Claim: L. Frank Baum created the Wicked Witch of the West.

The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character and the most significant antagonist in L. Frank Baum 's children 's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz -LRB- 1900 -RRB- . In Baum 's subsequent Oz books , 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 book , where she was portrayed by Margaret Hamilton . Hamilton 's characterization introduced green skin and this has been continued in later literary and dramatic representations , including Gregory Maguire 's revisionist Oz novel Wicked : The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West -LRB- 1995 -RRB- and its musical stage adaptation Wicked -LRB- 2003 -RRB- , the 2013 film Oz the Great and Powerful , and the television series Once Upon a Time and Emerald City .