Characters / Once Upon A Time Arendelle

Beware! Only spoilers from the sixth and seventh seasons are hidden with tags!

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Queen Elsa

Queen Elsa

Elsa: "The only way to ever truly be in control of your powers is to embrace them."

Played By: Georgina Haig

Centric Episodes: "A Tale of Two Sisters", "Rocky Road", "Smash the Mirror Parts 1 & 2"

The magical queen of Arendelle, who was held prisoner by Rumplestiltskin until Emma accidentally freed her.

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• Anti-Villain: On arriving in Storybrooke, she freezes an oncoming van and unleashes another Snowlem like Marshmallow on the town, but she's mostly acting out of fear of her strange new surroundings. Once she meets Emma, she mellows out and makes friends with the Charmings.
• Badass Cape: Just like in the movie, her ice dress has a long, flowing cape attached to it.
• Beware the Nice Ones: In order, things you should never mess with are: Anna, someone Elsa loves/cares for, Arendelle. Harm these things and you will receive a very powerful blast of ice to the face.
• Big Sister Instinct: For Anna. She absolutely forbids her sister from traveling to Misthaven, even though she's desperate to find out if her parents really did want to find a way to remove her powers. In the present day, Elsa is absolutely desperate to find her missing sister. It's to the extent that Emma has to keep her out of Ingrid's (the prime suspect in Anna's disappearance) interrogation because she can't control her emotions. She also notes that when Kristoff was dating Anna was the only time in her life she ever made someone sweat.
• Blue Means Cold: How convenient that the girl in the blue dress has ice powers.
• Character Development: After overcoming her fear and Power Incontinence despite Anna not being present, she eventually realizes that it's not just the love of others that is needed to master her abilities; she herself has to embrace them. After figuring this out, Elsa is finally able to gain complete control over her powers.
• Commonality Connection: From Emma, as they're both young women who often feel overwhelmed by the huge responsibility they carry upon their shoulders. They lampshade it and bond over it.
• Cool Crown: Back in Frozen, Elsa tossed her original tiara during "Let It Go", and it fell into Marshmallow's possession. Two years later, she's replaced it with a snowflake-themed one.
• Decomposite Character: The original Snow Queen from Hans Christian Andersen's story is a separate character on the show, namely Elsa and Anna's aunt Ingrid. Which takes it even further since in Frozen, Elsa was herself a Composite Character (having some elements of Kai; what she didn't have were used, along with the Robber Girl, in creating Kristoff). To distinguish her from Ingrid, publicity for Once Upon a Time refers to Elsa as the Ice Queen rather than the Snow Queen, and her magic and costume are blue while Ingrid's are white.
• Decoy Protagonist: She initially appears to be the heroine of the Frozen storyline, taking the place of her sister. But once Anna arrives in Storybrooke...
• Defrosting Ice Queen:
  • Towards Kristoff in particular. Once he assists her in preventing Hans from seizing the urn, Elsa states that she considers him a friend. Previously, she had been somewhat cold towards him (given that he was the one who helped Anna leave the kingdom without her permission), and (according to her) was hard on him while he was dating Anna.
  • Also towards Emma and the rest of Storybrooke, given that she thought someone in the town was holding Anna. Once Emma realizes that Elsa couldn't control her powers during their first encounter, Elsa starts to open up.
• Despair Event Horizon: Elsa crosses it in "Fall." The locator spell fails to find Anna, implying that her sister is gone forever.
• Deuteragonist: Elsa is this to Anna's protagonist in the flashbacks, just as she was in Frozen. Averted in the present day, due to the fact that Anna has disappeared.
• Doomed Hometown: She doesn't remember, but the night Elsa was trapped in the urn was also the night that her entire kingdom was frozen solid.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: After everything that happens to her, she reclaims her kingdom, is at peace with herself once again, and gets to walk her sister down the aisle.
• Et Tu, Brute?: She is told by the Snow Queen that Anna, the one person who never gave up on her, grew to see Elsa as a monster and trapped her in the urn, implying this trope. It's proven to be false. Anna was the one who put her in the urn, but her actions were the result of Ingrid's dark magic, and not of her own free will. Even as she's being absorbed into the urn, Elsa makes it clear that she doesn't blame her sister and will always love her. By the time they've reunited, Elsa has already figured out Anna put her in the urn because she was placed under the Spell of Shattered Sight, and isn't upset with her sister in the slightest.
• Fake Shemp: Her first appearance at the end of Season 3 was filmed before Georgina Haig was even cast, so she was played by Jennifer Morrison wearing a wig.
• Fantastic Racism: Defied. Elsa refuses to accept the Snow Queen's belief that those with magic can never coexist with those who do not, likely due to Anna's faith in her.
• Fish Eyes: Georgina Haig has a very slight lazy eye that gives Elsa a sense of imbalance and lack-of-confidence.
• Fish out of Temporal Water: When she arrives in Storybrooke, she gets scared and confused by things like automobiles, motorbikes and cell phones.
• Foil: Downplayed example with Anna. After the events of Frozen, Elsa has certainly opened up a bit, but she remains the more reserved and serious sister in contrast to Anna's more playful and optimistic personality.
• Generation Xerox: Subverted. Elsa and Anna's relationship is presented in a similar way to the Snow Queen's relationship with her sisters, but Elsa and her relationship with Anna turn out a lot better than Ingrid and her sisters. And while her aunt grows to believe that her powers will always isolate her from those without magic, Elsa overcomes her desire for isolation thanks to her bond with Anna. Unlike Ingrid, who eventually proves herself selfish and willing to hurt innocents with her powers, Elsa remains heroic despite being misunderstood, never intentionally using her abilities to attack others except in self-defense.
• Genre Blind: She immediately puts her trust in her aunt the Snow Queen, who was trapped in an urn and never mentioned by her mother, which screams that she is Obviously Evil. It doesn't stick. Once Ingrid and Anna each claim that the other is up to no good, Elsa immediately believes her sister and plans to put Ingrid back in the urn.
• Happy Ending Override:
  • Frozen ended with Elsa finally in control of her powers, Hans imprisoned and facing judgment from his twelve brothers, and (most importantly) Elsa and Anna happily reunited. In Season 4 (two years after the movie) it's clear that everything fell apart. Hans is free (for a while), it's discovered that their family has some VERY dark secrets, and by the time Elsa arrived in Storybrooke, Anna is missing and may not even be alive.
  • She's also ironically the cause of it for Ariel, who was living happily with Eric back in the Enchanted Forest until Elsa shrunk the Jolly Roger (with Ariel unknowingly nearby) as punishment to Blackbeard for almost killing Anna and Kristoff.
• Hero Antagonist: Her fears (of the strange world (Storybrooke) she's in, of her missing sister, and of her mysterious powers) drive the conflict during "A Tale of Two Sisters" and "Whiteout". During "Fall", her desire of finding Anna puts her in conflict with Snow and others who wish to use her sister's necklace to save the town from the Spell of Shattered Sight.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: In the present, her forming a variant of this with Emma is part of her aunt's plans - so that the three of them can form a "family" like the one Ingrid lost. Final result is that though they aren't quite that close, the two younger women part ways as good friends with a strong mutual understanding.
• An Ice Person: Her first act upon being freed is to freeze everything she walks on.
• Ink-Suit Actor: In a reversal of the trope, Georgina Haig is physically a spot on dead ringer for Elsa's animated form. Here's a side-by-side comparison of the two.◊
• It's All My Fault: Upon discovering her parents' journal and the real reason for the trip that led to the shipwreck, she blames herself for their deaths.
• I Will Find You: Elsa is absolutely desperate to find her missing sister. She'll go so far as to endanger everyone in Storybrooke for a chance to locate Anna.
• Living Emotional Crutch: While Elsa does have superior control over her powers, by the time of Anna's disappearance and Elsa's arrival in Storybrooke, Anna became this for Elsa. She thinks she can only truly control them when Anna is around. It takes a talk from Charming to convince her that even if Anna isn't present, she would still believe in Elsa's ability to control her powers. She eventually is able to move past this. Although Anna's love helps her greatly, Elsa realizes that to fully gain control over her magic, she herself must accept it completely.
• Morality Chain: It's implied that Anna is this for her, with Rumplestiltskin even claiming that once Anna is gone, Elsa will become "the monster everyone fears she is". The Snow Queen also seems to believe this, planning to bring Elsa around to her way of thinking by destroying the sisters' relationship. Ultimately it's defied. It initially appears as if she's willing to threaten Emma's life in order to find Anna, but her endangering of Emma turns out to be a product of her powers going out of control once again, rather than an erosion of Elsa's morals. She remains heroic (although frightened and distraught) in the present despite Anna being missing.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Her payback on Blackbeard accidentally rips Ariel away from the happy ending she'd earned in the previous season.
• Not So Stoic: Elsa retains her reserved personality from Frozen, but once she and Anna are reunited, she is babbling like a schoolgirl.
• The Only One: Anna believes her to be the only person capable of ruling Arendelle and overthrowing Hans after he takes over.
• Oh, Crap!: Has this reaction when Anna tells her that Hans and his brothers have conquered Arendelle.
• Power Incontinence: Not as severe as in the film, but strong emotions will cause her to make things pretty chilly. Plus she leaves a trail of ice behind her, almost like a slug. Eventually, she embraces her magic and overcomes this. By "Fall", it's evident that she's in complete control of her powers, as no flurries appear even after she realizes her sister may be dead. Previously, even talking about her long dead parents caused her to lose control.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Anna's red; she's still the cool and reserved sister to Anna'a bubbly energy. It's best seen in "Smash the Mirror."
• Replacement Goldfish: Ingrid sees her as a replacement for her sister Gerda (Elsa's mother).
• Required Secondary Powers: Like her original film's self, she's immune to the cold in addition to being able to use ice magic.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: Rumpel kept her in a bottle until Emma's trip to the past brought her back. Note that the urn she was in was kept in a place where, according to Rumpel, he keeps things "too dark or unpredictable, even for [him]." Ultimately, she's revealed to be actually a Sealed Good in a Can.
• Shoot Out the Lock: Apparently she can open locks by just using her ice magic. All the real-life smartasses remind you not to try this at home because outside of Hollywood Science, this doesn't actually work.
• Sibling Team: With Anna, her sister, best friend, and Living Emotional Crutch. Ingrid does not approve, but after the two are reunited in the present-day, it's clear that they remain as close as ever despite their aunt's best efforts.
• Sole Survivor: Elsa is the only person in Arendelle (other than Ingrid herself) to not be frozen by the Snow Queen's magic. Averted when Arendelle thaws thirty years later.
• Spanner in the Works: As the town is getting prepared for the spell of shattered sight to fall, Elsa hands over pebbles instead of Anna's necklace (which could have saved the town from the spell). Fortunately, the necklace is the star that allows Elsa to wish for her sister. And given Rumple's plan to capture the fairies in the hat, it's likely the necklace wouldn't have helped the town as he would have used Hook to capture the fairies regardless of their progress.
• Thou Shalt Not Kill: She expresses extreme reluctance to kill the Snow Queen, despite it being the only apparent way to stop her, even stating that she doesn't believe that killing is ever the answer. Especially notable in that it's Anna who (reluctantly) suggests the idea.
• True Blue Femininity: Also true of her Disney counterpart, she's only seen wearing her blue dress.

Princess Anna

Princess Anna

Anna: "You have a sister, you are never gonna be alone."

Played By: Elizabeth Lail

Centric Episodes: "A Tale of Two Sisters", "White Out", "The Apprentice", "Family Business", "Smash the Mirror Parts 1 & 2"

Elsa's sister, who disappeared five years after the events of Frozen and who hasn't been seen in the twenty-eight years or so since.

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• Action Girl: She's an expert with a sword, and she helps a young Prince Charming fight off his tyrannical enemy, the fearsome Bo Peep.
• Adaptational Badass: Despite all she could do in the first film, she still could get tougher. After the business with Hans, she had some of Arendelle's soldiers teach her how to swordfight. She's actually the one who first taught Charming.
• Acquired Poison Immunity: The Spell of Shattered Sight can only affect a person once. Thus, in the present day, Anna is immune to Ingrid's curse along with Emma and Elsa.
• Braids of Action: She sports this hair style and is also quite handy with a sword.
• Buffy Speak: She tends to refer to things she doesn't know the official name of this way. For example, referring to the Dark One's Dagger as a "Wavy knife".
• Character Development: It's subtle, but Anna has clearly matured somewhat following the events of Frozen. She remains her plucky, idealistic, kind-heartened self, but Anna has not only taken the initiative to improve her combat skills, but is also far less-easily fooled by enemies disguised as helpful allies, quickly becoming suspicious of Ingrid. Obviously, Hans' betrayal taught her something. It's acknowledged in-universe. When arguing with Kristoff about trust, he points out that she agreed to marry Hans hours after meeting him. Anna responds that she was "young and naive" (Younger, but the point still stands), with Kristoff himself running into her at Wandering Oaken's Trading Post & Sauna less than 24 hours later.
• Decoy Protagonist: From a chronological perspective, she appears to retain her role from Frozen, playing a larger role in the flashbacks than Elsa does, going alone on a mission to the Enchanted Forest and later becoming the only person to distrust Ingrid. In reality, Elsa becomes the main focus, since she appears in both the flashbacks and the present day.
• Deuteragonist: In contrast to Frozen, Elsa is a bit more prominent than her sister throughout the adaptation, primarily due to the fact that Anna is missing throughout the present-day segments. In the flashbacks, however, the two share mostly equal spotlight.
• Ditzy Genius: She remains a naive and awkward Princess, and is said by Elsa to often act before she thinks, but Anna is far from unintelligent. Throughout her experiences, Anna proves quick-thinking enough to almost immediately understand how the Dark One's dagger works, enabling her to become one of the few people to thwart Rumplestiltskin. She's also the only one to question Ingrid's origins and intentions, and her suspicions are soon shown to be completely accurate.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: After everything that happens to her, Anna finally gets to marry Kristoff with her sister at peace with herself once again and her kingdom no longer in danger.
• Easily Forgiven: Elsa doesn't even mention Anna trapping her in the urn when the finally reunite, and pays no heed to Anna's confession. Justified, because both were aware at this point that Anna's actions were the result of the Spell of Shattered Sight. It's further demonstrated when Anna assures Elsa that she didn't mean what she said when putting her in the urn. Elsa just hugs her in response. Later, when Ingrid reminds the two sisters of the incident, Elsa just ignores her.
• Excellent Judge of Character: Anna clearly learned from her mistake in trusting Hans. She soon catches on to Rumplestiltskin's sinister nature. In fact, Anna is the only person not fooled by the seemingly benevolent Ingrid, while Elsa accepts her immediately and without question. She also figures out not only that Ingrid is still redeemable, but how to redeem her.
• Fairytale Wedding Dress: Anna wears the fancy, white dress her mother wore.
• Fantastic Racism: The Snow Queen claims that Anna grew to see her sister as a monster because of her powers, and trapped Elsa in the urn because of it. It turns out to be a lie. Anna was the one who trapped Elsa in the urn, but only because Ingrid cursed her with the Spell of Shattered Sight. And even when the curse left Anna with only her worst feelings towards her sister, it was anger at being ignored when they were children, rather than fear and disgust of her powers, that led her to imprison Elsa.
• Fish out of Temporal Water: When she arrives in Storybrooke, she quietly remarks to Elsa about what a "funny-looking world" it is.
• Fourth-Date Marriage: Averted; the timeline displayed onscreen would set the intended wedding between Kristoff and Anna approximately two years after the events of Frozen.
• Generation Xerox: Personality-wise, Anna is very similar to her aunt Helga; selfless, helpful, and caring. Most importantly, both are unwaveringly supportive of their older sister, despite her potentially dangerous ice magic and when put in situations where it seems as if said sister had betrayed them. Neither gives up on said sister despite difficult situations caused by an opportunistic, immoral suitor, and both are accidentally wounded in the heart by their sister's powers. Downplayed in that Anna doesn't die and that unlike her mother, Gerda, Anna never turns on Elsa.
• Girlish Pigtails: Her hairstyle is usually braided pigtails. To go with her being wonderfully cheery.
• Happy Ending Override: Just like Elsa except worse. By the present day segments of Season 4, she's separated from her sister and missing without a trace. Through the flashbacks and the Snow Queen's mentions of her past, it's revealed that Anna did trap Elsa in the urn, but only because she was under the curse of shattered sight, and immediately regretted having done so afterwards. It doesn't stop the Snow Queen from freezing her, Kristoff, and the entirety of Arendelle solid.
• The Hero: Despite being missing throughout most of the present day segments, Anna ends up keeping this role. Anna's brave, selfless, and pure of heart, traits that help her influence many of the Once's heroes and foil not just the Snow Queen's earliest plans and figure out how to redeem her, but Rumplestiltskin's more than anyone else had this point. Rumplestiltskin. Damnem.
• High-Class Gloves: Her mother's wedding dress came with a pair of opera length gloves, which come in handy on the wedding day. They cover up her knuckles, which are still visibly bruised from pummeling Hans a second time.
• History Repeats: Anna risks her life to convince her relative with ice powers to undo a curse threatening an entire realm, ultimately succeeding thanks to The Power of Love. Seems like her ordeal with Hans is causing some deja vu to happen.
• Human Popsicle: The Snow Queen's freezing of Arendelle lasts thirty years. Anna and the rest of the kingdom do not age during this time, which allows her to reunite with Elsa without having missed half of her life.
• Incorruptible Pure Pureness:
  • She makes a deal with Rumplestiltskin that he'll tell her what happened to her parents if she puts a sinister-looking substance in an old man's tea. She can't bring herself to do it, except then it turns out that was actually the antidote to a poison he'd already been given, and by breaking the deal Rumplestiltskin will now keep her in a tower for the rest of her life. He says the only way out is to kill him, and yet she still can't do it. Then it turns out Rumpel set the whole thing up to find someone absolutely pure of heart, whose tears could get past the protection around a magical hat. Upon discovering this, she does some fast thinking to make sure he doesn't profit a bit from the scheme, while also guaranteeing her safety.
  • There is one occasion where Anna loses her moral purity is averted, and it is quite brief: when the Snow Queen casts the Spell of Shattered Sight on her, and she turns into a very bitter and resentful young woman angry at Elsa for shunning her all those years ago. It lasts just long enough for Anna to trap Elsa in the urn, and she immediately regrets her actions.
• Ink-Suit Actor: Again, as an inversion, Elizabeth Lail is a dead ringer for Anna's animated form. Although she may not sound like Kristen Bell she also has Anna's character down perfectly.
• Ironic Echo:
  • Has a pair of horrific examples in "Smash the Mirror". Under Ingrid's curse, she repeats Elsa's line "Go away Anna" from Do You Want to Build a Snowman?, driving home her bitterness at Elsa for shutting her out for all those years. After trapping her sister in the urn and then coming back to herself, she again dubiously asks "Wait, what?", which, during Frozen had been meant as a joke highlighting Anna's dorky qualities. This time, it's anything but funny.
  • After finding out who Mr. Gold really is, her "Wait, What?" response is more Oh, Crap! rather than just mere surprise, as she knows he's up to no good.
• Living Emotional Crutch: While Elsa does have superior control over her powers, by the time of Anna's disappearance and Elsa's arrival in Storybrooke, Anna became this for Elsa. Her vanishing left Elsa scared she couldn't pull back and undo her powerful magic. Elsa eventually realizes that Anna's love is only part of the solution; in order to truly control her powers, she must embrace them.
• Living MacGuffin: She disappears on a quest to find out what really happened to her parents. She comes back safely only to end up turned to ice along with all of Arendelle, and becomes this during the present-day events in Storybrooke until Elsa's wish to the star brings Anna and Kristoff to Storybrooke.
• Meaningful Echo: In the original movie, Elsa wore gloves to hide her powers. In the epilogue to the Arendelle arc, Anna has to wear gloves during her wedding to Kristoff, this time, to hide her bruised knuckles after punching Hans in the face again.
• Motor Mouth: She runs her mouth a lot and at times it seems like she doesn't know when to stop.
• More than Mind Control: Is subjected to a variant of this by Ingrid via the Spell of Shattered Sight, a curse that only lets her see the worst in those she loves. This turns Anna against Elsa, causing her to trap her sister in the urn. It's clear, that the spell is more mind control than not, changing what she felt rather than revealing it. Although Ingrid claims that her magic simply brought out Anna's true feelings for her sister, in actuality it simply erased everything positive that Anna saw in Elsa, leaving only her bitterness left. Although that bitterness had existed previously, it was only a small fraction of what Anna felt for her sister, and overshadowed by her love and affection. Tellingly, as soon as the spell wore off, Anna was completely horrified.
• My God, What Have I Done?: After being placed under the Spell of Shattered Sight and trapping her sister in the urn, Anna immediately breaks free of the spell and is clearly horrified by her actions. Justifiably, however, she quickly blames Ingrid for what happened.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: After Elsa goes missing and Arendelle unfreezes, Anna and Kristoff rush off to find her, instead of consolidating Anna's (the rightful heir) control of the kingdom. In the process, they leave Hans and his brothers loose in the castle and within the reach of both the treasury and the (probably furious at being frozen) military. End result: Hans becomes King of Arendelle... for a time.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: She got to punch Hans again while kicking him out of Arendelle for good, though we only hear about it due to her knuckles still being bruised.
• Old, New, Borrowed and Blue: In "A Tale of Two Sisters", Anna is about to marry Kristoff and Elsa presents Anna with their mother's wedding dress, as well as a snowflake pendant to be "Something new to go with something borrowed."
• The Power of Love: Anna once again makes use of this. She gives Ingrid her mother's letter, pleads and ultimately manages to convince her aunt to redeem herself.
• Pretty Princess Powerhouse: Has a rather feminine personality and is able to hold her own in a fight. In addition to how strong she was already, she also got good enough with a sword to teach the future Prince Charming. It's cemented after she becomes one of the few people to ever get one up over The Dark One. And by her bruised knuckles before her wedding, it's clear that she dished the feisty bits to Hans again, and busted his eyes.
• Properly Paranoid: She is the only one suspicious of Ingrid despite everyone else accepting her story.
• Redheaded Hero: She has her red hair, and she's just as much of an impulsive do-gooder as she is in the movie.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to her sister's blue, remaining bubbly and energetic like in the movie.
• Serious Business: Her greatest gripe with Hans' betrayal: "And I sang with you!"
• Sibling Team: By their first appearance in the series, Anna and Elsa have rekindled their sisterly bond, as shown at the end of Frozen. with Anna becoming her sister's Living Emotional Crutch and Elsa serving as her bridesmaid. Thanks to Anna's lack of magic, Ingrid makes it her goal to destroy their relationship. All of their aunt's attempts to break them apart fail. The two sisters eventually reunite in the present-day, neither angry with the other in the slightest.
• Small Role, Big Impact:
  • Despite first appearing in Season 4, it turns out that Anna had a HUGE affect on the show's primary storylines. After a handful of interactions with the residents of the Enchanted Forest, Anna becomes responsible for not only Charming learning how to swordfight (which enabled him to defeat the dragon and survive the constant battles ahead), but also is the direct cause of Belle and Rumple meeting one another, beginning the chain of events leading to their marriage and the Dark One's partial redemption. On top of that, it was thanks to her that the Dark One was still bound to his dagger throughout the show's first three seasons. Take her out of the equation, and almost the entirety of the show changes for the worse.
  • Her reappearance in Storybrooke via Elsa's wish ultimately leads to Gerda's letter being transported to Storybrooke. When Anna discovers it, she ultimately gets Ingrid to read it (despite the fact that Ingrid could have killed her) and causes Ingrid to remember the real love she shared between her sisters.
  • Before returning to Arendelle, she asks about the identity of Mr. Gold. When she's told it's Rumplestiltskin, she reveals that he lied about not knowing her, and also reminds everyone of his tendency to lie. This alerts Emma and co to the Dark One's trickery, leading to his plan failing. In a way, she quite literally saves the entire world.
• Spanner in the Works: Averted in the present day. Although it appears as though her arrival in Storybrooke will enable the heroes to create a cure for the Spell of Shattered Sight, the plan falls through thanks to Rumpel, and the curse hits regardless. Then played straight when she delivers the letter that prompts Ingrid's change of heart and ends the Spell of Shattered Sight.
• Statuesque Stunner: She's quite a pretty face and is also a bit of a lanky girl, being 5'8".
• Strong Family Resemblance: Ingrid comments on how she "looks just like her mother".
• Tempting Fate:
  • Anna assures Elsa that, unlike their mother and Ingrid, they could never possibly turn against each other. She's proven to be completely right... until her aunt curses her with the Spell of Shattered Sight. Ultimately, she ends up trapping Elsa in the urn, just as her mother once did to Ingrid.
  • Averted in that Anna manages to survive delivering Gerda's message to Ingrid, despite the risk considering Ingrid's hostility toward her as a relative without magic.
• Took a Level in Badass: Since the events of Frozen, Anna has managed to become a professional swordsman. Likely, she took this up as she learned her lesson after her ordeal with Hans. Likewise after being manipulated by The Dark One she manages to gain control of him and screw him out of his plans, driving him into a rage.
• Trauma Conga Line: Goes through a particularly tragic one throughout Season 4a's flashbacks. She sets out for the Enchanted Forest (postponing her wedding) to allay Elsa's fears about their parents viewing her as a monster, only to learn that they did, and were desperate to remove her powers. She returns home shaken from the revelation... only to end up falling off a cliff thanks to her aunt and imprisoned in the dungeons. She's freed by Elsa and together the two plan to trap their aunt in the urn, but Ingrid thwarts their plan. Then, Anna is inflicted with the Spell of Shattered Sight, making her see only see the worst in her sister and bringing out her resentment for being ignored when they were children. Under its influence, Anna becomes responsible for trapping Elsa, the person she loves most, in the urn, and comes out of it just in time to realize what she's done. It's all capped off by Ingrid freezing her, Kristoff, and the entire kingdom solid. When Arendelle thaws thirty years later, Hans takes over the kingdom and leaves Anna and Kristoff to drown in a chest. While Anna and Kristoff are saved by Elsa's wish to the star on Anna's necklace, they arrive just as Storybrooke falls to the spell of shattered sight.
• Verbal Tic: Often says "I mean..." in an awkward attempt to correct herself whenever she says something without thinking.
• Warrior Princess: She's a princess, but that doesn't stop her from kicking some ass.
• The Worf Effect: Anna experiences a unique form of this. Rather than her combat skills, it's Anna's personality and relationship with Elsa that get Worfed. When hit with the Spell of Shattered Sight, Anna completely turns against her sister Elsa, despite her well-established Incorruptible Pure Pureness and incredibly strong bond with her sister. It's this experience that establishes that no one, no matter how good of heart they are or how much they care for their loved ones, will be able to resist the curse when it's cast on them.

Kristoff

Kristoff

Kristoff: "Isn't that the queen's job? Bossing people around?"

Played By: Scott Michael Foster

An ice harvester as well as Anna's fiancé.

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• Battle Couple: He and Anna briefly become this when fighting Hans and his brothers.
• Big Damn Heroes: Subverted. Kristoff bursts in just after Anna traps Elsa in the urn, warning Ingrid to let Anna go. He is unable to get close before the Snow Queen freezes him, Anna, and the entire kingdom with a wave of her hand.
• The Confidant: To Anna. She confides in him her plans to travel to the Enchanted Forest, what she learned from Rumple about her parents, and her suspicion about the Snow Queen.
• Deadpan Snarker: He makes several snarky comments in all of his scenes.
  Elsa: So no one has heard from Anna. There's been no sightings from any of the scouts?
  Kristoff: Since you asked me 10 seconds ago? Nope.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: After everything that happens to him in this season, he finally gets to marry Anna.
• Fourth-Date Marriage: Averted; the presence of a five year time jump between when Anna and Elsa's parents die and the days before Anna is scheduled to marry Kristoff set this story arc approximately two years after the events in Frozen.
• Happy Ending Override: Gets this along with the rest of the Frozen heroes. During his first appearance, his wedding to Anna was due for the next day. Events conspire against this. Thirty years later after being frozen by the Snow Queen, Arendelle thaws, Hans takes over the kingdom, and Anna and Kristoff are left to drown. While Anna and Kristoff are saved by Elsa's wish, Kristoff will be exposed to the Spell of Shattered Sight in Storybrooke.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Kristoff does joke a bit about Elsa's mannerisms, but he does care about his future sister in-law and does all he can to help her while Anna is away. Eventually, he tries to go up against the Snow Queen to save his new family. It ends horribly, but there's something to be said for confronting an incredibly powerful ice sorceress with nothing but an ice pick.
• Nice Guy: He's so affable that even when affected by the Spell of Shattered Sight, the worst he becomes is vaguely grouchy.
  Kristoff: Ice is a very important commodity!
• Only One Name: Supplemental material for Frozen revealed Kristoff's last name was 'Bjorgman', which is not brought up at any point in this series.
• You Are Not Alone: Tells a distraught Elsa that Anna made him stay behind so that Elsa wouldn't be alone while Anna went on her quest. Turns out to have been a good idea, as Kristoff ends up providing Elsa crucial intelligence about Hans' plan to trap her in the urn, and assists her in keeping it out of Hans' hands.

The Snow Queen/Princess Ingrid

Princess Ingrid/The Snow Queen/"Sarah Fisher"

Ingrid: "All I wanted was to have my sisters' love. And now I have it. Now I get to join them."

Played by: Elizabeth Mitchell, Brighton Sharbino (child)

Centric Episodes: "Rocky Road", "The Snow Queen", "Smash the Mirror Parts 1 & 2", "Shattered Sight"

The original Snow Queen, who runs an ice cream store in Storybrooke. She's actually the aunt of Elsa and Anna, AND was Emma's foster mother for a while.

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• Accidental Murder: In anger and fear (after he threatened to send a mob on her, stage a coup, and cage her forever), she aimed an ice blast at the Duke of Weselton, but instead hit and accidentally killed her sister Helga when he used her as a human shield.
• Adaptational Species Change: The Snow Queen in Andersen's fairy tale was some kind of Humanoid Abomination; Ingrid is a human being born with magical ice powers.
• Adaptational Villainy: The Snow Queen in the original story is Ambiguously Evil and the extent of her villainy is taking the mirror-shard-infected Kai away to her ice castle in the far north and not letting him leave unless he solves a puzzle. In the show, she's responsible for spreading the mirror curse herself.
• Affably Evil: She is gentle-mannered, soft spoken, polite and ostensibly kind - just make sure you don't get in the way of her plans. Additionally, she used to be a Nice Girl before her Face–Heel Turn.
• And I Must Scream: According to Elizabeth Mitchell, she plays it that the Snow Queen was conscious in the urn, which is part of why she's crazy.
• Anti-Villain: Like Mr. Freeze, an ice-themed Anti-Villain. Her goal, to put together a family, is fine, and she does genuinely care about her sisters. It's her methods, such as intentionally cursing multiple communties full of innocent people and trying to cut her chosen family members off from their current loved ones, that put her in villainous territory. She makes a Redemption Equals Death in the end.
• Arc Villain: Of the first half of Season 4. She comes to Storybrooke in hopes of making Emma and Elsa her sisters and cursing the rest of the town with the spell of Shattered Sight. Notably, her story arc is resolved before the winter finale.
• Big Bad Ensemble: Unlike Peter Pan and the Wicked Witch, the Snow Queen has to compete for the title of Big Bad with Rumplestiltskin, who's running his own scheme parallel to hers.
• Big Sister Instinct: When a man attempts to kidnap Gerda and Helga, young Ingrid screams "Let my sisters go!" and attempts to save them.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Played With. Acts as a kind ice cream seller, but she actually seems like a heartless sociopath until "Breaking Glass". At this point, she's revealed to be neither straight-out innocent nor really pretending to be good. She's Obviously Evil due to trauma and manipulation, but still as much a ruthless master manipulator with a plan as any Once Big Bad.
• Blatant Lies: She claims that Anna put Elsa in the urn. Elsa doesn't buy it for a second, knowing how well-established Anna's Undying Loyalty is. Downplayed, in that the rest of the cast, who don't know Anna as well, isn't so sure. Also subverted, in that it turns out that Anna did put Elsa in the urn, but only because she was under the Snow Queen's spell, forced to reveal and act on her darkest impulses. Still, it's never clear whether the Queen actually thought she lied or believed that she was perfectly justified to blame Anna for what would have remained harmless thoughts without her intervention.
• Cleavage Window: Quite the fan of outfits which have this kind of neckline.
• The Corrupter:
  • She tries to be this to Elsa, but she fails because unlike other corrupters on the show, she's convinced what she's doing is right, and after her first manipulations, spills everything horrific about her plan anytime she can.
  • She is more successful on Emma, riling her up her emotion state enough that Emma can't control her magic, so she'll willing isolate herself. Thanks to Elsa, this eventually fails as well. Unfortunately, Emma accepting her abilities still furthers her own plans.
• Decomposite Character: When Frozen was written, Elsa was based on Andersen's Snow Queen, but here they're separate characters, with the original Snow Queen being Elsa's aunt. Ironically, Hans Christian Andersen wrote a separate story called "The Ice Maiden" that later developed into "The Snow Queen".
• Despair Event Horizon: She crossed it after accidentally killing her loyal sister Helga and subsequently being denounced and called a monster by Gerda, leaving her with no supportive sisters. Her crossing leads to her becoming a deranged villain.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: Ingrid realizes that the sorcerer's prophecy of regaining her sisters' love wouldn't be from Elsa or Emma, but the real love that she once shared with Helga and Gerda. As she sacrifices herself to save the town from the spell, she then considers being able to be together in death with her departed sisters her "happy ending".
• Earthy Barefoot Character: With her elemental powers, she is often seen barefoot.
• Evil Aunt: She is this to Anna and Elsa. She's a sister of their mother and scheming to split the sisters up so she can have Elsa (and Emma) to herself, no matter who she has to hurt to do it.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good:
  • She claims she wants to be "loved", but it's clear that, because of her backstory, by the time she comes to Storybrooke, she hasn't got a clue what real love is and should be. Since Anna has no magic powers like hers or Elsa's, and Anna's mother was the same and once forgot about their love, she thinks she can just replace Anna with someone who does have powers and will be able to understand what it means. She's certain that otherwise, the very nature of a non-magical being would prevent them from relating to Elsa or herself, so she believes that by replacing her wonderful, understanding sister with someone she never met, she's doing Elsa a favour. Until the end of her arc, she cannot understand the idea that Elsa and Emma's families could love them just the way they are.
  • She tries very hard to break Elsa and Anna's bond, but it all fails. One of her plans hinges on casting one of her dark spells on Anna to get her to trap Elsa in an urn, so that Elsa would turn her back on her. Ingrid tries to get Elsa to use her powers against Anna, but Elsa knows it's Ingrid's magic at work and refuses to hurt her sister, even while Anna traps her in that urn.
• Evil Counterpart:
  • To her niece Elsa. They have the same powers and similar pasts harming a loved one, and both are referred to as monsters. But while Elsa fled in an attempt to keep people safe from harm and be herself at the same time, the Snow Queen went full 'Then Let Me Be Evil' mode and became the monster they thought her to be, casually flash-freezing anyone who gets in her way. Basically, she's Elsa with zero empathy or much less moral restraints, to the point that during her Heroic Sacrifice she acknowledges that she did become a monster, "not because of my powers, but because of what I let them turn me into."
  • To her other niece Anna. They both suffer apparent rejection from their sisters that hurts them greatly and leaves a deep psychological impact. But Anna consistently tries to be there for her sister and gives people a chance despite this, including considering that her sister may have valid reason for why she acts the way she does. Meanwhile Ingrid doesn't do the right thing and insists anyone different from her could never be accepting, despite already knowing that the only reason her sister Gerda started rejecting her wasn't her powers at all but that it had looked as if she had murdered their other sister, until given proof that Gerda loved her after all. Also, while Anna never demands Elsa or anyone give her love, despite being desperate for it like Ingrid, Ingrid tries to force Emma and Elsa into loving her by cutting them off from all other people, including casting spells on other people to sabotage their relationships.
• Fantastic Racism: Against people who don't have ice powers, so everyone who's not her or Elsa. Later revealed to be just people who have no magic, as she is quite keen that Emma be part of her new family that consists of both of them and Elsa; Anna can't be part of that family because without any magic she's the "odd woman out" and Ingrid fears she will turn against them and do to them what Gerda did. She gets better.
• God Save Us from the Queen!: She's called the Snow Queen and she casts a freezing curse on all of Arendelle that lasts for 30 years. Her Evil Plan in the present day is to kill everybody in Storybrooke via the spell of Shattered sight so it can just be her, Elsa, and Emma living there.
• He Who Fights Monsters: She is on the receiving of Fantastic Racism and as a Anti-Villain, she starts to be on the giving end of Fantastic Racism. Very notable and almost literal example of this is that she is called a monster because of her powers and she decides after Elsa is trapped in the urn, that it's time to embrace the title of monster and be one.
• Heel–Face Turn: She finally gets what she always wanted: her sisters' love. And now that she has it, she willingly lets the curse take her to save the town.
• Heel Realization: After hearing Gerda's apology in her last letter, Ingrid finally understands that people didn't see her as a monster because of her powers, but because of what she let them turn her into. Seeing that she's not murdering dangerous bigots but innocent people, she sacrifices herself to save them.
• High Collar of Doom: Really likes outfits with high collars in addition to frequently attempting murder.
• I Just Want to Be Loved: In "Breaking Glass", the Snow Queen claims that she will have a "family that loves [her]". Ultimately deconstructed as she wants that family to be on her terms. Specifically herself, Elsa and Emma, to mirror the happy family she had as a child with her two sisters Gerda (Anna and Elsa's mother) and Helga (whom she accidentally killed), but with this time with two magical "sisters" so that she won't be cast out again. Anna can't be a part of that family, because without any magic powers, she's "the odd woman out" who "can't understand" them.
• I Surrender, Suckers: After she is captured and taken into custody, it's revealed that she planned this in order to have an opportunity to be alone with Emma, and corrupt her through polite conversation.
• An Ice Person: She has even more powerful abilities than Elsa, and is even able to keep Elsa from undoing her own magic.
• Insane Troll Logic:
  • She tries to convince Elsa that people without their same powers will inevitably turn on her... by deliberately manipulating them into it by framing Elsa for murder. She's promptly called out on it.
  • What's the Snow Queen's plan for starting a new family? Mass murder.^note Specifically, kill everyone else in Storybrooke and use Elsa's ice wall to isolate them from the outside world, so that that Elsa and Emma will love only her.
  • "Proving" to Elsa that her sister will never accept her for who she is... by casting the Spell of Shattered Sight, which magically turns anyone hateful, on Anna. Elsa doesn't buy it for a second.
• Love Hungry: Tries to force Emma and Elsa into loving her by cutting them off from all other people, including casting spells on other people to sabotage their relationships.
• Light Is Not Good: She wears white, but she has malicious intentions. It becomes Light Is Good after her Heel–Face Turn.
• Magic Mirror: In a nod to the original story, Ingrid has one that shows people their inner ugliness and evil. She wants to use it as part of a larger spell that will induce the entire town (sans Elsa and Emma}) to turn upon and kill each other.
• Manipulative Bitch:
  • She creates a scenario where she can be left alone with Emma, where she can prey on her lingering resentments and doubts about her place in the Charming family, enough that Emma's worked up enough to lose control of her powers, and then isolate herself from her family for fear of hurting them.
  • Her first attempt at creating her perfect family consisted of turning Anna and Elsa against each other. Even with the utilization of the Spell of Shattered Sight, it doesn't work.
• Meet the New Boss: Many have point out that she share lot of similarities with her predecessor Zelena: both have a family ties with one of the main cast, both were isolated because of their magical power and both seek happiness and plan to bring destruction on Storybrook. However, Ingrid gets redeemed by the end of her arc.
• Mundane Utility: Uses her powers to run an ice cream shop without freezers.
• My God, What Have I Done?: In the past, she tried to protect her sister Helga from the Duke of Weselton, but instead she struck Helga's heart, which caused her to die.
  • She then has this after reading Gerda's letter and remembering her sisters' love. Ingrid then makes a Heroic Sacrifice to end the spell of shattered sight.
• Mysterious Past: It's a touchy subject for her. Ingrid is one of Elsa and Anna's mum Gerda's two sisters. Ingrid accidentally killed the other sister, Helga, by freezing her heart, which caused her to explode. Gerda was so distraught that she put her in the urn. Also, Ingrid's time as Emma's foster mother is just as mysterious given that Emma does not remember her.
• Never My Fault:
  • She claims people view her as a monster because her magic ice powers make her different, not because she uses those powers to kill people. Although killing Helga was a tragic accident, there's a good chance it could've been prevented if Ingrid had learned to control her powers or wear the gloves Rumpel gave her. And if she hadn't panicked and tried to murder the Duke of Weselton. Subverted as she fully takes responsibility for this after her Heel–Face Turn.
  • She immediately blames Anna for trapping Elsa in the urn despite it being her spell that caused Anna to do it.
• Nice, Mean, and In-Between: She is the Mean one in this dynamic with her two sisters. Helga (nice) was unwaveringly loyal and supportive toward Ingrid, Ingrid (mean) became an embittered villainess, while Gerda (in-between), while well-intentioned, accidentally helped push Ingrid into villainy by branding her a monster and trapping her in the urn.
• Not Helping Your Case: She claims that people without magical gifts tend to view those who have them as monsters... so she uses her powers to attack or kill random innocent people.
• Oh, Crap!: When she sees Emma. She's Emma's foster mother. The only people who know this are Rumpel and herself, and she wants it to stay that way, until Emma discovers a video of her child self with "Sarah".
• Pet the Dog: In "Breaking Glass", she makes a deal with Sidney despite not needing him, only Regina's magic mirror. Sidney expects that he will have to serve her, but she makes it perfectly clear that he truly is free. Subverted later when it turns out her plans would end up killing him if they go as the Snow Queen intends.
• Pretty in Mink: In the flashbacks, a couple of her outfits include a coat and cape each trimmed with white fur.
• Psychopathic Manchild: Her ultimate goal is to rebuild her childhood family with Elsa and Emma taking the place of her sisters.
• Psychological Projection: She is convinced that Elsa and Anna's relationship is no different than hers was with Gerda. To the point that she genuinely considers Anna trapping Elsa in the urn the exact same thing as when Gerda trapped her, even though the circumstance is COMPLETELY different (including the fact that Ingrid placed a curse on Anna to make her hate Elsa, who then proceeded to yell at her for neglecting her as a child, and that Ingrid literally sent Anna after Elsa hoping she would kill her first-which she refused to do).
• Psychotic Smirk: When she manages to get Emma worked up enough that she loses control of her powers; it's very creepy.
• Redemption Equals Death: In "Shattered Sight", she sacrifices herself to end the Shattered Sight curse that she cast over Storybrooke.
• Remember the New Guy?: Everyone in Storybrooke seems to know Ingrid already despite never appearing before Season 4 (although the town does that a lot).
• Replacement Goldfish: She wants Elsa and Emma to serve as this for her, replacing her deceased, non-magical sisters Helga and Gerda.
• Related in the Adaptation: The Snow Queen and Gerda are sisters in this version.
• Sanity Slippage: Granted, the Snow Queen wasn't exactly stable even when she had her sisters' support, but accidentally killing Helga, and Gerda sealing her in an urn sent her off the deep end. By the time she was released, she's developed a hatred for non-magical people and an obsessive desire to build a better family.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: She was the first inhabitant of the urn. Given her constant ramblings about wanting a family that loves her and accepts her for who she is, it's implied she was put there by fearful family members. Indeed Gerda put her there after she accidentally froze her sister Helga to death.
• Self-Serving Memory: Claims her sisters never really loved her because they were ordinary. The truth is a bit more complicated and tragic.
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Eventually grows to believe that everyone will see her as a monster and tries to avoid this by finding other magical people to accept her and be her family, completely ignoring the fact that she had already found acceptance regardless of her powers as a child with her sisters. Her attempts to then find acceptance by trying to force other magical people to be her family just backfire because the methods she takes horrify people much more than her powers do. She has genuinely loving relationships with Emma and Elsa at first, but ruins them by refusing to stop trying to awaken Emma's magic when Emma has no reason to think it's real, freaking Emma out, and by attempting to manipulate Elsa into killing her own sister. It's clear to everyone but her that's it's her actions, not her abilities, that make her the monster she truly is.
• Sensible Heroes, Skimpy Villains: Her Snow Queen outfits all heavily accentuate her rather buxom cleavage compared to her more modest everyday clothes.
• Soft-Spoken Sadist: Despite being a villainous character, she speaks in a very soft, persuasive and motherly voice, which makes her slightly unnerving.
• Terms of Endangerment: She calls Emma 'sweet girl' at least once and refers to her niece as 'my sweet Elsa' - it's terribly Black Swan.
• Then Let Me Be Evil: After overhearing Anna suspecting and accusing her just like her mother did, she decides to lock her up and isolate her, calling her the odd one out, to make sure she's the one to suffer this time. She's also willing to use more extreme measures to make sure she and Elsa can find a better sister. After that, when Anna and Kristoff (now with GOOD reason) treat her like a villain to her face, she finally snaps and goes into this. Despite this, calling her a monster is still a Berserk Button for her and she continues to use people seeing her as such as an excuse to kill them.
• Thicker Than Water: Given all her talk of family, this is averted. After Anna shows reluctance to trust and love unconditionally someone she barely met, Ingrid has not a sliver of affection for her, since she doesn't have ice magic or innate understanding of her complicated backstory. She creates a storm so Anna would fall off a cliff (luckily she doesn't die, as the Snow Queen's plan is to have her be rejected and abandoned like she was).
  • She later tells Emma that family is more than just blood. So, in her mind, she and Elsa are more of family to each other then their actual blood relatives simply because they all were born with magic so they can understand each other better
• Together in Death: Sees death as a chance to be with her deceased sisters, Helga and Gerda, after her Heroic Sacrifice.
• Unperson: Becomes this when she accidentally kills her sister Helga; a distraught Gerda locks her up in that urn, and begs Grand Pabbie to wipe away the memory of her sisters' existence from everyone in the kingdom, except Gerda herself.
• Villainous Breakdown: She suffers one in "Smash the Mirror" when a cursed Anna imprisons Elsa in the urn. Ingrid calls Anna a "foolish girl" and blames her for everything that's happened. When Kristoff comes, she rants about how people eventually see her as a monster and decides to embrace it.
• Villains Never Lie: Averted. Nearly everything she tells the heroes is either a lie or something she believes because of her tendency to rewrite history (especially when she talks about the past), but none of the heroes are ever completely fooled by what she says. To date, she has claimed that freezing Maid Marian was an accident (it wasn't), Anna trapped Elsa in the urn because she saw her sister as a monster (the jury's still out on whether she lied, but it was false as while Anna was the one to put Elsa in the urn, it was because of Ingrid's magic bringing out her bitterness at being shut out by Elsa throughout their childhood), she'd never met Emma previously (she did) and that someone took Elsa's memories using the rock troll's spell because they were too painful (jury's still out, as Ingrid herself removed them, but mostly for her own good, as Elsa would never have forgiven her for what she'd done). In the flashbacks, she tells Elsa that Anna planned to remove her powers (she didn't, but Ingrid accused her of it when they were alone together, and she seemed to genuinely believe that.) It ultimately works against her, as Emma refuses to believe her warnings about Mr. Gold's plan. As this is possibly the first time Ingrid's told her the truth, it's hard to blame Emma for ignoring her.
• We Used to Be Friends: She and Elsa get along great in the flashbacks, until Elsa starts to realize that Ingrid is up to no good.
• Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Her backstory is heartbreaking, and she borders on Not Evil, Just Misunderstood - if only it weren't for her active maliciousness in trying to separate Elsa and Anna, and depopulate Storybrooke. Notably, after her Heel–Face Turn, she acknowledges that "I Am a Monster".
• Wicked Stepmother: Subverted considering she's established as a villain and as Emma's foster mother. It turns out she was actually a loving adoptive parent towards Emma, who loved her back, but Ingrid's own insistence on awakening Emma's magic drove them apart, leading to her wiping Emma's memories.
• Winter Royal Lady: It's not entirely clear if she coined the title of the Snow Queen for herself, or if it's just what others refer to her as. Nonetheless, it's what she's commonly known as.
• Yandere: She's trying to kill everyone in Storybrooke just so Elsa and Emma will only have her to focus on, thus creating her "perfect family". She does in the end realize she was wrong, though.

Princess Helga

Princess Helga

Helga: "Remember what we promised, Ingrid. We will never abandon each other."

Played by: Sally Pressman, Bailey Herbert (child)

The adored middle sister to Ingrid and Gerda.

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• Canon Foreigner: While her sisters Gerda and Ingrid are based on characters from The Snow Queen, Helga is an original character.
• Generation Xerox: She has many parallels with her niece, Anna, including being courted by a deceptive nobleman (the Duke of Weselton for Helga, Prince Hans for Anna). Unfortunately, while Anna survives her experience as an ice statue, Helga did not.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Helga is blond-haired, compassionate and unwaveringly supportive of her troubled sister, defending her against slander.
• Literally Shattered Lives: Falls in pieces after being turned as an ice statue.
• Living Emotional Crutch: In a somewhat similar way that Anna is to Elsa. Helga's support of Ingrid is seemingly the only thing keeping her from going off the deep end.
• Nice, Mean, and In-Between: She is the Nice one in this dynamic with her two sisters. Helga (nice) was unwaveringly loyal and supportive toward Ingrid, Ingrid (mean) became an embittered villainess, while Gerda (in-between), while well-intentioned, accidentally helped push Ingrid into villainy by branding her a monster and trapping her in the urn.
• Thicker Than Water: She is disgusted at the Duke's attempt to slander her sister with Diplomatic Impunity, and her faith in her sister is not shaken for a second.
• Together in Death: With Ingrid and Gerda after Ingrid's Heroic Sacrifice.
• Too Good for This Sinful Earth: One of the nicest characters on the show, she gets killed in her first episode.
• Unperson: Gerda asked the rock trolls to wipe away the memories of her and Ingrid.

Queen Gerda

Queen Gerda

Played by: Pascale Hutton, Ava Marie Telek (child)

The youngest sibling of Ingrid and Helga, and the mother of Elsa and Anna. She was Queen of Arendelle until she and her husband died in the shipwreck.

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• Adaptation Dye-Job: In Frozen she is a brunette, not a redhead.
• Adaptation Name Change: She never had an explicit name in Frozen, although the runes on her grave identified her in that movie as "Iduna," which was later confirmed in Frozen II. There was a character named "Gerda" in Frozen, but this name was given to one of the two servants.
• Adaptational Backstory Change: Justified, as Frozen II was released 5 years after the OUAT season she appeared in; in the movie, her name is Iduna, and she's a Northuldran woman who saved King Agnarr, the girls' father and her eventual husband, from the battle between their peoples that King Runeard instigated, causing her home (ironically, also named the Enchanted Forest) to be surrounded by an impenetrable, magical mist. In Once, it's she who's of royal lineage, as she and her sisters are born as the princesses of Arendelle. After Ingrid kills Helga and she traps Ingrid in the urn, she wipes the kingdom's memories of them and becomes heir to the throne herself.
• Adaptational Jerkass: Downplayed. She immediately jumps to the conclusion that Ingrid purposefully killed Helga, being the one to trap her in the urn and tried to get rid of Elsa's powers. This contrasts with her Frozen film counterpart, who is shown not making a similar mistake when Elsa freezes Anna's head, believing right away that it was an accident, and accepts Elsa for her powers despite being unaware of their origins. It doesn't make her a villain, and she does learn the error of her ways and tries to send a letter to Elsa and Anna asking them to release Ingrid, but she's not quite as kind-hearted as her film counterpart and wasn't able to use the wishing star herself.
• Chekhov's Gun:
  • Gerda's necklace, given to Anna by Elsa five years after Gerda's passing, is actually a wishing star that only the pure of heart can use. It proves useful when Elsa unintentionally wishes that she could find Anna, just as Anna and Kristoff are about to drown in a chest.
  • Gerda's letter in the bottle. It expresses her regret for trying to suppress Elsa's powers, her regret for putting Ingrid in a urn and calling her a monster, and asks Elsa and Anna to free Ingrid from the urn and restore the memory of her sisters in the kingdom. This ultimately causes Ingrid's Heel–Face Turn.
• Composite Character: This Gerda is a cross between Anna and Elsa's mother from Frozen and Gerda from the Andersen fairytale.
• Foil: Her kneejerk denouncing of Ingrid contrasts with Helga's unwavering faith in her.
• Generation Xerox: Ingrid sees her as this to her daughter Anna. In actuality, it's averted. Anna never willingly turns against Elsa. Gerda was also not pure of heart, which Anna certainly is.
• Laser-Guided Karma: When she discovers that Ingrid accidentally killed Helga, she calls her a monster, traps her in an urn and has Grand Pabbie erase everyone's memories of both her sisters' existence. Years later, she has a daughter with the same exact ice powers as her forgotten sister.
• Message in a Bottle: She quite literally sends one of these in the Season 4 opener.
• My Greatest Failure: Having imprisoned her sister in a urn as shown in "Shattered Sight". In her letter, she asked Anna to release her and reveals that she loves her and is sorry for imprisoning her. Too bad it only came to her more than a bit late.
• Nice, Mean, and In-Between: She is the In-between one in this dynamic with her two sisters. Helga (nice) was unwaveringly loyal and supportive toward Ingrid, Ingrid (mean) became an embittered villainess, while Gerda (in-between), while well-intentioned, accidentally helped push Ingrid into villainy by branding her a monster and trapping her in the urn.
• Related in the Adaptation: The Snow Queen and Gerda are sisters in this version.
• Shout-Out: Her name is a more direct reference to the protagonist from "The Snow Queen" — while an Adaptation Name Change, it's debatably justified given that the Snow Queen in the series is a Decomposite Character of Elsa from the movie (and thus, Gerda has a much different connection to her). For added points, she treats Ingrid like an inhuman abomination (for a moment when the latter accidentally kills Helga), just as the Snow Queen from the story was considered one by the young girl Gerda.
• Together in Death: With Ingrid and Helga after Ingrid's Heroic Sacrifice.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Eventually learns the error of her ways in imprisoning Ingrid and writes a letter to Elsa and Anna asking them to release her.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Not only does she immediately lock Ingrid away, but she then asks Grand Pabbie to erase the entire kingdom's memories of her two sisters' existence.
• Youngest Child Wins: Is the youngest of three sisters and becomes queen after her sisters disappear.

Grand Pabbie

Grand Pabbie

Grand Pabbie: "It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding."

Played by: John Rhys-Davies

The gentle and wise ruler of the trolls who specializes in memory spells.

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• Old Master: He is elderly, wise, and very powerful.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: He is a physically small being who is capable of magic powerful enough to erase the memories of everyone in the kingdom.

Prince Hans of the Southern Isles

Hans

Played by: Tyler Jacob Moore

A prince of the Southern Isles and old enemy to the Arendelle royal family ever since his previous attempted murder of both Anna and Elsa.

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• Adaptational Villainy: Any and all possibility of a Heel–Face Turn is thrown out the window in this version.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: Hans appears to be a brunette here. In Frozen he is an Evil Redhead.
• Alas, Poor Villain: He tries to trap Elsa in the urn, and is willing to kill Kristoff, but you have to feel at least a little pity for him when Ingrid freezes him solid, and his brothers (who are implied to have ignored and belittled him all his life, and are his motivation for trying to take over Arendelle in the first place) run off to save themselves, not giving him a second thought.
• Big Bad Wannabe:
  • In his first appearance, he's back to attempting to gain control of Arendelle. The Snow Queen freezes him solid before he makes it through an episode.
  • Then goes right back to it when he's not even given the dignity of being defeated for good onscreen. All we get is that Anna punched him in the face again.
• Brick Joke:
  • His frozen body is still there in "Smash the Mirror", to the surprise of Anna (who wasn't told about his fate).
  • Anna punched Hans in the face at the end of Frozen. After Elsa and Anna return to Arendelle and regain the throne, it is revealed that Anna has punched him in the face again, this time in the eye.
• Determinator: He simply won't give up on his quest to be the King of Arendelle.
• Evil Counterpart: Although this trope was well-established in Frozen, Hans is this to Anna. Both are the youngest child in a royal family, were ignored (albeit for different reasons) by their older siblings, and tend to be awkward in their interactions with others (less so in his case, but he does have some genuine dorky tendencies). But while Anna is a selfless princess who has no desire to be queen and enthusiastically supports Elsa's reign, Hans is a selfish man to the core who resents his brothers and is desperate to rule a kingdom with no care as to who he has to hurt and how to do it.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He cares about at least one of his brothers, as he's quite shocked when Anna holds a sword to the brother's neck and immediately surrenders.
• Fantastic Racism: When he tries to use the urn on Elsa, he gloats about how Arendelle will welcome him as their king instead of a "monster" like Elsa (perhaps the Duke of Weselton's prejudice on people who use magic rubbed off on him a bit). Unfortunately for him, Ingrid heard everything and freezes him right after she's freed.
• Freudian Excuse: It's implied he's so fixated on gaining power in part because his older brothers, who are often shown laughing at him derisively, don't seem to respect him, and one even threatens to throw him into fire for not obeying his orders.
• Happy Ending Override: Inverted. Turns out Hans' brothers are more than happy to let him run free, and even assist him when he comes to bring vengeance on Arendelle.
• Insane Troll Logic: By "Fall", he reasons that since Anna hurt Elsa without intending to, she committed treason, meaning Hans should be king of Arendelle!
• Karma Houdini: He clearly was punished lightly for his actions in Frozen, even though you'd think the attempted murder of a queen would warrant a harsh punishment.^note "Frozen Fever" on the other hand showed Hans shoveling manure in the stables His brothers clearly do not respect him, but they nevertheless are going as far as to assist him in his next scheme to take over Arendelle. None of his attempts really work out for long. After he takes over the kingdom, Anna punches him again.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Forcing Elsa to give him the magic urn, bragging about his plans to use it to overthrow her, and calling her "a monster" all backfire when he opens it only to find out it contains Ingrid, another perons with ice powers - who heard his "monster" comment and has no qualms freezing him.
• Late-Arrival Spoiler: In Frozen, Hans being a villain is a plot twist late in the movie, but in Once Upon a Time, his villainy is on full display from the beginning, thus making him a major Walking Spoiler.
• Old Shame: In-Universe, Hans' expression and his brothers' reactions when it's brought up imply that he's embarrassed about singing together with Anna.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: He's able to bribe Arendelle's militaries with money he stole from their own treasury.
• The Usurper: Once he gets unfrozen, Hans quickly gains control over Arendelle's army, navy, and even manages to entice Blackbeard (who currently owns the Jolly Roger) to his side. He also gets to lock Anna and Kristoff in a chest and throw them overboard to drown. Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff overthrow him a few days after returning to Arendelle.
• Villain Decay: Hans spends nearly all of Frozen wrapping everyone around his finger. Every person he talks to, he eventually succeeds in fooling at some point, and he doesn't suffer defeat until the very climax of the film. Here, he's almost immediately taken out by Ingrid and it is implied that it doesn't take very long for Elsa and Anna to regain the throne once they return to Arendelle. The fact that Hans is so easily defeated both times and now has to resort to bribery in order to get people to help him shows that he's lost his edge with using seduction and other tactics to manipulate people.

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