Where Does 'Wicked' Fit Into the 'The Wizard of Oz' Timeline?

This story contains light spoilers for the Wicked movie and the Gregory Maguire novel of the same name.

We're ready to head back to Oz, and it's coming with a dose of green and pink!

Wicked Part 1 officially hit theaters on November 22, and it celebrates the musical of the same name that tells the story of how Elphaba Thropp, a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West, came to be. With Cynthia Erivo portraying the titular character and Ariana Grande (Galinda), Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero), Michelle Yeoh (Madame Morrible), Jeff Goldblum (the Wizard) and more making up the incredible cast, the tale that's been on Broadway for over two decades is moving from the Great White Way to the silver screen.

Even though folks likely know Wicked as a Broadway musical, it may surprise people to learn the story is actually based on the 1995 book of the same name from Gregory Maguire. What's more, he took inspiration from L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz book series, which was initially published in 1900 and was later made into the iconic 1939 movie with Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale.

Given how Wicked famously takes nods (namely with some of its characters) from The Wizard of Oz, you may be wondering if and how Wicked fits into the original The Wizard of Oz timeline. While it may seem difficult to keep both stories straight, the answer is actually pretty easy to understand.

While Wicked never explicitly states it is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, it most certainly is an origin story of sorts. According to the Wicked book and musical, the story takes place years before the events of The Wizard of Oz. But wait — how does that make sense? Well, Glinda doesn't have her full powers in the Wicked book, and the events with her,Dorothy Gale, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion following the Yellow Brick Road are all featured toward the end of Gregory's story.

As far as there being an exact counting of how many years are between Wicked and The Wizard of Oz, the book actually gives a surprise number of record.

According to Gregory's novel, the Wizard is in power for about 40 years before he decides to abdicate his position and leave the Emerald City in a hot air balloon. The Broadway musical also alluded to a similar timeframe, as Act 2 showcased Elphaba, Glinda and Fiyero leaving Shiz University and the latter two working for the Wizard roughly a decade after.

If the Wicked movies follow a similar timeline to both the book and the musical, then the events from The Wizard of Oz will be featured in Wicked Part 2 (out November 21, 2025) and occur as early as a decade after the events of Wicked Part 1.

Now, you may be thinking since Wicked is meant to be a companion for The Wizard of Oz, there have to be nods to it in the movie. You're definitely right, because it wouldn't feel good to not have a way of seeing what's to come!

Although there are plenty of little Easter eggs, the biggest one fans can see in Wicked Part 1 is right at the beginning of the film. As the movie opens, folks can see Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion all walking down the Yellow Brick Road.

What's more, as the movie progresses and Elphaba and Glinda go to the Emerald City, the Wizard asks for their help in what color to paint the road that'll become famous in the second movie. As for Dorothy's red ruby slippers, well, folks will see Elphaba holding a pair around the halfway point when Glinda sings "Popular."

Now, with all of this in mind, you should have a better sense of when and where Wicked takes place as you watch the film in theaters.