Everett Collection Within “Wicked’s” storyline, “Defying Gravity” marks Elphaba’s reaction to discovering the Wizard of Oz does not actually have the magical powers that he claims to hold.

By the end of the number, the idea of defying gravity becomes more than a metaphor. Elphaba mounts a broomstick and uses the magic she now celebrates to literally defy gravity and fly into the sky.