“ | Evil is an early or primitive state of moral development. All children are fiends by nature. The criminals among us are only those who didn't progress ... | ” |
— Avaric[src] |
Lord Avaric, Margreave of Tenmeadows, was a Shiz University friend of Boq and Glinda and a frenemy of Elphaba featured in the novels.
Wicked[]
He is the son of the Margreave of Tenmeadows and attends Shiz University’s Briscoe College with Boq, the two being roommates and friends, although Boq appears to be jealous of Avaric's good looks, charm, and money.
Avaric is described as handsome and intelligent with a superiority complex; he refers to himself as the “perfect friend”.
He accompanies Elphaba Thropp to Caprice-in-the-pines at Boq's request, but dislikes her from the beginning. The two become frenemies.
In the last section of the novel, he has since inherited the title of Margreave and is married, though who he married to is not revealed. Elphaba comes to him to tell him she killed Madame Morrible, though he seems to have a selective memory, since he doesn't remember Elphaba and says he does not keep "unimportant details" in his head. He does, however, keeps Elphaba around for his dinner party and they discuss the nature of evil with some of his friends. Before she leaves, he tells her he doesn't believe she actually murdered Morrible.
The Margreavess[]
The unnamed wife of Avaric. Some readers believe she is either Shenshen Minkos or Pfannee. However, she doesn't seem to know Elphaba, and it was later revealed in later novels, that Shenshen became a teacher at St' Prowds school, and Pfannee is the chatelaine of the atelier where Dorothy was sent back to her own world. So this is very unlikely.
A Lion Among Men[]
In A Lion Among Men, a drunk Avaric briefly appears in Brrr’s flashback during his time at Shiz. Here Avaric recognises Brrr as the cowardly cub from Doctor Nikidik’s class (As seen in the first novel). Later, Avaric would become the Margreave of Tenmeadows and work in Secret Affairs, an arm of the Palace defense team.
After the forces of Oz discover that Brrr is bringing money into the Free State of Munchkinland and try him for being a collaborationist, Avaric, being on his defense team in court, helps Brrr strike a plea, assigning him to work for the government and find the whereabouts of the Grimmerie for the Emperor, which leads him to his interview with Yackle.
Out of Oz[]
In Out of Oz, now in his fifties, he is shown to be the manservant of Elphaba and Nessarose's brother Shell Thropp, the Emperor Apostle of Oz. When the dragons of Mombey attack the city Avaric and Brrr scout out a place not yet ruined by dragons for a parlay between the forces of the Emerald City and Munchkinland.
Throughout the attack Avaric remains a servant of The Emperor, even acting as one of his attendants who emerge from Southstairs with him in ceremonial march before the parlay with Mombey takes place. Avaric is made to carry the crown while Chyde is to carry the Ozma scepter.
Eventually, the missing Ozma Tippetarius was discovered and Shell willingly abdicated his rule to her, and the reign of the Ozma returned to Oz. Brrr, the Cowardly Lion would step up as her regent until she becomes old enough to rule on her own. However, Avaric and the cronies who supported Shell, the barons and the princes of the factories who benefited from his rule, would later become appalled to have an Animal at the head of government, finding it insulting. Avaric, now head of the opposition, even began to float the notion that the newly crowned Ozma was an imposter.
In the Musical[]
There is a character named Avaric, but he is not the same one as in the novel. This Avaric is Fiyero's driver and has no important role. He is only seen bringing Fiyero to Shiz and then leaves shortly afterwards. Most of Avaric's character traits from the novel were given to Fiyero. In the 2024 film, Avaric is played by Aaron Teoh.
Trivia[]
- According to Brrr, Avaric smells of liquorice and tobacco.