Wicked for Good channels The Dark Knight in one major way

Musical sequel Wicked for Good perfectly fits the superhero template, while one moment in the movie is reminiscent of a key scene in Batman classic, The Dark Knight.

Wicked for Good is in cinemas now, and thanks global desire to see how the Elphaba and Glinda story plays out – as well as some stellar reviews – its set to reign supreme at the global box office for some time. Or at least until Avatar: Fire and Ash hits screens in a month.

We awarded the movie 4/5, and wrote in Dexerto’s Wicked for Good review that the film: “is a triumph on multiple fronts; one that effortlessly combines music, dance, action, romance, and drama, while delivering major superhero thrills.”

And those thrills include a major plot point that’s near identical to a moment in Christopher Nolan’s best Batman movie. SPOILERS ahead…

How Elphaba becomes Wicked for Good’s Batman

Universal

We’ve already called Wicked for Good the best superhero movie of 2025, because Elphaba is a super-powered hero fighting the forces of evil throughout.

She’s even introduced like an Avenger early in proceedings, swooping down from the sky, striking a heroic pose, saving enslaved animals, then riding her broomstick back into the sky like the Silver Surfer. But the superhero parallels don’t end there.

Elphaba is an outcast at the start of the new movie, with the Oz propaganda machine – under the guidance of press secretary Madam Morrible – spreading rumors and lies that characterise her as the Wicked Witch of the West.

Universal Pictures

So in spite of the fact that she’s trying to expose the Wizard’s lies, and protect the animals that he’s persecuting, the people of Oz believe what they’re told about Elphaba.

Batman frequently has the same problem in Gotham City, with Bruce Wayne’s vigilante efforts resulting in him frequently being portrayed as villain rather than hero.

That contradiction plays out in dramatic fashion during 2008’s The Dark Knight, where noble District Attorney Harvey Dent is driven mad by injury and tragedy that result in the character doing wrong before falling to his death.

The hero we deserve, but not the one we need right now

Warner Bros.

Believing the truth about Dent would do more harm than good, Commissioner Jim Gordon persuades Batman to take the blame for Harvey’s actions and fall, inspiring that now legendary line about the Dark Knight: “He’s the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now.”

Which is pretty much exactly what happens in Wicked. The story sees Elphaba and Glinda start out enemies who become friends, before they are driven apart by Morrible and the Wizard.

The duo reconnect at the end of the movie however, and there’s an opportunity to tell the world that Elphaba has been wronged all along. But like the Batman conundrum, Elphaba sees that she’s more useful to Oz as a symbol, so tells Glinda: “They need someone to be wicked so you can be good.”

Universal Pictures

Elphaba then goes one step further than Batman, faking her own death at the hands of Dorothy, so the kingdom of Oz can unite behind a common enemy, while singing ‘Ding-Dong the witch is dead.’

Both The Dark Knight and Wicked for Good end with their anti-heroes on the run, though while the Gotham police force is hunting Batman, Oz has no idea that Elphaba is alive, so she disappears into the place beyond their land.

But Batman returns with a vengeance in The Dark Knight Rises, and is rightfully celebrated as the hero that Gotham both needs and deserves. And while there are conflicting reports about Wicked 3 happening at present, with the Wizard and Madam Morrible both still alive, don’t be surprised to see the Wicked Witch of the West one day making her own return, to both protect her homeland, and get the credit she deserves.

Wicked for Good is in cinemas now, and has already made our list of the best movies of 2025 so far. While you can head here for what the film’s stars are saying about Wicked 3.