When I think of villains I have known since childhood, the Wicked Witch of the West flies in on her broom almost immediately. She is dramatic, loud, green, and apparently has never once considered taking a deep breath before making a decision. But the older I get, the more I have to admit something uncomfortable: she may have had a point.

Let’s review the facts… Dorothy arrives in Oz by way of extreme weather and accidental real estate violence. Her house lands directly on the Wicked Witch of the East, killing her. That is already a lot for any family to process. Then, before the West-side sister can even properly grieve, Glinda casually transfers the dead sister’s ruby slippers onto Dorothy’s feet like this is a magical estate sale and Dorothy is first in line.

So yes, the Wicked Witch goes on a full villain spree. She terrorizes Dorothy, threatens everyone, throws fire around like she has no concept of workplace safety, and sends Flying Monkeys to do her bidding. None of that is charming. But underneath all the cackling and chaos, her argument is not completely ridiculous: those shoes belonged to her sister, and Dorothy did not exactly receive them through a calm legal process.

Of course, this is where her point starts to melt faster than she eventually does. The Wicked Witch is not really after closure, justice, or a heartfelt conversation about inheritance rights in Oz. She wants the ruby slippers because they are powerful. In the 1939 film, the slippers protect Dorothy and ultimately help her return home, which explains why the Witch wants them so badly. Power is often the quiet little engine underneath a villain’s loudest tantrum.

The Witch spends most of Dorothy’s journey trying to isolate her from the friends she makes along the Yellow Brick Road. That detail matters because villains rarely just want the object; they want control over the situation. If Dorothy is supported by the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and even Toto’s tiny dog confidence, she is harder to break. So the Witch tries fear, traps, threats, and flying henchmen. Honestly, she is nothing if not committed to the project.

That is what makes her interesting. She begins with something that sounds almost reasonable: “Those are my sister’s shoes.” But she turns that reasonable complaint into a campaign of terror across Oz. A good point does not stay good when it comes with kidnapping, Flying monkey-based intimidation, and plans to rule everything in sight.

So did the Wicked Witch of the West have a point? Weirdly, yes. Dorothy got the shoes under extremely suspicious circumstances. But did the Witch handle it well? Absolutely not. She took a family tragedy, added greed, sprinkled in magical power hunger, and somehow made everyone root for the girl who dropped a house on her sister. That takes talent. Terrible talent, but talent.