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    Henry Mills 

Henry Mills

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/henryouat.jpg
"I'm done reading about heroes. I want to be one."
Played By: Jared S. Gilmore (child), Robbie Kay (body swapped with Peter Pan), Andrew J. West (adult)
Centric Episodes: "Save Henry", "Dreamcatcher", "Hyperion Heights", "Breadcrumbs", "Is This Henry Mills?"

The biological son of Emma Swan as well as the adopted son of Regina Mills, Henry is a determined young boy who fully believes that Storybrooke is cursed.


  • Adorably Precocious Child: He's only ten, but he's preoccupied with figuring out how to break the curse. Of course, hardly anyone takes him seriously.
  • Affectionate Nickname: His mother and grandfather have a tendency to call him "Kid".
  • Agent Mulder: He believes in fairy tales, contrasting Emma's initial role as the skeptic.
  • Agent Scully: While under the curse in Season 7.
  • Amazon Chaser: Falls for Cinderella after she clocks him and steals his motorcycle.
  • Badass Biker: At some point between Seasons 6 and 7, August taught Henry how to ride a motorcycle, although whether he retained this skill after losing his memories is unknown.
  • Badass Bookworm: He shows hints of being this, and ultimately becomes the powerful Author.
  • Badass Pacifist: Henry uses words, speeches, and trickery to deal with his problems. See Guile Hero.
  • Big Brother Instinct: It's subtle due to their lack of scenes un-cursed, but he does seem to have this towards his younger cousin Robin (who would've grown up in the same house with him before he left to explore the Realms). His cursed counterpart also develops this for Tilly, the cursed counterpart of Robin's True Love Alice.
  • Book Dumb: He's terrible at Math - or was, before Regina negated the curse - as revealed in "A Curious Thing".
  • Bookworm: He's usually seen reading his fairy tale book.
  • Brilliant, but Lazy: In the second half of Season 3; Henry's still smart - he's improved at Math and was bad at it as a child - but prefers to play video games rather than read after Regina reverses the Dark Curse. This is then reversed itself in "A Curious Thing" when he regains his memories and remembers everything.
  • Calling the Old Man Out:
    • Henry to Regina after her spell traps Emma and Snow in another world. He tells her that she has to figure out how to bring them back or she really is the Evil Queen, and he'll never see her again. He leaves with Charming.
    • Calls out Emma in "Manhattan" for not telling him about his father.
    • Calls Emma out again in the Dark Swan arc. The expression on his face as he stares down at Emma when he finds out she pulled out Violet's heart to force her to break his speaks louder than words. In the episode "Broken Heart", he calls her out to her face for relying on dark magic instead of him or her family and not changing even after the truth comes out about Hook being a Dark One as well.
  • Canon Foreigner: As the grandson of Snow White and Prince Charming and adopted son of the Evil Queen, Henry is an original character with no direct counterpart in fairy tales. Subverted in Season 7, as he turns out to be a version of Cinderella's prince.
  • The Cassandra: He's got the right idea regarding the fairy tales, but no one believes him.
    • Later subverted in the second half of Season 3 when he has no idea about fairy tales being real due to memory loss caused by the reversal of the Dark Curse.
  • Cheerful Child: For the most part, especially at the beginning of the series before he becomes a teenager.
  • Children Are Innocent: Again, for the most part.
  • The Chooser of the One: Henry is the one to deliver Emma's Call to Adventure.
  • The Chosen One: He is the incumbent Author of the tales of the Enchanted Forest. He was set up as a Chosen One in other situations, specifically "the one who will be Rumplestiltskin's undoing" and the kid that Peter Pan searched two centuries for as the possessor of "the heart of the truest believer". "A Curious Thing" shows that his belief in magic is one of the keys to undoing a Dark Curse.
  • Consummate Liar: It comes with being a Guile Hero.
  • Creepy Child: Henry can be a bit creepy in the Pilot, especially since if you're new coming into the series; his utter confidence in the curse can be rather unsettling. However, he manages to be cute and vulnerable enough for you to like him and root for him.
  • Dead Guy Junior: Twice over. Regina named him "Henry Daniel Mills" after two of the only people she ever loved: her father Henry (whom she herself killed to enact the curse - Henry even gets to see his namesake's coffin when he goes poking around in Regina's shed, and there's a nice little pause so you don't miss it) and her lover Daniel, whom her mother killed.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Like mother (both of them), like son.
    Emma: How's the pizza?
    Henry: It's good, cheesy, and it doesn't lie.
    • He gets a pretty good dig at Greg and Tamara in "The Heart of the Truest Believer" after it becomes clear that the Home Office (i.e. Peter Pan) no longer considers them of any use.
    Henry: It's a good thing that you guys don't ask any questions.
  • Decomposite Character: In this version, the prince whom Cinderella goes to the ball to meet (because she wants to kill him) is different from the prince she marries (Henry).
  • Determinator: One of the biggest ones in the series. There's no stopping him once he's set on something.
  • Disappeared Dad: His father, Baelfire/Neal Cassidy, doesn't even know his son exists until Henry meets him in "Manhattan". Furthermore, Neal dies in Season 3.
    • He later becomes this to his own daughter, Lucy, although not by choice.
  • Disney Death: Hey, if there's one universe where it's justified...
  • Dogged Nice Guy: Before meeting Cinderella/Jacinda, Henry was always a little unlucky in love, with most of the princesses and ladies he would save seeing him only as a friend.
  • Drowning My Sorrows: Henry in "Pretty in Blue", after he and Jacinda decide not to hook up quite yet.
  • The Dulcinea Effect: Immediately agrees to go along with Peter Pan's plan once he believes that Wendy's life is at stake.
    • Also stays in the New Enchanted Forest to help out Cinderella.
  • Everyone Can See It: Despite his objections about just meeting her, pretty much everyone, from Lady Tremaine to Emma - and Emma is shit with relationships - can see that Henry has fallen for Cinderella.
    • Sabine straight up asks him if he's in love with Jacinda and doesn't believe him when he says he just wants to help.
  • Fat Suit: According to Jared S. Gilmore, he is wearing one to portray Henry in the second half of Season 3 after a year of good living has fattened Henry up and made him less active and more prone to video games.
  • Fatal Flaw: His open belief and idealism make him prone to manipulation, such as when Peter Pan uses it to convince him that he needs to save magic; in reality, Henry's Heroic Sacrifice allows Pan to become immortal. This also results from an idealistic desire to be a hero.
  • Gene Hunting: Part of the reason for his search for Emma in the "Pilot".
  • Generation Xerox:
    • With Snow White. Both had Regina as a mother figure. Both knowingly ate (the same) poisoned apple created by Regina to save someone they love (Charming and Emma, respectively). Both of them received True Love's Kiss from those specific loved ones to awake from their sleeping curses. Like grandmother, like grandson.
    • Has shades of this with Regina as well. They're both cunning, Consummate Liars with incredible Mommy Issues. They also share the same obsession with change and revenge. Both have a very clear idea of how things should go ("My past should be preserved" and "My future should be saved"). They both showed that they are able to focus on people's mistakes (Henry demonizing Regina and not trusting Emma after "Manhattan", Regina demonizing Snow and not trusting Emma) hold grudges (as Henry's cold quips show) and are partly driven by a need for revenge (Regina on Snow and Henry on Regina) on someone who only wanted the best, but failed to achieve the results they wanted.
    • With Baelfire. They're both Morality Chains for the two major villains of the show.
    • And like his paternal grandpa has insane amounts of Genre Savvy, and can be quite good with the Batman Gambit and winning through tricking his enemies.
    • With Emma. He gets called to a town populated by fairy-tale characters under a curse that makes them forget who they are by his 10 year old daughter. He then works with his mother (unknown to both of them) who is also under the curse against the current mayor who has custody over his daughter. This time, he's part of the accursed.
  • Genre Savvy: All the time.
    Henry: [looking at an apple turnover Emma is starting to bite into] Hey! Where'd you get that?
    Emma: Your mom.
    Henry: Don't eat that! [he takes it from her and throws it]
    • He's perfectly fine that Emma doesn't believe him throughout Season 1 because "if the hero believed what they were told from the beginning, it wouldn't make a very good story."
  • Good Is Not Dumb: Always tries to do the right thing but isn't for a moment fooled by his mother's antics.
  • Guile Hero: He's pretty damn cunning for his age. He tracks down his birth mother, making an extensive cross-state trip to find her on his own. On his home turf, he constantly undermines his (adoptive) mother, escapes her notice, lies convincingly, and otherwise makes his way to Emma, wherever in town she may be. Would you expect any less from Rumplestiltskin's grandson?
  • Grand Theft Me: Peter Pan switched bodies with him as a last minute resort to avoid being sucked into Pandora's Box in mid-Season 3.
  • Happily Adopted: Initially subverted; while a cursory glance would show Regina as a stern, but loving mother who provides material and medical care for a trouble-making, mentally disturbed little boy, the facade is flaking off like cheap paint and keeps getting worse. Eventually played straight as he comes to consider Regina to be as much his mother as Emma.
  • Heroes Prefer Swords: Even if he only has a wooden one.
  • Heroic Bastard: He's the illegitimate child of Emma and Neal Cassidy.
  • Heroic BSoD: After Graham/the Huntsman's death he goes into one of these, concerned about Emma's safety.
  • Heroic Spirit: He keeps on insisting on going back to the Netherworld to give Aurora Rumplestiltskin's message even after getting severely burned.
  • Heroic Suicide: It looks like Emma is going to run away. She doesn't believe in the curse. She doesn't believe him. August failed. And that apple turnover was a parting gift from Regina? One option left - CHOMP!
  • I Am Not My Father: He explicitly states that he's not and will never be like Regina in "We Are Both".
  • Identity Amnesia: As of "New York City Serenade", Henry's memories have been rewritten such that he believes that Emma's raised him all his life, and that he's never heard of Storybrooke and its peculiar existence. Sadly, when Hook comes to get both him and his mother back to Storybrooke, he only has enough memory potion for Emma. Finally subverted in "A Curious Thing" when his memory is restored by his story book, the same way Emma came to believe back in the Season 1 finale.
  • I Just Want to Be Badass: Henry really wants to learn how to sword fight, ride horses, and kick ass with his mom and grandparents.
    Henry: I'm done reading about heroes. I want to be one.
  • I Just Want to Be Special: Henry's desire in Season 7, although it's motivated more now by him wanting to provide Ella with something worthy of her than his previous yearnings. Still, he does say quite bitterly that he's "tired of just being a character in other people's stories", which is in keeping with his character arc from Seasons Three through Five (particularly the latter).
  • Indy Ploy: He doesn't really have a plan on how to lift the curse and is really just making it up as he goes along, hoping for a result.
  • Innocent Prodigy: He's a growing Guile Hero with more than a few doses of Genre Savvy and Good Is Not Dumb, but he talks about super secret information at the local diner just because he's hungry and believes that fairy tales are real. He's right, of course, but his eagerness and willingness to believe in them definitely shows off his age of 10.
  • I Should Write a Book About This: "Hyperion Heights" implies that Henry's first book was based on his experiences in Storybrooke.
  • Just One More Level!: Henry's become a video game addict in between "Going Home" and "New York City Serenade" as part of Regina's promise to replace their past with good memories. Apart from one scene in "New York..." where Emma takes him to school and a scene in "Witch Hunt" where he goes for ice-cream with Mary Margaret, he's playing video games. Even when he meets Regina he is playing a video game beforehand and immediately goes back to playing it after their greeting has finished.
    • He's been seen playing video games before, but not to such an obsessive degree. He and Emma once shared a moment when Regina gave him a handheld video game, to which Emma comments that she also enjoyed that same game as a kid. And even during "New York City Serenade", they make conversation while playing a video game together.
    • Season 7 shows that he bonded with others his age in the cursed world, too. Primarily old arcade games.
  • Kids Driving Cars: In the episode "The Jolly Roger", David has a big brain moment and thinks teaching a 12 year old Henry how to drive is a good idea. It goes about as well as one might imagine.
  • Like Father, Like Son:
    • He's very similar to his grandmother in a lot of ways. Lampshaded by Emma in "Queen of Hearts":
    Emma: You sound just like Henry.
    Snow: Optimism must run in the family.
    • According to Emma, he's quite a bit like Neal. In "Quite A Common Fairy", Peter Pan remarks that Henry reminds him of Baelfire.
    • He also has Charming's idealistic, goodie two-shoes outlook and kind-heart and Rumplestiltskin's intelligence, ability to read people and talent for coming up with brilliant schemes (albeit for the good of all).
  • Living Lie Detector: Inherited from his mother.
  • Lonely Rich Kid: Henry is described by Regina as "not having any friends and being kind of a loner".
    • This is definitely a direct result of Regina's choice to raise him in Storybrooke. It's incredibly difficult (borderline impossible) to make any friends when he's the only person who ages.
  • Luke, You Are My Father: What kicks off the whole thing? Henry showing up on Emma's doorstep and saying, in effect, "Hi Mom!"
  • Mommy Issues: His biological mother Emma is a prickly ex-con who put him up for adoption and his adoptive mother Regina has breathtaking anger management issues.
  • Morality Pet: To all the original core characters, especially in Season 2 after it's revealed that he's related to all of them.
    • Morality Chain: Especially to Regina, particularly in Season 2 since she promised him she would redeem herself. And when that doesn't work out, he also manages to get her to stay in But Not Too Evil territory rather than go all-out Evil Queen mode.
  • Mr. Exposition: Explains most of the plot to Emma in the "Pilot".
  • Nerves of Steel: In "The Doctor", Henry keeps a cool head and (despite being justifiably terrified) tries to help a confused and violent Franken-Daniel. The kid's got guts.
    • In Season 3, Peter Pan pulls If You're So Evil, Eat This Kitten! by trying to make him shoot an apple off the head of one of the Lost Boys with a poison arrow. Despite being a prisoner, Henry tries to take a shot at Pan instead.
  • Not Now, Kiddo: Story of his life. Things would have been prevented or solved sooner if someone had listened to him.
  • Only Sane Man: He's probably the most level-headed person in Storybrooke.
  • Operation: [Blank]: Tends to give these kinds of names. So far, he's had Cobra, Scorpion, Praying Mantis, Mongoose, Light Swan, Firebird, Mixtape, Cobra Part II, Best Man (although that one was Hook's idea), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Glass Slipper.
  • Outliving One's Offspring: Thinks his daughter is dead because of the new curse in Season 7.
  • Out of Focus: Due to still not having regained his true memories, he's been featured a lot less during the second half of Season 3. "A Curious Thing" appears to be the first step in bring him back to his previous plot importance. Though he would not return to his previous level of importance until "Operation Mongoose", the finale of Season 4.
  • Pity the Kidnapper: Spends most of his kidnapping by Greg and Tamara sassing them and pointing out how stupid their plan is. Peter Pan doesn't get very far with him initially, either.
  • Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: He got these features from his maternal grandmother and is still this when he's an adult.
  • Reality Warper: At least within Neverland, due to being the "Truest Believer".
    • He becomes the new Author in "Operation Mongoose", essentially becoming this but gives it up because the power is too much.
  • Rescue Arc: Basically the entire first half of Season 3 is about rescuing him from Peter Pan in Neverland.
  • Royals Who Actually Do Something: Well he is Snow and Charming's grandson after all, as well as Regina's son, both of which make him a prince.
  • The Runaway: Henry has apparently run away several times, either in search of his real mother or because he believes Regina does not really love him. Emma even installs a GPS tracker on his phone by Season 5.
  • Seeker Archetype: More active than his mother.
  • Shipper on Deck: For Emma and Neal which makes sense given that Neal is Henry's father.
    • Also for Regina and Robin.
    • Sort of one for Emma and Hook. He's a little weirded out by the fact that she's dating again, but he encourages Emma to ask Hook out if makes her happy.
  • Spanner in the Works: It would be easier to count what wouldn't have succeeded if he hadn't been there...
    • He brings Emma to Storybrooke, setting in motion the downfall of Regina.
    • His Heroic Suicide motivated Emma to break the Dark Curse.
    • He undid all of Isaac's work in the finale of Season 4—not just by gathering Regina, Emma, and Hook, but by becoming the new Author and fixing reality.
  • Strong Family Resemblance: Henry looks a lot like his grandmother Snow White.
  • Timeshifted Actor: In Season 7. Jared S. Gilmore appears in a couple of flashbacks to Storybrooke, but the "main" Henry in both settings is Andrew J. West.
  • Took a Level in Badass: He gets his chance to shine and be a real hero in the Season 4 finale, where he single-handedly stops Isaac.
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Hot chocolate with cinnamon, a trait he shares with Emma and Snow.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Delivers an epic one when everyone is conspiring to take care of Regina once and for all in Season 2, furiously pointing out they all used to be heroes, what's happened to them?
  • Wise Beyond Their Years: On several occasions he shows more common sense than the adults around him.
  • Yin-Yang Bomb: He is the descendant of the greatest forces of light (The Charmings) and dark (Rumplestiltskin) in history, which gives him phenomenal potential power, as well as the title of the Truest Believer.
  • You're Not My Father:
    • Henry says this at least once to Regina, but it's subverted in "Broken".
      Henry: She's still my mom.
    • And again in "Welcome to Storybrooke".
      Henry: Stop! Listen to yourselves! You're talking about killing my mom!
  • Wrong Genre Savvy: His near-weaponized Genre Savvy was turned against him by Pan, who sowed doubt about his families' motivations for wanting to take him from Neverland and played on his desire to be a hero by setting up circumstances where he came to believe he was the only one who could commit a Heroic Sacrifice to save them all.

    Princess Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard 

Princess Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Snow_White_OUAT_675.jpg
Snow White: "If people are supposed to be together, they find a way."
Mary Margaret Blanchard: "Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing."
Played By: Ginnifer Goodwin, Bailee Madison (child)
Centric Episodes:note 

The daughter of King Leopold and Queen Eva, as well as the stepdaughter of Queen Regina. In Storybrooke, she's an elementary school teacher named Mary Margaret Blanchard.


  • Absurdly Youthful Mother: As time was essentially frozen for 28 years, she's pretty much the same age as her daughter.
  • Action Girl: After becoming an outlaw, she's quite talented in sword fighting and archery.
  • Action Mom: In "Hat Trick", gets a moment of this, whacking Jefferson over the head with a croquet mallet and pushing him out a window with one kick.
    Emma: Have you been taking kickboxing and not telling me about it?
    Mary Margaret: I don't know where that came from.
    • This comes in full force in Season 2.
  • Adaptational Badass: In the original fairy tale as well as Disney's original movie, she is just a pure princess who has been taken in by the dwarfs and only has her happy ending through true love's kiss. Here, not only is she a bandit who survives the harsh woods before meeting Prince Charming, she is also a warrior who won't hesitate to fight for her loved ones. She still kept her sweet nature but in battle, you wouldn't recognize her.
  • Aerosol Flamethrower: She makes one in "Broken" to fend off the wraith.
  • Almost Kiss: She has multiple ones with David/Charming.
    • Snow and Charming at their wedding in the "Pilot".
    • Between Mary Margaret and David in "That Still Small Voice".
    • Between Mary Margaret and David again (as well as their Enchanted Forest alter egos) twice in "7:15 A.M.". They finally seal it at the end of the episode.
    • Snow and Charming have another one is Season 2 in the Netherworld, when they realize that they can't touch each other in spirit form.
  • Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: She leaps on the chance to be one when Emma starts dating Hook, taking a Polaroid of her just before heading out and then waiting up to demand a full report when she gets back.
  • Amnesiac Dissonance: Snow White was capable, cunning, and smart-mouthed. Mary Margaret Blanchard is kind, even-tempered and rather imaginative. None of these are mutually exclusive, but they are the defining traits of each incarnation. However, observant viewers will notice Mary Margaret acts a lot more like Snow White before her feuding with Regina. Whenever Regina and Mary Margaret butt heads, she sounds a lot more like Snow White did after their feud started.
  • Amnesiac Lover: Becomes this after taking Rumplestiltskin's cure. She eventually regains her memories.
  • Animal Motifs: Birds.
  • Armor-Piercing Question:
    Snow White: Are you sure this is about protecting Henry... and not yourself?
  • The Atoner:
    • In the last quarter of Season 2, after she kills Cora in front of her daughter, Regina.
    • Also in the second half of Season 4 alongside Charming after an old misdeed comes back to haunt them, and they have to make it up to Maleficent or face her wrath.
  • Ax-Crazy:
    • Shortly after taking the potion to be rid of love, Snow tries to lure a bluebird close so she can smash it. She then tries to kill the Evil Queen, taking a soldier's armor in the process. Not to mention all the things she did to the dwarves.
    • When under the spell of Shattered Sight, she bluntly says that while she picks flowers, talks to birds and other warm and fuzzy things, she also kills.
  • Batman Gambit: In "The Miller's Daughter", she secretly curses Cora's heart which needs to be re-inserted into Cora to kill her. When she's caught by Regina, she appeals to Regina's desire for her mother's love and gives it to Regina, counting on the (very likely) possibility that Regina would put the heart back into Cora.
    • In "A Curious Thing", it's revealed that the new curse is actually her doing, in an attempt to go back to Emma and help her defeat Zelena.
  • Battle Couple: With Charming.
  • Became Their Own Antithesis: Snow White may be heading this way after casting a death spell on Cora's heart and tricking Regina into putting it back, killing Cora. Her heart was even shown to have begun to darken as a result of this. (For comparison, Regina's heart is almost entirely black.) However, as of Season 3, no lasting consequences have come out of this so far, aside from an impulsive but well-deserved smack delivered to Geppetto after his deception with the wardrobe is revealed to her. "A Curious Thing" shows that she apparently still qualifies as "pure of heart" nonetheless. However, Season 4 reveals that her heart may have darkened before what she did to Cora, since she sacrificed Maleficent's child to ensure Emma will grow up pure, and she actually wonders if she still qualifies as a hero after such a horrible act.
  • Being Good Sucks: This crops up during "The Queen is Dead", due to the high costs that doing good were for Snow.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: Don't push her above-mentioned buttons if you know what's good for you.
  • Bewildering Punishment: Poor Mary Margaret has no freaking clue why Regina is out to get her.
  • The Big Damn Kiss: At the end of "7:15 A.M." with David.
  • Big Damn Heroes: Her crazy awesome rescue of disguised Regina in "The Evil Queen" and her 'back away from my daughter!' take down of an ogre in "Lady of the Lake".
  • Birthday Hater: For a very good reason (it's also the anniversary of her mother's death). It looks like that isn't going to change anytime soon.
  • Boyish Short Hair: As Mary Margaret.
  • Break His Heart to Save Him: As Snow, she's told by King George to break Charming's heart and tell him she doesn't love him, otherwise King George will kill him.
  • Break the Cutie:
  • Broken Hero: Despite all she's been through, she is amazingly cheerful and optimistic, and nice to even Regina of all people.
  • Cannot Keep a Secret: Is crucial to the plot when young Snow White spills a secret that has Regina's true love killed and forces her into a life she doesn't want and eventually leads her into becoming the Evil Queen.
    • Turns into something of a Running Gag later on. In Season 3, she immediately tells Emma that Neal might be alive despite moments before agreeing to wait before telling her. In Season 6, she drunkenly points out at a bar that a group of vikings are leaving without paying.
    Regina: Do you ever not tattle?
  • Cat Smile: Thanks to the shape Ginnifer Goodwin's mouth takes when she smiles.
  • Caught in a Snare: It is quite oddly how she ends up first meeting Prince Charming.
  • Characterization Marches On: In "Snow Falls", she implies she's planning on killing the Queen by using fairy dust on her to turn her into a bug and step on her. Then in "Heart Of Darkness", a desire to kill the Queen for revenge is treated as Snow "not being herself". Her Incorruptible Pure Pureness gets played up more afterwards.
  • Children Are Innocent: Her naivete as a young child with Missing Mom issues made it easy for Cora to manipulate her into telling her what Regina was up to, which results in the death of Daniel.
  • Color Motif: Mary Margaret often wears white, as her counterpart is Snow White.
    • She also wears a lot of blue to represent her temperament.
  • Composite Character: She is both Snow Whites from the two different fairy tales, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and "[1]".
  • Consistent Clothing Style: Mary Margaret wears a lot of knee-length dresses/skirts, sweaters, and cardigans, showing her gentle personality. As Snow White, her tops often have puff sleeves.
  • Daddy's Girl: Snow White meant everything to King Leopold, so much so that he was willing to marry the first person who seemed to care about her as much as he did. Too bad that he thought that person was Regina...
  • Dark Secret: To ensure her unborn child would be good, she had all the darkness in it transferred into Maleficent's unborn baby, apparently making it so evil that it had to be sent to a land without magic.
  • Deadpan Snarker: As post-outlaw Snow White but not so much as Mary Margaret.
  • Despair Event Horizon: Snow, after she is forced to break Charming's heart to save him from King George, drinks a potion from Rumplestiltskin which will make her forget she ever loved him.
  • Desperately Craves Affection: As Mary Margaret.
  • Deep Sleep: She was put into one with Maleficent's Sleeping Curse only for it to be broken with True Love's Kiss.
  • Does Not Like Spam: Understandably, she has a problem with apples, even as Mary Margaret. This has been confirmed by Ginnifer Goodwin herself after one of her students gave her a pear instead of an apple in the "Pilot".
  • Face–Heel Turn: Very nearly happened in "Heart of Darkness", but Charming stopped her before she could kill the Evil Queen.
  • Fairytale Wedding Dress: In the "Pilot", she wears a pretty fancy (if modern) dress, with a white feather skirt, when she marries Prince Charming.
  • Fallen Princess: During her time on the run from the Evil Queen.
  • Fire-Forged Friends: Grateful for helping him escape, and making a connection over lost love, has Grumpy invite Snow to stay with his 6 other friends to look after her.
  • Friend to All Living Things:
    • According to Charming, she maintains an army of blue birds who send and receive messages.
    • In the "real" world, she was able to hold and pet a bluebird before letting it fly to a birdhouse.
  • Frying Pan of Doom: She uses one of these to knock Cruella out in "Poor Unfortunate Soul".
  • Generation Xerox: Both she and her mother have spilled secrets resulting in somebody getting in a lot of trouble. Snow's indiscretion got Regina's lover killed and subsequently forced her into a loveless marriage, while Eva's ruined Cora's first attempt to marry into royalty, eventually leading her to abandon her firstborn, Zelena. The difference is that in Eva's case, it was intentional.
  • Girly Bruiser: Incredibly sweet and feminine, but she's a hell of a fighter.
  • Grand Theft Me: A minor case in "Bleeding Through", where Cora's ghost enters her mind so she can witness the events that led up to Cora giving up Zelena.
  • Guile Hero: Has her moments of this as outlaw Snow, and when she appeals to Regina's desire for her mother's love so that Regina will return Cora's heart to her body, which would kill her.
  • Happily Married: To Charming.
  • Heart Is an Awesome Power: When Charming claims that the both of them are of one heart, she takes it to mean that despite having sacrificed Charming's heart to enact another Dark Curse, her own heart can be split amongst the two of them. She's right.
  • Heroic BSoD: Spends most of "Welcome to Storybrooke" in one after she tricked Regina into killing Cora.
  • Heroic Suicide: To save Charming's life, she eats the infamous poisoned apple.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Red Riding Hood in the Enchanted Forest.
  • Hidden Depths: "Selfless, Brave, and True" reveals that Mary Margaret has an iPod with at least one Joan Jett song on it. ("Bad Reputation", no less.) That's not exactly the kind of music one would expect the polite, soft-spoken Mary Margaret to be into.
  • High-Class Gloves: As Snow White.
  • Honor Before Reason: When the Evil Queen invites her to a parley without weapons, and Snow agrees, refusing to bring any weapons with her at all, Red frustratedly calls her out on being "too noble for [her] own good".
  • Hot Teacher: As Mary Margaret.
  • Incorruptible Pure Pureness:
    • After everything Regina does to frame her for murder in Season 1 under the Dark Curse, Mary Margaret still forgives her and expresses sympathy for how lonely and empty her life must be.
    • Subverted in "The Miller's Daughter" when she deliberately manipulates Regina into murdering her own mother.
    • Basically her entire arc in Season 4 is subverting this. Especially in Unforgiven. See "Not So Different" Remark below.
  • Jumping Off the Slippery Slope:
    • Rumplestiltskin warns that if she kills the Evil Queen, then she will be doing this.
    • Snow ends up doing this in "The Miller's Daughter" when she kills Cora in a dark, underhanded way that makes Regina the one who unwittingly commits the murder, though this time, Rumplestiltskin encourages her to do so.
  • It's All About Me: What she could've been if her mother didn't send her down the right path. Before her mother's death, she is shown as a Royal Brat who views royals as superior to peasants.
  • Knight Templar Parent: As one ogre found out the hard way.
  • Lack of Empathy: Not the sociopathic kind, but a flaw of hers according to the showrunners. She's never short on sympathy and compassion, but when it comes to empathizing with people who have led radically different lives (notably Emma), she struggles.
  • Laser-Guided Karma: At first losing baby Emma seems like a horrible tragedy, until we find out that Snow caused Maleficent to lose her newborn child too.
  • Leap of Faith: At the beginning of the episode "Ariel", she leaps off a cliff to avoid the Evil Queen's black knights.
  • Let's Get Dangerous!: As Mary Margaret in "Hat Trick", when she unexpectedly saves Emma from Jefferson and kicks him out of a window.
  • Lovely Angels: With Red in the Enchanted Forest as seen in "Child of the Moon".
  • Madonna Archetype: She has many traits in common with the Virgin Mary. Her name in the real world is Mary-Margaret, she's the mother of The Savior, and is known for her Incorruptible Pure Pureness (at least in the beginning). The one major deviation is that her child was born from a normal marriage between two humans, rather than a Mystical Pregnancy.
  • Mama Bear:
    • She sacrificed Maleficent's child to stop the then unborn Emma from falling into darkness.
    • Most obvious in Season 2. If she thinks there's danger to Emma, she immediately draws a weapon and pulls Emma behind her.
    • When Regina tries to kill her son whilst everyone is under the Spell of Shattered Sight, Snow reacts by beating the unholy fuck out of her.
  • Meaningful Name:
    • Turns out she was born in the worst winter in living memory, hence why her mother named her Snow White.
    • In The Bible, Mary is the mother of Jesus, the Savior. "Mary Margaret" is also similar to "Mary Magdalene," a disciple of Jesus who is traditionally misremembered as a prostitute or adulteress.
    • Mary Margaret furthermore sounds akin to Margarete von Waldeck and Maria Sophia Margaretha Catharina von Erthal, two women who are supposed influences of the original Snow White fairytale.
  • "Blanchard" derives from the French "blanchart", meaning whitish or white appearance.
  • Meet Cute: With Charming. Specifically, when she robbed him, and gave him his famous moniker.
  • Missing Mom: Unintentionally turned into one for Emma (actually, intentional on Geppetto's part) and had one herself when her mother died when she was very young.
  • Moral Event Horizon: In-Universe; she considers what she did to Maleficent's baby hers.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: In "The Miller's Daughter" after bringing about Cora's death.
    • In "Best Laid Plans", she reacts with horror almost immediately after realizing that Maleficent's baby was an actual baby and not a monster.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: In "The Miller's Daughter", she tricks Regina into killing Cora, thinking it will be the right thing for everyone. Now Regina hates her even more than she did before.
    • When Emma's magic (already going haywire) accidentally causes David to get injured, Snow, without thinking, scolds Emma, which results in Emma running away from the sheriff's office. To Snow's credit, she realizes and regrets what she has done almost immediately.
  • Noble Fugitive: As Snow White due to her past with the Evil Queen in the Enchanted Forest.
  • Noble Profession: Elementary school teacher and volunteer for the Storybrooke General Hospital.
  • "Not So Different" Remark: Season 4 is basically a Deconstruction of how hard it would be to maintain Incorruptible Pure Pureness in Real Life or the (frankly, rather Crapsack/Crapsaccharine) Enchanted Forest.
    Mary Margaret: Because of us, Maleficent lost her child.
  • Official Couple: With Charming.
  • Pay Evil unto Evil: In "The Miller's Daughter", to protect her family and get revenge for her mother being murdered by Cora, Snow White finally decides to go after Cora and Regina. How she goes about it isn't pretty, either. She finds and curses Cora's heart, then tricks Regina into putting it back, making Regina the instrument of her own mother's death. For an extra kicker, replacing the heart restores Cora's ability to properly love Regina, just for the last few moments of her life.
  • Plucky Girl: As Snow White, bravery and optimism are two of her defining characters.
  • Politically-Active Princess: As Snow White, she goes from being a bandit on the run to taking back the throne after a lengthy war against the Evil Queen.
    Charming: I did all the fighting. Snow did all the talking.
  • Pretty Princess Powerhouse: Snow White grew up as a beloved and kind princess, but once she's forced to go on the run, she's able to use tricks she picked up from Hercules to escape the Evil Queen and survive on her own in the heart of the Enchanted Forest.
  • Princesses Rule: Snow White is the ruler of her kingdom but is not referred to as queen, so as to avoid associations with the Evil one.
  • Proper Lady: Her life until the Huntsman came after her and she wasn't able to stay in her childhood palace anymore. That said, she was a practical type and adapted very well.
  • Punny Name: In French, "blanchard(e)" means "pale", derived from the world "blanche" which means "white", a reference to her real name, Snow White. The French name for Snow White is "Blanche-Neige".
  • Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: She's still the fairest of them all. Rumplestiltskin even says so.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Blue to Emma, Regina and Red.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Gives Regina a very kind version of this at the end of Season 1, forgiving her for all her cruelty in Storybrooke because her life of making others miserable is an empty and lonely one.
  • Riches to Rags: In the Enchanted Forest after the Evil Queen took over and she basically became a bandit.
  • Royal Brat: Briefly as a child, though her mother was quick to teach her the error of this behavior.
  • Royals Who Actually Do Something: She's an even more hands-on ruler than Charming!
  • A Saint Named Mary: Snow White's cursed persona is named Mary Margaret Blanchard, a reminder of the fact that even in a world without happy endings, her soul is as white and unblemished as snow. The comparison between the Virgin and Mary Margaret is furthered because the hero known as the Savior is the child of Mary Margaret, much like how the Virgin Mary's child was the Messiah.
  • Samus Is a Girl: Charming briefly thinks the person who robbed him is a man until he finds out it's Snow.
    Charming: You're a... girl?//
Snow White: Woman.
  • Save the Villain: Her and Charming sentence the Evil Queen to death and finally capturing her, but at the quite literally the last second Snow White stops the execution and spares the Queen.
    • Snow saves Rumplestiltskin from Captain Hook's poison by sacrificing Cora's life to restore him to health in Season 2.
  • The Scapegoat: Regina's entire grudge against Snow White is pretty much this. Rather than hold her own abusive mother responsible for her lover's death, she begins a decades long plot of Kick the Dog and murder against a small child that just wanted to help her.
  • Shipper on Deck: Snow devotes a lot of time to trying to get Emma and Neal to reconcile with one another.
    • Now it looks like she would be fully in favor of Regina and Robin Hood.
    Snow: He's kinda cute, huh?
    • And now in Season 4, she's actively rooting for Emma and Hook.
  • Shrinking Violet: As Mary Margaret, to contrast with the very different Snow White.
  • Silk Hiding Steel: As Snow White.
  • Silver Vixen: Due to the Dark Curse she hasn't aged for 28 years, so in the Wish Realm, in which the Evil Queen never cast the curse, we see that a naturally aged gray-haired Snow White would one day become a still lovely and glowing matron.
  • Slowly Slipping Into Evil: Snow, after killing Cora. Regina gloats about it, showing her the black spot in her heart, and promptly giving up all thoughts of revenge to let her live with that. However, the furthest Snow goes after this is impulsively slapping Geppetto.
  • Speaks Fluent Animal: Can somehow understand birds.
  • Spoiled Brat: When she was a child she considered herself superior to others because she was royal. Her mother, Queen Eva, taught her that everyone in the kingdom deserves her love and respect.
  • Stalker with a Crush: With David in Season 1 under the Dark Curse, as Emma points out. She even knows his detailed daily schedule. Then it turns out that David is just as much a Stalker with a Crush as she is.
  • Strong Family Resemblance: In "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree" her looks are noted to be uncannily close to her deceased mother Queen Eva, as said by her father - "[her mother] was the fairest in all of the land."
  • Supernaturally Young Parent: Her and Charming didn't age for 28 years under the curse, meaning that when it breaks, they are the same age as their daughter Emma and even have a grandson.
  • Team Mom: Becomes this to their group in the Enchanted Forest in Season 2 that not only includes her actual daughter Emma but also Mulan and Aurora. Snow comforts the latter about her nightmares post-Sleeping Curse.
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Girly Girl to Red Riding Hood and Emma's Tomboy.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Snow White apparently did this in leaps and bounds between meeting Red and meeting Charming. "Child of the Moon" reveals that this was due to Red's teachings.
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Hot chocolate with cinnamon, which is something she shares with her daughter and grandson.
  • Tsundere: In staunch contrast to the Evil Queen/Regina Mills, Snow White flipped between Type A and Type B with Prince Charming before they got married.
  • Two First Names: Mary Margaret. Nobody ever calls her just Mary or Margaret.
  • The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter: King Leopold isn't exactly a looker...
  • Unstoppable Rage: If anyone puts Emma or Charming in danger, the "fairest" of them all becomes the scariest of them all!
  • Violently Protective Girlfriend: Don't hurt Charming. See Beware the Nice Ones.
  • Weapon Specialization: She's a pretty skilled archer, both from hunting and ambushing Regina's men. Turns out she was taught by none other than Hercules.
    Emma: When's the last time you used a bow?
    Snow: ...Twenty-eight years. I guess it's like riding a bike.
    • Improbable Aiming Skills: Gets an enchanted bow from Rumplestiltskin before the Dark Curse. Season 2 demonstrates that she really didn't need it.
  • We Used to Be Friends: With Regina, though due to the age difference it was more a niece and Cool Aunt relationship. As Snow White grew older and Regina grew more bitter in her loveless marriage to the King, their friendship was practically dead.
  • What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Justifies filling Maleficent's child with darkness because it was laid as an egg, and ergo "a monster".
  • Wide-Eyed Idealist: More so as Mary Margaret. When everyone else is beat down and defeated, she tends to be the one telling everyone that there is still hope, even in the direst of situations.
  • World's Most Beautiful Woman: Well she is the "Fairest of them all!"
  • Xenafication: Apparently, Damsel in Distress Snow White turns into a badass forest dweller who fights trolls, hunts deer and robs the Evil Queen's carriages.
  • You Killed My Father: Cora poisoned Snow's mother Queen Eva to ensure that Regina would become queen. Snow returns the favor by killing Cora in an equally manipulative way.

    Prince David "Charming"/David Nolan 

Prince David "Charming"/David Nolan

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Prince_Charming_9793.jpg
Prince Charming: "No matter what you do, I will always find you."
David Nolan: "There's a difference between literal truth and honesty of the heart."
Played By: Josh Dallas, Luke Roessler (child)
Centric Episodes: "Pilot", "Snow Falls", "The Shepherd", "7:15 A.M.", "What Happened to Frederick", "Heart of Darkness", "An Apple Red as Blood", "A Land Without Magic", "Lady of the Lake", "The Cricket Game", "Lost Girl", "The New Neverland", "The Tower", "A Curious Thing", "White Out", "Unforgiven", "Best Laid Plans", "Siege Perilous", "Heartless", "Murder Most Foul", "Awake"

A simple shepherd who is separated at birth from his twin brother, who was adopted by King George to become a prince. When his twin dies, David is forced to become a replacement, but quickly finds himself at odds with his adoptive father and in love with Snow White. In Storybrooke, he is David Nolan, a mysterious comatose patient who is revealed to be the husband of Kathryn Nolan.


  • Absurdly Youthful Father: Same as Snow White, thanks to not aging for 28 years under the Dark Curse.
  • Action Dad: Earns his stripes in his very first scene, with baby Emma in one hand, sword in the other.
  • Adaptational Badass: In Snow White and the Disney animated adaptation, the Prince is portrayed as a Non-Action Guy who saves Snow White via True Love's Kiss. In the series, Charming is a very capable swordsman and one of the best warriors of the show.
  • Affectionate Nickname: "Charming" originally was a pet name used exclusivly by Snow before becoming widly known by the inhabitans of Storybrook and developing into his general In-Universe Nickname.
  • Amnesiac Dissonance:
  • Appropriated Appelation: "Charming" started as Snow's Insult of Endearment.
  • Arranged Marriage:
    • Back in the Enchanted Forest, he was going to marry Princess Abigail for political reasons, but he instead chooses Snow White.
    • One could say that David's marriage to Kathryn could fall into this trope if in an unusual way. Since David has likely been in a coma since the start of the curse twenty-eight years ago, given Charming's injuries at the time the curse occurred, he never actually chose Kathryn to marry and doesn't even have false memories to make him think he did until "The Shepherd".
  • Ascended Extra: He's just a Flat Character who is the unnamed Love Interest to Snow White in the original fairy tale and most of its adaptations. The show gives him a proper backstory and focuses a lot on him and his relationship with Snow, making him as important as her.
  • Backup Twin: He's the backup to his dead brother Prince James in the Enchanted Forest.
  • Badass and Baby: Fighting off mooks with his newborn daughter in hand.
  • Battle Couple: With Snow White.
  • Becoming the Mask: Chose to keep dressing like royalty even after running out of his wedding to Abigail. It's like he's trying to be a better man than his brother.
  • The Big Damn Kiss: At the end of "7:15 A.M." with Mary Margaret.
  • Bling-Bling-BANG!: Carried a golden sword for a while.
  • Boyfriend-Blocking Dad: Takes on this whenever Emma is around Hook, or any guy, really. In fact, his response to Emma's ex turning into a monkey was that she was engaged to him in the first place.
    David: You were going to marry someone?
    Hook: Did you miss the part where I said "monster?"
  • Character Development: Since David never really wanted the life of a prince, he was always running off to fight or take action, only slowing down for advice or supplies. He even admitted after the curse was lifted that "Snow did the talking." We see some hints that he started to gain leadership qualities right before the curse fell, but it was only after his wife and daughter got trapped in the Enchanted Forest in Season 2 that he really began taking responsibility for the people he was in charge of.
  • Composite Character: Is largely based on the Prince from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but takes the alias of Prince Charming from the prince in Cinderella who shows up as a separate character, Prince Thomas.
  • Cool Sword: Uses a golden sword for a while and later gets the sword that he throws at the Evil Queen in the "Pilot".
  • Deadpan Snarker: As Prince Charming.
  • Determinator: "I will always find you!"
  • Disappeared Dad: Was one to Emma, but averted after the Dark Curse is broken.
  • Distressed Dude/Badass in Distress: Very frequently.
  • Emergency Impersonation: A particularly dramatic version of this trope led to his promotion from humble peasant shepherd to dragon-slaying prince.
  • Farm Boy: He was actually born on a farm and grew up there all the way to adulthood until he was forced to become a Backup Twin for his dead brother who had been raised as a prince.
  • Good Is Not Soft: He's more than willing to kill to protect his family or his kingdom.
  • Good Scars, Evil Scars: Snow White gave him one during their Meet Cute.
  • Guile Hero: Charming demonstrates this when he managed to quickly take down a dragon, by using his wits and his surroundings to his advantage, rather than the brute strength approach that had gotten every soldier before him killed.
  • Happily Married: To Snow White.
  • The Hero: In the Enchanted Forest. In the present day, he takes a backseat to his daughter; becoming acting sheriff when she's not around.
  • Heroes Prefer Swords: Firmly heroic and idealistic, and uses a sword as his weapon.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: In "A Curious Thing", in order for Snow to enact a new Dark Curse to return them to Storybrooke and to Emma, he volunteers his own heart. The sacrifice is later subverted; Snow saves him by having Regina split her heart in half and give one to him, believing that they truly are of one heart.
  • Heroic Willpower: Practically his superpower. His will to save others, face his fears and affirm reality gives him strength to do great things, such as overcome fear on his own.
  • Hidden Backup Prince: He replaces his royal twin brother Prince James after his death.
  • Hypocrite: He gets upset when, after the Dark Curse is broken, Snow White mentions she'd had a one-night stand with Dr. Whale while cursed. Considering that he had been married to Kathryn during the curse, and what he has been through with Mary Margaret, that's kind of rich.
  • The Idealist: Oh so much, even if it tends for him to be stubborn. "Good will always win" is his mantra.
  • Identity Amnesia: A special double whammy for him compared to the others. He not only can't remember his fairy tale life but he doesn't even remember his Storybrooke identity either until it is forced on him in "The Shepherd".
  • Idiot Ball: He doesn't take King George's threats seriously and ends up so distracted that he loses Jefferson's hat when George burns it in a fire.
    • He also put himself under a Sleeping Curse so he could communicate with Snow while she and Emma in the Enchanted Forest, and ultimately couldn't wake up till Snow returned to Storybrooke.
  • Idiot Hero: While not at all an idiot in the conventional sense, he tends to make rather impulsive decisions that cost him dearly when his instincts are up against the laws of magic — that is, situations that actively defy logic.
  • I Have Many Names: There's David (his original name), James (the name of his dead twin brother whose identity he assumed), David Nolan (his Storybrooke persona), Charming (Snow's nickname for him)... turns out it really is David.
    Grumpy: So, what the hell is your name, then?
  • I Hate Past Me: Charming's opinion of David Nolan. He thinks he was weak-willed, a bit of a jerk and his foolishness hurt everyone he loved. That said, he also says that if he had a choice, he wouldn't give up his memories of being David Nolan.
  • Impersonating the Evil Twin: Charming fills in for his brother, Prince James, although he isn't aware of his twin's evil until later.
  • Innocent Blue Eyes: Of the "heroic and idealistic" variety.
  • In-Series Nickname: You didn't think Charming was his real name, did you?
  • I Will Find You: Practically his catchphrase.
  • Knight In Shining Armour: The first we see of him in the "Pilot".
  • Like Brother and Sister: With Red Riding Hood; she served as his Number Two during the war and they are clearly very close.
  • Love at First Punch / Love at First Sight: He's notably stunned after pulling Snow's hood off and realizing she's a woman...and she decks him in the face with a rock/jewelry box immediately after.
  • Marry for Love: This is what he was set on prior to getting arranged into a marriage with Princess Abigail. He eventually gets this with Snow White.
  • Meaningful Name:
    • James means "Supplanter". A supplanter is someone who takes the place of another person, place or thing. This is fitting, as Charming supplants his twin, the original Prince James.
    • David means "beloved" in Hebrew, and Nolan means "famous" in Irish. It is also of English origin, where it means "little champion" or "chariot-fighter".
    • In The Bible, David was a common shepherd who was chosen to be a king, similar to Prince Charming; this connection is especially strong considering that the first episode that focused on Charming was entitled "The Shepherd." It also connects with his Storybrooke persona. The biblical David also had an affair while married with disastrous results (thankfully, not disastrous enough to lose a child over).
  • Moral Myopia: After the curse is broken, he wallops Dr. Whale for having had a one-night stand with Mary Margaret — but wasn't Kathryn trying to get pregnant by him?
    • He also acknowledges the hypocrisy immediately after.
  • My Greatest Failure: Deep down, even if he knew it was right, he deeply regrets not being there for Emma growing up.
    • Also not being there for Mary Margaret when she was accused of murder.
  • Named by the Adaptation: The Prince in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was never given an official name.
  • No Name Given: Turns out "Prince James" was his dead brother whose identity Charming was forced to assume. "Tiny" reveals that David is his real name.
  • Official Couple: With Snow White.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: Even Regina calls him Charming.
  • Only Mostly Dead: In the "Pilot".
  • Papa Wolf: Trying to harm his newborn daughter is a bad idea. The same goes for threatening his grandson.
  • Parental Substitute: To Henry after Emma and Snow get trapped in the Enchanted Forest in Season 2.
  • Polar Opposite Twins: Charming is presented as traditionally heroic and more morally upstanding than his corrupt twin. It's justified due to their vastly different upbringings.
  • Pretty Boy: Be played by Josh Dallas and be recognized and even called by all as Prince Charming definitely helps.
  • Prince Charming: A version of the trope namer.
  • Princesses Rule: Like Snow, he rules the kingdom, but he's not referred to as king; Dr. Whale in "Broken" specifically addresses him as prince.
  • Pull the I.V.: When he wakes up from his coma in Season 1.
  • Rags to Royalty: Not by his choice.
  • Real Name as an Alias: His curse name, David, is actually his original name before he was forced to adopt his brother, James', identity.
  • Replacement Goldfish: "Lady of the Lake" reveals that King George and his wife couldn't have children and he wanted Charming to replace his son after the original Prince James was killed.
  • Royals Who Actually Do Something: Prince Charming actually seems to have a kingdom (or farm) to run.
  • Secret Stab Wound: Shot by a poisoned arrow in "Lost Girl" and pretends that it only nicked his jacket.
    • Secretly Dying: The poison gives him weeks to live at best, and he is reluctant to tell the others because the cure is a world away. Later subverted after Hook finds a cure while in Neverland, and Rumplestiltskin makes sure that it sticks when they return to Storybrooke.
  • The Sheriff:
    • Until Emma returns from the Enchanted Forest in Season 2, he decides to take on the role of acting sheriff.
    • He does this again in "Tiny" when Emma and Henry leave town with Rumplestiltskin to find his son.
  • Shipper on Deck: For Emma and Neal, albeit more subtly than Snow. He gives Emma some advice on repairing her relationship with Neal. She's pretty sure it's because Hook has feelings for her and Hook's mere existence sets Charming's teeth on edge and into Boyfriend-Blocking Dad mode.
    Emma: You sure you don't have other reasons for pushing me towards Neal?
    Charming: Like what?
    Emma: I don't know... like keeping me away from Hook?
    • He's grudgingly come around to Emma/Hook, if only because Hook makes her happy.
  • Stalker with a Crush: Toward Mary Margaret in "7:15 AM". It later turns out Snow was also this for him.
  • Standard Hero Reward: Midas offers him this (among other things) when Charming slayed a dragon for him. Charming was forced to accept despite his ideology to Marry for Love. See Arranged Marriage above.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: With Rumplestiltskin, no less. It only seems to show in scenes where the two are left alone with no other characters present, but it might show up more now that they share a grandson.
    • As of Season 3, with Hook as well to some extent. Which doesn't mean that he wants him for Emma.
  • Warrior Prince: He is one hell of a fighter.
  • The Wise Prince: In Season 2, particularly toward the people of Storybrooke.
  • You Are Worth Hell:
    • When faced with the fact he is trapped in the Netherworld, because he and Snow weren't physically there and so True Love's Kiss doesn't work, he just smiles at a waking Snow (and so leaving the place). He then tells her he loves her and believes she will find him and free him from this place.
    • Considers having to spend the rest of his life in Neverland, in exchange for the poison to be cured worth it to save Henry.
  • Your Days Are Numbered: In Neverland, he got injured by a poisoned arrow. Hook estimates he has a few days or weeks to live. He survives, thanks to both Hook and Rumplestiltskin.

    Belle/Lacey French 

Belle/Lacey

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BelleFrench_6655.jpg
Belle: "I learned a long time ago that when you find something that's worth fighting for, you never give up."
Lacey: "You're not who I thought you were...and I'm glad. You really are as dark as people say."
Played By: Emilie de Ravin
Centric Episodes: "Skin Deep", "The Outsider", "Lacey", "Quiet Minds", "Family Business", "Heroes and Villains", "The Bear and the Bow", "Her Handsome Hero", "Changelings", "Beauty"

The bookish, intelligent daughter of Sir Maurice with a thirst for adventure. She forms a romantic, but troubled relationship with Rumplestiltskin. In Storybrooke, she is an amnesiac Jane Doe locked up in the mental ward of the hospital.


  • All Girls Want Bad Boys: Belle averts this (seemingly), as she begins to fall in love with Rumplestiltskin only when she sees there is something behind the facade of the Dark One, but she still fell in love with him fully knowing and accepting his faults. She does however insist he change his dark ways for her to be with him. On the contrary, Lacey plays it straight.
  • Amnesiac Dissonance: Belle is sweet, persistent, caring, and believes in the goodness of others. Lacey is, well, different.
  • Amnesiac Lover:
    • As Belle had no memories of Rumplestiltskin after being locked up in an asylum for 28 years, when she walks into his shop, she is one to him, albeit only briefly before her memories were restored.
    • From the end of "The Outsider" to "And Straight On 'Til Morning," Belle is this again, thanks to Hook.
  • Arranged Marriage: What her engagement to Gaston would have been, if certain things hadn't changed...
  • Ascended Extra: In Season 1, she only appears in three episodes. In Season 2, she has been upgraded to a main character.
  • Badass Bookworm: In "The Outsider". Highlights include tracking down the Yaoguai because she can translate a foreign language, pushing a bookshelf on Hook, defeating the Yaoguai by dousing it with water and then saving Phillip, figuring out Hook came on his ship, finding the invisible ship, freeing Archie and getting him to call for help, retrieving Baelfire's cloak, and fighting off Hook who had her gun.
  • Beast and Beauty: Her relationship with Rumplestiltskin (it's all there in her name, with plenty of gratuitous Shout Outs to Disney's Beauty and the Beast). Happy ending not guaranteed, but achieved nonetheless.
  • Bedlam House: The end of "Skin Deep" reveals that in Storybrooke, she's been locked up in one of these by Regina. The reason Regina did this? To have an ace up her sleeve against Rumplestiltskin.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: She's one of the kindest, most loving and purest people in Storybrooke, but she will put you in your place if you disappoint her, even if that someone is her husband. Heck, especially when that someone is her husband.
  • Bookworm: When Belle is first seen, she is hugging a book to her chest. Later in the episode "The Crocodile", she becomes the town librarian.
  • Brainy Brunette: Shows off her intelligence in "The Outsider".
  • Break the Cutie:
    • In the Enchanted Forest, after she left Rumplestiltskin in disgust, she was shunned in her former home, her own father locked her in a tower and she eventually committed suicide. Only the Evil Queen was actually lying to torment Rumplestiltskin, since in this world she's perfectly alive... and possibly not so well, having spent as long as 28 years imprisoned in a mental ward that's practically a Shout-Out to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. However, she was never really insane, as shown once she's freed.
    • In "Dreamy", it is revealed she was still very much alive in the Enchanted Forest, though still heartbroken. So how much of her shunning as told by Regina being true is up in the air.
    • It's possible that she is this post-Curse, since she clearly remembers her twenty-eight-year, unwarranted stint in the mental ward and mentions that Regina had actually abducted her before the Curse. As Gold points out, this means that she was being kept alive until killing her suited Regina, something he considers a Fate Worse than Death. It's likely that she knows that this is what Regina was doing, and when she's talking to Gold about it she does seem to be at least partially traumatized.
    • As of "Queen of Hearts", we know that Regina held her captive for three to four years before the curse even started.
    • And now, as of "Heroes and Villains", she's realized that Rumple is incapable of giving up power, even for her. She banishes him from Storybrooke with the dagger.
  • Breakout Character: Was a very minor character in Season 1, but her popularity got her promoted to being a series regular in Season 2.
  • Butt-Monkey: If you made a drinking game out the times she's been kidnapped, enchanted, used as a pawn, or just plain lied to and betrayed, you would die of alcohol poisoning.
  • Calling the Old Man Out: She does this to her father in "The Crocodile" after he had her kidnapped and tried to force her over the Storybrooke border to make her forget about Rumplestiltskin, stating that she never wants to see him again.
  • Character Death: In "Beauty", she dies of old age while she and Rumple are waiting for the sun to set at the Edge of Realms. She reveals that she deliberately mistranslated the prophecy - the "sun" that must set for Rumple to be free is her life.
  • Chronic Hero Syndrome: By her own admission, she's always wanted to be brave, and her choice to go with Rumple was motivated by a desire to be the hero. She basically jumps at the chance to perform a (nonlethal) Heroic Sacrifice. This sets the tone for their relationship - her bringing out or reminding Rumple about the best that people have to offer and thus what he could or should be. It's also partially responsible for why he never ever harms her (outside of halfhearted insults) even when in full on Dark One mode.
  • Color Motif: Belle is usually seen wearing some shade of yellow or blue, similar to her Disney counterpart.
  • Combat Pragmatist: She uses her brain more than her strength in combat.
  • Composite Character: Once she and Rumple finally get to settle down, she tragically becomes one with Ellie Fredrickson.
  • The Conscience: To Rumplestiltskin. If there is someone he can trust to help him stay on the right path, it is her.
    • Cruelly subverted in Season 4, when Rumple choses power over a happy marriage. She uses the dagger to banish him from Storybrooke.
  • Consistent Clothing Style: Belle wears a lot of short skirts with high heels.
  • Dating What Daddy Hates: Falling in love with the Dark One upsets her father enough that he tried forcing her across the town line to make her forget all about Rumple. Though he manages to make peace with it and even gives her his blessing when she married Rumple.
  • Dramatic Drop: After Rumplestiltskin's joke about skinning children she drops a cup, which chips on impact.
  • Driven to Suicide: According to the Evil Queen, this was what happened to Belle. Of course, it turns out to be Blatant Lies.
  • Drowning My Sorrows: Belle spent a lot of time in a tavern after leaving Rumple and being disowned by her father.
  • Evil Counterpart: Played With in the case of Belle and Lacey. They are the same person but with different sets of memories at two different points in her life. Everything good and virtuous and kind that Belle was, Lacey isn't.
  • Fallen Princess: Belle's father, Maurice, believed that Belle's association with Rumple ruined her. Thankfully, he realized the error of his ways in time to see her get married.
  • Fish out of Water: Of sorts in Storybrooke since she's been locked in an insane asylum for the past 28 years, with no curse memories.
  • Friend to All Children: She's basically the designated babysitter for the heroes.
  • Good Is Boring: Lacey is bored with Rumplestiltskin when he is trying to be good, preferring bad boy Sheriff of Nottingham. Seeing Rumplestiltskin beat the sheriff excites her, and makes her like him more.
  • Go Out with a Smile: In "Beauty", after a long life of old age with her Rumple.
  • Guile Hero: Tricks the hunting party into searching the wrong place for the Yaoguai, tracks it to its lair using a book, takes out the Yaoguai by dousing it with water, saves Phillip by having the presence of mind to notice that the Yaoguai is trying to say something, and outsmarts Hook twice.
  • Hard-Drinking Party Girl: As Lacey.
  • Honey Trap: When Belle mentions that she learned about True Love's Kiss from a noble woman on the road, Rumplestiltskin assumes Belle has become an agent of the Evil Queen meant to fulfill this trope.
  • Hopeless with Tech: Supplementary material has revealed that she's unfamiliar with modern technology so Rumple usually writes her instructions on how to make breakfast. Unsurprisingly, she seems to be picking up the basics pretty quickly.
  • Hot Librarian: In "The Crocodile", Ruby gives Belle the idea of working at the shuttered Storybrooke library. At the end of the episode, Rumple gives her its key so she can open and run it.
  • I Can Change My Beloved: Belle insists on staying with Rumplestiltskin not despite the fact, but because he's a monster.
    Rumplestiltskin: You find goodness in others... and when it's not there, you create it. You made me want to go back to the very best version of me.
    • She eventually loses this mindset when she finds out that Rumple switched gauntlets and was about to kill Hook, she then banishes him from Storybrooke.
  • I Just Want to Be Special: Belle wants to be the hero for once. And she does.
  • Incorruptible Pure Pureness:
    • She's prisoner of the most powerful and dangerous sorcerer of her world. She befriends him and he falls in love with her.
    • Similarly, her first move when dealing with Hook is to try and persuade him to give up his revenge.
  • Indifferent Beauty: True to her animated counterpart, she lives up to her name, but couldn't care less about her appearance, often choosing simple, comfortable outfits.
  • Innocent Blue Eyes: For a girl that's supposed to be a Morality Pet to one of the most morally neutral people in Rumplestiltskin, is there really any other option?
  • In Love with Your Carnage: Lacey is apparently turned on by the sight of Gold beating a man nearly to death.
  • Jekyll & Hyde: Belle is a smart, sweet, caring, Love Martyr who sees the good in everyone and who has basically become the Designated Victim of the series (granted most of what happens to her is because hurting her is basically the only way of hurting her virtually indestructible, immortal boyfriend but still... she gets kidnapped a lot). Lacey is a Book Dumb alcoholic addicted to (other people's) violence, who appears to be one-step-off being a cross between Rumple's two exes (Milah and Cora). Could also probably count as her being both the Betty and Veronica to Rumple's Archie.
  • Laser-Guided Amnesia: Gets hit with this in "The Outsider". Ironic, considering she barely avoided this fate a few episodes earlier.
  • Leit Motif: True to form whenever a romantic moment is happening between her and Rumple, "Beauty and the Beast" will start playing either diegetically or not in the background.
  • Limited Wardrobe: She has her gold ballroom dress in Rumple's castle that she apparently wears while cleaning.
  • The Lost Lenore: To Rumplestiltskin (he believed her to be dead for many years, thanks to Regina).
  • Love Martyr: To Rumplestiltskin. After an initial rejection from him and her being in a cell in an asylum for 28 years, the start of Season 2 sees them in a relationship of sorts. They both avowedly love each other, but Rumple is still fully capable of being a manipulative jerk, and sweet mother of Shakespeare does Belle pay the price for it, be it through Gold himself or one of his many enemies recognizing Belle as the weak spot in his armor. And yet she never wavers.
  • May–December Romance: With Rumplestiltskin. Arguably crosses over into Mayfly–December Romance, as Rumple is functionally immortal due to being the Dark One.
  • Meaningful Name: "Belle" is a French word, meaning "beautiful [girl/woman]".
  • Monster Roommate: Lived quite amicably with Rumplestiltskin.
  • Morality Pet: For Rumplestiltskin. She seems to be trying for Morality Chain.
  • Ms. Fanservice: In spite of her wholesome, good-girl personality, she has a tendency to wear tops with a lot of cleavage, along with rather short skirts and high-heels. Sometimes its subtle, sometimes it isn't.
  • Nerves of Steel: Not only is she able to hold her own with Rumplestiltskin without losing her cool, but she's also remarkably calm around Ruby despite knowing she's a werewolf. Justified in that an essential part of the story of Beauty and the Beast is Belle standing up to the Beast long enough to see him for what he is rather than running away from what seems to be a monster.
  • Nice Girl: One of the clearest examples of the series. She's kind, cheerful, and always willing to help anyone who needs it.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Basically, everything that occurs after the events of Heroes and Villains is due to Belle's actions of originally banishing Rumplestiltskin from Storybrooke; he joins Maleficent, Ursula and Cruella De Vil and his heart blackens so much that the darkness is removed from him. This leads to Emma becoming the new Dark One. This leads to Hook becoming a Dark One. This leads to Hook dying. This leads to the heroes going to the Underworld to save him. This leads to Robin Hood dying. This leads to Regina separating herself from the Evil Queen. This leads to the Evil Queen drugging Belle, who believes Rumple did it. This leads to Belle giving birth earlier than she can handle and giving her son Gideon away. This leads to the Black Fairy kidnapping him. This leads to the Black Fairy getting to Storybrooke with Gideon's help.
  • Nightmare Fetishist: Lacey. She is smiling and giggling as Gold mercilessly beats a man with his cane.
  • Odd Friendship: With Hook, of all people. Despite their rocky start (him trying to kill her in the Evil Queen's castle, and later shooting her at the town line) he later offers to stay and protect her while she does research, stating it would be his way of making it up to her. In Season 4, she and Hook are shown working together to find a way to free the fairies, and comfort each other about how Rumplestiltskin manipulated both of them.
    • Also with Zelena. They too had a rocky start, but in the Underworld bonded over their motherhood dilemmas. This eventually reaches the point where, when Zelena decides she should leave Storybrooke and return to Oz, Belle looks legitimately sad at the prospect.
  • The One That Got Away: For Rumplestiltskin. First he kicks her out of his castle, fearful that her love will make him lose his powers. Then Regina kidnaps her and tells Rumplestiltskin that she's dead. Then the Dark Curse is cast and she's locked up in Regina's insane asylum until Jefferson frees her. She returns to Rumplestiltskin and remembers him once the Dark Curse is broken. They get back together until she's shot by Hook, causing her to fall over the town line and lose all memory of her true self.
  • Out of Focus: In Season 3's first half.
  • Plucky Girl: She threw a bookshelf on Hook to get away from him. In the same episode, she also found his invisible ship through a book on knots and using deductive reasoning. She then saved Archie all by herself.
  • Promotion to Opening Titles: Emilie de Ravin joins the regular cast in Season 2.
  • Proper Tights with a Skirt: Belle is often seen wearing these in Storybrooke.
  • Pulling the Rug Out: She does this to Merida in "The Bear and the Bow".
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Gives one to Rumplestiltskin about his cowardice and his inability to let himself be happy.
  • Rebellious Princess: Part of the reason she agreed to Rumplestiltskin's deal is that she wanted to do something heroic and meaningful, instead of fulfilling her ornamental baby-making role. "No one decides my fate but me!" indeed. Also, she wasn't that keen on her fiance.
  • Relationship Revolving Door: With Rumplestiltskin.
  • Satellite Love Interest: Minor case. She's mainly important via her relationship to Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold, but is definitely an independent character, with her own personality.
  • Shout-Out: Gets a number of these towards her Disney incarnation. Her Beast though is certainly quite different.
  • Silk Hiding Steel: Most on the show tend to underestimate her in general, but she's just as smart as Rumplestiltskin and can protect herself even if it's not with a gun or a sword.
  • Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: She features in one episode in Season 7... and dies of old age by the end of it.
  • Team Mom: Although there wasn't much shown of their relationship before Neal's death, she did seem to have some motherly affection for him. And if he were living, as of the Season 3 finale, she'd be his stepmother.
  • Throw the Book at Them: A whole bookcase, in fact.
  • Together in Death: With Rumplestiltskin in Mount Olympus after he sacrifices himself to save Wish Hook and stop Wish Rumple in the series finale.
  • Took a Level in Dumbass: Despite being a smart girl, she becomes less intelligent in Season 4, being constantly manipulated by her husband without her having the least suspicion. In the mid-season finale, it is only by coincidence that she discovers his plan and banishes him from Storybrooke.
  • Took a Level in Jerkass: When she becomes Lacey. She seems to actually become the opposite of everything Belle believed in.
  • True Blue Femininity: Blue is her favorite color.
  • What Beautiful Eyes!: Just look at them! You won't be disappointed.
  • You Go, Girl!: Belle is finally independent despite having a sexist father (she hints that her fiance was the same, and his act of shoving her behind him for "protection" hints this as well) and escapes an Arranged Marriage.
    Captain Killian "Hook" Jones 

Captain Killian "Hook" Jones

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hookouat.jpg
Captain Hook: A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets.
Played By: Colin O'Donoghue, Oliver Bell (child)
Centric Episodesnote 
"Maybe. I have a long road to travel before I can be someone I can be proud of. Despite the forgiveness of others, I must forgive myself, and I'm not there yet."

A notorious pirate who was shielded from the Dark Curse and has history with Rumplestiltskin. He quickly develops a strong relationship with Emma Swan.


  • Adaptational Attractiveness: In the Disney film, he's much older, with a large nose, long face, and baggy eyes. Here, he's a lot better looking. Although J.M. Barrie, the writer of Peter Pan, described Hook as the most handsome man he'd ever seen (but also the most disgusting) in "Captain Hook at Eton".
  • Adaptational Heroism: Book and Disney film; charming but amoral and treacherous pirate. Here: charming and honorable pirate with a Fatal Flaw of vengefulness for real wrongs which he grows out of.
  • Adaptational Name Change: Barrie notes that Hook was not his real name in the original book making him a case of Named by the Adaptation here, but his first name James is Adapted Out.
  • Affably Evil: Oh so very much. He's a firm believer in manners and "good form", despite being a pirate. After falling in love with Emma, he drops the Evil part altogether.
  • All Love Is Unrequited: He spends almost all of Season 3 sending "yearning looks" towards Emma, who does reciprocate but definitely isn't going to act anytime soon. Happily subverted when they hook up in "There's No Place Like Home".
  • And I Must Scream: "Heroes and Villains" has the horrifying implication that he's fully aware while being mind-controlled by Rumplestislken, but can't do anything more than try to grab Emma's arm.
  • And Show It to You: He tried this on Cora when Regina enchanted his hook to allow him to do so for one heart. Obviously, it failed, but it still had one use left, which he used to take out Aurora's heart when she was captured, but did not show it to her; she didn't even know it had happened.
  • Anguished Declaration of Love: Reveals his darkest secret in "Ariel" through this—that kissing Emma made him realize he's in love with her and can move on from Milah. He quickly reassures her that he doesn't expect her to return his feelings, though.
  • Apologetic Attacker: Says he is "truly sorry" before absorbing the Blue Fairy into the Sorcerer's Hat on Rumplestiltskin's orders.
  • The Atoner: As an Anti-Hero, he probably exhibits the most self-loathing of his past self and past deeds than anyone else, very frequently lamenting them and considering himself unworthy of the "hero" label.
  • Babies Ever After: Emma becomes pregnant with their first child approximately two years into their marriage. In the Season 7 finale, he appears at Regina's coronation with Emma and their daughter Hope.
  • Back from the Dead: After dying, Zeus "resurrected" him after helping defeat Hades.
  • Badass Boast: After Cora reveals her plans, Hook states as a matter of fact that he will kill Rumplestiltskin, the most powerful magical being known to any of them.
    "Excellent. You'll be able to see your daughter, and I can skin me a crocodile."
  • Badass Longcoat: Hook wears a black weather longcoat for two seasons straight, only appearing in different apparel in a flashback to before he was a pirate. It's a big deal when he puts on a more contemporary outfit in Season 4 for a date with Emma. Past that, he still keeps the longcoat, but he only uses it for select occasions.
  • Badass in Distress: He's been kidnapped, gagged, and bound by Tamara and Greg. They planned on using him to help in their attack against Storybrooke. He was tortured by Hades after he died. The look of him when he tried to escape his prison, as well as his painful groans before being set free, say it all.
  • Badass Normal: Doesn't posses any powers, but can still hold his own in a battle.
  • Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Emma. Later, as they work together, develops into regular Unresolved Sexual Tension before blossoming into the loving marriage they enter at the end of Season 6.
  • Big Bad Ensemble: With Cora in Season 2. It started as a Big Bad Duumvirate, but he later separates from Cora and Regina becomes her chief follower instead. He reappears to become an ally to the new Big Bad Duumvirate of Tamara and Greg.
  • Big Bad Wannabe: Despite his charisma and scheming he is handily defeated by Emma in his first encounter. His only successful cruel actions mostly come from sneaking up on his enemies.
    • He is beaten up by Rumplestiltskin with no magical assistance on their first encounter.
    • As the Dark One he faces a powerless Rumplestiltskin and is still defeated handily.
  • Big Brother Worship: As shown in Season 5, he idolizes Liam as being the only member of his family who was ever truly noble and pure. This leads him to continually ignore the growing evidence that Liam in fact made a deal with Hades in the past until Liam himself practically admits it.
  • Broken Pedestal: Three times in Season 5. First with Emma, who turns him into a Dark One against his will and tries enslaving him with Excalibur, pushing his anger. Then in the mid-season finale. Young Killian Jones is rocked to find out his father had abandoned his sons and sold them into servitude. Especially when earlier on in the episode, he told his father "I want to be just like you". Then later with Liam, who as it turns out was more flawed and less noble than Killian had thought he was.
  • Buffy Speak: At one point he refers to Emma's car as "that yellow contraption thing".
  • Card-Carrying Villain: Fully admits to being a villain, and even when others call him a hero he feels unworthy of the title.
  • Carpet of Virility: Possibly the Spear Counterpart of the villainesses' Navel-Deep Neckline.
  • Character Development: "And Straight On Til' Morning" shows that he just needed reminding that he can care for others. "The Jolly Roger" shows how his love for Emma has changed his life and is causing him to rethink being a pirate. "There's No Place Like Home" then reveals he traded the Jolly Roger for a magic bean so he can go to New York and find Emma.
  • The Charmer: Oh, yes. Spends most of "Tallahassee" flirting with Emma and winks at both Aurora and Snow (who are unimpressed). Tinker Bell, like Snow, is also unimpressed with him, although there may or may not have been something in the past. Emma? As of Season 3, well... things get complicated.
  • The Chessmaster: When he actually takes time to plan stuff out, it goes really well. He plays Aurora like a fiddle to get her under Cora's control, and manages to out-gambit Regina.
  • Chivalrous Pervert: Despite the above-mentioned flirting and innuendos, he behaves rather gentlemanly with women who aren't his enemies or affiliated with his enemies.
  • Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: It looks like he'll work with anyone who will help him get revenge on Rumplestiltskin. Later invoked by Pan to try and get him to kill Charming and offered him a chance off the island with Emma. Although in this case it was an aversion, he saved Charming and later told Emma that he wants her honestly.
    • Ironically, one of his most notable traits is his unwavering devotion and loyalty to the people he cares about, too bad they're both dead. He later develops that same loyalty towards Emma.
  • Consistent Clothing Style: Killian is almost always seen wearing leather jackets/coats and black pants, as he's a pirate.
  • Consummate Liar: He even managed to trick Rumplestiltskin, though at the cost of his hand.
  • Cool Boat: The Jolly Roger, a brig made of enchanted wood which can sail at incredible speed. It's one of the few things he has from before his brother died, and he loves it so much that he betrays Ariel in order to keep it. Not long after he trades it away in Season 3 to save Emma.
  • Create Your Own Villain: Unintentionally helped set in motion Rumplestiltskin becoming the Dark One, who later came back for revenge and thus set in motion the cycle of revenge between the two.
  • Cycle of Revenge: Between him and Rumplestiltskin, starting when he ran off with Rumple's wife. He breaks the cycle in the Season 2 finale, though, when Greg and Tamara's plot to destroy Storybrooke makes him realize that living actually does matter more to him than killing Rumplestiltskin.
  • Deadpan Snarker: One of the biggest ones on the entire show.
  • Death Seeker: Strongly implied to be thus in "The Outsider". He apparently wants to meet Milah in death.
  • Defector from Decadence: His reason for becoming a pirate. He was a naval officer until the king he served under sent him and his brother on a secret mission to Neverland to get Dreamshade, telling them it was medicine when in fact it was deadly poison. It killed Hook's brother, and Hook would no longer serve the king whom he blamed for his brother's death. He and his men went AWOL and became pirates rather than serve such a king.
  • Defiant to the End: When Rumplestiltskin threatens to crush Hook's heart in the mid-season finale of Season 4, Rumple expects Hook to start begging for his life. Hook responds that it's never going to happen, as between the two of them, he isn't the cowardly one.
  • Demoted to Satellite Love Interest: In Season 4, Hook's stories tend to revolve completely around his relationship with Emma. Come Season 5, however, the show returned to exploring other facets of his character, backstory and relationships with other characters.
  • Determinator: He spent 300 years planning revenge, after all.
  • Died in Your Arms Tonight: Poor Emma. Not only is Hook the fifth love interest to leave her in some way, but he begs her to kill him so that he can take the darkness to the Underworld.
  • The Dragon: His relationship with Cora falls somewhere between this and Big Bad Duumvirate, as he works with her rather than for her, it's just that Cora is always the clear dominant force in the partnership, and Hook ends up being defeated by Emma and co. before they have their final confrontation with Cora.
  • Dragon with an Agenda: As you can expect from a Wild Card, Hook attaches to other villains and frequently turns on them as soon as he has an opportunity to better himself. This is why he abandons Cora.
  • Earn Your Happy Ending: After centuries of seeking revenge, Hook finds love again by giving up his revenge, redeeming himself and ends up marrying Emma, settling down to a normal life in Storybrooke. Season 7 possibly overwrites this by having him cursed in Hyperion Heights, but it's quickly revealed that he's actually still enjoying his happy ending, and the one who's in Hyperion Heights is the Wish Realm Hook.
  • Enemy Mine: Surprisingly, he puts aside his hatred of Rumplestiltskin in order to go after Peter Pan and rescue Henry in Season 3.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
    • Genuinely loved Milah, tells her to run after Rumplestiltskin almost rips his heart out, and still wants to be reunited with her.
    • Related to this, this is why he tried to make a connection with Baelfire/Neal, and why he ultimately chooses to help out on the quest to find Neal's son, Henry, in Neverland.
    • He was very close to his brother when they were both in the Navy. His death devastated him, and drove him to piracy.
    • After getting to know her through their escapades through the Enchanted Forest and Neverland, Emma. He gave up his prized ship to help her get her memories back.
    • He's also become quite fond of Henry in Seasons 3 and 4.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: "Good form", in his own words (well, maybe his brother's too).
    • His past actions may have been pretty bad, to say the least, but he does adhere to some sort of personal code. For example, despite magically taking Aurora's heart, he's uncomfortable with the idea of her being permanently without it. So after he accomplishes what he wants with the item, he ensures that it gets returned to Aurora as it's "good form."
    • He also seems to show some disdain for Cora's plot to win Regina back, even if he does go along with it.
      Hook: Did you get what you wanted?
      Cora: Yes, my daughter has lost everything now.
      Hook: Well, aren't you mum of the year.
    • He really dislikes cowards, as shown by his character quote.
    • Also, he helps Greg and Tamara cancel out Regina's magic and capture her. But when Greg asks for his assistance in submitting Regina to Cold-Blooded Torture, he declines in disgust, noting that he didn't sign on for that.
    • He's horrified when Rumplestiltskin announces that he's going to abandon all of Storybrooke in the face of the Spell of Shattered Sight, which will force the townsfolk to kill each other.
  • Everyone Can See It: According to Regina, everybody in Storybrooke can tell that he and Emma are carrying torches for each other.
  • Expy:
  • Face Death with Dignity: To Rumplestiltskin's chagrin, he doesn't break down even moments before the Dark One is about to crush his heart.
  • Face–Heel Turn: After being brought back to life as a Dark One, he quickly gives in to his more negative traits just to spite Emma, seeing her as a Broken Pedestal.
  • Fatal Flaw:
    • His thirst for revenge usually gets him into horrible situations.
    • His low sense of self-worth. After his Heel–Face Turn, he has issues with how heroic he actually is, which causes him to seek opportunities to better himself. Normally this would be a good thing, but not in a series full of villains who are prone to using your flaws against you. Gold in particular takes advantage of this.
      • It's also a big reason why, halfway through Season 5, he gave into becoming evil so easily after being made a Dark One...he didn't feel like he was strong enough to resist the darkness, and the moment his inspiration for resisting the darkness - Emma - made him angry, he figured there was no point in resisting since falling prey to the darkness is an inevitability for him. The 5A finale and entire arc of 5B thankfully has him overcoming these issues.
  • Fate Worse than Death: He begs Emma to let him die rather than turn him into a Dark One, as he knows that he was be easy prey for the Darkness and cannot abide the thought of becoming its slave.
  • The Fettered: He may be a pirate, but he fights with a code of honour.
  • Fish out of Temporal Water: Sometimes has issues adjusting to modern-day Storybrooke, at least in regards to technology. He tells Emma that he doesn't know what Netflix is but still wants to do it when she suggests it. He also admits to Elsa that he doesn't know how his phone works beyond Emma answering when he hits the right button and that he thinks it's utterly useless otherwise. He does eventually come to understand voicemail.
    • Also tells David in Season 4 that he still pays for things with doubloons.
  • Foil: Often acts as one to Rumplestiltskin.
    • Particularly prevalent in the first half of Season 4, where Hook is trying desperately to better himself while Rumple is quickly backsliding into evil. It becomes a plot point when the latter takes advantage of Hook's desperation.
    • Also in the 5A finale, he, as the Dark One, overcomes the darkness and sacrifices his life. Rumple, as an uncursed man with a clean slate, chooses to deceive Emma and re-absorb the darkness, becoming the Dark One again.
  • Freudian Excuse: Many of his negative traits stem from being abandoned and sold into slavery by his father as a child, and then being let down by the allegedly good and heroic system that he had pledged his loyalty to, resulting in his brother's death.
  • Genre Blind: He seriously thinks trying to blackmail Rumple, the Dark One, and then make a deal with him is a good idea, even after knowing him for over three hundred years. It bites him in the arse, when Rumple being the Manipulative Bastard that he is turns the tables and starts blackmailing him.
  • Good Stepmother: Even before he married Emma, he was incredibly protective of Henry, due to his friendship with Neal/Baelfire. Likewise, while not officially his stepdad, he had a very strong bond with Bae due to him being the son of Milah.
  • Guile Hero: He may not be the strongest nor does he possess magic, he gets by on his sole, cunning wit.
  • Guyliner: One of his trademark features.
  • Handsome Lech: He seems fond of hitting on just about every pretty woman he meets. Possibly to fill the void Milah was in.
  • Heel–Face Revolving Door: In Season 2, he keeps switching sides every other episode. Season 3 has him settle on Face.
  • Heel–Face Turn: Finally decides to drop his revenge in the Season 2 finale.
  • Hell-Bent for Leather: Nearly his whole outfit. When he later gets a more modern wardrobe, he still has a leather jacket.
  • Heroic Self-Deprecation: Hook clearly has issues thinking of himself as a hero even after his Heel–Face Turn. It gets him into trouble in the first half of Season 4, as Rumplestiltskin uses his efforts to be a better man against him.
  • Hidden Depths: He's surprisingly perceptive, and is able to read Emma "like an open book" after only knowing her a few hours.
  • Hidden Heart of Gold: In "The Jolly Roger". He acts the way he is simply because he doesn't have enough confidence in himself to really change.
  • Hook Hand: Courtesy of Rumplestiltskin, the "crocodile".
  • I Hate Past Me: During a time travel excursion, he punches his past self in the face likely due to jealously, since his past self was making out with Emma. He also tried to warn Emma that his past self is not the same man he is. Also see the entry for Magic Feather.
  • I Lied: He told Charming there was a magical sextant that could help them leave Neverland on top of a tall mountain. In truth there was no sextant, but a cure to the poison in Charming's body. Hook knew it would need to be a big lie to get Charming away from his wife and daughter.
  • Iconic Sequel Character: He's one of the most recognizable faces of the franchise but didn't officially appear until the second season.
  • The Ingenue: A male example, before he was a pirate. Especially to Pan's The Vamp.
  • Innocent Blue Eyes: When he was in the navy, otherwise Subverted.
  • I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: He's willing to stand aside and let Neal have Emma if it makes them both happy.
  • It's All About Me: To say Hook previously didn't care about anyone but himselfnote  would be a gross understatement. However, it ends up subverted in the Season 2 finale, where Hook finally finds it in him to put someone else before himself.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He was originally a chivalrous, self-serving pirate who would do anything to anyone if it meant to serve him right, no matter who gets hurt, but he eventually grows caring and committing selfless acts to save Emma and her family to the point where he risks his life many times. Even after his Heel–Face Turn, he can be a bit arrogant and snarky.
  • Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: Goes hand in hand with being a Well-Intentioned Extremist. Hook does not hesitate if it would further his own goals.
    • A more drastic case of it happens when he becomes a Dark One. He tries to resist the pull of the Darkness for a few hours, but then Emma lies to him about Excalibur and even uses it to control him. He gets pissed, and he dives into full-on evil like he has nothing to lose.
  • Lack of Empathy: As a villain. He doesn't even seem to care much about himself personally, just about getting revenge. As the Dark One in Season 5, he's an outright sociopath.
  • Leeroy Jenkins: Whenever Rumplestiltskin is involved.
  • Limited Wardrobe: Does the man actually own a change of clothes or is his closet filled entirely with black leather coats, vests and pants with the occasional touch of red thrown in for variety's sake?
    • Even when he switches to modern clothes, it looks almost exactly the same.
  • Love at First Punch: He first displays an attraction to Emma after she ties him up and interrogates him at knife-point.
  • Loveable Rogue: After his Heel–Face Turn, his better qualities come out, turning him into this.
  • Made a Slave: He and his brother got sold into slavery to a ship's captain by their father when they were boys.
  • Made of Iron: In the course of his first ten episodes alone, he loses his hand, gets buried under falling debris, beaten up by a very angry Rumple, run over by a car and knocked out by magical attacks several times, yet the worst injury he ever suffers is a few broken ribs, and not even that stops him from getting back up.
  • Magic Feather: A quite dark variant when he has Rumplestiltskin reattach his hand. After being warned that the hand is part of the nastier person he used to be, he soon finds himself growing much more violent and begs to have it taken off again. Then Rumple reveals that the hand had nothing to do with it, and it was just hearing that excuse that let him indulge his darker urges subconsciously. He's noticeably horrified at this revelation.
  • Major Injury Underreaction: Granted that the series isn't allowed to be too graphic, but Hook reacts to Rumplestiltskin cutting his freaking hand off with far less screaming and flailing around than he by all rights should have done. Probably was still reeling from Milah's death but even still.
  • May–December Romance: With Emma, due to him spending a few centuries in Neverland.
  • Meaningful Name: Killian means "church" which is quite fitting because he does have a special relationship with the Savior.
  • Moral Myopia:
  • Mr. Fanservice: His brief appearance on the promo of the episode "We Are Both" was enough to grasp the attention of female fans everywhere (and some male fans as well) and cause a mass array of comments on the Internet regarding his attractiveness. This is in keeping with his description in J.M. Barrie's "Captain Hook at Eton".
  • My God, What Have I Done?: His reaction when he remembers his cruel murder of a prisoner of King George's. The prisoner was David's father.
  • My Greatest Failure: Given his deep self-loathing, he has seven big ones:
    • He sees himself responsible for his brother's death because he disobeyed Pan's warnings to not leave Neverland.
    • Abandoning Bae when he didn't want to stay any longer and to protect his own skin.
    • Chose to reacquire his ship from Blackbeard rather than to locate Prince Eric's whereabouts and help Ariel.
    • Betraying Ursula and stealing her voice out of anger toward her father.
    • Giving into darkness when he was made the Dark One and turning on Emma and her family. Even after snapping back and performing a Heroic Sacrifice for them, he still beats himself up over succumbing so easily.
    • Killing his own father, orphaning his younger half-brother in the process.
    • And last but not least, killing David's father.
    • While not as profound as the above examples, he also expresses regret for bullying Rumplestiltskin when he was just a powerless spinner, claiming that "he was the villain" at that time, although also not excusing how Rumple became a devious, manipulative killer afterward.
  • The Navigator: His brother brought him on his voyage to Neverland as navigator and presented him with an ornate sextant as a gift. In the current time, he's the one who charts most of the courses.
  • Officer and a Gentleman: Before becoming a pirate, he was a straight-laced Navy lieutenant on his brother's ship. He still retains shades of it as a pirate, with his insistence on "good form". For example, as of Season 3, he states outright that he wants to win Emma's heart honestly, without any tricks or lies, even of omission.
  • Official Couple: With Emma, as of Season 3's grand finale.
  • Only Mostly Dead: The entire point of Season 5B and the Underworld arc is to rescue Hook from purgatory after his Heroic Sacrifice. Emma and co. succeeded in rescuing him from Hade's prison in episode 5x14 - now all they need to do is defeat Hades and get back to Storybrooke.
  • Oh, Crap!: Has a epic one in his introductory episode, when he suddenly realizes that the beggar he's been bullying and kicking is actually The Dark One. In fact, it goes beyond Oh Crap, he looks like he's about to totally brown his pants.
  • Parental Abandonment: His father Brennan absconded on him and Liam when they were boys, selling them into servitude on a ship to cover his debts.
  • Parental Substitute: Temporarily. Oddly enough Baelfire probably would have remained a happily adopted pirate if he hadn't found out that his mother left him and his father for Hook.
    • As of Season 3, he has now become this to Henry, offering to spend time with him while Emma works on bringing down Zelena.
  • Pet the Dog:
    • Decides to not use the bean to get him out of Storybrooke to help the gang. He's too late but he genuinely tried. Though it does let them travel to Neverland and save Henry, so there's that.
    • Saves David from Dreamshade by getting him to drink the Neverland waters. He didn't really have any reason to do that, other than for Emma and Henry.
    • Gives up winning over Emma's heart so that Neal could win her back.
    • Genuinely wanted to help Ariel find Eric, after how he betrayed her last time.
    • His biggest one to date: trades his ship to come get Emma to rescue her and the kingdom. That ship meant a lot to him, by the way, being all he has left of his brother Liam and lover Milah.
    • In Season 6, he doesn't hesitate to provide Belle with a place to stay on his ship, and offers her a sincere, heartfelt apology for his past misdeeds towards her. He proceeds to generally dote on her while in her company, asking if he could get her anything, and later providing her with a means of contacting him should she ever need help.
  • Pirate: He's Captain Hook, this goes without saying.
  • Promotion to Opening Titles: ABC and producers upgraded Colin O'Donoghue to a series regular for the last 9 episodes of Season 2 — even before his character's first centric episode has aired.
  • Proud Beauty: He repeatedly refers to himself as "devilishly handsome".
  • Really 700 Years Old: He spent 300 years plotting his revenge against Rumplestiltskin, making him one of the oldest characters in the main cast. Notable in that unlike other series examples of this trope, Hook is a Badass Normal human with no magical powers of his own.
  • Rescued from the Underworld: Well, more like help Zeus defeat Hades and get resurrected for it.
  • Revenge Before Reason: His MOA in Season 2, where he is single-mindedly focused on killing Rumplestiltskin, who's "the crocodile" who took his hand.
  • Sailor's Ponytail: Sports one of these in his pre-pirating days.
  • Second Love: He and Emma are this for each other, since they meet just after Hook gives up on avenging Milah and after Emma lets go of Neal.
  • Self-Made Orphan: Killed his father for abandoning him and his brother.
  • Serial Homewrecker: In the past, Killian Jones (AKA Captain Hook), started a relationship with a woman named Milah, the wife of Rumplestiltskin. She eventually ran off with him, leaving behind her husband and their son Baelfire. When Rumplestiltskin came to confront him about it, Killian nonchalantly said that he's been with many men's wives.
  • Start of Darkness: He started out as young Lieutenant Killian Jones, serving proudly in a King's Navy, running a tight ship with no tolerance for drinking rum, under the command of Captain Liam Jones, his elder brother. They were sent on a mission to Neverland to find dreamshade, believing it was a medicine. When they arrived, Peter Pan was actually kind and helpful, warning them they had been lied to about the plant but also its location. Then when they found it, Killian was worried Pan was being honest about the plant, so the elder Jones injected himself with the poison and after a few second of standing upright, collapsed in pain. The Pan showed up again and gave Killian magical water that would save the Elder Jones but at a price (Pan didn't mention the exact nature of the price). The brother was saved. Soon after, they left Neverland with plans on revealing the truth to the world when the elder brother died, for the healing waters did work but they bound him to Neverland and should he leave he would perish. Angered by this turn of events, Killian became captain of his brother's ship and convinced all the good men who respected his brother so to turn pirate and raid against their dishonorable king.
    • He was also sold into slavery with his brother by their father, who was a fugitive and ran off to escape the authorities. Years later, he was recruited by Regina to kill her mother, but had to pass a test first. The test? To kill his father. After confronting his father, Hook actually had a change of heart and was going to let the man go. But after seeing his father with his new son, saying the exact same words he told Hook before abandoning him, as well as finding out his half brother's name was Liam, Hook lost it and killed the man.
  • Straw Nihilist: As the Dark One, Hook stops believing there is anything good within himself or within others, deciding to commit himself completely to revenge without any moral restrictions, saying he doesn't give a damn about what happens to anyone, including himself, so long as he achieves his revenge.
  • Suicide by Cop: Semi-inverted. His goal is revenge, but seems oddly obsessed with Gold killing him. He encourages the man to rip out his heart! Presumably, he wants to be with Milah again.
    • Seems to get over it at the end of Season 2, making efforts to move on instead when he realizes that the thing he wants to die for, revenge, is overrated.
  • Tall, Dark, and Handsome and Snarky
  • Tomato in the Mirror: In Season 5 when he's turned into a second Dark One, which Emma then wipes everyone's memories of until Zelena restores his with a magic dream catcher.
  • Took a Level in Dumbass: After making a full Heel–Face Turn and claiming he was a changed man, what does Hook do in the fourth season? He decides it's a good idea to try to blackmail Mr. Gold, threatening his relationship with Belle, to try to restore his hand. While the first time he did it was a success, this makes him cocky and thinks he can pull it successfully again. Naturally, doing such a thing only ended up badly for him as this started a chain of events which reignited his feud with Gold and eventually turned him into the Dark One's puppet, even getting his heart ripped out. Had it not been for Anna inadvertently revealing Rumplestiltskin's intentions and Belle saving him at the last second, he most likely would have died from being this Genre Blind.
  • Tragic Villain: Back when he was a villain, in any case.
    • He becomes even more of one as a Dark One, since he got turned into one against his will and only because he suffered a mortal wound doing something heroic.
  • Undying Loyalty: If he really cares about someone, then come hell or high water he will stick with them.
  • The Unfettered: When he was a villain, there were some lines he couldn't bring himself to cross. This is NOT an issue when he's turned into the Dark One.
  • What You Are in the Dark: Peter Pan puts him in these situations twice.
    • First, Pan tries to convince him to kill Charming in exchange for passage off Neverland with Emma. He refuses.
    • Second, Pan tells him that Neal is still alive, just as he and Emma might be getting somewhere, to test whether he'd let an old friend die for a shot with a woman. Again, Hook does the right thing and tells the rest of the Five-Man Band.
  • Wicked Cultured: A bloodthirsty pirate he may be, but he also possesses the meticulous style and old-school manners of a proper gentleman.
  • Wild Card: Played straight for most of Season 2. Averted from the end of Season 2 onward.
  • Would Hit a Girl:
  • You Are What You Hate: As if being in love with the new Dark One after centuries of hating the last one wasn't enough, he's mortally wounded and Emma turns him into a second Dark One to bring him back. He quickly gives in to the previous Dark Ones manipulations to spite Emma. Actively subverts this trope during his Heroic Sacrifice at the end of Season 5A.

    The Wicked Witch of The West/Zelena/Kelly West 

The Wicked Witch of the West/Zelena/Kelly West

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ouats3wickedwitch_522.png
Zelena: "That would be a bit too, well, evil for my tastes. No. I've got to show my daughter who her mommy is. Wicked."

Played By: Rebecca Mader, Christie Laing (disguised as Marian), Isabella Blake-Thomas (child)
Centric Episodes: "It's Not Easy Being Green", "Kansas", "Our Decay", "Sisters", "Where Bluebirds Fly", "Secret Garden", "Chosen"

The Big Bad of the latter half of Season 3, and a powerful Wicked Witch. Formerly representing one of the four elements of magic, innocence, she bears a grudge against Regina, her half-sister, feeling envious that Regina become Queen whereas Zelena was abandoned by their mother.


  • 0% Approval Rating: Even she recognizes that she was absolutely despised when she was the ruler of Oz.
  • Abusive Parents: Her adoptive father, who considered her wicked for having magic (despite her first use of it being to save her adoptive parents' lives), never loved her, and generally treated her like crap. Her adoptive mother, however, seemed to love her greatly.
  • Action Mom: Starting in the end of the first half of Season 5 after she gives birth to her daughter, she obviously becomes very protective of her baby and eager to be with her despite all of Regina and Robin's initial attempts to stop her.
  • Adaptational Attractiveness: One of the best-looking portrayals.
  • Alas, Poor Villain: While Rumplestiltskin did have every reason to want her dead at this point, it's hard not to feel sorry for Zelena. She's powerless in a prison cell and Regina has just given her a second chance. Then again, it turns out later she survived Rumple's attack and escaped into the past.
  • Always Someone Better: The story of Zelena's life. She's been upstaged by Regina and then by Dorothy.
  • Amazing Technicolor Population: Has green skin, in the tradition of the MGM film, thought not in Storybrooke. Turns out her intense jealousy towards Regina caused her skin to literally turn green with envy. In "Heartless", her neck is shown briefly turning green again when the Evil Queen chooses Rumplestiltskin over her.
  • Appropriated Appelation: Her adoptive father insulted her as "wicked" and she made it her own.
  • Arch-Enemy: During her stint as the "Wicked Witch of the West" in Oz, she personally seeks to destroy Dorothy, the two having become each others greatest nemesis, due to Dorothy inspiring hope in the people of Oz, and actively leading a revolution against Zelena. Zelena even takes a page out of her sister's book, and places a sleeping curse on Dorothy, and taking extra precaution to ensure she couldn't be awakened by true love. What she wasn't expecting was that Red would become Dorothy's true love.
  • Arc Villain: The primary antagonist of the second half of Season 3. Poses as a kindly midwife to Snow, offering help with her pregnancy. She's really a wicked witch who wants to use Snow's baby as a component in her time travel spell, specifically the "symbol of innocence" required.
  • Batman Gambit: She manipulates Belle and Neal into resurrecting the Dark One in a manner that ended up with Rumple losing his dagger to Zelena, giving her control over him. What's worse, it kills Neal in the process.
    • In "Kansas", she fools Dorothy and Glinda into thinking that she's been defeated so that Dorothy can leave Oz and she can banish Glinda to the Enchanted Forest.
  • Be All My Sins Remembered: Zelena speaks of this in "Chosen"; no matter how much she tries to change, do good, and be a better person, karma keeps catching up with her and ruining her happiness thanks to the evil she did before. She also comments to Weaver that there will always be a bit of darkness in her anyway that she can't get rid of — but he replies that this is a good thing, as it both reminds them what they're fighting for and what they have to lose.
  • Big Bad: For the second half of Season 3, where she reigns over a newly cursed Storybrooke in the present and controls the Enchanted Forest during the flashbacks.
  • Big Bad Duumvirate: In Season 4, with Gold. They are also joined in this role by Maleficent and the Author (Isaac). Though, with Maleficent now out of the team and Isaac answering to Gold, it seems as though Zelena and Gold fit the trope best.
    • She's in this trope again in Season 5, this time with King Arthur during the Camelot storyline.
  • Big Bad Wannabe: While she is a threat in Season 4 and 5 this is normally because she is teamed up with the true Big Bad. Her defeats are even treated as something to get out of the way so the heroes can focus on bigger problems.
  • Big Sister Instinct: Ultimately becomes this towards Regina, running over the Black Fairy with her car when the latter attempts to kill Regina.
  • Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: In Storybrooke, she acts as a kind midwife. She drops the act when her secret is out.
  • Borrowed Catchphrase: The first in the show to call Rumple 'dearie' when she's pissed.
  • Broken Ace: Zelena is an incredibly talented witch, one of the most powerful magic users in the series, and is smart enough to create a spell powerful enough to overwrite one of the Laws of Magic. She is also incredibly bitter due to being abandoned by anyone who could love her and is desperate to find anyone who could unconditionally love her.
  • Brought Down to Normal:
    • Her distinctive brooch is what holds her magic powers. Once Regina relieves her of it, she becomes powerless.
    • She sacrifices her magic to save Storybrooke in "Where Bluebirds Fly", but "The Eighth Witch" shows that she regained it.
  • Cain and Abel: Actively seeking to destroy her younger sister, Regina, due to resentment over Cora and Rumple using Regina for their plans.
  • Card-Carrying Villain: She refers to herself as "wicked", in comparison to Regina's "evil".
  • Consistent Clothing Style: Zelena, being the Wicked Witch of the West, wears a lot of black and green clothing.
  • A Death in the Limelight: "Kansas" focuses on her later life in Oz during its flashbacks, and ends with Rumplestiltskin finally exacting his revenge on her in the present. Subverted in that she didn't actually die.
  • Dead Man Switch: Subverted. Initially, it seems as if Zelena's time travel spell activated because of her death. A later Retcon establishes she turned into smoke and used the confusion the portal caused to return disguised as another person.
  • Devil in Plain Sight: For all her pretense of acting nice, it's absurd that nobody notices her giant emerald brooch and occasional black cloak and hat when she's in Storybrooke.
  • Disappeared Dad: Her biological father was a peasant who seduced Cora by claiming to be a prince, and didn't give a damn about her or the child afterwards. In Oz, she inverts this as she's the one who disappears on her adoptive father after having had enough of his abuse.
  • The Dragon: To King Arthur in Camelot. She returns to this role in Season 6 for the Evil Queen.
  • Dragon-in-Chief: King Arthur is almost completely reliant on her magic, but she's technically following his orders.
  • Driven by Envy: Zelena feels she has the short stick in life and is always coveting the positions others have. She saw Regina, being less talented in magic than she, being selected by Rumple. She saw Cora preferring Regina over her too. Then when Dorothy came and threatened her place among the other witches she became very jealous. Each time, this caused her to literally turn green with envy.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: She does genuinely love her daughter, giving her up to Robin and Regina for her protection.
    • In her Hyperion Heights persona, she opened a bar with "Roni" (Regina) but they split up after a disagreement. They clearly care for each other very much though, even after the curse is lifted. By this point though, the Evil part is mostly gone.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: Played with (and here it would be Even Wicked Has Standards). When she appears at the gingerbread cottage in "Chosen", Zelena isn't there to rescue Hansel and Gretel, she's there to get rid of a rival witch. But, she is genuinely appalled by the witch's cannibalistic intentions.
  • Evil Brit: Deliciously so. She has an RP accent despite being raised by a couple who were clearly from Oop North, but making herself sound more upper-class was obviously part of her self-improvement plan.
  • Evil Plan: Change the past so she can be the one to cast the Dark Curse. Not Regina. Which means killing Eva, Snow's mother, to ensure that Cora never gave her up.
  • Evil Redhead: Possibly the only example of the Witch (aside from the original W. W. Denslow illustrations) being portrayed with anything other than black hair.
  • Evil Versus Evil: Her conflict with Regina. The Hangman's Square hashtag is #WickedVsEvil.
  • Ex-Big Bad: She was just the Big Bad of Season 3's second half at first, but ultimately becomes a regular character.
  • Faking the Dead: She fools Dorothy into thinking that throwing a bucket of water at her was enough to melt her. And, in Season 4 she fools EVERYONE into thinking she died after Rumple shattered her, only to reappear in New York, having been disguised as Marian the whole time.
  • False Friend: She makes a point to befriend a very pregnant Snow White, even offering to be her midwife. This is because the baby is the final ingredient to her time travel spell, as a representative of "innocence".
  • Fate Worse than Death: Zelena considers herself to be suffering this as she has become a fitness cycling teacher and a hippie under the Season 7 curse.
  • Faux Affably Evil: She can be charming and friendly when she wants to, but only the foolish would fall for this act more than once.
  • Fireballs: Like Regina and Rumplestiltskin, she can create fireballs, but in Season 5 she becomes unique in that her fireballs become green instead of the usual red.
  • Flying Broom Stick: How she exits Regina's palace in "Witch Hunt" and "A Curious Thing".
  • Foil:
    • Like Regina, she is driven by revenge.
    • Like Rumple, she has a skin condition that recedes when she chooses to let go of her flaw: envy.
  • Freudian Excuse: On top of her issues with her (biological) mother (see Parental Abandonment), her (adoptive) father was an abusive drunk. Taken further when we find out her adoptive father never even loved her because of her magic; he just tolerated her for his wife's sake.
    • It becomes apparent through more flashbacks that OZ in general has Fantastic Racism against witches (her adoptive father even refused to let her learn to control her magic so that the rest of OZ wouldn’t see her “wickedness”). Zelena was considered a monster and bullied by other kids for it when they found out (even attempting to shoot at her with a slingshot).
    • Played with in regards to Rumplestiltskin, her mentor in magic. He rejects her to be the one to cast the Dark Curse because he notices that he is the thing she loves the most. So, she tries to rewrite time to be able to be the one to do it.
  • Green-Eyed Monster: Her primary motivation is her jealousy towards others, in contrast to the Evil Queen being driven by revenge. In fact, being "green with envy" is what caused her to change colors in the first place.
  • Heel–Face Revolving Door: Suffers from this in Season 6 due to Regina blaming her for Robin's death, and she ends up living on her own and being propositioned by the Evil Queen to form a new alliance. She then occasionally helps out with the Queen's plans while occasionally helping the good guys as well, before Rumple orders the Queen to kill Zelena. After being saved by Regina she becomes a Wild Card for the majority of the season before siding with good again permanently after reconciling with Regina and destroying her magic.
  • Heel–Face Turn: She attempts one at the end of Season 5. It doesn't last and she returns to being a villain in Season 6, but makes one for good in the second half of Season 6 and is one of the heroes in Season 7.
  • Hope Spot: Glinda's influence helps her briefly get over her jealousy toward Regina. However, Dorothy's arrival and the attention Zelena's fellow witches lavish over her makes her envious all over again.
  • Hot Witch: Well... she's the Wicked Witch of the West. And Hades sure seems to fancy her.
  • Insistent Terminology: She's not evil, she's wicked. Justified in that, after the "evil" moniker became so associated with Regina, Zelena would naturally want to have something of her own to be called rather than share something with Regina.
  • It's All About Me: She has it worse than Regina. She doesn't care about anyone but herself.
  • I Just Want to Be Loved: At the end of the day, for all of her posturing, Zelena is desperate to find someone who can love her in order to fill the hole in her heart left after Cora abandoned her and most, if not all, of her plans revolve around finding that love. She eventually does find that love through her daughter.
  • Karmic Death: Rumplestiltskin spent a year of being locked in a cage in her storm cellar and enslaved to her with his dagger. She orchestrated his son's death. So, he avenged his son's death by stabbing her with his dagger while she was helpless. And then subverted when it turns out she managed to escape her fate by going to the past.
  • Kick the Dog: Crashing Neal's wake, after orchestrating his death in the first place, to dish out threats and proudly claim responsibility for the townspeople's bereavement.
  • Kill and Replace: Zelena did this to Marian, impersonating her in Season 4.
  • Lack of Empathy: To enact her evil plan and get her "revenge" on Regina and Rumplestiltskin, she'll torture, abuse, and kill anyone and everyone she has to in order to get that plan to work.
  • Lady of Black Magic: Like her sister and many other witches in the show, Zelena is a remarkably beautiful woman with an attractive physique, which she loves to emphasize by almost always wearing very eye-catching black and green dresses, along with a wide range of jewels and accessories (especially lots of memorable hats to play straight with the Wicked Witch trope). Even having green skin in the past didn't detract from her good-looking appearance in the least. She is also consistently recognized as a far more powerful witch than both Regina and Cora and one of the most powerful of the show in general.
  • Leeroy Jenkins: Trying to take on the Black Fairy by herself certainly didn't go as planned for her.
  • Literally Shattered Lives: After she is defeated by Regina, Rumplestiltskin stabs her with his dagger, turning her into porcelain that crumbles into dust immediately afterward.
  • Living Mood Ring: Her blue eyes turn green along with her skin when she is overcome with jealousy.
  • Luke, You Are My Father: She reveals to Regina that they are half-sisters with the same mother, Cora.
  • Mad Scientist: Like Jafar from the spin-off, she wants to violate the Laws of Magic, specifically so she can rewrite the past to replace Regina.
  • Mama Bear: She truly loves her daughter Robin, and she is devoted to protecting her. It's clear when Robin is a baby, but it's even more obvious in Season 7 when Robin is a teenager/adult, and Zelena is willing to trade her life for Robin's when Gothel tries to use Robin as a Human Sacrifice.
  • Maniac Monkeys: The Flying Monkeys that serve as her mongrels in Season 3.
  • Meaningful Name: Her name means "green" in various Slavik languages.
  • Motive Decay: In Season 3, her plan is rewriting past so her mother Cora would keep her and Rumplestiltskin would choose her to cast the Dark Curse. In Season 4, she just wants to piss off Regina by stealing Robin Hood and shrug her happiness to her face. Come Season 5, she just wants to escape back to Oz and raise her child by herself so she'll have someone to love her.
  • Not Quite Dead: Rumple didn't actually kill her at the end of Season 3. She escaped through the time portal then disguised herself as Marian to hitch a ride back to Storybrooke with Emma and Hook.
  • "Not So Different" Remark: Regina points out that both both her and Zelena had really horrible childhoods caused by their mother Cora. Like Regina, she takes out her anger on the people she shouldn't in a petty hate-filled vendetta that involves innocent people getting killed. In this regard she acts as a Foil and a Replacement Flat Character to highlight Regina's growth past all that.
  • Odd Friendship: Develops one with Belle of all people starting late into Season 5 and continuing into Season 6. It gets to the point where, when she is thinking about leaving Storybrooke and returning to Oz, Belle looks genuinely sad at the prospect.
  • Orphan's Ordeal: Played with. While her adoptive mother loved her dearly, her adoptive father didn't, because of magic, and was very emotionally abusive towards her.
  • Parental Abandonment: She was Cora's first child, the result of a one night stand with a man who claimed he was a prince. Ironically Cora was about to marry Leopold (Snow's father) until he found out about it. Had she told him the truth the marriage would've happened, but her lying (and some prodding with Eva) convinced him she was nothing more than a gold digger, and he had her dragged out of the castle. Cora gave her up because she would've ensured she would stay a miller's daughter and left her in the woods to be found, until a freak green tornado came out of nowhere and took her to Oz.
  • Parental Favoritism: She knows very well how Cora preferred Regina over her.
  • Pet the Dog: After Hades "ends" Robin, while opening the portal back to Sherwood Forest for the Merry Men, Zelena takes the time to be kind to the now orphaned Roland, when he gives her one of Robin's bracelets to give to Regina. Zelena assures him that Regina will be grateful, and promises him that she and his baby sister "Robin", will visit him once things calm down in Storybrooke, hugging him goodbye. It could come from the fact that Zelena might have formed a genuine attachment and fondness for Roland while posing as his mother Marian for the many months they lived together.
  • Power Of Hate: Well, technically jealousy, but it still applies. It's intense enough that her skin turned green in a fit of hate-filled jealousy.
  • Pragmatic Villainy: She has no qualms in killing, but generally avoids it in order to keep people alive and useful to her and her plans.
  • Pretty in Mink: Her fur-trimmed cloak.
  • Promoted to Opening Titles: In Season 5, after recurring in the last 2 seasons.
  • Psychopathic Man Child: Her rants about Regina's "perfect" life sound like a bratty child, especially since she's one of the most powerful sorcerers in the multiverse, and devotes all her energy on a woman who she doesn't even know. Even her entire plan to change history so she can cast the curse sounds extremely childish when you think about it.
  • Redemption Demotion: Loses her magic entirely after attempting to battle the Black Fairy in Season 6. However, she regains it in Season 7 thanks to her daughter Robin.
  • Redemption Rejection: Twice in "Kansas", both in the past and present day.
  • Reformed, but Rejected: Downplayed. In Season 6, while Regina now accepts her as a sister, she still blames her for Robin's death, but eventually realizes she was wrong.
  • Replacement Flat Character: A rare triple subversion. As Regina goes through a genuine Heel–Face Turn by the end of the Neverland arc, Zelena took her place as the main "villainous witch". The triple subversion comes when Zelena seems to pull a Heel–Face Turn by the end of Season 5 only to go back to being a villain again at the start of Season 6 (though she eventually pulls a genuine Heel–Face Turn at the end of Season 6, and stays that way throughout Season 7).
  • The Resenter: Resents the fact that Cora gave her up as child opting to keep Regina instead, and that Rumplestiltskin favored Regina to cast the Dark Curse and not her.
  • Sanity Slippage:
    • The more Emma, Hook, Rumplestiltskin, Regina, and the others interfere with her plans the more unhinged she becomes.
    • Eventually leads to her slipping well and truly off the deep end of what obviously wasn't a very long cliff!
  • Smug Snake: Much of her plan's ruination is due to her ego and need to gloat backfiring on her.
  • Snark-to-Snark Combat: She engages in this with Regina quite a bit. They are half-sisters, after all.
  • Stronger Sibling: It's pointed out numerous times in the show that Zelena is a far more naturally talented and powerful witch then Regina and she is able to continuously beat her in a fight. In fact, if not for her need to feel loved, Rumplestiltskin would have chosen her to cast the Dark Curse.
  • Squishy Wizard: For all of her magical power, she's defenseless without it. As soon as her brooch is removed, she can be safely held in a normal prison cell with no further security.
  • Then Let Me Be Evil: Becomes wicked after discovering that her mother abandoned her for not being royalty, being abused by her magic-hating adoptive father, and being rejected by Rumplestiltskin in favor of Regina.
  • Understanding Boyfriend: Her fiancé Chad that she meets while cursed in Season 7 ends up being captured and exposed to the existence of magic and her true identity. Despite this, he remains engaged to her and says that her past doesn't matter to him, as it's her present self he's in love with.
  • Unknown Rival: Both to Regina and Dorothy initially, although she eventually makes her presence known to both of them.
  • Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Her adoptive father always feared her powers, branding her "wicked" because of them, but prior to becoming the Wicked Witch she never used them for anything slightly nefarious. In the flashbacks to her child self in "Sisters", she is adorably happy to have a chance to use her magic to help someone.
  • Vain Sorceress: She starts off by raiding Regina's closet, preening in front of the mirror and later pointing out how she looks better in Regina's gowns and had to take them in a little.
  • Villains Want Mercy: She begs Rumple to spare her as he's about to kill her for murdering his son. It doesn't work.
    • In Season 4, she somewhat begs Regina to spare her as she's about to get the Author to erase her. It works.
  • Weak to Magic: Is weak against White Magic.
  • "Well Done, Daughter!" Gal: To her mother and mentor, Cora and Rumplestiltskin respectively.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: She gives a long overdue one to Regina in Season 6's "Where Bluebirds Fly" for focusing on her own pain and continually blaming her for Robin's death even though she killed Hades for her sister. Regina does eventually realize she was wrong and make amends with Zelena especially once she destroys her magic to fix her mistake.
  • Woman Scorned: She did not take it well that Rumplestiltskin chose Regina over her to cast the curse, despite her being the more powerful of the two.
  • Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: She was a sweet, kind girl, but constant rejections drove her onto the path of villainy.
  • Would Hurt a Child:
    • Has no qualms about trying to kill Henry and use Snow and Charming's newborn son for her time travel spell.
    • In Season 4, she accuses Regina of this, who's about to erase her and her unborn child from existence.

    Jiminy Cricket/Dr. Archibald "Archie" Hopper 

Jiminy Cricket/Dr. Archibald "Archie" Hopper

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jiminy_Cricket_2874.jpg
Jiminy Cricket: "Giving into one's dark side never accomplishes anything."
Archie Hopper: "You'll ruin my life? You'll do your worst? Because I will always do my best."
Played By: Raphael Sbarge, Adam Young (child), Morgan Roff (teenager)
Centric Episodes: "That Still Small Voice"

The son of vile criminals whose desire for an honest life results in his transformation into a cricket. In Storybrooke, he's a psychiatrist named Archie Hopper.


  • Abusive Parents: Jiminy's family in the Enchanted Forest were this to him, always manipulating his desire to stop thieving to keep him at it.
  • Adaptation Species Change: In Pinocchio, Jiminy is a Talking Cricket and the title character's Non-Human Sidekick. While he ends up as a cricket via magic in his backstory, he originally was an ordinary human.
  • And I Must Scream: Jiminy was given a potion from Rumplestiltskin that turned Geppetto's parents into dolls, seemingly forever.
  • The Atoner: After he fails to get rid of his parents and instead turns an innocent couple into puppets, he swears to help their son, Geppetto.
  • Back-Alley Doctor: Harmlessly so. Lampshaded by Regina in "The Cricket Game".
    Regina: Need I remind you, you got your Ph.D. from a curse.
  • Celibate Hero: He has no love interest in the Enchanted Forest or Storybrooke and he hasn't showed romantic interest in anyone.
  • The Conscience: He is Jiminy Cricket after all. Archie plays the role as a psychologist.
  • Character Development: His Fairy Tale self had to work up the will to break away from thievery and earn true freedom, and his Storybrooke self had to learn to listen to his conscience and overcome Regina's intimidation.
    Henry: Before he was [The Conscience] he was a guy who took a long time to figure out... the right thing to do.
  • Cowardly Lion: Jiminy was such an Extreme Doormat that he gave up his humanity just to get away from his thieving family. However, Regina made the mistake of trying to interfere in his treatment for Henry. Instant backbone and set of Brass Balls showed up, and he threatened her by saying that he could be a deciding factor if Emma wanted to sue Regina for custody of the kid.
  • Demoted to Extra: Raphael Sbarge is a guest star starting in Season 2.
  • Endearingly Dorky: As Archie Hopper. His bumbling, good natured soul is endearing to most of Storybrooke.
  • Extreme Doormat:
    • At least initially in his Storybrooke form. He folds like a cheap suit whenever Regina aptly applies pressure. But he more than redeems himself later, finally growing a spine and giving Regina a truly epic verbal smackdown.
    • A very sadly chronic example to his parents as Jiminy. It was so bad that he allowed himself to be turned into a cricket so he'd finally be free of their manipulation.
  • Funny Animal: In his cricket form.
  • Grew a Spine: At the end of "That Still Small Voice".
  • Guilt Complex: He chooses to become a cricket so that he may watch over and protect Geppetto, after his actions inadvertently orphaned the young boy.
  • The Heart: More like "the Conscience", really.
  • Heroes Love Dogs: He owns a Dalmatian named Pongo.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Marco/Geppetto in Storybrooke.
  • Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Fitting due to his job as a living conscience.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: Jiminy Cricket gets one, after he accidentally murders an innocent couple (and orphaning their child Geppetto) instead of his own parents. This leads to his status as The Atoner, and his transformation into a cricket.
  • My Greatest Failure: He sees what happened to Geppetto's parents as this for him. And so sets himself up as The Atoner to repent.
  • Nice Guy:
    • Even nice to Mr. Gold, a feat no one else in the town seems to be capable of.
    • In "We Are Both" he even finds it in him to be nice to Regina, despite knowing what she did to him and everyone else!
  • Nerd Glasses: Wears them as Archie.
  • Older Than They Look: The Blue Fairy stopped him from aging in order for him to have as much time as possible to help Geppetto.
  • Purpose-Driven Immortality: The Blue Fairy promises Jiminy Cricket that he will live as long as he needs to in order to help Geppetto.
  • Scylla and Charybdis: He has this between his Manipulative Bastard thief parents and his own conscience. They've screwed him up so badly that he just can't bring himself to abandon them until the Blue Fairy turns him into a cricket.
  • Secret-Keeper: Emma comes in during one of his sessions, lets Henry know she believes him, is in on the plan and then burns the book's last pages. Archie sees it all. He's therefore inducted in as the reluctant third member of Operation Cobra.
  • The Shrink:
    • In Storybrooke. Archie seems to skate between Types II and III. It's hard to evaluate his competence since he mainly sees Henry, who really has nothing wrong with him.
    • When August was pretending to be Baelfire and Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold believed the ruse, he asked Archie's advice about what he should do in this situation.
    • In Season 2, Regina is seeing him about her issues with control and using magic.
    • Emma starts seeing him in Season 6 after having a vision of her death.
  • Talking Animal: As Jiminy Cricket, he eventually learns to use the English language, even if he initially can only communicate through chirps.
  • Voluntary Shapeshifter: He lets the Blue Fairy turn him into a Cricket.

    Red Riding Hood/Ruby 

Red Riding Hood/Ruby

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/RedLucas_1294.jpg
Red Riding Hood: "When there's something I want, I'm good at tracking it down."
Ruby: "I'm pretty sure I'm just gonna screw it up. I mean, I'll screw up with flair, but..."
Played By: Meghan Ory
Centric Episodes: "Red-Handed", "Child of the Moon", "Ruby Slippers"

A confident young woman from a small village with a dark secret. In Storybrooke, she's a flirtatious waitress named Ruby.


  • Accidental Murder: Red accidentally kills her mother when the latter tries to kill Snow.
  • Action Girl: She's a werewolf, so that goes without saying.
  • Adaptational Badass: She goes into the woods to kill the wolf, and eventually turns out to be the wolf herself.
  • Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: As Red. Not so much as Ruby.
  • Alternate Identity Amnesia: Whenever she turns into the wolf, until her biological mother helps her become capable of retaining awareness as a wolf.
  • Ambiguously Bi: She was in love with Peter. Despite no early indication Ruby is anything but straight, she falls in love at first sight with Dorothy. That Dorothy.
  • The Big Bad Wolf: Her wolf form.
  • The Big Guy: Thanks to her lupine abilities, Ruby provides essential back-up whenever Snow White needs help fighting off royal guards.
  • Bratty Teenage Daughter: Granddaughter, technically, but yes. Her Establishing Character Moment shows her bickering with Granny while dressed in revealing goth clothing, talking about how much she wants to leave Storybrooke, and Granny sarcastically apologizes that her heart attack kept Ruby from ''sleeping [her] way down the Eastern seaboard." Ruby has matured since then.
  • Break the Cutie: Ruby/Red starts out as the show's/town's eye candy and apparent "town bimbo" until her dark backstory is revealed and we learn she's a werewolf, at which point the show's depiction of the character turns in a totally new direction. Season 2 provided further BTC potential in "Child of the Moon", though she ultimately prevails, both in the present and the past.
  • Broken Bird: Red as the Big Bad Wolf ate her True Love and she doesn't believe it is possible for her to love again because she is afraid of killing them.
  • Buffy Speak: Calls her wolf ornament, which appears to be a long held item very important to her, her "wolf thing." Given Buffy the Vampire Slayer alumna Jane Espenson is one of the show's writers (and writer of the Ruby-centric "Red-Handed"), this trope was inevitable.
  • Cartwright Curse: Her first two love interests were killed. Peter was eaten and Billy was murdered by King George.
  • Character Development: Ruby is notorious for her provocative clothing. After she discovers the heart in the box and reconciles with her grandmother, her clothing is less revealing, alluding to the fact that the discovery has matured her. She also wears significantly less makeup, and eventually her red highlights disappear.
  • Chekhov's Gift: The iconic red cloak from her grandmother. In fact, Granny had a warlock make it to prevent Red from turning into a wolf.
  • Clothing Reflects Personality: In Season 1, she's shown wearing very revealing and skin-tight clothes to give her a more rebellious look. Following the breaking of the Dark Curse, her clothing is much more modest to show that she's learned some discipline and respect.
  • Color Motif: Always has red on her outfits, has red streaks in her hair, drives a red car, has a red-colored wolf windshield ornament in said car, is named Ruby... It's not that hard to figure out which story she's from.
  • Composite Character:
    • She's Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.
    • Her friendship with Snow might make her a version of the second title character from Snow-White and Rose-Red.
  • The Consigliere/Number Two: To Charming. In "We Are Both" she tries to keep order while Charming is distracted by Emma and Snow's situation, and is the one that convinces him that he needs to focus on the town, because they need him too.
  • Consistent Clothing Style: Ruby always wears the color red somewhere on her outfit. As Red Riding Hood, she always wears a corset.
  • Cool Big Sis: Ruby shows signs of being one to Henry, such as taking the time to personally come all the way to the mines just to bring him a muffin while he's watching the others work and promising to be back again with lunch. After all, she is his grandmother's best friend.
  • Cool Car: She drives a late '70s Camaro.
  • Cute Bruiser: This is especially shown in "Child of the Moon", where she's seen judo-flipping Quinn.
  • Death Glare: Hands these out like candy whenever she feels slighted about being a wolf (an off-color comment from Charming, Grumpy's fears of what scientists would do to her.)
  • Demoted to Extra: Just stops appearing as Season 2 goes on. And, when she does come back, it's only really for cameos.
  • Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: Ruby as shown in "Red-Handed". Her Enchanted Forest counterpart felt stifled and trapped, and wanted to explore and see the world, but didn't specifically seem to be lacking in an actual purpose.
  • Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: In hindsight, Ruby is this and for good reason. She's the Big Bad Wolf. She transitions into lighter archetypes over the first season for spoiler reasons.
  • Emo Teen: As Ruby, pre-Character Development.
  • Fanservice with a Smile: Interestingly enough, while her Storybrooke version is this, her fairy tale version is perhaps the most conservatively dressed character to the point of not showing off any skin, cleavage, or what have you.
  • Fire-Forged Friends: With Snow White.
  • A Friend in Need: Her loyalty to Ashley is commendable. She not only distracts Emma with a dead-end lead so Ashley can escape but she loans Ashley her car to do so. She was pretty good friends with Snow White too. She's also become one to Belle, expressing concern over Belle's wellbeing when they've only just met, offering her a place to stay until she gets back on her feet, and giving her the idea of reopening the Storybrooke library.
  • Good Bad Girl: As Ruby.
  • Harmony Versus Discipline: Granny teaches Ruby that the Wolf in her must be restrained while her mother Anita taught her she must be one with the Wolf.
  • Hell-Bent for Leather: She tends to have at least one article of clothing that's leather , as leather is skin. This reflects on the fact that as a werewolf, she's a woman wearing the body of a wolf and vice versa.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Snow, whom she calls family. Actually heterosexual-ish, but that specific friendship still stands.
  • Horse of a Different Color: In wolf form, on a couple of occasions she can be seen giving rides as if she was a horse.
  • I'm a Humanitarian: Poor, poor Peter. And poor Ruby at that, seeing as she unknowingly ate her own boyfriend in wolf form. And worse, she was convinced he was the wolf!
  • I Am What I Am: Red decides not to choose between being a human (like Granny wanted) or a wolf (like Anita wanted), finally accepting that she's both herself and the wolf in "Child of the Moon".
  • The Killer in Me: Type B. Red was told to stay inside whenever the full moon was out, because a gigantic wolf was stalking around the village. It turns out she WAS the gigantic wolf, and Granny was trying to protect other villagers by keeping her inside. Red of course had no idea it was her, and often snuck out anyways, unknowingly causing gruesome murders every so often.
  • Lady in Red: Obviously! She's Little Red Riding Hood! The "red as sex appeal" is most obvious but the blood motif, as in blood she spills while a wolf, is also important.
  • The Lancer: Becomes this to Prince Charming after the curse is broken and Emma and Snow are sucked into the Enchanted Forest.
  • Legacy Character: Red is the granddaughter of the original Big Bad Wolf, who no longer can turn into a wolf due to age.
  • Lightning Bruiser: Thanks to her powers as a wolf, Ruby can run a hundred meters in the blink of an eye, survive the offense of a small mob and rip people to shreds without a single weapon.
  • Like Brother and Sister: Meghan Ory sees Prince Charming as a sort of brother figure to Red; "He's the younger brother sometimes, and sometimes he's the older brother." invoked
  • Little Red Fighting Hood: She and Granny join the raid on King George's castle, and manage to take out several guards. This is without having to invoke the family lycanthropy curse. Red is a literal murdering beast when she is under the curse.
  • Lovely Angels: With Snow in the Enchanted Forest as seen in "Child of the Moon".
  • Made of Iron: Red seems to be immune to any weapon while in the form of a werewolf. When Granny shot Red and turned her back into a human, Red didn't seem to have any wounds from the attack. It's possible that werewolves are only injured by definitely fatal wounds given that Red kills Anita by impaling her while she was in wolf form.
  • Magic Pants: Her clothes disappear when she turns into a wolf, and reappear when she turns back into human.
  • Ms. Fanservice: One of the most blatant examples in the series.
  • No Bisexuals: Ruby in Season 5 falls under this category, falling in love with Dorothy Gale within a single episode and sharing with her a True Love's kiss. Prior to this all her romantic interests were men; including her late boyfriend Peter, Sheriff Graham/The Huntsman in a tie-in comic, and a planned/shelved romance with Dr. Whale/Victor Frankenstein in Season 2.
  • Nom de Mom: Fans like to think that her Storybrooke last name is Lucas since it was Granny's last name in the Enchanted Forest. However, it's confirmed that Granny is Red's maternal grandmother.
  • The Nose Knows: This is something that Red retains in Storybrooke after the Dark Curse is broken, due to her being The Big Bad Wolf in the Enchanted Forest. Even before the curse was broken, she had an inexplicable instinct for finding things, which eventually led to Kathryn's heart.
    Red: Lately since things changed, I've been a little more sensitive to odors.
    Gold: You can smell her?
    Red: [gives him a look] I guess it's because of the "wolf" thing.
  • Odd Friendship: She often hangs out with Billy the mechanic.
  • Of Corsets Sexy: In the Enchanted Forest.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: "Red" is a nickname, but no one has ever even mentioned that she has a real name, let alone what it is. Her mother never even used it.
    • Some fans thought it was "Liza" because Granny calls her that in "Red-Handed", but that was just a reference to Liza Minnelli considering the context and has never been mentioned again.
    • She has taken to introducing herself as Ruby, then adding "but my friends call me Red", which could imply that her actual name has always been Ruby and didn't change with the curse, just like David's.
  • Our Werewolves Are Different: They're Little Red Riding Hood.
  • Out of Focus: She mysteriously disappears toward the end of Season 2, and wasn't expected to be back for Season 3. She does manage to reappear in "Witch Hunt"... thirteen episodes into Season 3, but only as cameo and disappears AGAIN in Season 4. Season 5 reveals she went back to the Enchanted Forest at the end of Season 3 and wound up caught by a witch and forced to serve her. After being freed by Mulan, the two are now traveling together in search of more werewolves.
  • Parental Abandonment:
    • Red's Untold Tale reveals that Red was told her parents were both killed when she was young, after a nasty argument between them caused Anita to run into the forest. Red's father followed her, and neither survived. While it is most likely Red's father is truly dead, as seen below, Season 2 makes it clear Anita had survived but simply ran away.
    • Season 2 shows that Granny apparently took Red and ran to keep her young granddaughter away from Anita, who embraced the wolf lifestyle, making up a story that Red's mother had been killed. There's never any mention of Red's father. By the end of the episode, Red is an orphan again, having (accidentally) killed her mother in order to save Snow's life.
  • Perky Goth: As Ruby, sort-of.
  • Promotion to Opening Titles: Meghan Ory joins the regular cast in Season 2 (which given she appeared in more episodes of Season 1 than Raphael Sbarge - eighteen to his ten - is justified).
    • Demoted to Extra: Word of God is that they planned to do more with her, but the show's ever-increasing character roster meant they just couldn't find any room for it. Ory was released from her contract after Season 2 and quickly got a lead role on another series, but remains on good terms with the crew and says she hopes to still make an occasional appearance. She does manage to turn up thirteen episodes into Season 3, and an explanation for her absence is given when she returns in Season 5.invoked
  • Raised by Grandparents: Due to Granny being her only surviving family.
  • Running Gag: Someone making an inappropriate comment in reference to her being a wolf, and her reacting "oh ''come on''."
  • Savage Wolves: Prior to her time spent with her mother she had no control over her actions while in wolf form; even her friends had to be far away from her when she transformed or she'd eat them along with her enemies. Like she did with Peter. She lost control again the first time she transformed while in Storybrooke after the Curse broke, due to a combination of how long it had been and her lack of confidence.
  • Scarily Competent Tracker: Because of her werewolf instincts.
  • Self-Made Orphan: Though it was an accident, she kills Anita when she tried to kill Snow.
  • Slut-Shaming: A recipient of this from Granny, especially in early episodes.
  • Small Town Boredom: In the "Pilot", Ruby was a rebellious young woman who had plans to get out of Storybrooke and move to Boston. However, these plans were halted by her grandmother's sudden heart attack, and Ruby had been working at Granny's Diner to make ends meet ever since.
  • Statuesque Stunner: Very lusty and fan service friendly and played by Meghan Ory, who is 5' 8"
  • Strong Family Resemblance: "Child of the Moon" shows that Red looks a lot like Anita, her mother.
  • Supernatural Gold Eyes: When in or transforming into wolf form.
  • Super-Speed: Post-Curse, she now has this even in her human form as she was able to travel fifty yards from standing still to catch Frankenstein before he could jump off the pier.
  • Team Mom: She's shaping up to be this in Season 2 since she spends a lot of time taking care of the others, especially Belle and Henry and she's usually seen feeding them. This plays into the less-explored aspect of her origins as a girl bringing food to her grandmother.
  • Tomato in the Mirror: Learns that she's the wolf after killing her lover, Peter.
  • Tomboy with a Girly Streak: As both Red and Ruby.
  • Urban Legend Love Life: We're told in her very first scene that Ruby Really Gets Around, but it's never shown. Sure, she might have a flirty personality and wear tight outfits that show a lot of skin, but as far as we know she's never done more than kissing with her boyfriend Peter.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: Sure she was Demoted to Extra and the actress got a new job, but that doesn't excuse the fact that no in-universe explanation has been given for her absence. Her own grandmother never mentions her, nor does her best friend whom she spent so many episodes being The Consigliere to.
    • She reappears without explanation in "Witch Hunt". Apparently? Absolutely nothing happened to her, she's just hanging around off-screen. Season 5 explains that she left Storybrooke for the Enchanted Forest at the end of Season 3, in order to try and find more werewolves.
  • Xenafication: This Little Red Riding Hood kicks copious amounts of ass, though in her case, it's because she is the Wolf in this adaptation—the trademark red cloak is an enchanted item that keeps her from transforming, and once she finds out the truth, she uses her wolf form to help her friends—after making sure they get far away from her first.

    The Huntsman/Sheriff Graham Humbert 

The Huntsman/Sheriff Graham Humbert

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Huntsman_4248.jpg
The Huntsman:"I gave up my heart so that the Queen would spare Snow's. Don't let my sacrifice be in vain."
Sheriff Graham Humbert:"It's my heart, Emma. I need to find it."
Played By: Jamie Dornan
Centric Episodes: "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter"

A quiet, introverted Huntsman who is employed by Queen Regina to kill Snow White. In Storybrooke, he's the town's sheriff who is having a secret relationship with Regina Mills.


  • Advertised Extra: He was a series regular in Season 1... except that he only lasted seven episodes. His regular status was arguably done solely to make his death more shocking when it happened.
  • Better with Non-Human Company: As the Huntsman, he prefers the company of animals to that of people. The Evil Queen mistakes this for ruthlessness.
  • A Death in the Limelight: He gets killed off during his centric episode "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter".
  • Deadpan Snarker: For someone so dorky, he could lay on the snark when given the opportunity:
    Graham: Actually, I'm here about Dr. Archibald Hopper. He mentioned that you got in a bit of a row with him earlier?
    Emma: No...
    Graham: I was shocked too, given your shy, delicate sensibilities.
  • Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: He maintains that he cannot feel and presumably keeps searching for something that will help in that regards. He eventually settles on Emma.
  • Dirty Cop: He toes the line of this trope whenever Regina is involved. He doesn't want to be, but he's enthralled so he can't defy her.
  • Dying as Yourself: Got his memories back before dying.
  • Empty Shell: Thanks to having his heart ripped out by the Evil Queen.
  • Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": In the Enchanted Forest he is known only as the Huntsman. Considering he was literally raised by wolves, he might not have a real name.
  • Evil Brit: Played with but eventually subverted. His close interactions with the Mayor have some very sinister overtones and he sides with her by default, but he otherwise seems helpful and just as Sheriff. We later learn he doesn't have much of a choice but to side with the mayor at all times.
  • Fair Cop: Because Regina made him her Sheriff.
  • Forgotten Fallen Friend: The episode after his death is the last time he's really mentioned or remembered. Until Season 4, when Emma mentions his death along with Neal's and Walsh's as the reason she fears the same thing can happen to Hook.
    • He does reappear in flashbacks twice, once in the finale of Season 1, and during flashbacks in Season 2.
  • Friend to All Living Things: As the Huntsman, despite his chosen profession, he nonetheless weeps over the animals he's forced to kill, honouring their sacrifice so that he may survive.
  • Happily Adopted: As the Huntsman, he seems very happy with his wolf family who took him in after his parents abandoned him.
  • Heart Trauma: The Evil Queen does to this to him when she finds out he let Snow White go. Results in his ultimate demise when Regina decides to destroy his heart after he dumps her.
  • Hell-Bent for Leather: His usual day wear involves some leather.
  • Hipster: He sure dresses like one in his Storybrooke form.
  • Humans Are Bastards: As the Huntsman, he seemed more willing to kill people than animals and in general thought that a human being could never be innocent until he met Snow White.
  • Improbable Aiming Skills: Retains this ability even in Storybrooke.
  • Killed Off for Real: Because he dumped Regina.
  • Killed to Uphold the Masquerade: Played with. Had he not died, he would likely have blown Regina's masquerade wide open, what with having his memories back and all. However, this wasn't why Regina killed him.
  • Madden Into Misanthropy: Due to being raised by wolves and watching them being hunted by humans all his life.
  • Manly Facial Hair: He was a very capable fighter in the Enchanted Forest and sported his beard then as well.
  • Manly Tears: Many as the Huntsman.
  • Mr. Fanservice: He is a very handsome man and occasionally seen without shirts on.
  • My Master, Right or Wrong: He carries out Regina's commands though he does sometimes question them.
  • Noble Top Enforcer: As the Sheriff of Storybrooke.
  • People Puppets: He could be one if Regina spoke into his heart. As it is, she seems content with merely enthralling him and having him parrot her instructions whilst arresting people, such as in "Welcome to Storybrooke", where he appears convinced that Kurt Flynn is guilty of drink driving, despite not being drunk or anywhere near a car.
  • Protectorate: In exchange for agreeing to carry out the hit on Snow White, his sole condition was that Regina outlaw the hunting of wolves and make them a protected species in the Enchanted Forest.
  • Pun/Don't Explain the Joke: In Episode 2, his weak joke to Emma about hurting the town's "signage" because she knocked over their sign.
  • Punch-Clock Villain: In both the Enchanted Forest and Storybrooke, he did try to avoid doing some of the orders the Queen would give him.
  • Raised by Wolves: In the Enchanted Forest; it's to the point that he doesn't acknowledge having a name, though he's somehow learned human speech and is literate. According to the comic series Shadow of the Queen, he was raised by the same pack of werewolves that Red's mother led, though it's ambiguous how canonical the comics are.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: To the extent that Regina will let him.
  • Sacrificial Lion: The first character in the present story to die.
  • Sex Slave: Once his heart is removed, he is this to the Evil Queen / Regina in both worlds, although in Storybrooke he doesn't realize it as his Fake Memories make him think they're having a consensual affair.
  • The Sheriff: His job in Storybrooke.
  • Shirtless Scene: At the end of "The Price of Gold".
  • Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Yes, yes, and yes to all these features.
  • Tin Man: After the Evil Queen removed his heart.

    Pinocchio/August Booth 

Pinocchio/August Booth

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pinnochio_1682.jpg
Pinocchio: "I don't wanna go. I don't wanna leave you!"
August Booth: "If you need evidence for everything, Emma, you're going to find yourself stuck in one place for a long time."
Played By: Eion Bailey, Jakob Davies (child), Rustin Gresiuk (teenager)
Centric Episodes: "The Stranger", "Selfless, Brave, and True"

The son of Geppetto, Pinocchio is saved from the Dark Curse and sent with Emma to be her protector. However, he abandons her early on and takes the alias, August Booth, only to return to Storybrooke many years later.


  • Agent Mulder: As August, in order to help Emma to believe.
  • Artifact Alias: The characters keep calling him August long after his identity had been revealed.
  • The Atoner: His time in Storybrooke and his attempts to make Emma believe are motivated mainly by him breaking his promise to Geppetto to look after her in the Land Without Magic, and trying to fix it.
  • Badass Biker: As August. Subverted because he doesn't do anything particularly badass.
  • Become a Real Boy: A wooden August is turned back into a young boy in "Selfless, Brave, and True".
  • Big Brother Instinct: Word of God has said that they've moved August into big brother territory with Emma. However, this was subverted in Season 1 when August asked Emma out on a date and Eion Bailey's audition material was Bonnie & Clyde.invoked
  • Body Horror:
    • He starts reverting back into a wooden puppet once Emma arrives in Storybrooke.
    • When interrogating him, Rumplestiltskin forces August's nose to grow to full length while in human form, and threatens to burn it off.
  • The Bus Came Back: Season 4 sees Rumplestiltskin restore August to his adult form in order to extract information on the storybook detailing the character's lives in the fairy tale world. He also reappears briefly in Season 6 after being completely absent from Season 5.
  • The Call Knows Where You Live: After 28 years of (mostly) ignoring The Call, August wakes up in agony and discovers that he's slowly being turned back into a puppet.
  • Deadpan Snarker: When he first turns up in Storybrooke, he deflects most questions about his identity and his strange habits with sarcastic comments. For example, when Emma confronts him on his conversation with Henry, August dryly counters how unusual it is for someone to respond to a precocious child who insisted on asking for his identity.
  • Demoted to Extra: Come Season 2, August is returned to his wooden form and disappears except for one appearance in a flashback and his Day in the Limelight episode, "Selfless, Brave, and True." He eventually returns for a few appearances in Season 4, but he never returns to his early relevance.
  • Fatal Flaw: Despite all he learned from his adventures depicted in Pinocchio, August immediately fails to resist temptation once separated from Geppetto, the Blue Fairy and Jiminy on Earth. This continues for another thirty years, where he continues a hedonistic lifestyle until he has no option left but to help Emma break the Dark Curse. Overcoming this makes up the bulk of the conflict of his central episode, "Selfless, Brave, and True."
  • Heel Realization: After failing to steal something from a woman with cancer that would help her get better (or so he thought), August officially realized what a bad, screwed-up life he'd made for himself and decides to change it.
  • Hell-Bent for Leather: A leather jacket is his de-facto outfit.
  • I Did What I Had to Do: He convinced Neal to leave Emma and let her get arrested so that she could focus on breaking the Dark Curse.
    • He abandoned Emma in an orphanage because, as a 6 year old boy in a completely foreign land, he couldn't handle the pressure of protecting her and having abusive foster parents.
  • Implied Love Interest:
    • He may have asked Emma out on a date but his reasons were fairly ambiguous. Is he romantically interested in her or is he just trying to get her attention about something else?
    • He also flirts with Ruby at one point. But then again, so does everyone else.
  • Jerkass: Had become one by the time he met Neal, persuaded him to abandon Emma, and even stole the bail money he left for Emma. As he himself puts it "I haven't exactly been a good boy."
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: In the present day, where he is The Atoner and genuinely does care for people, even if he refuses to clue them in to his identity and sarcastically derides them for inquiring.
  • "Leave Your Quest" Test: While protecting Emma at a foster home, a young boy offers to bring August on a trip to escape the home, on the condition he leaves behind Emma. He is unable to resist the temptation after seeing how much money the boy has and abandons Emma with no other connection to her family.
  • Long-Lost Relative:
    • Subversion. He tricks Mr. Gold into thinking he is Rumplestiltskin's son and Morality Pet Baelfire, but he's not. Mr. Gold is... displeased with this development.
    • Later played straight with his father, Geppetto, who he was separated from for twenty-eight years.
  • No Name Given: Initially, leading to him being referenced as "The Stranger" in all promotional materials. Subverted in "What Happened to Frederick" when he finally reveals his name. It's notable, however, in that he had refused to give his name for several episodes, despite living an otherwise normal life in Storybrooke. It becomes Egregious when he hesitates in giving his name to Emma after asking her out on a date.
  • Perma-Stubble: "A typewriter wrapped in an enigma wrapped in stubble."
  • Pinocchio Nose: August proves to be an exceptionally bad liar, when he tries to fool Mr. Gold into handing over the knife by posing as his son. Not to mention Emma is extremely skeptical of his claims to be an out-of-town writer, since he seems to know more about the town than he should. Turns out to be a fairly obvious hint as to his fairy tale identity.
  • Promotion to Opening Titles: After Episode 16, "Heart of Darkness", Eion Bailey started being credited as a series regular.
  • Promotion to Parent: Subverted. Geppetto entrusted him with the responsibility of ensuring Emma would know what it was she was destined to do when Emma was old enough, but he left her to run away with the other foster kids.
  • Put on a Bus: The writers had him turn back to wood, have one episode (plus a small cameo in the second episode of Season 2) to write him out and transformed him back into a kid.
  • Redemption Equals Death: For August as an adult, anyway, returning to warn Emma about Tamara's evil leads to her killing him. He ends up resurrected as a little boy without most of his old memories.
  • Replacement Goldfish: He showed up pretty quickly after Graham's death, had some sort of thing with Emma briefly, and later on in "Selfless, Brave, and True", his initial jealously and then relief that Emma's not back together with Neal implies that he might harbour some feelings for her.
  • Taken for Granite: August is suffering a slower, nastier case of this as his body turns back to wood.
  • Tall, Dark, and Handsome: As is fitting for a Badass Biker.
  • Troll: Just watch his and Emma's first real meeting and conversation at Granny's, where he toys with her about what's in the box he's carrying around and ends up getting Emma to agree to paying for a drink... some other time.

    Baelfire/Neal Cassidy 

Baelfire/Neal Cassidy

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/baenealouat.jpg
Baelfire: "Magic destroyed my family."
Neal: "Everything that happens happens by design."
Played By: Dylan Schmid (teenager, Season 1-3), Sebastian Wilkinson (child, Season 2), Michael Raymond-James (adult), Dean Petriw (child, Season 5), Brandon Spink (teenager, Season 6)
Centric Episodes: "Second Star to the Right", "And Straight On 'Til Morning", "Nasty Habits", "Quiet Minds"

The beloved son of Rumplestiltskin and Milah who grows to fear his father following his transformation into "the Dark One".


  • Abusive Parents: Baelfire's parents are a borderline example. We see his mother leave him home alone when he's six years old so she can go out drinking. Rumplestiltskin himself kills people in front of his child and causes him much emotional stress. They both genuinely care about Baelfire though, and don't intentionally hurt him.
  • Adorably Precocious Child: In "Desperate Souls", before everything goes south.
  • Arc Symbol: Dreamcatchers are important to Emma because of him.
  • Artifact Alias: Like August, the characters (minus Rumple, his father) keep calling him Neal. David and Snow even name their son after this name.
  • Break the Cutie: Being abandoned by Rumplestiltskin and being on his own for most of his life has turned him from an adorable kid to a bitter thief.
  • Calling the Old Man Out:
    • Repeatedly calls out Rumplestiltskin on his actions once his father becomes the Dark One. He also calls his father a coward right before he disappears into a portal.
  • Chekhov's Gunman: Neal was introduced in the first episode of Season 2. We don't find out his connection to Emma and Henry until "Tallahassee", and we don't find out that he's Baelfire until "Manhatten".
  • Child Soldier: He almost became one at 14. Rumplestiltskin's attempts to avert this lead him to become the Dark One.
  • Crazy-Prepared: He's learned a lot from having father/brother figures like Rumplestiltskin, Captain Hook, and Peter Pan, and each time, something they've taught him has come back to bite them in the ass. Emma learned a lot from him in resourcefulness during their time together.
    • Learned how to navigate the stars from Hook, and creates a map that leads the way home that not even Hook himself can read. It's later revealed not to be a map, but a trap for no less than Pan's shadow, the only remaining mode of transportation in and out of Neverland.
    • Shoots an arrow laced with paralytic ink at Peter Pan. Pan predictably catches it, as we've seen him do it an episode before. Neal's response? He didn't cover the tip; he covered the shaft.
  • Contrived Coincidence: Since he left the Enchanted Forest a long time before the Dark Curse (and was the unwitting inspiration for its existence in the first place), he had no way of knowing who Emma really was. That is, until August intervened.
  • Daddy Issues:
    • Having Rumplestiltskin for a father will do that to you.
    • Having Captain Hook as a father figure doesn't help much either.
  • Deadpan Snarker: As Neal Cassidy, he often is snarky, especially towards his father.
  • A Death in the Limelight: "Quiet Minds" shows the price he paid for reviving his father: his own life in exchange.
  • Death of the Hypotenuse: Dies so Emma and Hook can be together.
  • Died in Your Arms Tonight: Dies in the arms of Emma with his father at his side.
  • Dies Wide Open: Until his father closes his eyes.
  • Disappeared Dad: He's Henry's biological father and was asked to leave Emma by August when she was pregnant with him.
  • Dying Declaration of Love: His last words are to reiterate his love for his son, Emma, and, finally, his father.
  • Easily Forgiven:
    • He has his problems with his father, no doubt, but he seemingly bears no ill will towards him being the one to kill his mother.
    • To Hook as well. He doesn't seem to hold a grudge for Hook selling him out to the Lost Boys where he was trapped for so long, being the reason his mother left, and initially using him to, and almost succeeding in, kill his dad. He does get into a scruff with him over Emma but that was quickly done and they both end in good terms, especially in his final moments.
  • Generation Xerox: He's a lot more like Rumplestiltskin than he would probably care to admit. They both have the same Papa Wolf tendencies- they both genuinely thought that the the woman the loved would be better off without them, only to reconnect with her later. He also left someone they loved (for Rumpel its Bae himself; for Bae, its Emma), causing that person a great deal of angst and trauma and leaving a chip on their shoulder about it for some time after.
  • Genre Savvy: Years of hurt from various figures in his life up to and including his father Rumplestiltskin, Captain Hook, and Peter Pan as well as the harshness of the Land Without Magic has resulted in an extremely smart and dangerously clever Papa Wolf that won't even trust his own father with Henry.
  • Good Parents: Once Neal found out about Henry's existence, he was very keen on not repeating his father's mistakes. True to his word, Henry and Neal spend a lot of time bonding together in late Season 2. Once he found out that Peter Pan had kidnapped his son, he instantly tries to help Emma save him.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: He gives his life so that his father can live and help save the others from the Wicked Witch Zelena, while also exposing her identity.
  • She Is All Grown Up: When he was abandoned by his father, he was fourteen. Now, he's a dad.
  • I Just Want to Be Normal: He just wants to lead a normal life with his father. Too bad his father isn't willing to give up his powers.
  • I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: He literally says this when reconciling with Emma, in regard to her relationship with Captain Hook.
  • Killed Off for Real: Though the show is capable of reversing deaths, it seems that Neal is one of those characters who is gone for good.
  • Living Emotional Crutch: According to the Blue Fairy, he is the light that kept his father human at his core. After he disappears, Rumplestiltskin goes insane.
  • May–December Romance: Though his exact age is unknown, it is clear that Rumplestiltskin has been the Dark One since the elderly Geppetto was a child, meaning Baelfire is even older than Geppetto. However, spending time in Neverland causes him to remain young for decades or even a century, whilst Emma is a teenager when they have a relationship and she becomes pregnant.
  • Missing Mom: His mother abandoned him and Rumplestiltskin because she ran away to join Captain Hook's crew. She is later killed by Rumplestiltskin in a fit of rage. Interestingly, he doesn't make much of a big deal about not having a mother, which is somewhat justifiable considering his father hurt him more deeply.
  • Morality Pet: To Rumplestiltskin. Some of Rumple's most humanizing moments are with his son.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
    • In "Ill-Boding Patterns", it's revealed that in the early stages of Rumplestiltskin's transformation into 'The Dark One', he was actually successfully resisting the temptation to continue using his power for either good or evil, trying to live without it; unfortunately, Bae's fury at Beowulf, and to a lesser extent the town's treatment of them, drives him to use the dagger to compel his father to kill in what might have very well been Rumple's first kill of vengeance. If power is a drug that Rumplestiltskin can't quit, his son absolutely sabotaged his first legitimate attempt to try.
    • He tries to save his father by sending them both to a land without magic. This ends with Baelfire disappearing and Rumplestiltskin searching for a way to get to the same world.
    • In "Quiet Minds", Belle even warns him against reviving Rumplestiltskin, saying that he's making the same mistake his father made. Rumplestiltskin becoming a slave to Zelena would make her nigh unstoppably powerful and at the moment, Neal was too focused on getting back to Henry and Emma. As bad as Rumplestiltskin falling into the Wicked Witch's hands was, the price for doing so was even worse: his own life.
  • Not Quite Dead: Survived falling through a portal as a child, ending up in our world. And again as a grown man, except this time he was also wounded, and washes up on an Enchanted Forest beach.
  • Older Than They Look: Neal's statement that he'd be over two hundred years old if it weren't for his world-jumping places him as one of the oldest characters in the series - at this point he actually may be older than his own father and most of the rest of the cast barring the more magical beings like the Blue Fairy.
  • Outlaw Couple: Was one with Emma.
  • Out of Focus: In the first three episodes of Season 3's second half.
  • Papa Wolf: Will go so far as to immobilize his own father to protect his son.
  • Parental Abandonment: His father chooses magic over him and Baelfire gets sent to a new world alone. His mother is later revealed to have abandoned the family to join her new lover, Captain Hook, at sea.
  • Posthumous Sibling: His father has another son with Belle named Gideon after his death.
  • Promotion to Opening Titles: Michael Raymond-James has been upgraded to be part of the regular cast in Season 3.
  • Promotion to Parent: In a way, he and his father reverse roles and Baelfire becomes his father's minder after Rumplestiltskin becomes the Dark One. Baelfire becomes his father's moral compass and the voice of reason once Rumplestiltskin starts to act childish and homicidal due to his new powers.
  • Reformed Criminal: Neal and Emma embarked on a life of sin together until August tracked him down. Seems like he's since gotten his act together when we first met him in the Season 2 premiere.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Gives PLENTY of these to Rumplestiltskin as a child and a fair amount of them to Rumplestiltskin as an adult.
  • Star-Crossed Lovers: Virtually every appearance of his in Emma's life ends with them being forcibly parted. (For what it's worth, "Going Home" did give them a chance to say goodbye for once.) The trope finally reaches its most tragic culmination in "Quiet Minds".
  • There Are No Coincidences: One of the few things he and his father still agree on.
  • Walking Spoiler: Due to being one of the keystones of the plot in multiple ways.
  • Wise Beyond Their Years: He proves to be very perceptive for someone so young.
  • You're Not My Father: After Rumplestiltskin becomes the Dark One, Bae thinks his father has changed so much that he is no longer his father.

    Robin Hood 

Robin Hood

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/robin_hood.png
Robin Hood: "I may be a thief, but I have a code, and I have to live by that code. Otherwise, what kind of life am I living?"
Centric Episodes: "Witch Hunt", "Heart of Gold"

A thief who tries to steal a magic wand from Rumplestiltskin in order to heal his true love, Marian. He escaped the Dark Curse the first time around, and he eventually finds a second love in the form of the former Evil Queen, Regina Mills.


  • A Day in the Limelight: The episode "Heart Of Gold", which takes the focus away from Storybrooke to show Robin Hood living in Manhattan while the flashbacks show how he met Will Scarlet and received his famous enchanted bow.
  • Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder: Even though he chooses to get back with his wife Marian after her supposed revival, he still loves Regina.
  • Advertised Extra: The trailers for his first appearance made a big deal about him, but he was only there for a side plot that was more about Rumplestiltskin and Belle. This was then inverted for Season 3, where he was barely mentioned in the trailers despite the creators teasing him having a relationship with Regina.
  • Ascended Extra: After a minor appearance in "Lacey," he becomes an important character in the middle of Season 3 thanks to his relationship with Regina.
  • The Big Damn Kiss: After a season of foreshadowing and a half season of hand-wringing, Regina and Robin kiss in "A Curious Thing" once the Wicked Witch's Dark Curse is lifted.
  • Bullying a Dragon:
    • He knowingly entered the Dark One's home to steal from it.
    • Many of his interactions in the Enchanted Forest with Regina fall under this category. Indignantly telling her that he's staying to "save her arse" resulted in an Oh, Crap! look from Snow and a Death Glare from Regina.
  • Deader than Dead: He's hit by Zeus' lightning, supposedly preventing him from having any afterlife. However, Henry suggests that Hades was lying (and Word of God eventually confirmed it).invoked
  • Dead Guy Junior: Regina and Zelena name his then-newborn daughter after him,.
  • Distressed Dude: Multiple times in Season 5 he is rendered physically helpless by magic and levitated as a hostage at the hands of Zelena or the Fury, in order to angst Regina.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: No stranger to heroic feats of grandeur, Robin takes a hit from Hades meant for Regina with little hesitation. Sadly, it's from the Olympus Crystal, so he's killed permanently.
  • It's All My Fault: He fully blames himself for getting Marian killed because he took a job after their child was born and she got killed as a result.
  • Killed Off for Real: Is felled by the Olympian Crystal during the resolution of the Underworld arc. Unlike Killian, Rumple, and numerous others who were Only Mostly Dead and brought back to life in one way or another, his demise seems to be permanent.
  • Like Parent, Like Child: His children. His son is taken to be raised by the Merry Men, so he'll likely end up the same sort of honorable rogue archer Robin is. His daughter, who's named after him, takes up his legacy in Season 7, and is a skilled archer, talented pickpocket, and snarky hero, just like her dad.
  • The Nth Doctor: Was played by Tom Ellis in his first appearance, which was a flashback in Season 2, and by Sean Maguire when he returned in Season 3 and all subsequent appearances. This was retroactively explained in Season 4 as him having used a glamour in that Season 2 flashback to prevent Rumple from recognizing him.
  • Old-School Chivalry: Robin's code of honor is his highest value, and this becomes a major point of contention once Season 4 turns his relationship with Regina into an unintentional case of adultery.
  • Papa Wolf: He's very protective of his son Roland since Marian's death and so he's reluctant to use him to catch Peter Pan's shadow in "Quite a Common Fairy" and immediately gives into Zelena's demands once Roland comes under threat in "Bleeding Through."
  • Promoted to Opening Titles: In Season 5, after recurring through Seasons 3 and 4.
  • Satellite Love Interest: Even after being promoted as a main character, his role revolves about being Regina's boyfriend.
  • Second Love: With Marian dead by Season 3, it is revealed his second chance at love and happiness is Regina. They meet in the second half of the season and quickly fall heads over heel for each other.
  • Shower Scene: In the episode "Heart of Gold".
  • Weapon Specialization: Robin Hood's signature weapon is of course the bow, though the magical nature of the villains tend to render his archery skills quite ineffective. Even when he steals a magic bow from the Wicked Witch, he only gets to use it once before Rumplestiltskin captures him and keeps it for himself.

    Captain Killian "Hook" Jones (Wish Realm) / Rogers 

Captain Killian "Hook" Jones (Wish Realm)/Rogers

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wishhookouat.jpg
Played By: Colin O'Donoghue
Centric Episodes: "A Pirate's Life", "Eloise Gardener", "Knightfall"

An alternate version of Hook created by the Evil Queen's wish for a world where Emma never became the Savior, who comes to the regular world in search of the same happiness the original found.


  • The Alcoholic: The original Hook enjoyed his rum, but this one let it take him badly to seed. Subverted in 7x02 when after acting drunk to get the original Hook's guard down, he reveals that he "hasn't touched a drop of rum for years".
  • Alternate Self: He is an alternate Hook who was created along with the Wish Realm by the the Evil Queen's wish.
  • Ascended Extra: Who would have expected a one-scene gag character to become a regular in the next season?
  • By-the-Book Cop: His cursed identity Rogers is the one good cop in Seattle.
  • Capture and Replicate: In "A Pirate's Life", he knocks out the original Hook, takes his blood and convinces Tremaine to use a spell to make him resemble his younger self so he can go back to Storybrooke with Emma to steal a true love's kiss, hoping it'll cure his poisoned heart.
  • Chess Motif: He's been repeatedly alluded as the White Knight. Alice even carried around a White Knight chess piece representing him.
  • Clueless Detective: Downplayed. He's not incompetent, but he runs into this problem in Hyperion Heights due to being Locked Out of the Loop on what's really going on there.
  • Contrasting Replacement Character: He takes up this role in the seventh season once the original Hook is gone. While he shares the exact same backstory as the first Hook, he evolves into a completely different character. Compared to the original Hook, he's a bit more lawful and by-the-book as Rogers. Also, the original Hook and Gold only ever tolerated each other's existence at best while Rogers comes to eventually befriend and make peace with Weaver/Rumplestiltskin. And while the original Hook took a long time to give up on revenge (and even relapses back into it on occasion), Wish!Hook chooses to give up on vengeance early on to concentrate on raising his own daughter.
  • Deal with the Devil: In "Knightfall", in order to gain the magic he needs to free Alice from the witch's tower, Hook enters into one of these with Wish!Rumple – information on how to obtain an artifact that will free any prisoner from their confinement, magical or otherwise, if he will agree to use it to free Rumple from his cell too. In the end thanks to Ahab's taunting, he doesn't go through with it, but the result is still devastating.
  • Donut Mess with a Cop: In "The Garden of Forking Paths", he takes a bear claw from the donuts Henry brought over.
  • Enemy Mine: Once Zelena reveals that Gothel took her daughter, Hook immediately wishes to join her quest as payback to Gothel for what she did to him and Alice. Lampshaded when Hook quotes "the enemy of my enemy is...", defied when Zelena insists she works alone, but it eventually becomes a genuine version of the trope once he impresses on her how much she needs help and she realizes how much they have in common.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: Back when he was still the ruthless Captain Hook who wanted revenge against Rumplestiltskin he found a woman in a tower, believing her to be Rapunzel, and slept with her. The woman turned out to be Mother Gothel who sped up her pregnancy in order to leave their newborn daughter behind in the tower she was trapped in so she could escape. Disgusted that Gothel would leave her daughter to die Hook abandoned his revenge to look after his newborn daughter. This also explains why he gave up on his Capture and Replicate scheme since he didn't want to separate a father from his child the same way he was separated from Alice.
  • Fair Cop: He's a detective and quite handsome.
  • Good Parents: It's revealed that this version of Hook is a father and stayed with his daughter after her mother trapped her in a tower. Hook even willingly gave up his revenge to be with his daughter.
  • Heel–Face Turn: After learning the original Hook and Emma are expecting a baby, he abandons his Capture and Replicate scheme and goes back to make amends.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: A non-fatal example; Hook is given a magic token which would ensure that he and Alice would remain related post-curse, but gives it away to Ella to keep her and Lucy together.
  • Heroic Willpower: In "Is This Henry Mills?", Rogers discovers when trying to free Tilly from the ritual circle that he can't touch her due to the return of the poison on his heart; once the curse is broken and he has his memories back, however, he refuses to accept this, fighting to overcome the magic enough to be able to stand by his daughter's side and lend her his strength. In a realistic touch, however, this didn't cure the poison nor did it leave him without side-effects, since afterward he's shown being wheeled away to the hospital on a stretcher.
  • Honor Before Reason: Hook's Fatal Flaw. Even though he willingly gave up a life of freedom to raise and protect his daughter, and even though he promised he would return to her as soon as he had the means to free her, Hook can't help succumbing to Pride when Ahab taunts him – not just about "going soft" but that he's actively working with the Dark One Rumplestiltskin to free him. This leads to the duel mentioned above... and despite winning and surviving it, the cost is still great.
  • Irony: The Dark Curse turns a notorious (former) pirate into a By-the-Book Cop.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Just like the original Hook. In "The Eighth Witch", he even sacrifices his chance to be with Alice during the curse so Cinderella can be with Lucy.
  • Last-Name Basis: In his cursed identity, virtually everyone refers to him by his last name. According to his actor, a first name hasn't even been thought of for him.
  • Literal Change of Heart: In "Leaving Storybrooke", Rumple sacrifices his own life by giving Wish!Hook his heart, saving the latter's life and curing the poison separating Wish!Hook and Alice.
  • Locked Out of the Loop: He doesn't regain his memories under the curse, which is what lets people like Eloise and Weaver manipulate him to their ends. Despite his growing suspicions, he remains ignorant of what's really going on in Hyperion Heights right up to when the curse is broken.
  • Meaningful Name: 'Rogers' as in Hook's ship, the Jolly Roger.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Rogers is obsessed with the disappearance of Eloise Gardener. Unfortunately Eloise is Mother Gothel and finding her just let out a dangerous witch in charge of a Coven even Zelena refused to join.
  • Mythology Gag: The original Hook became a deputy in Storybrooke at the end of Season 6. In Season 7, The Dark Curse turns this Hook into a cop then promoted to detective in Seattle.
  • Odd Friendship:
    • Strikes one with Rumplestiltskin/Weaver in Hyperion Heights. It lasts after the curse is broken and he regains his memories.
    • He also strikes one with Zelena back in the New Enchanted Forest, after he helps her rescue Robin from Mother Gothel and Madame Leota. It probably helps that their daughters are in a relationship.
  • Papa Wolf: To Alice and eventually, Robin, very much seeking to protect them.
  • Parental Substitute: He takes on this role for Robin after he helps Zelena save her from Gothel's machinations. It only grows over time as Robin gains romantic interest in his daughter Alice.
  • Playing Drunk: Wish!Hook appears to be slurring and swaying to the disgust of Hook. However, he suddenly states "I haven't touched a drop of alcohol in years" before knocking Hook out.
  • Police Are Useless: Unfortunately, he's this in Hyperion Heights despite his good intentions. His investigations are either being manipulated by someone else or they ultimately don't go anywhere.
    • In "Garden of Forking Paths", he investigates and arrests Victoria's unethical business partner, but the guy is released to act as The Mole by Weaver later in the episode.
    • In "Eloise Gardner", he solves the Eloise Gardener case and arrests Victoria Belfrey, but it's because Ivy was manipulating the evidence and it leads to Eloise/Gothel's freedom, which is a bad thing since she's secretly a villain. Victoria also gets released by Weaver two episodes later anyway.
    • In "Sisterhood", he unknowingly warns the Candy Killer himself that he and Weaver were investigating his case. In the next episode, he figures out Nick's identity and rescues Henry, it ultimately doesn't matter since Nick is immediately killed by Samdi before he can be questioned.
    • Finally, he investigates Samdi and seems to be close to finding out about magic, but he ultimately drops it after getting his memories back.
  • Recovered Addict: Rogers apparently used to be a bit of an alcoholic in his curse until Eloise Gardener was kidnapped while he was too drunk to be able to do anything making him quit. When Rogers receives false information telling him Eloise is dead he almost hits the bottle again.
  • Redemption Equals Death: Almost, as he accepts his impending death as just desserts for his evil acts. Luckily for him, neither Emma or the original Hook are having any of that.
  • Timey-Wimey Ball: A particular glaring one. Wish!Hook is able to interact with the New Enchanted Forest's timeline over 30 years prior to the Wish Realm actually being wished into existence.
  • The Un-Reveal: We never do learn the first name of his curse identity.
  • What You Are in the Dark: Wish!Hook could have left his daughter to rot in the tower while he simply left to live his life, and no one but he and Gothel would have ever known. Instead, he chose to stay and look after her.
  • You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Wish!Hook gives Zelena a speech like this to encourage her to prove her love to Robin and save her from Gothel.

    Cinderella / Jacinda Vidrio 

Cinderella/Jacinda Vidrio

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jacinda.png
Jacinda: "I have a lifetime of memories of Jacinda, a struggling single mom who never thought she'd have romance in her life again."
Played By: Dania Ramirez, Alejandra Pérez (teen)
Centric Episodes: "Hyperion Heights", "The Garden of Forking Paths", "Pretty in Blue"

  • Adaptational Badass: A far more adept combatant than most versions (including the show's own previous version).
  • Easily Forgiven: Even though she punched him in the face and stole his dagger and motorcycle, Henry forgives her without an apology, even falling in love with her.
  • It's All My Fault: She blames herself for Anastasia's death, although "One Little Tear" establishes pretty clearly that it wasn't her fault.
  • Jerkass: She comes off as this in flashbacks of her first appearance. She punches Henry in the face, steals his dagger and motorcycle, attempts to kill the prince for murdering her stepfather, and dismisses Henry when he tries to change her mind. She does appear to have softened up later on and as Jacinda, though.
  • Meaningful Name: Her curse name of Jacinda sounds similar to Cinderella and means "hyacinth," the flower that keeps popping up in relation to her throughout "Hyperion Heights".
    • Her cursed surname, Vidrio, means "glass", as in glass slippers.
  • The Other Darrin: In-universe; "Hyperion Heights" states that there are infinite realms with alternate versions of existing characters, so this one is Latina rather than the original blue-eyed blonde version played by Jessy Schram.
  • Pet the Dog: She is friendlier towards Henry when they meet again in "The Garden of Forking Paths".
  • You Killed My Father: Her motivation for going to the ball is to get revenge against the prince for her stepfather's death, though she can't bring herself to go through with it.

    Lucy Mills-Vidrio 

Lucy Mills-Vidrio

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lucy_26.jpg
Lucy: "You're waiting for the perfect first sentence, but no story is perfect. It just needs a start."
Played By: Alison Fernandez

    Tiana / Sabine 

Tiana/Sabine

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tiana_7.png
Sabine: "I can fight my own battles. I always have."
Played By: Mekia Cox
Centric Episodes: "Greenbacks", "A Taste of the Heights"

    Lady Tremaine/Victoria Belfrey 

Lady Rapunzel Tremaine/Victoria Belfrey

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lady_tremaine_season_7.png
Lady Tremaine: "I sacrificed everything for my family. And the only thing I ever got in return was pain."
Played By: Gabrielle Anwar, Meegan Warner (young)
Centric Episodes: "One Little Tear"

  • Abusive Parents: The obvious Cinderella aside, poor, poor Drizella. Tremaine was willing to kill her and use her heart to bring back Anastasia. Even in Hyperion Heights, she cannot give the girl a single compliment. She eventually does come to love Drizella, though, and has a Redemption Equals Death moment to save her.
  • Adaptational Badass: While she has no magic of her own, she does possess magical items that let her use magic which is more than most versions of Tremaine have.
  • Adaptational Heroism: Zigzagged. On one hand, while she's still a villain, she has an understandable reason to hate Cinderella - she blames the latter for the death of her daughter Anastasia. On the other, "One Little Tear" establishes pretty clearly that it wasn't Cinderella or her husband Marcus' fault.
  • Adaptational Villainy: Rapunzel was the hero and protagonist of her original story. Here she is the wicked stepmother to Cinderella, and even as Rapunzel, was more willing to make evil choice, such as poisoning Cecelia. As Lady Tremaine, she is also capable of murder, with little thought put into it.
  • Advertised Extra: She is considered a series regular in Season 7, but is killed off halfway through. In fact, Drizella and Gothel, who are both non-regulars, have more episode appearances than her.
  • Big Bad: Of Season 7, due to her efforts to gentrify Hyperion Heights bringing her into conflict with the good guys. She turns out to unknowingly be in a Big Bad Ensemble against her own daughter Drizella, who actually cast the new curse, and Mother Gothel, the witch she kept prisoner who is really working with Drizella. Then it turns out that Gothel is the sole true Big Bad, as she out-gambits both Tremaines and imprisons them once they're no longer of use.
  • Big Bad Wannabe: As soon as Drizella turns out to have plans of her own with Gothel and be the actual caster of the Dark Curse, Tremaine is quickly removed from the playing field after Drizella and Gothel get her arrested. Gets subverted later, as she does manage to revive Anastasia while pulling the wool over Drizella and Gothel. Then double subverted when it turns out even that was part of Gothel's plan and that Gothel is the one true Big Bad here.
  • Composite Character: She is both Lady Tremaine and Rapunzel.
    • Of several previous villains. She wants the Heart of the Truest Believer for her plans like Pan, and hates a stepchild for causing the death of a loved one like Regina. Just like Rumple and Maleficent, she is motivated by losing her child and like Regina and Hook her actions are driven by revenge after losing a loved one. Finally, she keeps a prisoner and has an antagonistic relationship with them exactly like Jafar.
  • Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: While Regina kept all the fairy tale characters in Storybrooke, Lady Tremaine's goal is to gentrify Hyperion Heights and drive the characters out. In addition, she has no magic of her own, and all of the magic that she does use is facilitated by magical items. She never cast the Dark Curse either; that was her daughter, Drizella. It was actually part of her cursed identity to think she did.
    • Tremaine is also one to Pan. Both have plans centred around a young child's belief but Pan manipulated that belief to gain power while Tremaine wants to crush it to revive Anastasia.
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: Her first appearance in "Hyperion Heights" is straight out of The Devil Wears Prada.
  • Easily Forgiven: Henry accepts her as an ally to the Resistance even though she tried to kill him.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: In contrast to other versions of Tremaine, this one genuinely loved Anastasia, and is distraught by her death.That said, Anastasia didn't see her that way and believes she and Drizella never cared for her at all.
  • Evil Is Petty: Victoria goes back on her promise to give Jacinda a free ticket to Lucy's ballet recital, citing the need to raise funds for charity. And sets the ticket price at just above Jacinda's paycheck.
  • Evil Parents Want Good Kids: Favors Anastasia, whom she believes to be pure of heart, over Drizella, who is scheming and mean-spirited like herself.
  • Face–Heel Turn: The kind-hearted Rapunzel became Cinderella's wicked stepmother. Even more shocking since this Rapunzel is based on the Tangled version.
  • Heel–Face Turn: She has made one before the curse, allying with the heroes to stop Drizella. Unfortunately, it doesn't last because of Drizella manipulating her memories to think that she cast the curse, causing her to become a villain again as Victoria Belfrey. She eventually makes one for real when she sacrifices herself to save Drizella/Ivy and Lucy.
  • Heel Realization: Seeing Ivy's agony makes Victoria realize how her own selfish actions helped turn her daughter to darkness and the only way to make amends is to give up her own life.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: She makes one to save Ivy and Lucy (mostly Ivy).
  • Hope Crusher: Since Lucy's heart is protected from being ripped out, she needs to crush her belief to revive Anastasia, which she does in "One Little Tear".
  • Kick the Dog: Even before becoming Lady Tremaine, she was indifferent to Ella at best. When Marcus dives into a frozen lake to save Ella and Anastasia, Rapunzel reassures Drizella "He'll get her" referring to Anastasia, showing that she doesn't care about Ella.
  • Manipulative Bitch: She tends to manipulate others into carrying out her ends.
  • Meaningful Name: As in the belfry of a tower.
  • My God, What Have I Done?:
    • Has a moment when Gothel tells Anastasia all the things Tremaine has done to revive her.
    • During the last moments of her life, she tearfully apologizes to Ivy for having mistreated her and professes her love for her before dying.
  • Mythology Gag: She only has magic because she stole a Fairy Godmother's wand. Guess how Lady Tremaine got powers in Cinderella III: A Twist in Time.
  • The Other Darrin: Alternate versions of the same character were previously played by Lisa Banes (Tremaine) and Alexandra Metz (Rapunzel). Again, this is in-universe: she's from the same realm as the above-mentioned version of Cinderella.
  • Parental Favoritism: Makes no secret about favoring Anastasia over Drizella, even trying to steal the latter's heart to revive the former.
  • Pet the Dog: It seems she went along with Gothel's plan in "Secret Garden" because she genuinely thought she was going to save Lucy with no strings attached.
  • Redemption Equals Death: Dies in a Heroic Sacrifice to save Ivy and to a lesser extent Lucy.
  • Tragic Villain: In true Once tradition, Lady Tremaine's not acting purely out of malice; her plan is to break Lucy's spirit so she can steal her belief and revive Anastasia.
  • Unwitting Instigator of Doom: It was her villainous acts that distanced Anastasia from her and Drizella and become closer to Gothel, which made it even harder for Drizella/Ivy to make amends with Anastasia, to the point where Anastasia even attempted to kill Ivy before the two finally make amends and return to the New Enchanted Forest Together.
  • Unwitting Pawn: Thanks to Fake Memories implanted by the curse, she (and the viewer, initially) thinks that she cast the curse in the first place, but it was actually Drizella and the Coven of Eight. She eventually does know that it wasn't her who cast the curse, as while threatening Regina and Zelena, she mentions that Regina cast a curse to save her son; it's likely that Drizella told her sometime while they were trapped in the well.
  • Villain Has a Point: Drizella didn't listen to her when she claimed Gothel was only using her. She should have.
  • Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: She counts as one as her actions were caused by Marcus and Drizella essentially replacing her with Cecelia, along with Anastasia's death.
  • Would Hurt a Child: Indirectly. She uses Lucy's tear to revive Anastasia, which puts her in a potentially lethal coma.

Alternative Title(s): Once Upon A Time Captain Hook, Once Upon A Time Snow White, Once Upon A Time David, Once Upon A Time Henry Mills, Once Upon A Time Zelena, Once Upon A Time Hook

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