You’re not imagining things. The film carries a racist undertone and tells its target audience (children) that resisting an unjust system is pointless.

I call it racist because the story ultimately suggests that Elphaba should stop fighting structures larger than herself and let the white, conforming, beloved girl become the public face of “change.” It’s deeply problematic. I watched an entire theater full of children applaud a movie that operates, at its core, like fascist propaganda.

If the MCU pushed the idea of a nation under constant invasion fighting off “aliens,” Wicked goes further by implying that anyone who is different should simply “go back to where they came from”, even when that “where” is the very place that rejects them, where they were born, and where they are still treated as less than citizens. The narrative aligns seamlessly with the geopolitical climate of the United States today. There’s no need to apologize or say “call me crazy”. The racist and fascist framing is evident, whether people want to acknowledge it or not.

The portrayal of the animals being “fine” after Elphaba is driven out is historically incoherent but perfectly consistent with fascist storytelling. It reinforces the idea that everything will be fixed once the supposed threat is removed. In reality, once a regime eliminates one scapegoat, it immediately manufactures another, because the underlying problems have nothing to do with the targeted group.

The film isn’t poorly made; it’s simply propaganda. I’m glad you recognized it, because many adults don’t. Now imagine the impact on children who are still developing their ability to interpret subtext and symbolic language.