Wicked Witch of the West Wicked Witch of the West The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum as the most significant antagonist in his classic children's novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" (1900). In Baum's subsequent "Oz" novels, it is the Nome King who is the principal villain; the Wicked Witch of the West is rarely even referred to again after her death in the first book. The witch's most popular depiction was in the classic 1939 film based on Baum's novel, where she was portrayed by Margaret Hamilton. Hamilton's characterization introduced green skin and
Copyright status of The Wizard of Oz and related works in the United States of the West are "Elphaba" ("Wicked"), "Theodora" ("Oz the Great and Powerful"), "Zelena" ("Once Upon a Time"), "Evillene" ("The Wiz"), and "Azkadellia" ("Tin Man"). There are similar issues regarding portrayals of the Wicked Witch of the East, but she is not as prevalent in the public conscious as her Western sister. Copyright status of The Wizard of Oz and related works in the United States The copyright status of "The Wizard of Oz" and related works is complicated for several reasons. The book series is very long-running, and written by multiple authors, so the books often fall on opposite sides