Wicked's Elphaba, Glinda & Fiyero Love Triangle Is Even More Complicated In The Book

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Wicked, the movie, the Broadway show, and the novel.The relationship between Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), Glinda (Ariana Grande-Butera), and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) in Wickedserve as an important part of the story, but their love triangle is even more complicated in the original novel. Adapted from the 2003 Broadway musical and 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked focuses on the lives of Elphaba Thropp and Galinda Upland before they became known throughout Oz as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch. Wicked is regarded by many as the best movie of 2024, and won the Golden Globe Award for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement.

Wicked's cast masterfully depicts what happened in the land of Oz before Dorothy Gale arrived, and the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda during their time at Shiz University. Their growing bond is tested by the arrival of the handsome Fiyero, whose good looks and charm quickly capture everybody's attention, including both future witches. Fiyero's relationships with both young women will play an important part in Wicked: For Good, set for release in 2025. Yet in the original novel, their love triangle features even more complications than depicted in the musical and movie adaptations.

Fiyero Is Married To Sarima & Has Children With Her In Wicked's Book

Elphaba & Fiyero Have An Affair In The Book Adaptation

During his time at Shiz University in Wicked, Fiyero Tigelaar wins the attention and admiration of all the students with his carefree nature and rebellious attitude.This is notably depicted in the song "Dancing Through Life," a highlight of Wicked's soundtrack; his attitude impresses Glinda and initially irritates Elphaba. However, when he helps Elphaba rescue a lion cub from captivity, Fiyero shows a more caring and sensitive side, which prompts Elphaba to realize her feelings towards him. However, although Fiyero has relationships with both Elphaba and Glinda, he ends up marrying somebody else in the original book.

In the original novel, Fiyero was married by his family to a girl named Sarima at the age of seven; after leaving Shiz, they have three children together: Irji, Manek, and Nor. Despite his family with Sarima, Fiyero talks about his wife apathetically throughout the novel, and he has an affair with Elphaba, which leads to the birth of their son, Liir. Fiyero's murder devastates both women and, despite the affair, Sarima takes Elphaba and her son into her home. Similar to her husband, Sarima and her family meet a tragic end, and are murdered on orders from the Wizard.

The Wicked Musical Cut Out Sarima & Fiyero's Relationship

The Musical Maintained Its Focus On Fiyero's Relationships With Elphaba & Glinda

Elphaba and Fiyero holding hands during "As Long As You're Mine" from Wicked

When the musical adaptation of Wicked debuted on Broadway, it kept the focus on the Wicked Witch of the West's origins but made several major changes from the original Gregory Maguire novel. One of the most notable changes made to the book was cutting out the characters of Sarima and her family altogether and making no reference to her and Fiyero's marriage. Instead, the Broadway musical depicts Fiyero's initial relationship and unofficial engagement to Glinda, and his eventual romance with Elphaba, which leads to them leaving Oz together after Elphaba fakes her death.

Maguire's novel, Wicked, notably covers many darker themes, which meant several changes were required to the original story for the musical's target audience. The novel includes mature themes of sex, racism, and murder, which might have been deemed too intense among theatergoers. This meant that Elphaba and Fiyero's inevitable relationship was also altered from its depiction in the novel and his marriage to Sarima was cut. Stephen Schwartz, the creator of the Wicked musical, explained that the story changes were necessary to allow a better focus on Elphaba and Glinda's friendship (via MusicalSchwartz).

Will Fiyero's Wife Sarima Be In Wicked 2?

She Didn't Appear In Wicked: Part 1 & Was Never Referenced

Like the musical, Sarima never makes an appearance in the movie adaptation of Wicked. When Fiyero arrives at Shiz University, he does not reference any arranged marriage, and Sarima and her family are never mentioned throughout the movie. Wicked's ending sees Elphaba flying away to the West after declaring war on the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) while Fiyero departs Shiz University on his horseback to an unknown destination. While Wicked: For Good will have many differences from the first movie, it hasn't been confirmed whether Sarima will appear in the upcoming sequel.

These images from Wicked: For Good indicate that the sequel will focus on Fiyero's search for Elphaba and his public relationship with Glinda.

Early images released from the sequel depict Fiyero serving as the Captain of the Wizard's Guard, while Glinda is the Wizard's spokesperson (via JustJared). These images indicate that the sequel will focus on Fiyero's search for Elphaba and his public relationship with Glinda, making any reference to his marriage to Sarima very unlikely. While Sarima's potential appearance cannot completely be ruled out, it seems more likely that the next Wicked movie will maintain the adaptation of the musical's story, rather than add any further complications to its love triangle with the novel's marriage subplot.

Sources:MusicalSchwartz, JustJared