When the first official poster for the Wicked movie dropped in October 2024, it was supposed to be a win. A "homage" to the legendary Broadway artwork we've all seen on playbills for twenty years. You know the one—the green witch smirking behind her hat while the blonde one whispers in her ear. But within hours, the internet did what it does best. It started "fixing" things.
The wicked poster 2024 edit became an overnight sensation, but not for the reasons Universal Pictures probably hoped. A fan used Photoshop to pull Elphaba’s hat down over her eyes and paint her lips a bright, defiant red to match the original illustration. Harmless, right?
Not exactly.
Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba, didn't just dislike the edit. She went nuclear on Instagram. She called it the "wildest, most offensive thing" she’d seen. She felt like her face—and her humanity—was being erased by a digital paintbrush. This wasn't just some actor being a "diva" (though plenty of people on X argued that). It was a collision between the nostalgia of theatre geeks and the lived experience of a Black actress who spent months pouring her soul into a character’s eyes.
The Edit That Broke the Broadway Internet
Basically, the "offending" edit was a 10-minute Photoshop job by a fan who wanted to see the movie poster mirror the 2003 Broadway art. In the original stage poster, you can't see Elphaba's eyes. It’s all about the mystery. The movie version, however, shows Erivo looking directly into the lens.
The fan edit changed three main things:
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- It lowered the brim of the hat to hide Erivo's eyes entirely.
- It added a bright red, smirking lip.
- It adjusted the lighting to look more "illustrated" and less like a photograph.
Honestly, if you're a die-hard musical fan, the edit looked "correct" in a nostalgic sense. But Erivo’s reaction shifted the conversation from "cool fan art" to "is this digital erasure?" almost instantly. She argued that while the original Broadway art is an illustration, she is a real person. Choosing to look "down the barrel of the lens" was a creative decision to communicate with the audience. By hiding her eyes, she felt the editor was effectively deleting her performance from the marketing.
Why Cynthia Erivo’s Reaction Divided Fans
There’s no middle ground here. You either think Erivo had a valid point about her autonomy as an artist, or you think she overreacted to a common internet trope.
On one hand, the Wicked movie has been under a microscope since it was announced. Erivo has faced a fair share of online vitriol, some of it undeniably rooted in racism. When she saw a fan "fixing" her face, it likely felt like yet another attempt to say she wasn't the right fit for the role. She even compared the edit to "that awful AI of us fighting," suggesting she viewed the manipulation of her image as part of a larger, more harmful trend.
On the other hand, fan edits are a staple of movie culture. People "fix" posters for Marvel movies, Star Wars, and Disney remakes every single day. Most fans felt the edit was a love letter to the source material, not a slight against Erivo herself. The creator of the original viral edit eventually apologized and deleted the post, stating their intent was never malicious.
The "Human Moment" and Hindsight
Fast forward a few weeks to the red carpet of the 2024 CFDA Fashion Awards. Erivo softened her stance. She admitted it was a "human moment" and that she probably should have just called a friend instead of posting to her Instagram Stories.
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She's human. We've all had those days where one tiny thing feels like the final straw. For her, that straw was a hat brim moved a few inches down in Photoshop. Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda, also weighed in, calling the situation "complicated" and acknowledging that the transition to this level of global fame is a massive adjustment.
The Technical Problem with the Original Poster
Let's be real for a second: the official poster wasn't perfect. Even without the edit controversy, people were roasting it.
The lighting looked a bit "uncanny valley." It was clearly a composite where the two actresses weren't even in the same room. Fans pointed out that Ariana’s hand looked strangely placed, and the lack of the iconic red lipstick made the whole thing feel a bit muted.
When you’re adapting something as beloved as Wicked, you’re fighting against twenty years of muscle memory. People want the movie to feel like the show, but a movie has to sell stars. Universal needs you to see Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande because their names sell tickets. Hiding their faces behind a hat brim, while "thematically accurate" to the stage show, is bad for the bottom line.
Lessons from the Poster Drama
What did we actually learn from the wicked poster 2024 edit saga?
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Mainly, that the relationship between stars and fans is weirder than ever. We live in an era where everyone has the tools to "correct" a million-dollar marketing campaign. Sometimes that’s cool, like when fans pressured Paramount to redesign Sonic the Hedgehog. Other times, it creates a friction where actors feel like they’re being treated as puppets rather than people.
If you’re a creator, the takeaway is simple: context is everything. A fan might see a "homage," but an actor might see "erasure." Both things can be true at the same time.
Next Steps for Wicked Fans
If you want to dive deeper into the world of Oz without the social media drama, here’s how to actually engage with the film’s release:
- Check the Official "Homage" Art: Universal actually released several variant posters that lean closer to the original aesthetic without obscuring the actors. They are much better than the one that started the fight.
- Watch the Behind-the-Scenes Clips: Jon M. Chu (the director) has shared plenty of footage showing why they chose specific shots. Watching the "Defying Gravity" BTS gives a lot of perspective on why Erivo is so protective of her performance.
- Support Fan Artists Safely: If you’re making edits, keep doing it! But maybe keep in mind that the actors are often seeing your work. A little bit of "I love the original, so I made this" in the caption goes a long way in preventing misunderstandings.
Ultimately, the movie is meant to be seen on the big screen, not through a phone-screen controversy. The eyes Erivo fought so hard to keep visible are the same ones that carry the emotional weight of the whole film. Go see if she was right.