elphaba from wicked is very autistic coded

⚠️ POTENTIAL MOVIE SPOILERS! CONTINUE WITH CAUTION! ⚠️

i saw the wicked movie last night, and as i was watching, i felt like a lot of the experiences elphaba went through are reminiscent of the autistic experience, as well as the experience of poc (especially black women).

first, elphaba is very reserved and quiet compared to most students at shiz. this very well is an effect of the people being rude to her. but even when she befriends galinda, she’s still to herself a lot of the time. when fiyero comes in and everyone starts singing and dancing, elphaba opts for studying outside (which reminds me of sensory overload).

but i think what makes her autistic-coded to me is her sense of justice, as well as her outbursts. she has a heart for the animals of oz, and generally does not like the idea of people being mistreated. whenever she witnesses other people being mistreated, she herself becomes very upset and has outbursts (i.e, her magic takes over). her outbursts in the movie remind me a lot of what some autistic meltdowns feel like, albeit brief.

idk if it’s too far fetched, but i really felt connected to elphaba’s journey as a black and neurodivergent girl 💚🖤 (i wasn’t sure what flair to use so bear with me <3)