Who are the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion in Wicked: For Good? Full spoilers and roles explained

*Warning: Major spoilers ahead for Wicked.*

Almost exactly a year on from the huge success of Wicked: Part One, the second instalment of the hit musical has arrived in cinemas – and once again looks set to take cinema-going audiences by storm.

Wicked: For Good is the second part in the cinematic adaptation of the the Tony-winning Broadway musical Wicked, itself based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel which re-imagines the classic novel The Wizard of Oz, famously adapted itself in the 1939 film starring Judy Garland.

As you'll likely know by now, the story follows 'Wicked Witch' Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and her backstory, charting her days as an ostracised sorcery student at Shiz University where she had a complicated friendship with Galinda aka. Glinda the Good Witch (Ariana Grande).

Alongside this central story, the film explores several other Wizard of Oz backstories, including the beloved characters like the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion, who help Dorothy defeat the witch in the original story The Wizard of Oz by author L. Frank Baum.

Despite mostly being absent in their iconic forms, the characters did make appearances in Wicked Part: One, which is set before the events of The Wizard of Oz. However, these appearances might not be as you expect.

With their true identities now revealed in Wicked: Part Two – which takes place during the events of The Wizard of Oz – read on for everything you need to know about the characters.

Be warned though: spoilers follow.

Who are the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion in Wicked? Full spoilers and roles explained

Who is the Scarecrow in Wicked?

The character who becomes the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz is also present in Wicked: Part One – it’s Elphaba's love interest, Fiyero Tigelaar (Jonathan Bailey).

In Wicked: Part Two, Fiyero cottons on to the fact that Elphaba has been scapegoated by the Wizard and follows her on the run. He manages to prevent The Wizard’s guards from capturing her but ends up in danger in the process.

In the musical, Elphaba casts a spell to save his life, but accidentally transforms him into the scarecrow.

Speaking about the transformation of both the Scarecrow and the Tin Man in the film, director Jon M Chu explained during a panel at this year's London Film Festival: “Wait until you see the Tin Man and the Scarecrow. These are not digital effects. These are real, physical makeup and hair. And it is extraordinary."

He added: "I couldn’t show anybody here, but when you see it, when you look at it, know that there was no room for error on it. And the team that did it is just incredible.”

Who is the Tin Man in Wicked?

The character who becomes the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz was also present in Wicked: Part One – you just might not have realised.

He’s Boq Woodsman (Ethan Slater), the nervous munchkin who attends Shiz University with Elphaba and Glinda and ends up in an unrequited love triangle with Glinda and Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose.

When Nessarose discovers that Boq only asked her to Fiyero's party because he’s infatuated with Glinda, she casts a spell from Elphaba’s spell book to make him fall in love with her.

It doesn’t quite go to plan, however, and ends up causing his heart to shrink and disappear.

Elphaba manages to save his life but this transforms him into the Tin Man in the process.

Who is the Cowardly Lion in Wicked?

The Cowardly Lion we see in The Wizard of Oz also appears in Wicked: Part One as the little cub that Elphaba and Fiyero release into the wild after he’s caged and displayed in their classroom at Shiz University.

After being freed from captivity by Elphaba, the lion meets Dorothy and the Tin Man.

In the film, he is being voiced by none other than two-time Oscar nominee and Euphoria star Colman Domingo, which was announced last month.

Director Chu told Deadline that he had approached the star via Instagram, explaining: "I was like, 'It's not a ton of lines, but maybe you have a little time. I know you're busy. I'll come to you."

As for Domingo's response? "Why the f**k not? Let's go.," Chu recalled.

Wicked: For Good is now showing in UK cinemas.

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