Never miss a story -- sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Audiences see the witches of Oz in a whole new light thanks to Maguire, Wicked the musical and now Erivo, 38, and Grande, 32. The Oscar-nominated actresses play Elphaba a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West and Galinda Upland a.k.a. Glinda the Good, respectively -- two school friends who end up being crucial and opposing political figures within Oz.
Elphaba and Glinda's new origin stories cast one of the most memorable scenes in 1939's The Wizard of Oz in a new light. Garland's Dorothy lands in Munchkinland via tornado, killing an unseen Wicked Witch of the East and inheriting her shoes in the process. In stunning technicolor, she meets the Munchkins, their princess-like idol Glinda (played by Billie Burke) and Oz's fearsome Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton).
This is the only time in the Victor Fleming-directed classic that Oz's two witches appear together. Light spoilers for Wicked: For Good follow: Dorothy's arrival is of course a key development in Elphaba and Glinda's dynamic, so the new movie shows its beginning and end from their perspectives. Revisiting The Wizard of Oz, it seems the Kansas girl is merely a pawn in both witches' schemes.
Along the yellow brick road, Dorothy and her dog Toto first recruit the Scarecrow then the Tin Man (and later the Cowardly Lion) in their quest to reach the Wizard in the Emerald City. The Wicked Witch's second appearance here proves to Wizard of Oz audiences just how villainous she is; for Wicked fans, there's more to the story.
Hamilton's cackling witch threatens the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), saying, "I'll stuff a mattress with you!" and hurling a fireball at his feet that the Tin Man puts out. In the context of Wicked: For Good, this is not the first time the witch has met either of Dorothy's companions....
The titular character in The Wizard of Oz, introduced with a booming voice and torrent of emerald smoke, sends Dorothy and her three friends to the witch's castle to kill her, promising their hearts' desires. In Wicked, we similarly meet Jeff Goldblum’s man behind the curtain after his theatrical Wizard mask.
Wicked: For Good offers glimpses of this iconic moment, with Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion (voiced by Colman Domingo) seen only from behind. By this point in the story, the Wizard is at war with Elphaba, while different members of Dorothy’s entourage have different motivations for agreeing to his mission.
Audiences back in 1939 surely cheered when Hamilton’s witch kicked the bucket -- or rather, died via bucket. Dorothy commits manslaughter by throwing water on the inflamed Scarecrow, accidentally completing the Wizard’s mission as the witch succumbs to her one weakness. What a world, what a world, indeed.
Even those new to Wicked: For Good won't be surprised to learn Elphaba's death plays out rather differently (there's even an unseen character witnessing the event from afar!). Considering the new sequel commits to never showing Dorothy's face, both scenes depicting the death of the so-called wicked witch demonstrate the stark storytelling differences between the two movies.
The end of Dorothy’s time in Oz would also serve as a helpful refresher before seeing Wicked: For Good. The scene in which the Wizard (Frank Morgan) floats back to Kansas in his hot air balloon without Dorothy is, in the new movie, again shown from a distant Glinda’s perspective. Who steps in to rule Oz after the Wizard’s departure? Wicked: For Good audiences know that answer.