When Depraved: Half I was launched in theaters, it took viewers a number of watches to grasp the nuances of the nice and evil inside every character. Like a lot of the greatest tales, Depraved follows complicated characters, which is what paved the way in which for the actors’ awards-worthy performances.
As a result of Depraved is the backstory of two ladies who we solely knew because the Depraved Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the North earlier than the 1995 prequel, the themes of fine versus evil and their perceptions are central to the story. Early within the movie and musical, Galinda asks, “Are individuals born depraved or have they got wickedness thrust upon them?” Depraved units out to reply this query by a number of complicated characters who range on the dimensions of fine to “depraved,” so we’ve ranked them from probably the most benevolent to probably the most evil.
Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo)
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Since we’re kicking it off with rating the characters based mostly on their tales from Depraved, Half I alone in order to not give away spoilers, Elphaba simply falls into the class of probably the most good. Somebody who’s “good” stands up for what’s proper, and Elphaba is the one character who stands up for the rights of animals, sacrificing her personal goals and potential for energy. The one actually selfless character, Elphaba is painted as “depraved” by Madame Morrible for going towards the regulation. However when the legal guidelines come from fascist ideology and an inhumane energy seize, defying them is a real act of goodness. All through the movie, her empathy reveals by her take care of her sister, her inclusion of Galinda, and the way in which she doesn’t play into social politics. By “Defying Gravity,” it’s clear that Elphaba is sweet, and the legal guidelines of Ozare evil.
Physician Dillamond (Peter Dinklage)
A real sufferer of Ozs immorality, Physician Dillamond doesn’t have many choices. He works onerous to maintain the animals secure, however he doesn’t go so far as Elphaba to vary the world’s notion of animals. On the similar time, he has extra to lose — if he stands up for his personal rights, he may lose his life. Elphaba has extra energy and affect, so Physician Dillamond has to work inside the system to do what is true.
Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey)
Some Depraved followers have recommended that Fiyero does probably the most good of any character, however let’s not neglect he was kicked out of a number of colleges as a philandering delinquent earlier than enrolling in Shiz, the place he woos Galinda regardless of his potential emotions for Elphaba. Morally, he’s positively on the nice facet of the dimensions as he stands by Elphaba and appears to genuinely care concerning the animals. Nevertheless, he’s nonetheless Ozs model of a f–kboy, and whereas that impossible to resist attraction is a part of why we love him, it has additionally induced a number of damaged hearts. He doesn’t all the time take into consideration how his actions influence the individuals round him, typically seeing the massive image of what’s proper over how that may nonetheless harm individuals.
G(a)linda (Ariana Grande)
On the finish of Depraved, Half I, many individuals argued that Galinda was the villain all alongside. However that’s not the purpose of Depraved, which follows Galinda and Elphaba’s friendship. The story doesn’t attempt to assert that Galinda was really depraved whereas Elphaba was really good. In Act II, we will see that their ethics are rather more complicated than a simplistic good versus evil. Nevertheless, in Half I, Galinda ends the film proper in the midst of the ethical spectrum. At first, it looks as if all she cares about is being common, however in truth, she does care extra about “doing good.” In contrast to Elphaba, nonetheless, she doesn’t have precise magical powers. Her energy comes from her recognition and her affect over others. So whereas she made some misguided “depraved” feedback early within the movie, she makes use of her energy for good as she befriends Elphaba. She learns from Elphaba that being common is a method to an finish, so she tries (and typically fails) to do good … in her personal approach.
Nessarose (Marissa Bode)
Nessarose is a little more depraved than Galinda in Depraved, Half I, though that might simply change within the second movie. For now, she is the epitome of a bystander. Regardless of all the instances Elphaba stood up for her sister, Nessarose fails to do the identical. For instance, in “Dancing By means of Life,” she “can’t watch” as Elphaba seemingly embarrasses herself. Galinda, alternatively, joins Elphaba. Nessa has all the time felt like an outsider to the system, however as a substitute of becoming a member of Elphaba to overthrow it, she always simply tries to suit into it, caring extra about becoming in and feeling liked than “making good.”
Boq (Ethan Slater)
Boq’s wickedness is extra apparent than Nessa’s in Depraved, Half I. He solely dates Nessa as a result of Galinda says he ought to. His unrequited love for Galinda, which Nessa can see, drives him to interrupt Nessa’s coronary heart. However as a substitute of being sincere with Nessa, he manipulates her into loving him simply to really feel higher about himself. Emotions are emotions, but Boq lets his emotions for Galinda dictate his life in a approach that’s each smarmy—he practically stalks her as she makes it clear she’s not —and hurtful to these round him.
The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum)
“I’m Oz, the Nice and Horrible,” the Wizard says in each iteration of the story from 1939’s Wizard of Oz to 2024’s Depraved, 85 years later. It is a clue into the truth that the Wizard is a morally muddy character, however it is usually a masks to the truth that he’s neither nice nor horrible. The truth is, he’s a fraud. From mendacity about his credentials to utilizing animals as scapegoats in order that he can maintain onto his seat because the Wizard of Oz, the Wizard is a stand-in for a lot of males in energy. However like each character in Depraved, his backstory supplies a sentimentality — he all the time wished to be a father, so the residents of Ozare like his youngsters. We additionally study that he stuffed the vacuum of energy unintentionally. He by no means supposed to be evil and he does need to make individuals pleased. He simply goes about this in a depraved approach, principally influenced by these with extra political know-how, corresponding to Madame Morrible.
Governor Thropp (Andy Nyman)
To us, Governor Thropp is definitely extra depraved than the Wizard as a result of he deliberately abuses Elphaba verbally and emotionally all through her life. He treats her as lower than, blaming her for his different daughter’s immobility. The truth that a dad or mum may deal with their little one so terribly from the second they’re born makes him a monster, particularly when that little one is our very “good” protagonist. When Elphaba is outcast from society, he does nothing to even attempt to assist her regardless of holding a place in workplace, leaving his eldest daughter within the mud. Even his love for Nessa is possessive and overbearing, a transparent signal of a controlling abuser reasonably than an empathetic dad or mum.
Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh)
Positively probably the most depraved character of Depraved, Madame Morrible pulls all of the strings that trigger the animals to lose their voices. Past that, nonetheless, it’s doable that she may have puppeteered the Wizard into energy within the first place. We study by Physician Dillamond that a terrific drought is what induced a lot of the unrest in Ozand we additionally know that Madame Morrible controls the climate. Not solely may she have stopped the drought, however she could have induced it to create a circumstance during which she may management the figurehead of Oz. Whereas that is only a principle, her actions all through the film are duplicitous, egocentric, and albeit impolite to these round her. The one individuals she’s ever sort to are Elphaba and the Wizard as a result of she is aware of they will additional her place. However regardless of her standing as a revered sorceress, she’s unkind to those that revere her, which makes her … depraved.
