Wicked: Through An Autistic Lens
- Davyn Horton
- Jun 6
- 5 min read
Note: The following editorial piece is an originally-crafted opinion piece that will contain some first-person language, which isn't normally the case for editorial content here on Beyond The Screen. Our breaking news coverage will always remain unbiased and straight to the point, but content like this will delve into areas beyond that.
Everyone, no matter who they are, what color their skin may or may not be, and no matter where they came from, can get a chance to achieve their biggest dreams. This is a story of taking a chance on yourself and seeing just how far you can truly go.
The “Wicked” films will forever have a very special and meaningful place in my heart. Not only are they genuinely great emotionally-driven stories, but they serve to validate me as an autistic person, by saying that people who may be perceived as “different,” are wonderful and special like everyone else. This franchise has exactly the kind of movies I need, especially now, with the scariness of the world for people like me more relevant than ever before.
The world of “Wicked” is special for anyone, whether they're neurodivergent or not, but when you can see the films through the eyes of an autistic person like me, it is truly a mesmerizing experience.
Elphaba Tropp
Elphaba isn't autistic, at least officially. However, the signs are there every step of the way to, at the very least, suggest that Elphaba is autistic-coded.
One of the biggest giveaways is during one of the most popular (no pun intended) songs of the entire original film. During “Popular,” Elphaba is socially uncomfortable for almost the entire song. Going beyond “Popular,” Elphaba is socially uncomfortable throughout the entire movie. In addition, her emotional outbursts are very reminiscent of autistic meltdowns.
On top of this, and going back to “Popular” for just a moment, there’s a moment where Elphaba seeks to remove herself from a noisy situation, preferring to study in a quieter environment and not wanting all the noise. In short, Elphaba doesn’t conform to any of the social or other norms that are present with Oz.
By the time we get to “Defying Gravity” at the end of the first Wicked film, or at the end of Act I if watching the original Broadway play, we finally see Elphaba “flying free,” and embracing all of herself, even if it means she’s now going to be on her own, because she’s done hiding, and she doesn’t care what anyone else thinks regarding her differences, for the very things that make her different not only give her strength, but they also make her whole, just like autistic people all around the world.
The Story & Characters
The story of Wicked on the big screen holds true to the original Broadway play in all the best ways possible. Every step of the way, you can see that the story is filled with themes of acceptance, being who you truly are despite the things that make you different. Doesn't that sound familiar?
Though Elphaba leads the charge, Wicked is filled with unique characters and an emotionally driven story that, at its core, is about defying tradition and the norms and embracing your true and authentic self. That's the true beauty of it all. As crazy as this may sound to some, but if a movie does not have characters I can connect and relate with, or at the very least characters that I can understand from a motivations perspective in one way or another, then I really do not care what the plot of your film is.
For me, the story of the Wicked films, and how it promotes the level of inclusion, believing in your authentic self, and other similar themes, while delivering some of the most emotionally-raw ballads that any film for me has ever produced.
However, in-between the emotional ballads, which are the heart of the Wicked films, the valuable one-on-one and other forms of character interactions help to give the films their soul. Elphaba and Glinda. Elphaba and Nessarose. Glinda and Fiyero. The list goes on and on.
As simplistic of a concept as this may seem, especially when considering all of the moving parts that go into creating a film, having great and relatable character moments help to make or break a film for me, especially in today’s day and age. I cling onto those moments and hold on to them as moments that I will never forget, like seeing Elphaba and Glinda fight on the famous yellow brick road, which for me was one of the coolest things that I think I’ll ever see in a film in theaters.
The Music
My ultimate form of comfort entertainment. Music is a medium that brings people together. Music is able to make people feel things that nothing else can. The power of music is evident.
All of the best in the business, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Luke Combs, Miley Cyrus, Chappell Roan. The list proceeds on forever. For many people, music in the world of films is barely noticeable or is something that they really don’t care that much about. However, music is everything to me, especially when it comes to whether or not I enjoy a film overall.
Music is everything to me, so it won’t come as a surprise to anyone that musicals are my favorite film genre. As a result, it will come as even less of a surprise that the Wicked films are easily some of my favorite films of all-time. Not even taking into consideration for now the actual songs, like “Defying Gravity,” “For Good,” “Popular,” and “No Good Deed,” but when music is present in just the background, you can just feel the vibes and the tone that the Wicked films are going for. It’s a truly magical thing that the film’s sound and other editors were able to do.
You then add on the smash musical songs, with my personal favorite of them all being “No Good Deed,” and it creates such a meaningful and special experience from just the music perspective, not even taking into consideration any other elements of the film.
If a film is able to make me feel this way just through the music, then it will 99% of the time be a winner in my book. I know that this may seem simplistic, or even a bit of lame to some, but music as a whole has helped me through some of the darker and more anxiety-induced times of my life the last few years. As a result, music is my whole world in a way. It’s what helps keep me together when I need it the most, which I believe to be a God-given gift that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Conclusion
This probably didn’t go the way a lot of you thought that it would, but I wanted this editorial essay/opinion piece to be anchored by the key emotional points for me that I latched onto when I truly embraced the Wicked films for the first time, which is what led to the final product that you see today. My hope is that you all can now understand and appreciate my autistic perspective on something like this, as I look ahead and see just what else I am able to do is I continue to look through my favorite pieces of entertainment through my autistic lens, that I’ve grown to be more and more proud of as time goes on.
With that, the next editorial essay/opinion piece will be looking at K-Pop Demon Hunters, specifically the character Rumi (voiced by Arden Cho & EJAE) through an autistic lens. That will come in the next few weeks, alongside Beyond The Screen's breaking news coverage and reviews of the latest products from the world of visual entertainment.
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