Wicked fans probably had a rough idea of how things were going to play out in the second half of Elphaba's (Cynthia Erivo) and Galinda’s (Ariana Grande) story in Wicked: For Good. One detail that had evaded eagle-eyed fans until the final scene, however, was the final scene itself. Imitating the iconic poster for the original musical, we see Galinda whisper something in Elphaba’s ear, paying homage to what had come before. According to director Jon M. Chu, it was an essential shot that had always been on the cards for the story's closing chapter, and one he was determined to keep secret. The moment came at risk of being spoiled, though, thanks to the marketing department, which had plans for the scene itself.
“Yes. It was always the plan. I was always going to end on the whisper,” Chu explained to Variety. “Do you know how hard it was to force Universal to never use it in any marketing material? They even had a poster of it for the first movie, and I was like, ‘Why are we releasing this poster? We should never acknowledge the whisper. Never. Never.’”
