1 that there is no Scarecrow (or Tin Man or Cowardly Lion). Or is there? Keep reading if you're curious to learn the Scarecrow's true identity in Wicked, how the character transforms into a man made of straw, his relationship with Elphaba, and so much more. Beware: here there be spoilers!

Who is the Scarecrow in Wicked?

The Scarecrow's real identity in Wicked the Musical and Wicked Part 1 and Part 2 is Prince Fiyero. Elphaba Thropp, the main protagonist who eventually becomes the misunderstood Wicked Witch of the West, accidentally turns Fiyero into a scarecrow while attempting to save his life. Fiyero is Elphaba's love interest.

Section 1 of 6:

The Scarecrow's True Identity in Wicked Explained

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In both the original Broadway musical version of Wicked and its movie adaptations, Wicked Part 1 and Part 2, the Scarecrow's true identity is Fiyero Tigelaar. Fiyero is originally a prince from Winkie Country who attended Shiz University at the same time as Elphaba Thropp. Elphaba is the main protagonist in Wicked and later becomes the much misunderstood Wicked Witch of the West.^{[1]
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It's not confirmed if Fiyero is the Scarecrow in the Wicked novel. Wicked the Musical is inspired by Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, a novel by Gregory Maguire published in 1995. In the book, Fiyero is murdered by the Wizard of Oz's secret police for associating with Elphaba, who is part of a resistance to the Wizard's rule. Elphaba is devastated, but she later comes to believe that he might be alive and in disguise as the Scarecrow. She commands her flying monkeys to tear the straw out of his clothing to confirm her suspicions. But all they find is straw, not a human body.^{[2]
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- Elphaba then believes that the straw is imbued with Fiyero's spirit. This theory is never confirmed, so readers are left to draw their own conclusions.

Section 2 of 6:

How does Fiyero become the Scarecrow in Wicked?

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In Act 2 of Wicked the Musical, Fiyero is captured by the Wizard of Oz's soldiers after he helps Elphaba escape their clutches. They take him into a nearby cornfield to torture him for information about Elphaba's whereabouts. To save him, Elphaba casts a spell from a magical book called the Grimmerie that will protect him from all harm. However, she stops the spell before it's finished, thinking she messed it up and that Fiyero is already dead. Unbeknownst to her, the spell does work, but not the way she intended. Fiyero becomes immune to all pain, but only by transforming into a scarecrow.^{[3]
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Section 3 of 6:

What is the Scarecrow's relationship with Elphaba?

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The Scarecrow/Fiyero is Elphaba's love interest in the musical and movie. When Elphaba first arrives at Shiz University, she's treated like an outcast because of her green skin. Fiyero, on the other hand, is royal, handsome, and charismatic. This makes him popular with all the other students, including Galinda, who has a crush on him and is also part of the "popular" crowd. Nevertheless, he falls in love with Elphaba, despite the fact that he and Galinda are labeled as the "perfect" couple.^{[4]
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- Fiyero later becomes engaged to Galinda, but only because he feels forced to by Madame Morrible, the headmistress at Shiz University. Their engagement is forcibly broken off when he declares his love for Elphaba and helps her escape from the Wizard's soldiers.
- At the end of Act 2 of Wicked the Musical, Dorothy Gale throws water on Elphaba, which Dorothy has been told will make the witch melt. This is actually a made-up rumor. Instead of melting and dying, Elphaba simply disappears through a trap door in the floor.
  - The ruse works, however, and everyone who witnesses the incident thinks Elphaba is truly dead. Later, the Scarecrow arrives at the castle and lets her out, and the two of them leave Oz together to start a new life.

Section 4 of 6:

Scarecrow's Origins in Wizard of Oz vs Wicked

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The Scarecrow is just a scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz book. In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900 and written by L. Frank Baum, the Scarecrow was never a human being. In the book, he even talks about the farmer who made him out of straw and old clothes to scare birds away from his crops. He and the Wicked Witch of the West (who has no name in this version of the story) aren't in love. In fact, they have no relationship at all except as enemies.^{[5]
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- In the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland, the main character, Dorothy, dreams about Oz instead of physically going there. In her dream, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion resemble the farmhands who work for her aunt and uncle in real life. However, the characters are considered separate (i.e., the Scarecrow isn't the farmhand in disguise; he really is a scarecrow in Dorothy's dream).
  - The dream element of the story was added for the movie.
- Did you know? L. Frank Baum wrote 14 books in his Wizard of Oz series. They were published from 1900 up through 1919, the year Baum died.

Section 5 of 6:

The Tin Man & the Cowardly Lion's Identities in Wicked

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The Tin Man's real identity in the musical is a Munchkin named Boq. Boq attends Shiz University with Elphaba, Fiyero, Galinda, and Elphaba's younger sister Nessarose. Nessarose falls in love with Boq, but he's infatuated with Galinda. In Act 2, Nessarose tries to cast a spell on Boq out of the Grimmerie, but it goes wrong and his heart shrinks and he becomes heartless. To save him, Elphaba casts a spell of her own, which turns him into a man made of tin.^{[6]
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- Nessarose becomes the Wicked Witch of the East. Both she and Boq blame Elphaba for turning him into a heartless tin man, even though the act saved his life.
- Dorothy Gale's house falls on Nessarose in Act 2 of the musical and kills her, just like in the original Wizard of Oz tale.
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The Cowardly Lion is a real lion rescued by Elphaba and Fiyero. While attending Shiz University, Elphaba and Fiyero are in class when they're shown a lion cub in a cage. They're told the cub is part of a government experiment. Infuriated at the innocent creature's imprisonment, Elphaba casts a spell that incapacitates everyone in the room except her and Fiyero. The pair rescue the cub, take it to the woods, and release it. It's implied that this cub grows up to be the Cowardly Lion in Act 2 of the musical.^{[7]
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- This incident is also the first time that Elphaba and Fiyero begin developing romantic feelings for one another.

Section 6 of 6:

Final Takeaway

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Elphaba accidentally turns Fiyero (her love interest) into a scarecrow when reciting a spell to protect him from harm. At the end of the musical, he reunites with Elphaba after she fakes her death, and the pair run away together to start a new life. Wicked the Musical is based on a novel titled Wicked by Gregory Maguire, which is itself a reimagining of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz book by L. Frank Baum.