Characters / Tangled - Cassandra

Tangled Main Character Index
Main Characters (Cassandra | Varian) | Allies & Others | Villains

Cassandra

This character is a Walking Spoiler, and all spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!

"I show up with heart ablazing / Ready to achieve amazing things / But I'm left waiting in the wings."

^{Click to see her corrupted form}
"Now, I have nothing left to lose."

Voiced by: Eden Espinosa, Cassie Glow (kid), Hudson D'Andrea (toddler) (English); Marie Tirmont (speaking; singing, season 1), Prisca Demarez (singing, seasons 2-3) (French); Erika Ugalde (Latin-American Spanish); Mie Sonozaki (Japanese); Kim Oh-kyeong (Korean), Stella Musy (Italian), Anna-Maija Tuokko (Finnish), Mercedesz Csampai (Swedish)
Appearances: The Series

Rapunzel's handmaiden and the adoptive daughter of the captain of the Royal Guard. A highly capable yet deeply insecure secret warrior, she longs for recognition, albeit whilst being fiercely protective of Rapunzel. However, a road trip results in her discovering a major revelation about herself that winds up changing her.

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A-D

• Action Girl: She's a tough-as-nails handmaiden who knows her way around a sword. Then, she merges with the Moonstone and becomes a Person of Mass Destruction.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: She's given a comparatively kinder and more sympathetic portrayal in the comics than in the series, though she still spends plenty of time messing with Eugene.
• Adults Are Useless: In "Queen for a Day", she watches Varian, who's not only a kid but also her friend, beg Rapunzel for help saving his father... and does absolutely nothing about it.
• Aesop Amnesia:
  • In both "Challenge of the Brave" and "Under Raps", she learns to share her issues with Rapunzel so they can work things out together. However, she continues hiding her problems and burying them within her in future episodes, most notably "Rapunzel and the Great Tree".
  • In "Great Expotations", she learns not to put ambition before friendship, but does it again in "Goodbye and Goodwill", "Rapunzel and the Great Tree", "Destinies Collide", "Rapunzel's Return", "Cassandra's Revenge", "A Tale of Two Sisters", "Once a Handmaiden...", and "Plus Est En Vous".
  • In "Painter's Block", Cassandra discovers that her hard work does pay off after all, as her father gives her the task of investigating missing person Feldspar. She's given more guard assignments in "Not In The Mood" and "Secret of the Sundrop", even getting the opportunity to lead the Royal Guard in the latter episode. Yet in "Rapunzel and the Great Tree", she sings "Waiting in the Wings" about how she lives in the shadow of greater men and women and her chances to be a hero seem fewer than ever.
  • "Goodbye and Goodwill" has her and Rapunzel reaching an understanding, with Cassandra apologizing for being competitive. Despite this, most of the third season still has Cassandra trying to undermine Rapunzel by rising above her.
  • Both "Freebird" and "A Tale of Two Sisters" have Cassandra truly realizing Rapunzel's love for her; the former episode has her very close to tears over Rapunzel choosing to sacrifice herself for her, nearly suffering permanent Death of Personality in the process, and the latter episode has her learning to what extent Rapunzel was abused under Gothel (something she already should have learned back in "The Quest For Varian" with Eugene's retelling of Gothel's death and the events that led up to it, and "Rapunzel: Day One" with how an amnesic Rapunzel with no memory of anything that transpired since before she met Eugene behaves), but "Once a Handmaiden..." has her assuming Rapunzel wants to kill her.
  • In "Rapunzel: Day One", after the events of the episode give her a better understanding of Rapunzel, she assures her she can't stay mad at her forever and that she'll get over what recently happened, but winds up outright victim-blaming her in Season 3.
• Affectionate Nickname: Her friends call her "Cass". Varian calls her "Cassie", a name she doesn't like at first, but eventually warms up to.
• Affirmative Action Girl: Added to the series so that Rapunzel could have a female friend.
• All Take and No Give: Throughout Season 2, Cassandra slowly begins to feel as though, despite all of her hard work to help the group reach the Dark Kingdom and protect Rapunzel, she and her efforts are being continually ignored by the people it matters to most.
  • Rapunzel, despite ultimately caring about Cassandra and being scared of what her destiny will bring, comes across as Innocently Insensitive in "Freebird" as her constant stops to rest and delay the trip to the Dark Kingdom start to get on Cassandra's nerves.
  Cassandra: This trail of black rocks is your destiny, but I dropped everything to make sure you get to the end of it. I'm taking this seriously, why aren't you?
  • Continued in "Rapunzel and the Great Tree" again when Rapunzel claims to Cass that she doesn't need any protecting, and later fawns appreciation onto Adira. This ultimately leads to Cassandra blowing up in frustration at her, only making the situation worse.
  • This is ultimately reversed. Cassandra, under Zhan Tiri's guidance, betrays Rapunzel and snatches the Moonstone, the very thing she had worked so hard to help Rapunzel reach, right from her fingertips. Going from giving her all for the people she cares about to only focusing on what she herself was denied.
• All There in the Manual:
  • In the comic issue "Hair it is", Cassandra is revealed as a serial perpetrator of the Gift-Giving Gaffe trope (she is the image of the page).
  • In Rapunzel and the Lost Lagoon, it is confirmed that Cassandra has a Friendless Background, something only implied in the series.
• Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Cass sports black hair and can be quite dismissive of anyone who doesn't meet her standards (read: Eugene). She also seems aloof with Varian until he proves to her he can work hard.
• Always Second Best: She is revealed to have been jealous of Rapunzel for quite some time for being a Born Winner while Cassandra has trained hard her whole life and yet is still stuck in Rapunzel's shadow. Then it turns out that Gothel, her own mother, abandoned her for Rapunzel. She even lampshades this in "Rapunzel's Return", when she blows up at Rapunzel following her betrayal and theft of the Moonstone.
  Cassandra: My whole life, I've been cast aside for you!
• Ambiguously Gay: She doesn't express any interest in romance, with her secret relationship with Andrew being a ruse. At the same time, her various interactions with Rapunzel seems to be close beyond best friends, which is even deliberately invoked by storyboard revisionist Amber Leigh, who says there was "an unspoken creed w[ith] all the female board artists to throw all the sapphic [looks and actions at] Cass..". "Beginnings" seems to imply she Has a Type in women who can kick ass.
• Ambition Is Evil: In her "I Want" Song "Waiting in the Wings", she longs to 'achieve amazing things' and laments about living in Rapunzel's shadow. At the end of season 2, Cassandra pulls a Face–Heel Turn to "fulfill her destiny".
• Animal Lover: Despite her attitude towards people, Cassandra displays a clear love for animals. Ranging from horses and Pascal the chameleon, to less common animal types like her owl, rats, and wolf puppies.
• Antagonistic Offspring: Though she's not the Captain of the Guard's biological daughter, the threat she poses to Corona now that she's a villain and his duty to protect the kingdom means he will have to fight her. Not wanting to do so, he retires from his position and gives it to Eugene.
• The Antichrist: Zhan Tiri corrupts Cassandra into becoming this, taking the Moonstone, teaching her to master its power by focusing on her hatred and anger, all so that she can eventually allow her return to the mortal world.
• Anti-Role Model: Exaggerated with her portrayal in Season 3, particularly with her trusting a stranger with blatantly sinister motives, committing numerous crimes, performing treason against her home kingdom, taking her loved ones for granted, and attempting to murder her former friends. It's clear that doing all of this is not only bad for the people around her, but Cassandra herself as well.
• Arc Villain: Following her merge with the Moonstone and becoming corrupted by its power, she becomes the main antagonist of the third and final season, although the actual Big Bad is the one manipulating her, the Enchanted Girl/Zhan Tiri.
• Arc Words: "Waiting"/"Wait". Her song in Season 2 and its reprise in three is titled "Waiting in the Wings", she's Rapunzel's lady-in-waiting, and much of her struggles in the first two seasons is her waiting to be given the opportunity to prove herself and receive the recognition she thinks she deserves. Her past shows that she was always waiting for her mother's love, but never got it. And when Rapunzel tries to get through to her, she accidentally presses her Berserk Button by telling her to "wait". Safe to say, Cassandra is done waiting.
• Ax-Crazy: Downplayed. As a villain of Season 3, she has a short temper and is quick to resort to violence, but she isn't insane and can be reasoned with to a point.
• Beauty Is Bad: Though she wasn't in any way ugly before, Cassandra looks more positively attractive after pulling a Face–Heel Turn and taking the Moonstone, and is a power-hungry villainess bent on surpassing Rapunzel and obtaining power.
• Became Their Own Antithesis: A loyal friend to Rapunzel who wanted nothing more than to become a member of the royal guard to defend her kingdom. In season 3, she betrays Rapunzel and her friends and attacks Corona in a fit of rage.
• Be Careful What You Wish For:
  • In "Cassandra's Revenge", she demanded that Rapunzel fight her, despite her former friend's refusal to do so. She finally gets her to fight by threatening to kill Eugene... and ends up being overpowered by Rapunzel when she unlocks the Sundrop's full power.
  • After Cassandra learns that The Sociopath Manipulative Bitch Gothel chose Rapunzel over her (to manipulate her into The Pawn) she Goes Mad From The Revelation, and blames Rapunzel for stealing her mother's love and her childhood. Then, she spends a year under the care of the Enchanted Girl, who is the Big Bad manipulating her. So Cassandra got the childhood she missed.
  • In "Plus Est En Vous", Cassandra claims that she wants Rapunzel to know what it feels like to fall short despite your best efforts. Cassandra will achieve that, just because she dies fighting the Big Bad and Rapunzel decides to risk everything to bring her back.
    Rapunzel Cass? Cass? No, Cassandra, It can't end this way, You can't leave. I won't let you.
• Because Destiny Says So: Her betrayal of Rapunzel and bonding with the Moonstone is she, by her own words, "fulfilling my destiny!"
• Beneath the Mask: The ending of "Lost and Found" reveals that someone in Rapunzel's group will turn on her once they reach the Dark Kingdom. As Eugene scans the group by the fire, his eyes fall on Cassandra, who turns to look at him briefly with what seems to be a genuine smile. However, as she turns away from him, her smile becomes noticeably more sinister and devious, which Eugene realizes. Things go even souther in the next episode.
• Berserk Button:
  • Cassandra was taught from a young age (probably too young) to pull her own weight, and now has less than zero tolerance for moochers and people who succeed without hard work.
  • In "Rapunzel's Return", Rapunzel seems to be getting through to Cassandra... until she tells her to "wait". Cassandra has been "waiting" her entire life, only for nothing to come of it, so she's done "waiting". This drives her to turn her back on her former friend completely.
  • Being called a villain: Cassandra was willing to Pet the Dog with Varian because she doesn't blame him for anything, then he told her, "becoming the villain isn't the answer". Cassandra immediately menaces him with violence and ends with throwing Varian in a cage suspended above a great height. After Cassandra discovers the true identity of Zhan Tiri and hears the "Not So Different" Remark, she runs and is so enraged she calls the black rocks to destroy a random tree.
• Big Bad Slippage: Similar to Varian, Cassandra at the start of the series has big ambitions and the competence to see it through, but is constantly overlooked and under appreciated to the point where she has an "I Want" Song lamenting the fact that she always seems to be living in the shadow of greater men and women. Fast forward to Season 3, and Cassandra has become an insane, murderous woman who's commandeered the powers of the Moonstone and is willing to either kill or magically enslave people for her own ends, driven by her jealousy and resentment.
• Big Bad Wannabe: The series finale has her turning on Zhan Tiri and attempting to take the powers of the Sundrop and Moonstone for herself. It backfires spectacularly when Zhan Tiri takes the Moonstone from her as well as the Sundrop, before giving Cassandra a savagely honest "The Reason You Suck" Speech and leaving her to die with Rapunzel.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: After finding out about how Gothel abandoned her in favor of Rapunzel's magic hair thanks to Zhan Tiri, she pretends to remain loyal towards Rapunzel and Eugene for the rest of the journey, before revealing her new and true colors by snatching the Moonstone for herself.
• Blood Knight: A good fight is her idea of fun.
  Rapunzel: [fending off a guy with a sword] Sorry, Cass, you were so right about being on the road: it is not all fun and games!
  Cassandra: [smiling like a maniac] Are you kidding? This is fun! [punches a guy in the face]
• Blue Is Heroic: Zigzagged. Cassandra starts out in a white and blue handmaiden uniform before changing between it and her predominately brown adventurer's garb, and then a metallic suit of armor. She only adopts blue into her primary color scheme when she merges with the Moonstone. She loses all the blue after Zhan Tiri takes the Moonstone from her, and pulls a Heel–Face Turn afterwards.
• Body Horror:
  • In "Rapunzel and the Great Tree", while trying to get Rapunzel to stop using the hurt spell, she reaches for her shoulder, only to pull it back in pain when the spell backlashes onto her, burning and corrupting her right arm.
  • Her Painful Transformation in "Destinies Collide" one-ups this by having the black rocks spread through her body as they create her new armor.
• Bodyguarding a Badass: Cass' other duty as Rapunzel's lady-in-waiting is to keep her safe. The show deconstructs this, since Rapunzel can take care of herself more often than not, leaving Cass feeling unneeded and useless. This contributes to her insecurity of being always second best and always waiting to be recognized for her abilities. Later, Cass somewhat evens the field when she merges with the Moonstone.
• Boyish Short Hair: She has short hair to show her tomboyish and assertive personality. She had longer hair as a child.
• Brainy Brunette: Cassandra has black hair and is deftly intelligent.
• Bratty Half-Pint: Interestingly, it's heavily implied she grew into this as a child after being adopted by the Captain of the Guard, as shown when she briefly regressed to that age.
• Broken Ace: Cassandra is indeed extremely capable, to the point of possessing many skills when it comes to combat, horseback riding, acting, martial arts, clever thinking, and handmaiden duties... but she is also deeply insecure. It reaches the point where she needs constant validation to keep feelings of inadequacy at bay. Even Zhan Tiri calls her out on her fragile ego. This also extends to a major part of her motivations for her villainy following her Face–Heel Turn, in which she resents Rapunzel for gaining more glory than her and supposedly having a charmed life, despite the fact that she had the loving adoptive parent and happy childhood Rapunzel was denied and had already been very much respected by the people of Corona.
• Broken Pedestal: To Varian. At the start of the series, the boy greatly admired her and had a big Precocious Crush on her. However, Cassandra not checking on him in the events following Zhan Tiri's blizzard despite witnessing him plead for help, as well as charging at him with her sword, causes him to lose faith and respect in her, even attempting to crush her to death during his Rage Breaking Point. This continues on in Season 3 after Varian's Heel–Face Turn, where he is disheartened by her rejecting his attempts to reach out to her, trapping him in a cage, and readily endangering his life. A lot of Varian's actions in the following episodes are dedicated to trying to stop Cassandra, and in "Once a Handmaiden...", he is intent on destroying her by permanently encasing her in amber.
• Brutal Honesty: It's practically her mother tongue. For example, when Rapunzel has been booed for the first time in her life:
  Eugene: [catching on] You don't know what "boo" means, do you?
  Rapunzel: Yeah, I do, it's a cheer. Like "yippie", "hooray", "boo", right...? No? All right, so what does it mean?
  Cassandra: It means someone hates you.
  Eugene: Way to sugarcoat it, Cassandra.
• But Now I Must Go: The series finale has her leaving Corona with Owl and Fidella to discover her real destiny.
• Byronic Hero: She's a withdrawn individual with deep insecurities and a desire to be recognized. She's also one of the main heroes.
• Cain and Abel: The Cain to Rapunzel's Abel. Rapunzel thinks of Cassandra as her older sister, and following "Rapunzel's Return", Cassandra tries to murder Rapunzel several times throughout the season.
• Calling the Old Man Out:
  • She's quite shocked on learning her father led a group of Elite Mooks that nearly got her, Rapunzel, Eugene and Maximus killed in retrieving an important MacGuffin. Unlike Rapunzel, who hits a Rage Breaking Point with her father, Cass handles it better.
  • In "Secret of the Sundrop", Cassandra calls the Captain out for sending her to a convent because she was the one who let Rapunzel go out the castle against the King's orders, and claims to have been disappointed by her father, but later in the episode she gives an apology and claims she has never been disappointed by him.
  • This trope is played straight during "Islands Apart". After her Face–Heel Turn Cassandra furiously lets the Captain know she doesn't appreciate him hiding her parentage from her for over twenty years, before she disowns him and traps him inside a cavern so he can't follow her.
• Cassandra Truth:
  • If Rapunzel and co heeded Cassandra's warnings, their adventures would probably be far less dangerous. Ironically, Cassandra refuses to believe that Zhan Tiri means her anything but well and that Rapunzel still cares about her in spite of everything she did, a fact that bites her in the ass hard in the Grand Finale.
  • Cassandra violently rejects Varian's warnings that no matter how good the path of evil feels, whatever she's getting out of it won't last and she'll lose her mind in the process. Sure enough, Cassandra's mental health continues to decline and her actions only aid Zhan Tiri, much to her horror.
• Celibate Hero: Outside of a secret relationship that that was actually a trap for both parties, Cassandra doesn't pay any attention to romance.
• Cerebus Retcon: The Reveal in "Rapunzel's Return" about Cassandra's Dark and Troubled Past cast a dark shadow in a lot of apparently innocent moments:
  • In "What the Hair", after Cassandra sees Quirin being Disappointed in You to his son Varian, she places her hand on his shoulder. This shows us that Cassandra can sympathize by Commonality Connection. Further invoked by "Great Expotations" where she and Varian connect through their shared experiences attempted to make their fathers proud of them. This makes it all the worse once it becomes clear that Cassandra at a very young age wanted nothing more than to earn her mother's love.
  • In "Cassandra vs. Eugene" Cassandra mentions she "doesn't have time for dreams" and that "she was taught from a very young age to focus on the here and now". Eugene tries to invoke Bonding over Missing Parents with Cassandra, asking her what she did fantasize her parents were, but Cassandra tells him she doesn't want to talk about it with him. The real reason Cassandra did this was not to deny Eugene of bonding, but because she is repressing the painful memory of being abandoned by her mother the day she kidnapped baby Rapunzel.
• Character Development:
  • Even though she disliked Eugene at first due to him being a former thief that took to lazing around the castle, she eventually comes to respect him as time goes on.
  • Inverted in Season 3. Throughout most of the series until then, Cassandra was a kind, loyal, and protective best friend towards Rapunzel and had her back. Despite being a handmaiden and brushed off as such, Cassandra sought to become a respected and independent warrior. However, after learning the Awful Truth about how she was abandoned by Mother Gothel in favor of Rapunzel's magic hair, Cassandra completely turns her back on Rapunzel and all her other loved ones, seeking to find her destiny via darkness, usurpation, revenge, and warmongering, and shedding her honorable qualities in the process. To top it off, she blindly trusts Zhan Tiri, and freely allows the demon to manipulate her into doing terrible things.
  • In "Plus Est en Vous", she finally acknowledges and takes responsibility for her misdeeds, defeating Zhan Tiri alongside Rapunzel afterwards. Once all is said and done, she becomes kind once more, even admitting to Eugene that she missed him, in addition to making amends with her father.
• Cheerful Child: She was this as a young four-year-old. Despite living alone in her isolated cottage with Mother Gothel Cass continued to smile and work diligently to earn her mother's love. It doesn't last.
• Childhood Home Rediscovery: As revealed in "Rapunzel's Return", the mysterious door that Cass was drawn to during the events of "Rapunzeltopia" led to her old childhood house. Things went downhill for her fast when she learned what the memories in that home were like.
• The Chosen One: Inverted. Lord Demanitus' prophecy accurately predicted that she would turn on Rapunzel at the end of their journey. If anything, Cassandra fits The Chosen Wannabe far better, hating Rapunzel for having been born with incredible power while Cassandra has trained hard her whole life and yet still hasn't achieved her desired glory.
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Upon her Face–Heel Turn, Cassandra develops a nasty habit of throwing all her former friends and allies under the bus. She betrays Rapunzel by stealing the Moonstone and wants to kill her for overshadowing her. Then she disowns her adoptive father for lying to her and keeping her true parentage a secret. In the finale, with the princess within her grasp, Cassandra decides she doesn't need Zhan Tiri's guidance anymore, so she turns on her so she can have the victory for herself. Cassandra even says herself she doesn't need anyone else.
• Conditioned to Accept Horror: After nearly two years of dealing with killer robots, a homicidal Teen Genius, ghosts, pirates, a murderous member of an Ancient Order of Protectors and his living tree, the wicked followers of an ancient warlock bent on her home's destruction, and just about every monster outside of Corona, being trapped in a tunnel filled with giant vermin and poisonous, flammable gas yields little more than a remarkably blasé "We've dealt with worse" from Cassandra.
• The Confidant: Rapunzel confides in her about her deep and personal feelings; like why she doesn't want to marry Eugene yet, her issues with newfound responsibilities as a princess, and is the first person she trusts with things like sneaking out of the castle and the sudden regrowth of her magic hair.
• Control Freak: Downplayed and justified. As Rapunzel's lady-in-waiting, she is required to direct Rapunzel on how to act as a princess and keep her on schedule with her royal duties, a busy task that occasionally conflicts with Rapunzel's naturally free spirit. But when something more serious comes up, (like, say, Pascal going missing), she'll end up deferring to whatever Rapunzel wishes to do.
  • All There in the Manual zigzags this trope: "Barefoot friends" shows Cassandra assigned a lot of royal tasks to Rapunzel merely to keep her from seeing her new friend, Sophie (though only because she was worried Rapunzel would leave her), but in "Caution: Wet Hair", Rapunzel accidentally disobeys Cassandra's orders and Cassandra forgives her and helps her.
    Rapunzel: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. There was this bunny...
    Cassandra: Hey, it's okay. You're not coming home to Mother Gothel anymore. Things happen, I understand...
• Cool and Unusual Punishment: She's utterly terrified that if her dad finds out that she snuck out Rapunzel to see the black rock spikes, she'd be sent to a convent. This fear turns out to be justified; Fredric, after he finds out, has the Captain send her to live in a convent in the first season finale.
  • This is actually a case of Truth in Television as, during the medieval times, women were punished with forced conversion for any number of reasons.
• Connected All Along: She turns out to be the biological daughter of Mother Gothel, as revealed in the Season 3 opener.
• Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: To her mother. Mother Gothel is old, calculating, and without feelings, whereas Cassandra is young, impulsive, unpredictable, erratic, and still filled with conflicting affections for her ex-best friend, which she tries to put aside for her ambitions. Rapunzel lived with Cassandra in her home just as she did with Gothel, but while Gothel was a always a selfish Bitch in Sheep's Clothing whose idea of affection was nothing short of abusive, Cassandra did start out caring for Rapunzel even though she was rough on the edges, but she ends up hating her for unintentionally outshining her, and then backstabs her.
  • In the movie, Word of God claims that they wanted to give Mother Gothel a Troubled Abuser vibe in the first part of the movie because she seems to have feelings for Rapunzel, but the last act establishes Gothel firmly as The Sociopath. In the series, Cassandra is a genuine Troubled Abuser. invoked
• The Corruption: Her arm goes through this in "Rapunzel and the Great Tree" when she tries to stop Rapunzel from making the Moonstone incantation. Later on, Cassandra's whole body ends up corrupted after she grabs the Moonstone and bonds with it.
• Curtains Match the Window: After she merges with the Moonstone, her hair and eyes turn pale blue.
• Dark Is Evil: Her appearance after gaining possession of the Moonstone supports a lot of black and dark blue. Like her mother Gothel, this is in contrast to Rapunzel.
• Dark Is Not Evil: Her pre-Season 2 finale clothing contains dull coloring aside from her handmaiden one, but she had been one of the heroes and Rapunzel's loyal companion.
• Dark Magical Girl: Cassandra makes for a good fit following her Face–Heel Turn. She becomes the Evil Counterpart of The Heroine (that being Rapunzel), and is deeply envious of both Rapunzel’s privileged life as Princess of Corona and the fact that Gothel, her own mother who she craved approval from, abandoned her in favor of Rapunzel. She’s driven by a desire to obtain power and recognition, having felt deprived of it her entire life. In doing this, she becomes The Dragon for the Big Bad, Zhan Tiri, who uses her as an Unwitting Pawn by pretending to help her “fulfill her destiny”. Finally, she performs a Heel–Face Turn in the Grand Finale, “Plus Est en Vous”, helping Rapunzel defeat Zhan Tiri and reconciling with her in the process.
• Deadpan Snarker: She has quite the witty sense of humor.
• Deceptive Legacy: A variation. She always knew she was adopted, but she never remembered that her mother was Gothel, and her adoptive father never told her that. Cassandra found out in the worst way possible; in the House of Yesterday's Tomorrows, she was guided to a mysterious door that showed memories that she has long ago repressed, and saw that Mother Gothel abandoned her the night Rapunzel was taken as a baby. The Captain keeping this knowledge from her ended up being a mistake, shaking her trust in her adoptive father.
• Declaration of Protection: Towards Rapunzel, especially during the road trip in season 2.
• Deuteragonist: In the series, she supplants Eugene in this role. She is The Not-Love Interest to Rapunzel and has as much, if not more, characterization as her.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: From Season One to Season 2, Cassandra never stops being her brutally snarky self, but she does start to become a friendlier, more relaxed person around Rapunzel and their friends.
• Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: During Season 1, Cassandra defines her destiny with serving the royal guard beside her dad. By Season 3, however, it becomes clear that Cassandra doesn't really know what she wants to be in life - only that she's desperate for validation from it.
• Didn't Think This Through: As Season Three goes on, it becomes clear Cassandra has no clear idea how she would actually use the Moonstone to find her destiny. The real brains behind her so-called "destiny" is Zhan Tiri, continually spurring Cassandra's actions on that are, at the heart of it, an elongated breakdown with no end in sight beyond the vague hope that Cassandra will come out on top.
• Disappeared Dad: While we eventually learn that her biological mother was Gothel, the identity of her biological father is currently unknown. Cassandra even states prior to finding out Gothel was her mother that she never knew her parents.
• Disc-One Final Boss: For the final season, before Rapunzel and company face Zhan Tiri.
• Dishing Out Dirt: The Moonstone gives her power to control the black rocks.
• Disproportionate Retribution:
  • "A Tale of Two Sisters" has her getting tricked into thinking Rapunzel hid the memory that proved Gothel loved her, and so she promptly leaves Rapunzel trapped in a cave that starts to fill with poison gas.
  • Done even further in "Once a Handmaiden...", when she thinks Varian (actually Zhan Tiri) fired at her with the amber gun, she immediately sheds her desire to reform and goes on a violent rampage, devastating Corona and nearly killing multitudes of people, even though many had done nothing to harm her.
• Dramatically Missing the Point:
  • While she is correct that Eugene benefits from being Rapunzel's boyfriend, she completely ignores that Eugene willingly sacrificed his life to give Rapunzel her freedom. She also seems to miss Eugene proving that having Rapunzel in his life, happy and safe, is more important to him than any financial or social reward he happens to gain from it.
  • The breaking point for her turning to evil is that her own mother abandoned her in favor of Rapunzel, which she interprets as Rapunzel, yet again, always getting what's been denied to her. However, Mother Gothel was abusive and kept her confined, while the adoptive father Cass gained genuinely cared about her. Rapunzel tries pointing this out, stating neither of them were ever loved by Gothel, but Cass dismisses it.
• The Dreaded: In the penultimate episode, after Zhan Tiri exposes her by pulling off the shapeshifting cloak she's wearing, the people of Corona scream and flee from her, and the guards attempt to capture her.
• Driven by Envy: After her Face–Heel Turn at the start of Season 3, Cassandra's jealousy of Rapunzel becomes one of her biggest motivations for pursuing power and status for herself at everyone else's expense, wanting to see herself rise above Rapunzel.
• Drunk on the Dark Side: In Season 3, Cassandra cuts herself off from all her friends and loved ones, gives into all her most selfish, bitter and sociopathic traits, and obsesses over getting what she wants by any means necessary. As a result, she steadily starts to go insane. Her verse in "Nothing Left To Lose" delves into her Season 3 mindset. Even if she feels a bit lonely about her where her recent life choices have left her, Cassandra relishes the raw, destructive power the Moonstone gives her, and she has no problem using it against anyone who opposes her (it's implied that the magical gem helps to amplify the negative emotions she already possesses). In the penultimate episode of the season, she cuts loose and completely destroys Corona's capital in a fit of rage and wrath.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: Her driving motivation is to get people to acknowledge and respect her. It's hard when most people brush her off as a mere handmaiden, and when your best friend decides to ignore your advice.

E-G

• Easily Forgiven: After attempting to kill Rapunzel several times, enslaving people, and taking over Corona in Season 3, the finale has Rapunzel readily forgiving her without holding a grudge, even telling her she loves her after Cassandra's Heel–Face Turn. Eugene is also fine with her despite how rude she was to him and the fact that she tried to kill him, too (even pulling her in for a hug). Justified, as it was made plain how Zhan Tiri had urged Cassandra on, and Cassandra had owned up to her misdeeds enough to shed Tears of Remorse and beg Rapunzel not to forgive her, thinking she doesn't deserve it, helped Rapunzel defeat Zhan Tiri, and temporarily died while doing so.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Cassandra would never destroy anything that had sentimental value to others, unless it reminds her of her past friendship with Rapunzel. When Cassandra was throwing expensive vases at Rapunzel out of anger, she went to a unique one, and Rapunzel begged her not to break it, for her Aunt Willow made it, leading Cassandra to put it down.
• Everyone Has Standards:
  • Despite being the daughter of the Captain of the Guard, and almost equally no-nonsense personality, she can be pretty understanding and holds no grudges against former criminals like the Pub Thugs.
  • She dislikes Eugene, but even she thinks her dad shouldn't be making up rules to keep the former thief from becoming a Royal Guard.
• Evil Costume Switch: After bonding with the Moonstone, her full body armor is completely discarded, in favor of a mostly black, full-body outfit, with dark blue highlights, and glowing blue eyes and hair.
• Evil Counterpart:
  • She gradually becomes this to Rapunzel following her Face–Heel Turn and Took a Level in Jerkass. Both of them were abused by Mother Gothel and had sheltered pasts, but while Rapunzel is an All-Loving Hero who brings kindness and positivity to others following her release, Cassandra is a ruthless villainess who will stop at nothing to obtain glory. This is reflected in how Cassandra has a Dark Is Evil form after obtaining the Moonstone, whereas Rapunzel, who bears the Sundrop, embodies Light Is Good.
  • She also qualifies as this to Eugene. While Eugene seeks to make up for his past criminal ways and dies for Rapunzel at one point before being revived, Cassandra only increases the threat she poses to Corona while becoming driven by a desire for validation and petty revenge against Rapunzel, not to mention having attempted to kill her several times.
• Evil Former Friend: She betrays Rapunzel and Eugene at the end of "Destinies Collide". When Rapunzel tries to appeal to her in the following episode, Cassandra rejects her and runs away.
• Evil Makeover: Bonding with the Moonstone causes Cassandra to gain a new outfit, as the trope above elaborates.
• Evil Wears Black: Merging with the Moonstone causes her armor to be destroyed and replaced by a bodysuit made of the black rocks themselves, with only a spiraling blue pattern accompanying it.
• Expository Hairstyle Change:
  • The flashback in "Rapunzel's Return" reveals that in her childhood, she used to have long wavy hair and was more girly, open and vulnerable. Then, her mother abandoned her, and as a young woman, she has Boyish Short Hair, signifying the walls she built around her heart since then.
  • In the season 2 finale, she betrays Rapunzel, gains magic, and turns evil, and the Moonstone she merges with turns her hair pale blue.
• Eye Colour Change: After she merges with the Moonstone, her eyes turn icy blue, matching her new hair.
• Face–Heel Turn: Cass hides her true intentions from the group for some time until she reveals she has decided to go against them in the season 2 finale, becoming the princess's counterpart as the Moonstone. We learn in the Season 3 premiere that Cassandra's betrayal was out of shock and anger after learning her biological mother, Gothel chose to abandon Cass in favor of Rapunzel.
• Failed a Spot Check:
  • In "A Tale of Two Sisters", she ignores that a piece of the mirror showing a memory of Gothel expressing her motherly love towards her younger self is missing, and thinks Rapunzel hid the memory from her.
  • In "Plus Est en Vous", upon crashing into Rapunzel's old room during their duel, she neglects to check if Zhan Tiri is still inside the cage Cassandra imprisoned her in.
• The Farmer and the Viper: As of the third season, she has betrayed, attacked, and attempted to brutally murder Rapunzel multiple times. Rapunzel, the devoted friend who respected her, cared about her, supported her no matter what, and nearly suffered permanent Death of Personality pulling a Heroic Sacrifice for her. She also displays this attitude towards her adoptive father, Eugene, and Varian. Partially justified due to circumstances and Zhan Tiri manipulating her, but it's still very harsh and unreasonable on Cassandra's part.
• Fashionable Asymmetry: Her leggings have different colors near the boots. After gaining the power of the Moonstone, this instead changes to her right arm turning into a blue glove and with a blue spiraling pattern down her otherwise pure black spike armor.
• Fatal Flaw:
  • Her massive, massive self-worth issues. On the surface, Cassandra is a badass warrior who appears to have everything under control, but dig a little deeper and you'll find a woman who has heavily tied her worth as a person to how others view her. Denying her this validation, or making it appear as if you're abandoning her, is a good way to send her into a downward spiral that she will never admit to until it's already blown up in her face. It gets even worse when she becomes a villain. Cassandra interprets the most well-meant advice, e.g. Rapunzel asking her to wait and Varian indirectly calling her a villain, as them talking down to her. Instead of listening, she just clings tighter to her new source of validation, the Moonstone, in the hopes that it will solve her problems.
  • Envy. Jealousy tends to bring out the worst in Cassandra, making her resentful and irrational, which is hinted at as early as "Challenge Of The Brave", where she gets increasingly fed up with Rapunzel (unintentionally) upstaging her and taking the class difference between them for granted. All three of Cassandra's major songs hint at some latent envy mixed in with her unhappiness with her life, that grows stronger each time. In "Waiting In The Wings", she sadly laments the fact that despite a lifetime of hard work and dedication, she's always standing in the shadows of greater men and women who all seem to have more fulfilling lives than her, and she wonders if she'll ever get her time to shine. In "Crossing The Line", she finally airs every single grievance she has with Rapunzel holding her back, accuses her of rubbing her perfect, privileged life in her face, and decides she's going to take the sort of life she wants by force, putting everyone else's safety at risk to do so. In "Nothing Left To Lose", she makes it clear that she wants what everyone else has - she tells Varian that she's using the Moonstone's magic to claim the sort of power, status and recognition she feels the world owes her after being denied it for so long. By the latter half of Season 3, Cassandra's envy has grown to the point where she expresses anger at the fact that, even if Rapunzel was abused by Gothel, at least she got to spend time with her.
    Cassandra: There's a line between the winners and the losers. There's a line between the chosen and the rest. And I've done the best I could, but I've always known just where we stood: Me here with the luckless, you there with the blessed!
• Foil:
  • To Rapunzel — Rapunzel is a bubbly, naive girl who wears light clothing and comes from a wealthy family; Cassandra is a serious, smart girl whose main outfits are dark clothing and her family works for royalty. This becomes even more pronounced once Cassandra merges with the Moonstone, essentially becoming the destructive counterpart to Rapunzel's solar healing, and then we learn that Gothel was Cassandra's biological mother, but abandoned her for Rapunzel.
  • To Eugene — Both are the sarcastic, cynical loved ones to Rapunzel. However, while Eugene is a former criminal, Cassandra is a servant for the royal family (though this element is inverted near the end of the third season, where Eugene is captain of the Royal Guard, and Cassandra not only becomes a criminal, but Corona's most dangerous threat). Eugene is lax and lighthearted while Cassandra is serious and more introverted. Eugene is more satisfied with his place in life while Cassandra is more restless. This factors into Eugene still sticking around Rapunzel after learning about his past, while Cassandra takes the Moonstone and leaves Rapunzel after learning about hers.
  • To Varian — Both were allies of Rapunzel before they both betrayed her, but while Varian was a clumsy and awkward teenage boy who loved alchemy and science, Cassandra was a snarky, no-nonsense woman who wanted to join the Royal Guard. While Varian's motivation to betray Rapunzel are of his own volition due to what happened to his father and the subsequent Trauma Conga Line he finds himself in, Cassandra’s motivation to betray Rapunzel is slowly built up and pushed along by the Enchanted Girl just before finding the Moonstone.
    • This is even more pronounced in "Rapunzel's Return": when Rapunzel tried to get through to Cassandra, the latter attacks her in response, wrongly perceived Rapunzel as being condescending to her all her life, and ends up rejecting their friendship. Varian, however, did still want to be friends despite his Face–Heel Turn and became much more self-aware of how low he sank in season 1. When Rapunzel later offers him another way to free his father, he jumps at it and reconciles with both Rapunzel and his father.
    • Additionally, while Varian openly admitted that he had become "the bad guy" (albeit claiming it was through no fault of his), Cassandra refuses to acknowledge that she has become a villain.
  • To Zhan Tiri. Once she discovers Zhan Tiri has been lying to her for months in "Once A Handmaiden", Cassandra is insulted when she claims that they're alike - but out of all the times Zhan Tiri lied to her, this claim was truthful. In the final few episodes of Season 3, it's revealed that Zhan Tiri used to be a friend of Demanitus, before she turned her back on him and her old life to steal the power of the Sundrop and the Moonstone for herself, and she was willing to do anything to get it. A lot like how Cassandra shows little to no concern for who might get hurt or how the world might burn because of her actions throughout Season 3, so as long as she can use magic to get what she wants (all the way up to the series finale, where Zhan Tiri backstabbing her is the only thing that stops her from stealing the Sundrop for herself and trying to join it with the Moonstone). The fact that they have several personality traits in common is the reason why Zhan Tiri was able to play her so easily, and why she was always able to stay one step ahead of her in the backstabbing game. Zhan Tiri is essentially what Cassandra would be if she had zero redeeming qualities: and unlike Cass, Zhan Tiri could not care less about whether or not her quest to grab power for herself makes her a good person.
• Following in Their Rescuer's Footsteps: Cassandra was treated like a slave by Mother Gothel until she was four, when Mother Gothel kidnapped Princess Rapunzel and abandoned Cassandra. The Captain of the Guard decided to adopt Cassandra as his daughter, and years later, Cassandra's Goal in Life is to become a royal Guard and serve her Kingdom like her father.
• Forced Transformation: Twice; she gets turned into a bird in "Freebird" and into a younger version of herself in "You're Kidding Me."
• Fountain of Youth: She, along with Shorty and Lance, are turned into children during the episode "You're Kidding Me".
• Freak Out: Discovering how she was abandoned by Gothel leads Cassandra to decide she's done being a part of other people's destinies and take the moonstone for herself.
• Freudian Excuse:
  • Deep down, Cass only wants to be loved, but her experiences have convinced her it doesn't come unconditionally. Cassandra's mother, Gothel, treated her like a maid when she was a toddler, then abandoned her entirely. She is adopted by a man who, while loving, rarely showed his emotional side and taught her to earn her keep. To make her father proud, she wants to follow in his footsteps, only to constantly be pushed to the sidelines. Essentially, "If I do this, mother will love me" became "If I am the best at this, father will love me", and then "If I am the best, everyone will love me." And then she moves on from that, ultimately embracing the idea that "If I am all-powerful, I won't need anyone to love me."
  • Although those were Repressed Memories for many years, Cassandra's early childhood's memories still shaped how she did and did not want to spend her life: She dislikes her Lady-In-Waiting duties because she associates such work with the poor circumstances Gothel had her living in. She's convinced Love Is a Weakness because as much as she loved Gothel, her mother never showed her love in return. Being rescued by the Captain of the Guards motivated her to Following in Their Rescuer's Footsteps and became a Royal Guard. And so, for Cassandra being a Lady-In-Waiting means to be belittled and despised, while being a Royal Guard means freedom and the chance to gain recognition by doing something useful.
• Friendless Background: Cassandra spent the first few years of her life lodging in a tiny cottage, isolated in the middle of nowhere with only Mother Gothel to keep her company, and even when she moved into Corona's capital with the Captain of the Guards, it's clear that Cassandra never had any real friends until Rapunzel and Eugene came into her life - at which point, she was already a woman in her early 20's. As a side effect, Cassandra is a very private person; She rarely ever likes to talk about her problems or share her innermost thoughts, but she still feels growing irritation at her friends when they keep stepping on her Berserk Buttons out of ignorance. This character flaw proves to be a point of contention between Cassandra and Rapunzel (who, due to her own Friendless Background, is terrible at reading a room and has a bad habit of pushing her friends past their limits) for the first two seasons, and eventually helps to strain their friendship to a breaking point by the end of Season 2.
  • "Rapunzel and the Lost Lagoon" outright confirms this trope: In Chapter 6, Eugene has just met Cassandra for the first time, and he tries to make small talk, asking her if she has any friends in the castle, and Cassandra answers that she doesn't have any and she doesn't need them. In chapter 31, while believing Rapunzel has given her friendship bracelet to a new friend Dahlia, Cassandra thinks, "Friends are stupid. That's why I never had any."
• The Friend Nobody Likes: She's a friend towards Rapunzel and the others through Proximity, Necessity, Deserving, and (at least in the case of Rapunzel and to a lesser extent Eugene and Pascal) Caring. With Cassandra's aloof attitude, it isn't hard to see why she would have trouble or even be unwilling to form connections, not to mention having had a Friendless Background and previously being reluctant to have friends at all. She doesn't interact all that much with her friends aside from Rapunzel, and that's not even getting into how she often clashes with Rapunzel and legitimately hated Eugene at first. It spite of this, she gets along incredibly well with the people of Vardaros.
  Cassandra: [Calliope's] the most annoying person I have ever met, and look who I'm friends with!
  Lance: Wait, we're friends?
• Friend-or-Idol Decision: First exaggerated, and then deconstructed: Cassandra is made to chose between her dreams and her friends four times in the series, and she chose their friends, but when she discovers Mother Gothel had the same choice and she chose immortality (Rapunzel) over Cassandra, she Goes Mad From The Revelation and makes a Face–Heel Turn. From that time on, Cassandra will chose the Idol until the very end.
  • In the "Beginnings" flashback, (chronologically, the first time this trope happened) she had a choice between succeeding at the Contest of the Crowns (which would win her a place in the Ingvarr Battalion, but also make her leave behind Rapunzel) or deliberately lose the contest (a show of how much her friendship with Rapunzel means, even at the cost of her dream). One can figure out which she ultimately chose.
  • In "Challenge of the Brave", Cassandra needs to choose between her friendship with Rapunzel or the I Just Want to Be Special dream of respect as a warrior she had always craved in the competition. She chooses Rapunzel.
  • In "Great Expotations", Cassandra needs to choose between her friendship with Varian (who has a Precocious Crush on her) or the Goal in Life to be part of the Royal Guard. She chooses Varian.
  • At the end of season 1, Cassandra had lead the Royal Guard against Varian, achieving at last her dream. But the second season shows that Cassandra has abandoned her dream again to help Rapunzel to find her destiny, as Cassandra states in "Freebird":
    "This trail of black rocks is your destiny, but I dropped everything to make sure you get to the end of it."
  • In "Rapunzel's Return", she recalls Mother Gothel had her own Friend-or-Idol Decision between Cassandra and Baby Rapunzel's magic. Mother Gothel choose the Idol and Cassandra Goes Mad From The Revelation.
  • In "Islands Apart", Cassandra choses pursuing her destiny over her Adoptive Father.
  • In "Cassandra's Revenge", Cassandra choses pursuing her destiny over Varian.
  • In "Race to the Spire", Cassandra choses pursuing her destiny over Calliope.
  • In "A Tale of Two Sisters", Cassandra choses revenge over Rapunzel.
  • And in "Plus Est En Vous", Cassandra choses Rapunzel over her destiny after Zhan Tiri betrays her.
• Full-Contact Magic: She directs the black rocks with hand gestures.
• Fusion Dance: Does a power booster type, with an Evil Makeover, with the Moonstone.
• Gift-Giving Gaffe: All There in the Manual reveals that Cassandra is a serial perpetrator of this trope: she has given boots to Rapunzel for her birthday, a sword in a baby shower, and trying to defy this trope, she asks for Rapunzel's help to find a gift for her father, so Cassandra picks a sword she herself would love to have and a Homemade Sweater from Hell (Cassandra believes her father sleeps in his guard uniform, so it's very improbable her father would ever use it).
• Goal in Life: Cassandra's whole life pretty much revolves around becoming a royal guard like her father. This is subtlety deconstructed, as her devotion to this goal has made her neglect other important aspects of life, such as having fun and making friends.
  • Becomes deconstructed even further in Season 3, as part of Cassandra's goal in taking the Moonstone is figuring out what her goal in life is. And if she can even obtain it.
• Good Costume Switch: Gets a new costume after Heel-Face Turning for good in the finale. It can be seen above. In contrast with her usual more dreary costumes, this one is green and gold.
• Green-Eyed Monster: "Challenge Of The Brave" showed the first hints of it, when Cassandra puts Rapunzel at risk of being hurt and then attacks her herself out of envy, and "Rapunzel's Return" reveals that she has been jealous of Rapunzel for a long time, hating the fact that Rapunzel was "born for greatness", while she had to work to achieve her goals.

H-M

• Hair-Trigger Temper: After Cassandra's Face–Heel Turn and her subsequent Sanity Slippage, her temper becomes a lot more volatile and dangerous, and it does not take much at all to set her off, especially if Rapunzel is involved.
• Handicapped Badass: Losing her dominant hand to a silly Magical Incantation isn't going to stop Cassandra from being a good swordswoman.
• Happily Adopted: "Cassandra v. Eugene" reveals that the Captain of the Guard is not her biological father. "Islands Apart" has her disowning him, though they reconcile in the finale.
• Hated by All: "Once a Handmaiden..." shows that everyone in the kingdom now views her as a traitor and fears her, forcing Cassandra to travel under disguise to get close enough to Rapunzel. The heartbreaking part is seeing even Uncle Monty and Shorty attacking her.
• Headbutting Heroes:
  • With Eugene, but when the time calls for it, they do work together without any major problems.
  • With Rapunzel, especially in the second season when Rapunzel becomes more assertive and the two don't agree on what to do as much as they did before.
• The Heavy: In Season 3. While Zhan Tiri is pulling the strings, Cassandra's actions while possessing the Moonstone is what drives the conflict.
• Heel–Face Revolving Door: After crossing over to the dark side at the start of Season 3, Cassandra comes very close to seeing reason again and changing allegiances twice that season before she finds an excuse to snap right back to where she was before and double down. In "A Tale Of Two Sisters", Cassandra briefly begins to warm up to Rapunzel again when they're forced to work together to survive, before she turns on her once more when she decides Raps is still trying to steal her mother's "love" from her, and leaves her to die. In "Once a Handmaiden...", Cassandra abandons the Enchanted Girl upon discovering her true identity as Zhan Tiri, and decides she needs to apologize to Rapunzel, but she's too afraid to approach her directly, and eventually she decides there's no point in trying to be good again if the people of Corona will never take her back. This time, she lashes out at the entire kingdom and destroys the city with her wrath.
• Heel–Face Turn: In the finale "Plus Est En Vous", she finally finds her way back to the light and becomes good again, helping Rapunzel defeat Zhan Tiri.
• Heel Realization: In "Once a Handmaiden", after a season of Cassandra arguing that she's not a villain, she gets a "Not So Different" Remark from the Big Bad, runs terrified and finds a "Wanted!" Poster identifying her as a Traitor with a drawing showing her Evil Makeover. Then she stares at the destruction she's caused, and her Evil Tower of Ominousness and the truth very quickly dawns on her.
  Cassandra: Am I the bad guy?
• Heroes Prefer Swords: Most of her collections are swords and she carries around a rapier. She pretty much no longer needs it after gaining control of the black rocks. Didn't stop her from taking Adira's sword for herself though, she's been using that more then the rocks.
• Her Own Worst Enemy: DEFINITELY.
  • While she's undoubtedly been dealt a rather bad hand by fate, much of Cassandra's worst problems stem from her being too stubborn to face the reality of her actions, her ego, her Chronic Backstabbing Disorder, and her inability to get out of her own way. One by one, her behavior drives away anyone who cares about her. Even Zhan Tiri points out that at the end of the day, she's only got herself to blame for all the burned bridges and harm caused in pursuit of her destiny.
  • As of the second season, Cassandra has essentially earned her happy ending. She's made her father proud, had been entrusted to lead the Royal Guard and other citizens of Corona with the assault against Varian, had been entrusted by King Frederic to keep Rapunzel safe during the trip outside Corona (an immense honor considering how protective he is of Rapunzel given he lost her and the fact that she may now be facing danger), found friends who care deeply about her, and is admired by the people of Vardaros, who even like her far better than Rapunzel. The only downsides are that Rapunzel trusts Adira and ignores Cassandra's advice more often than not. And yet she still falls prey to her insecurities and desire for recognition, resulting in her being where she is by the third season, thus bringing upon herself a Happy Ending Override.
• Horrible Judge of Character: Oh Cassandra, you have to be careful who you trust (or mistrust.)
  • She doesn't like Eugene at all at first, believing he isn't worthy of Rapunzel, and that as a former thief he doesn't belong in the castle. She completely disregards his more noble qualities, least of which that he's not only loyal to Rapunzel but also to the Kingdom of Corona in general.
  • She is also highly wary of Adira, despite Adira's genuine helpfulness towards the group.
  • On the other side of the spectrum, she takes the Enchanted Girl at her word when this girl (who's really an evil spirit) claims to want to help Cassandra get revenge on Rapunzel and feigns kindness towards Cassandra. Cassandra hereby completely misses the Enchanted Girl's suspicious intentions. During this period, she pushes away Rapunzel, Eugene, and Varian, who genuinely do want to help her. Later, it's revealed the Enchanted Girl really is Zhan Tiri in another form and had manipulated Cassandra, whom she doesn't actually care about, as part of her plan to be released from her prison. The reason Enchanted Girl was able to get Cassandra to trust her so easily was because she stroked her ego, unlike Eugene and Adira. By the time Cassandra finally stopped trusting Zhan Tiri, it was already far too late.
• Hostage Situation: In "Cassandra v. Eugene", the Stabbington Brothers take her and Eugene hostage to escape the royal guards. Later, in Season 3's "Race to the Spire", she becomes the hostage-taker when she and Zhan Tiri use Calliope as the last piece of a Gambit Pile Up that persuades Rapunzel into giving over the key to the Mind-Trap Talisman.
• Hypocrite:
  • She's quick to call Eugene self-centered, but Cassandra herself can be very selfish; she almost jeopardized Eugene and Rapunzel's relationship due to not wanting to face consequences for sneaking Rapunzel out of the castle in the pilot for the series, tries to sabotage Rapunzel in "Challenge of the Brave" due to being upstaged, and then there's the second season's finale, where she takes the Moonstone for herself. In the season 3 premiere, she makes it very clear that she's going to use its power to achieve the greatness she believes she deserves.
  • There's a small moment in "Cassandra's Revenge", where she derisively remarks how hard it must be to make decisions with only "ex-convicts and losers" left as friends. Which is a bit rich coming from her, a former handmaiden turned villain with murderous intentions.
  • By Season 3, Cassandra has fully convinced herself that everyone she's ever known has only used her and discarded her for their own ends, and hates them all for it. That being said, in "Race To The Spire", it's revealed that Cassandra's endgame plan for the season involves turning every member of the Brotherhood into her mind-controlled slaves, stripping them of their free will so they can become foot-soldiers of her own army, using them for her own ends.
• I Can Rule Alone: In the finale, Cassandra has not forgotten any of the times Zhan Tiri has manipulated her, so she turns on the demon and decides she will defeat Rapunzel and take all the power for herself.
• Icy Blue Eyes: After she betrays Rapunzel and merges with the Moonstone, her eyes turn pale blue.
• I Have Your Wife: She has bargained with both Eugene and Calliope's lives in order to get what she wants out of Rapunzel.
• I Just Want to Be Loved: Cassandra has wanted someone to love her unconditionally since she was a child, but her skewed understanding of what that means and fear of leaving her heart vulnerable has caused her to pursue mass admiration instead of meaningful relationships.
• I Just Want to Be Special: She reveals in "Rapunzel and the Great Tree" that she's been waiting for a day where she gets recognized and appreciated but she's always second best and left to the sidelines. By the time of "Destinies Collide", she decides to take destiny into her own hands and become special via fusing with the Moonstone.
• I Lied: She assures Rapunzel she won't hurt Calliope if the former surrenders the Mind-Trap to her in "Race to the Spire", only to attempt to kill her anyway after Rapunzel does exactly what she demanded.
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: What ultimately drives Cassandra to villainy. Despite acting arrogant, she believes that despite her best efforts, she's always failed and been looked down on. A thought process that Zhan Tiri manipulates to convince Cassandra to take the Moonstone to forge her own destiny. Rapunzel's resolve to never give up on her just makes her feel worse. Cassandra is also desperate to earn even a sliver, a splinter, a bit of what she really craves. When the moonstone breaks and the mirror on Mother Gothel's lair is found, we see a sliver that has the same form in both of them. It's only a fraction of the things Cassandra craves, but the sliver in the mirror shows Cassandra the truth, and the sliver of the moonstone allows Cassandra to redeem herself. She also mentions this in "Challenge of the Brave":
  Cassandra: And just when I thought I might get even the slightest bit of respect... never mind.
• Ink-Suit Actor: Cassandra bears a striking resemblance to a younger, short-haired Eden Espinosa.
• Irony:
  • Throughout the first two seasons, Cassandra is characterized as someone who's very slow to trust people, and is very quick to criticize other people's personality flaws, but as the show progresses, it steadily becomes apparent that Cassandra herself is often the most selfish and untrustworthy member of the main cast.
  • During her Villain Song, "Crossing The Line", Cassandra thinks she's setting herself free and embracing a chance to reach her full potential by running off with the Moonstone and cutting loose the princess who's always been holding her back with false promises (hence the song's liberating tone). When, in reality, Cassandra is just trading in one set of chains for another one, since the Moonstone is not a good substitute for human company and her new acquaintance Zhan Tiri is just using her.
• Insane Troll Logic: In "Cassandra's Revenge", she reacts with anger when Varian tells her she doesn't have to be a villain. She insists that she is not a villain, despite the fact that she betrayed her friends, attacked the man who adopted and raised her, and threatened the safety of Corona if she didn't get what she wanted.
• Ironic Echo: "Be careful with who you trust." The first time it's said, Cassandra warns Rapunzel to not be so trusting to people of the outside world, as they're venturing into unknown territory. Cue "Destinies Collide", Cassandra says this mockingly after she is corrupted by the Moonstone.
• Irrational Hatred: In "Cassandra's Revenge" and "Race to the Spire", she threatens Corona (and therefore hundreds, if not thousands, of people) because of a one-sided rivalry with its princess.
• It Gets Easier: She goes from simply wanting to escape Rapunzel's shadow (albeit via theft) to resorting to things like attempted murder, destruction, mind control, abduction, and warmongering. Even Rapunzel has to admit Cassandra is more lost than she thought.
• It's All About Me: One of her more prominent traits:
  • In "Challenge of the Brave", she resents Rapunzel for joining the eponymous contest. Cassandra sees the contest as a chance to prove herself to the entire kingdom, whereas Rapunzel only sees it as a fun thing to do with her friend and has no interest in winning. This doesn't stop Cassandra from getting angrier as Rapunzel wins event after event, going so far as to sabotage Rapunzel. Rapunzel says that if Cass had just explained how much winning meant to her, she would have gladly backed out of the contest.
  • In "Great Expotations", she makes a deal with Varian to be his assistant in a presentation of his invention in exchange for him lessening her workload. He holds up his end, but she can't resist going back on hers when the opportunity to be the official guard to the judge of the contest presents itself.
  • This comes to a head in "Destinies Collide", where Cassandra steals the Moonstone and takes its power for herself, with the only explanation she gives before the transformation being how she's "fulfilling her destiny." The Season 3 premiere reveals that she is doing this chiefly to finally get out of Rapunzel's shadow, and attain the greatness she believes she deserves. The remainder of the season has her fully acting on self-centered desires, to the point where she commits crimes like attempted murder and terrorism simply because it would benefit her.
  • In the series finale, she sheds all remaining restraint and is fully intent on obtaining the powers of the Sundrop and Moonstone for herself, proclaiming she doesn't need anyone else, and turning against Rapunzel and Zhan Tiri for that chance. Even Zhan Tiri has to call her out for her ego, comparing it to Gothel's.
• It's All My Fault: After Zhan Tiri stabs her in the back and tosses her aside, Cassandra is given a long overdue reality check that leads her to finally admit that her jealousy and shortsightedness have destroyed her home, ruined all her friendships and brought about the end of the world. Following this, she and Rapunzel team up once more and destroy Zhan Tiri.
• I Was Just Passing Through: Cassandra's standard answer when she helps others:
  • In "Fitzherbet, P.I", Cassandra tells Eugene she doesn't care if he becomes a guard or not just before giving him advice how to pass the test.
  • In "Great Expotations", Cassandra saves Varian instead of the scientist she was assigned to guard:
    Varian: You chose me!
    Cassandra: Don't flatter yourself kid, now come on, we've got a job to do!
  • In "A Tale of Two Sisters", Cassandra begins to protect Rapunzel again...
    Cassandra: The problem with the mole hole is, that there is a whole mole in it, remember Raps?
    Rapunzel: You called me Raps! You haven't called me Raps since...
    Cassandra: Oh, don't read into it!
• Jerkass:
  • In "Challenge of the Brave," she becomes so annoyed with Rapunzel for stealing the spotlight from her during the titular challenge that she tries to sabotage her by hiding Rapunzel's chosen weapon for the Circle of Death match. Cassandra puts Rapunzel in serious danger, all out of petty envy.
  • Cassandra gets even worse in Season 3, partly because of Zhan Tiri's lies and the Moonstone's negative influence, but mostly because of her own personality. For the bulk of Season 3, Cassandra shows herself to be a resentful, power-hungry hypocrite who would endanger Corona and the entire world for her own self-gain, try to murder people she used to consider her friends only a few months ago, strip people of their free will so she could use them as her slaves without a second thought, and generally have little to no regard for anyone other than herself - all while lamenting the times other people have slighted her.
• Jerkass Has a Point: While this made herself wary of people who are actually trustworthy, Cassandra had a point in that Rapunzel should be careful with who she trusts outside the borders of Corona, especially since she is unfamiliar with the intentions of the people out there.
• Jerkass Realization: In "Great Expotations", she apologizes to Varian in regards to going back on the deal she made with him when the opportunity for her to be the official guard to the judge of the contest presented itself.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Cassandra is snide and dismissive, with a surly attitude towards most people, especially Eugene, but shows her soft and protective side to Rapunzel. At least, until the Season 2 finale. She regains her Heart of Gold after her Heel–Face Turn in the Season 3 finale.
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: "Cassandra's Revenge" has her bringing Pascal back to Rapunzel in one piece despite initially trapping him in a cage made of black rocks. It's not long after that she tries to murder the both of them, anyway.
• Kick the Dog:
  • In "Cassandra's Revenge", she unhesitatingly attempts to kill Eugene on his birthday, taunting him while doing so, right in front of Rapunzel. All just so she can provoke Rapunzel into fighting her.
  • In "A Tale of Two Sisters", despite Rapunzel's constant support, and the fact they were genuinely starting to reconcile, Zhan Tiri's manipulations lead Cassandra to abandon Rapunzel in the tunnels under Corona.
• Knight in Sour Armor: Cassandra isn't the most optimistic person around, and she clashes with Rapunzel's idealism more than once, but she still has her heart in the right place. Until "Destinies Collide," that is.
• Lack of Empathy: After her Face–Heel Turn and subsequent Took a Level in Jerkass, Cassandra becomes unconcerned with those wronged by her actions, even if they've done little to no harm to her.
  • After finding out about her true parentage, she's furious at Rapunzel for being chosen by Gothel over her, completely disregarding the abuse Rapunzel suffered under Gothel's care. In the finale, she does bring up Rapunzel's abuse by Gothel... to lambast her for supposedly not understanding how she feels to be taken for granted.
  • In "A Tale of Two Sisters," she leaves Rapunzel trapped in a cave filled with poisonous gas with no one but Pascal by her side. Cassandra's briefly hesitant, but she rejects Rapunzel's pleas for help and walks away.
  • In "Once a Handmaiden...", once she's decided to embrace what people think of her, she covers Corona's castle and city with black rocks, forcing people out of their homes.
• Lady-In-Waiting: She's supposed to fill this role regarding Rapunzel, as the daughter of a royal retainer who is tasked with keeping company to the local Princess. "Destinies Collide" makes that a little bit more difficult.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Cassandra gets her share of comeuppance.
  • She loses the Challenge of the Brave by default after Rapunzel attempts to throw the challenge on learning why Cass does not want her there, even though as Rapunzel says, if Cass had just told her then she wouldn't have participated.
  • In "Cassandra's Revenge", after going out of her way to threaten all her friends, and bait a fight from Rapunzel, Cassandra is knocked off the top of her tower by the force of the resulting battle - just managing to catch herself and survive. Additionally, the Moonstone she betrayed her friends to get has been left damaged from the battle.
  • In the series finale, "Plus Est En Vous", Cassandra is given a taste of her own medicine when it comes to being backstabbed. Zhan Tiri waits until Cassandra has weakened Rapunzel for her, and then she swoops in and steals the Sundrop and the Moonstone for herself, leaving Cassandra totally powerless.
• Leeroy Jenkins: In the Season 2 premiere, she relentlessly picks a fight with Adira and underestimates her capabilities, cumulating in Adira beating her.
• Like Parent, Like Child:
  • Cassandra shares the Captain's self-righteous sense of right and wrong. It may be her intentionally emulating her father's behavior however, as it was her greatest dream to join the guard and serve with him.
  • She shares her mother's dry, occasionally bitter sense of humor and several of her darker personality traits when she betrays Rapunzel.
  • Cassandra also shares the same key weaknesses as her mother, vanity and ego. Vanity for Gothel meant doing anything to stay young and keep her looks. For Cassandra, it manifests as a desire for glory and attention. Like her mother, Cassandra's ego makes her prone to underestimating her opponents and overestimating what she can handle.
• Living a Double Life: She is the princess' Lady-in-Waiting by day, but she dabbles in combat when she has the time. However, she does not go around advertising her abilities because what she does will draw attention to Rapunzel, and such news might reach the King. Later on, she has to juggle being the Lady-In-Waiting and a Guard-in-Training.
• Love Is a Weakness: After pulling a Face–Heel Turn, Cassandra destroys things that remind her of her emotional attachments. She cultivates Power Of Hate she needs to control the black rocks and believes her former friends and family didn't value her and held her back.
• Lunacy: After stealing the Moonstone, she gains its powers to control the black rocks.
• Magic Knight: In season 3, she merges with the Moonstone and gains control over the black rocks. She's also good in physical combat and handy with a sword, and uses it all in accord.
• Meaningful Name: "Cassandra" means "to shine upon men". This makes sense because she wants to join the Royal Guard, and hopes to excel amongst the male-dominated legion.
  • In Greek mythology, Cassandra was a priestess cursed to voice prophecies that nobody believed. Cassandra herself tends to be the voice of reason in dangerous situations that, despite being usually correct, is often disregarded by her friends.
• Military Brat: Being the adoptive daughter of the Captain of the Guard, Cassandra addresses him like an officer would address a superior, and calls him "Sir" and "soldier" to show him affection.
• Minor Living Alone: Implied in "Rapunzel's Return" that for a good chunk of time, Cassandra lived alone in Gothel's cottage. While Gothel herself would go out, forbidding that Cassandra ever leave with her.
• Misplaced Retribution:
  • Cassandra blames Rapunzel for her pain of being abandoned by her mother, when it should be directed at Gothel, who valued Rapunzel's youth-grating hair over her biological daughter. Unfortunately, Cass is blinded by preexisting insecurities and jealousy of Rapunzel, and her feelings are only amplified after she becomes Drunk with Power after taking the Moonstone. In every subsequent encounter, Rapunzel tries to remind Cass of how Gothel was a selfish woman who abducted her as a baby, and never loved either of them. Nonetheless, Cass dismisses all of this and insists on blaming Rapunzel for "stealing" her mother away.
  • She also calls her father out for not telling her about her mother, believing he did it for entirely selfish reasons. Given that he lovingly raised her as his own when he could have just placed her in an orphanage and saved himself some trouble, Cassandra comes across as more than a little ungrateful.
• Moral Myopia:
  • She enjoys calling others out for their faults, but she reacts badly when hers are brought up.
  • Cassandra threatens to use the Moonstone's power to attack Corona, officially starts kidnapping people, and tries to kill her old friends about half a dozen times in "Cassandra's Revenge", so she can obtain even more power for herself. Within that same episode, Cassandra is legitimately offended and outraged that Varian would consider calling her a villain, and despite claiming that despising her for this was fine, proceeds to defend her actions as completely and totally justified. She's given a reality check from Zhan Tiri of all people a few episodes later:
    Cassandra: Just because I'm pursuing my destiny doesn't make me a bad person!
    Zhan Tiri: [Smirking] Doesn't it?
• Morphic Resonance: She retains her black-gray hair after turning into a bird in "Freebird."
• Motive Decay: Her original goal was to simply separate herself from Rapunzel to stop living in her shadow, as well as seek out her destiny, but eventually she goes on to pursue motives like taking everything of Rapunzel's for herself, obtaining the Sundrop and igniting a war against Corona. Rapunzel point-blank calls Cass out on this in the series finale, saying that Zhan Tiri has led to her to become so blinded with hate and anger that she doesn't even know what she wants anymore.
• My God, What Have I Done?:
  • In "Cassandra's Revenge" and "A Tale of Two Sisters", Cassandra seems to realize for a brief moment the cruelty of her actions towards Varian and Rapunzel, but she dismisses it with a Ignored Epiphany worthy of the best Knight Templar.
  • After Zhan Tiri traps them and leaves them for dead in the series finale, Cassandra breaks down in tears over her mistakes, begging Rapunzel to give up on her, and later feels undeserving to be in Rapunzel and Eugene's hug. Thankfully, Rapunzel manages to convince her that there is more in her, and Eugene pulls her into the hug.

N-S

• Near-Villain Victory: In the series finale, Cassandra nearly manages to steal the Sundrop from Rapunzel, only for Zhan Tiri to grab the Moonstone from her, in addition to said Sundrop. Then again, it's unknown how much of a victory she'd have really gotten, considering she didn't know the consequences of the Sundrop and Moonstone colliding.
• Never My Fault: This seems to be her Fatal Flaw in the last season. She repeatedly blames anything she does or goes wrong on Rapunzel, refusing to accept any fault and growing the divide between them. In fact, Cassandra drives everyone away, yet resents them for attacking her. Even Zhan Tiri indirectly points out that the common denominator in all the times people wronged her or got in her way, is Cassandra herself and her spitefulness.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: In "Destinies Collide", she grabs the Moonstone just before Rapunzel can take it. While by doing this, she betrays Rapunzel to "fulfill her destiny", there's a possibility Rapunzel would've died had she taken the Moonstone as planned. Later, "Plus Est en Vous" confirms this by showing Moonstone and the Sundrop reuniting and causing an explosion. So, by betraying her, Cassandra unwittingly saved Rapunzel's life.
• Nice Mean And In Between: Rapunzel (nice), Cassandra (mean), and Eugene (in-between).
• No Sense of Personal Space: Back when she lived with her mother Gothel, she apparently tended to get close to her in order to obtain affection from her, which annoyed Gothel enough to give Cassandra trinkets like a music box to keep her occupied.
• No Social Skills: Whether if it's a lack of understanding or interest, Cassandra doesn't come across as a social person.
  • She is strictly a loner, is bluntly honest to the point of hurtful, and treats everything like a battle to win. She does mention that she dislikes talking about her feelings, and it takes nothing short of an extreme situation to force her to open up to Rapunzel.
  • Cassandra is revealed as a serial perpetrator of the Gift-Giving Gaffe: she has given boots to Rapunzel, offered a sword at a Baby shower, and considers getting her father a Homemade Sweater from Hell.
  • In "Rapunzel and the Lost Lagoon", it is confirmed that Cassandra has a Friendless Background.
• Not Evil, Just Misunderstood: Discussed. Even when the rest of Corona sees her as a lost cause, Rapunzel remains firm that even though her best friend's heart has been hardened, the Cassandra she knows is still there. Outright lampshaded in "Once A Handmaiden..." with Cassandra and Rapunzel remarking during the play that the whole situation is "complicated".
• Not Helping Your Case: In "Once a Handmaiden...", she confirms Eugene, Varian, and the guards' fears that she is still a threat to Corona by unleashing her black rocks, albeit out of panic and self defense. In the same episode, after Cassandra discovers the true identity of Zhan Tiri and hears the "Not So Different" Remark, she runs and is so distraught that she calls the black rocks to destroy a random tree.
• Not Quite the Right Thing: After her Heel Realization in "Once A Handmaiden...", Cassandra sneaks back into Corona under disguise to make amends with Rapunzel, partly because the people will attack her on sight, and partly because she's afraid Rapunzel will too. The latter pushes Cassandra to continue the charade to prove her intentions instead of revealing herself right away. This gives Zhan Tiri the perfect opportunity to pull Cassandra's cloak off in the middle of the castle square, causing a panic and ruining Cassandra's chances to reconcile.
• Not So Above It All: Despite her serious, tomboyish attitude, she can't help but squeal over Pascal's grass skirt.
  Cassandra: Cute's not really my thing, but I gotta admit, that's INSANELY CUTE!!!
• "Not So Different" Remark:
  • In a way, Cassandra and Varian are similar, despite their contrasting methods of approach. Both of them are driven to earn the respect of others, especially their fathers. But in being so obsessed with their desire to prove themselves, they end up causing more harm than good. Things take a darker turn when they both end up betraying Rapunzel in order to pursue their own goals. The similarities between them are finally acknowledged in-universe during their duet in "Nothing Left To Lose", where Varian comes closer than most characters to talking some sense into her but still fails to manage it - partly because Varian's downfall was brought about by his hubris, while Cassandra's main character flaw has always been her envy.
  • In the Series Finale Cassandra delivers one of this to Rapunzel, only for Rapunzel to fire back that she fully understands the similarities between them, possibly better than she does herself:
    Cassandra: You know Raps, it's funny. I look at you and I see a girl who was used for her gifts and lied to for her entire life. And I think if there is anyone who should know what it feels like to be taken for granted and cast aside for something better it would be you.
    Rapunzel: Who says I don't? Cassandra, I am not giving up on you. We can work this out, trust me.''
• Not So Similar: Varian tries to talk her down from her plot to destroy Rapunzel, telling her he knows what she's going through and has experienced firsthand that the path of evil only leads to madness. However, Cassandra refuses to believe they are anything alike, stating that Varian's lack of grit was the cause of his failure, while she herself is not a villain and will succeed because she has the necessary ambition.
  You lost your nerve
  You lost the game
  But you and I
  We're not the same
• Not So Stoic: Cassandra might be stone-faced most of the time, but even she can crack every once in a while.
  • In "Freebird," as they fly, Cassandra is eventually convinced by Rapunzel that the world is a beautiful place, saying, "I take it all back, Raps". Later after she learns that Rapunzel has traded her own humanity in exchange for Cassandra's, she is distraught, cradling Rapunzel in her hands, crying: "Oh, Raps, you're my best friend! Please... don't leave me." Furious, she destroys the enchanters who've spelled Rapunzel, and pleads for the last egg she finds to bring Rapunzel back. The spell breaks, and Cassandra, the happiest we've ever seen her, runs with outstretched arms toward Rapunzel, spinning her in a classic Disney princess twirl.
  • In "Rapunzel and the Great Tree," she's visibly furious at Rapunzel when she tries to check on her after her arm gets burnt and the tree is destroyed.
    • This is one of the themes of the "I Want" Song "Waiting in the wings":
      Always overlooked unfairly
      While pretending that it barely stings
      But it stings, yes it stings
  • In "Rapunzel's Return", she breaks down and cries upon discovering that she was abandoned by Mother Gothel as a child in favor of Rapunzel.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When Eugene enlists in Royal Guard training, he ends up being the butt of her father -- the Captain's beatings. Despite mocking the idea of Eugene being a guard and betting that he wouldn't even make it past basic training, she and Maximus cringe during his failings, noticeably doesn't look happy with her father picking on him, and she talks to Eugene later about how he should bend the rules if her father does.
• Occult Blue Eyes: After bonding with the Moonstone, her eyes, like her hair, turn into a light shade of blue.
• The One Thing I Don't Hate About You: At the beginning of Season 2, she confesses to Rapunzel:
  Cassandra: "Rapunzel, we all know that Eugene and I don't always agree on everything, but over the last year or so, I've noticed something that makes him less detestable: He loves you, Rapunzel, more than anyone has ever loved anybody.
• Opportunistic Bastard: Takes advantage of Rapunzel's hesitation to snatch the Moonstone for herself.
• Parental Abandonment: Cassandra states in "Cassandra v. Eugene" that she never knew her biological parents, leaving the Captain of the Guard to serve as her parental replacement. We learn in the Season 3 premiere that her mother was Gothel, who abandoned her to run away with Rapunzel after the royal guards reached her cottage with Cassandra inside, and she didn't remember this event. This discovery among other personal issues leads to Cassandra making a Face–Heel Turn.
• Painful Transformation:
  • She goes through another one in the Season 2 finale after bonding with the Moonstone. The stone destroys her armor and replaces it with attire that includes the black rocks jutting out from all over her body. Her hair turns blue when she seizes the power of the Moonstone for herself.
• Paint It Black: Taking the Moonstone causes her silver armor to be replaced by black and blue rock armor.
• The Paranoiac: Being raised by The Sociopath the first four years of her life made Cassandra this. It didn't matter how hard Cassandra tried to make Gothel love her back, Failure Was The Only Option. Cassandra feels she has been playing a game she cannot win and it's everyone else fault. To be the paranoiac, you have to have at least three of these tropes: Never My Fault, Revenge, Suspiciousness/Cynicism, Jerkass, Control Freak, Self-Importance. You can find all of them in this very page.
• Permafusion: The season 2 finale has her fuse with the Moonstone moments before Rapunzel can grab it, denying her of her destiny while allegedly fulfilling her own. From there, Cassandra and the stone become one and stay combined through most of season 3, only separating once Zhan Tiri returns for the finale.
• Person of Mass Construction: She builds a very tall stronghold where her mother's tower once stood. Also...
• Person of Mass Destruction: In "Once a Handmaiden...", she brutally destroys the city of Corona with her black rocks.
• Pet the Dog:
  • "Be Very Afraid" reveals that the idea of destroying Rapunzel scares her, to the point where the Moonstone reacts to her own fear and unintentionally creates the red rock varient, showing to Rapunzel that she's afraid and can still be saved.
  • In "Cassandra's Revenge", while she certainly isn't kind to him otherwise, she does (mostly) refrain from hurting/killing Varian even after capturing him, in addition to assuring him she knows this isn't his fault and that she's only keeping him for the moment so that Rapunzel can come for her.
  • A bigger one happens in "A Tale of Two Sisters". She actually starts becoming warm and protective towards Rapunzel once more during their Enemy Mine beneath Cassandra's own childhood cottage... only to end up leaving her to die thanks to a misunderstanding created by Zhan Tiri.
  • Played for Laughs in the series finale, where Cassandra agrees to not break a vase made by Rapunzel's aunt Willow.
• Pillow Pistol: "Big Brothers Of Corona" shows us that Cassandra sleeps with a sword next to her bed, and when a noise wakes her up, she reaches for the sword to fight the intruder at her room, only to discover her best friend Rapunzel bringing in a midnight snack.
• Please, Don't Leave Me: Says this during the song "The View From Up Here" and again the same episode when it seems like Rapunzel has been permanently turned into a bird.
• Power Dyes Your Hair: Getting the power of the Moonstone dyes her hair light blue.
• The Promise: The reason she tags along with Rapunzel's group in Season 2 is because she made one of these with King Frederic, Rapunzel's father, in order to keep her safe. With the events of "Destinies Collide," however, this promise was sadly broken.
• Psychological Projection: For the first two seasons, Cassandra struggles to wrap her head around the idea that other people are not as concerned with personal gain or getting to be in the spotlight as she is. A prime example is in "Challenge of the Brave", where Cassandra believes Rapunzel joined the tournament to prove herself to the kingdom as she did, when Rapunzel actually entered just to spend time with her. In the third season, this trait is elaborated on:
  • In "Rapunzel's Return", after Cassandra hijacks the Moonstone, her first action is to flee from Rapunzel, symbolizing Cassandra trying to escape her relationship with Rapunzel, truly believing Rapunzel is a Toxic Friend Influence who is holding her back.
  • In "A Tale of Two Sisters", Cassandra believes (due to Zhan Tiri's influence) that Rapunzel was aware that Gothel loved her, and therefore quickly assumes Rapunzel hid the only magic mirror containing a memory of Gothel (seemingly) showing affection to her biological daughter.
  • In "Once a Handmaiden", Cassandra fears that Rapunzel will not forgive her betrayal, unaware that Rapunzel made no doubt that she would welcome her back with open arms. But when Zhan Tiri manipulates Cassandra into thinking Rapunzel has betrayed her, Cassandra believes she was justified in her fear.
  • In "Plus Est En Vous", Cassandra gives Rapunzel a "Not So Different" Remark without acknowledging that Rapunzel understands the similarities between them better than Cassandra does herself.
• Psychopathic Womanchild: After her Start of Darkness and subsequent Took a Level in Jerkass, she acts increasingly entitled, and is very fond of losing her temper and lashing out.
• Psychotic Smirk: Gives one shortly before her Face–Heel Turn, which causes Eugene to become suspicious of her.
• Raised by Dudes: Cassandra credits her daredevil attitude and proficiency with weapons to having the Captain of the Royal Guards for a father (and she has no mother in sight). For that matter, her upbringing is probably why Eugene's status as a Reformed Criminal marks him as undesirable in Cassandra's eyes as well.
• Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: In contrast to her mother's darker skin, Cassandra has very pale skin, unusual for such an athletic character. It reaches an outright unhealthy pallor when she fuses with the Moonstone.
• Redemption Earns Life: She finally redeems herself in the finale of the show, and when she perishes vanquishing Zhan Tiri, Rapunzel uses the power of the combined Sundrop and Moonstone to revive her.
• Redemption Equals Death: Cassandra perishes destroying Zhan Tiri once and for all. But, Rapunzel uses what's left of the Moonstone and Sundrop to save Cassandra and everyone who was either dead or dying from Zhan Tiri's use of the Decay Incantation.
• Redemption Rejection: In Season 3, she's offered quite a few chances to come back to Corona on good terms, mostly by Rapunzel or Varian, but keeps denying them, either due to her own stubbornness or Zhan Tiri's control.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red to Varian's Blue. Varian is significantly more calm and polite than Cassandra, who is a tomboyish Blood Knight. Even their actions as villains had these tendencies, as Cassandra relied on personally engaging in violence using her powers, while Varian, though he definitely didn't shy away from violence either, relied on strategic moves.
• Reformed, but Rejected: Albeit via a case in which you really can't blame the ones who "rejected" her. In "Once a Handmaiden...", Cassandra, upon realizing that Zhan Tiri has been manipulating her, realizes just how much she has screwed up and tries to go back to Corona to make amends and apologize. Because she's so nervous that Rapunzel might reject her and everyone in Corona attacks her on sight, she goes in disguise. But when Zhan Tiri makes her disguise malfunction, Cassandra tries to start apologizing, and through a series of miscommunication and false assumptions, the guards think she's attacking Rapunzel, and Eugene and Varian attack her with the golden amber, and in the end, Cassandra decides that it's not worth it to make amends since she's going to be treated like the villain anyway, and ends up taking over Corona.
• Regretful Traitor: The idea that Cassandra might miss her old friends and have some regrets about ditching Rapunzel for the Moonstone's magic is touched upon in "Beginnings", "A Tale Of Two Sisters", and "Once A Handmaiden", but every time it even begins to surface, and, because of Zhan Tiri gaslighting her, Cassandra immediately squashes it back down in favor of wanting to hurt Rapunzel some more out of jealousy. It's not until Zhan Tiri gives her a taste of her own medicine by betraying her, tells her exactly what she thinks of her, and leaves her with nothing in "Plus Est En Vous", that Cassandra finally womans up and does what she should have done a long time ago - apologize to Rapunzel.
• The Resenter: She does consider Rapunzel her friend, but Cassandra resents her for unintentionally making her live under her shadow and easily earning people's respect and admiration. "Crossing the Line" shows just how much Cassandra resents Rapunzel, hating the fact that Rapunzel was literally born for greatness, while she had to work to achieve her goals and still got very little appreciation. Then we have this dialogue in "Plus Est en Vous":
  Rapunzel: [...] I think Zhan Tiri has your head so clouded with anger and hate that you don't even know what you want anymore.
  Cassandra: I know exactly what I want. I want you to know what it feels like to fall short despite your best efforts. I want you and the rest of the world to know that I come second to no one.
• Revenge Before Reason: She chooses to take the Moonstone and run away in an attempt to make her own destiny, ignoring or even trying not to think about how this continues to put the fate of the world at risk. It's not until the series finale, when Zhan Tiri is running amuck with the Sundrop and Moonstone's power, that Cassandra finally realizes that putting the safety of the entire world in jeopardy for her own self-gain was probably not a smart decision when Cassandra herself is still living in that world.
• Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: Cassandra betrayed Rapunzel and her friends for the Moonstone's power, then tried to betray Zhan Tiri so she could have the power of both the Moonstone and Sundrop all to herself. By the end of it all, Zhan Tiri gets the last laugh and depowers Cassandra once Zhan Tiri deemed her worthless and unneeded.
• The Rival: While Eugene has problems trusting a lot of new people in the castle, such as various guards, Cassandra is openly hostile toward him (in her words, she doesn't like him for anyone), and the two are constantly arguing and insulting each other.
• Rude Hero, Nice Sidekick: Inverted; Rapunzel largely maintains her sunny, kindhearted and excitable disposition from her introductory film. Her handmaid/bodyguard/best friend Cassandra has a much darker and sterner personality which ultimately becomes harsher in hindsight when she becomes a villain.
• Rule of Symbolism:
  • The sliver of the moonstone and the sliver of the mirror where Cassandra sees the truth about her mother reveal Cassandra's Inferiority Superiority Complex: She knows she craves affection, but as her childhood with Mother Gothel taught her, she would never be able to earn it, she has to steal it, and even then a tiny bit, a sliver.
  • Her new outfit in the series finale uses green instead of red. As she used to wear a similar hue of red to what Gothel wore and red and green are opposite colors, it symbolizes her separating her identity from her biological mother.
• Sadist: A side effect of her Face–Heel Turn and subsequent Took a Level in Jerkass.
  • In "Cassandra's Revenge", she destroys what's left of the tower Rapunzel grew up in, as well as all of the memories she made there, with intentions of hurting her, in spite of having seen Rapunzel cry over the tower's destruction in "The Quest for Varian". Worse yet, she doesn't care at all that this was also the tower Rapunzel was isolated inside and abused at for nearly two decades, not to mention the same place Eugene was literally stabbed to death in before getting revived when confronting them in the stronghold she built where said tower once stood. Last but not least, she's actually thrilled at the idea of murdering Rapunzel and Eugene brutally and gruesomely!
  • In "Race to the Spire", she shows a Psychotic Smirk when using a mind controlling artifact that will allow her to render the members of the Brotherhood her slaves.
  • Toward the end of the third season, she purposely makes it look like Quirin and King Edmund were spared of the Mind Trap so that they could sabotage the heroes later on. Considering Varian recently got his father back after he was trapped in amber for over a year, and Eugene deeply resented being an orphan (even having dreamt about his parents coming back, something she knew about), this makes Cassandra all the more cruel, and gives off the impression she wants to make them feel the pain of being abandoned by her mother that she feels, despite having been taken in by a loving adoptive father afterwards. The fact that Eugene was nearly killed by his father because of her doesn't help.
• Sanity Slippage: After her Face–Heel Turn, Cassandra grows increasingly insane in Season 3: isolating herself in the wilderness, stewing in her own jealousy, resentment and rage towards Rapunzel - with the Enchanted Girl encouraging it - until she's not only turning her back on her loved ones, she's willing to murder Raps and all her friends to get what she wants out of them.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Cassandra mostly follows the rules set by the royal family, unless it involves Rapunzel's happiness, in which case she'll break them in order to make her happy.
• Self-Serving Memory:
  • In "Rapunzel's Return", she claims that Rapunzel has always acted condescending to her, and never let her forget about her being a princess. It's clear this is the jealousy talking; because in all episodes, including a flashback to their first meeting, Rapunzel had always treated Cassandra as an equal. Anytime Rapunzel wasn't a perfect friend was when she was Innocently Insensitive, all of which could have been quickly resolved if Cassandra wasn't so averse to acknowledging her own feelings, something Rapunzel regularly encouraged her to do.
  • In "Once a Handmaiden...", while playing the role of Rapunzel in a theatrical production of the Moonstone's theft, Cassandra implies she blames Rapunzel's unwillingness to understand her for their falling out. Something Rapunzel rightfully points out as not entirely her fault, seeing as Cassandra would need to open up to her first.
• Seven Deadly Sins: Cassandra resents Rapunzel for having glory (Envy), seeks to obtain the powers of the Moonstone and Sundrop, (Greed), wants to have all of Corona watch her get said Sundrop (Pride), and brutally destroys her home kingdom with her black rocks (Wrath).
• Shipping Torpedo: A downplayed example. Cassandra did not approve of Eugene's proposal to Rapunzel, and she barely hid it during the Pilot Movie. But over time, she was willing to tolerate Eugene if he makes Rapunzel happy.
• Situational Hand Switch: After damaging her right hand in the Great Tree, Cassandra is forced to relearn sword fighting with her left hand, which continues into season 3. It doesn't make her any less of a skilled warrior.
• Slasher Smile: She lets out a few of these during her magic showdown with Rapunzel in "Cassandra's Revenge", as well as when she's attacking Corona in "Once a Handmaiden...", reflecting how far in her villainy she's come.
• Snark-to-Snark Combat: Tons of it with Eugene. In any other Power Trio series, this trope would be used to showcase the Vitriolic Best Buds vibes between them and show the wit of the writers. Here is deconstructed, showing the pros and cons of their verbal back and forth:
  • Cassandra barely tolerates Eugene at the start of season 1, calling out Eugene's laziness, which inspires him to grow more responsible and walk into a Suicide Mission to rescue the king and queen. This shift is enough that, in season 2, she expresses that even if they don't always get along, she admires him and his love for Rapunzel.
  • As for Eugene, whenever he is verbally attacked, he pulls his A Darker Me persona of Flynn Ryder, who Kicks The Dog a lot with Cassandra. Eugene displays Hypocritical Heartwarming to Cassandra, but Cassandra is The Paranoiac and she never acknowledges it, putting the two constantly at odds. This means that Eugene gives emotional support to everyone except Cassandra, the person who needs it the most.
  • Humorously Lampshaded in Season 3's "Beginnings." Without Cassandra's constant Snark-to-Snark Combat, Eugene tries to fill the void with Rapunzel's new handmaiden, with poor results.
• Sore Loser: After losing to Adira in combat, Cassandra acts incredibly rude towards her, despite Adira being willing to help her up after the fight. On her part, the only rude thing Adira does to Cassandra is call her a "servant of the princess", something that is factually true and understandable considering Cassandra's own hostility towards her.
• Sour Outside, Sad Inside: Underneath all her attitude and snark, Cassandra is highly insecure and suffers from a crippling inferiority complex, seeking to be renowned and achieve amazing things.
• Spikes of Villainy: Her Black Rock armor is covered in a mass of spikes, and they're not just for show. Cassandra can grow them to attack, like in "Cassandra's Revenge" when she tried to Crush the Keepsake only to be stopped by Varian.
• Start of Darkness: While Cassandra and Rapunzel always had their fights as friends, they also always found a way to make up from them. "Rapunzel And The Great Tree" however, marks the beginning of the end for their friendship, when Cassandra is a given sharp reminder that she answers to Rapunzel as her boss, and shortly afterwards, Cassandra's arm is maimed for life by Rapunzel's magic. Things are never really the same after that, and they only get worse when she learns the truth about her early life in "Rapunzeltopia": that Gothel was her mother, who abandoned her as an infant so she could steal away Rapunzel and her magic. After that, Cassandra decides to steal the Moonstone and its powers for herself, in a bitter and spiteful attempt at seizing control of her life and her destiny. With Zhan Tiri whispering sweet lies into her ears, the Moonstone's magic magnifying her negative emotions, and her own jealousy and selfishness driving her forward, Cassandra becomes the Arc Villain of Season 3, and one of the most dangerous threats in the franchise.
• Stay in the Kitchen: She suffers from this as she has been assigned the job of handmaiden when she really wants to be a woman of action. Part of why she fears being sent to a convent for disobeying the king's orders is that she'll never be able to escape this trope.
• The Starscream: In the series finale, she rebels against the manipulative Zhan Tiri. However, the demoness saw this coming...
• Stealth Pun: A lady-in-waiting who was kept...waiting.
• Strict Parents Make Sneaky Kids: Cassandra is the adoptive daughter of the Captain of the Guard. The standards Cassandra's father sets for her are higher then for everyone else and he prefers Cassandra works as a Lady-In-Waiting rather than let her join the Royal Guard. Cassandra wants to have adventures and sneaks Princess Rapunzel out of the castle to see some strange rocks, kicking off the plot. The first season shows Cassandra helping Rapunzel getting into adventures, the King finds out and sends Cassandra to a convent. In the third season of the series, this backfires spectacularly: Cassandra discovers she is the daughter of Mother Gothel, who kidnapped princess Rapunzel when she was a child and committed Parental Abandonment to Cassandra; Cassandra becomes an Arc Villain and is considered the biggest threat the Kingdom has ever faced.
• Strong Family Resemblance: She looks very much like Gothel did in her youth minus the eye color, and her hair is a bit shorter.
• Strong Girl, Smart Guy: Although smart in her own right, Cassandra's immediate response to a problem will usually involve brute force and feats of athleticism, making her the Strong Girl to Eugene's Smart Guy.
• Super Gullible: Thanks to her stubbornness and ego, Cassandra loves being right. Which is why she will stick to her guns about anything someone says so long as it means she's right. Zhan Tiri takes full advantage of this flaw.
  • After The Reveal in "Rapunzel's Return", we can see that Cassandra had this same attitude before to two authority figures: Mother Gothel, and in the episode "Beginnings", the Queen of Ingvarr, who also tried to manipulate Cassandra against Rapunzel offering Cassandra the recognition as a warrior she had always wanted.
• Symbolic Mutilation: Cassandra, a character who insists on helping Rapunzel herself and who refuses to get help from others, has her hand burnt while trying, fruitlessly, to get Rapunzel to stop chanting the Moonstone incantation. She covers this hand up with a blue glove after her Evil Costume Switch, as though to remind herself what happpens when you try to help someone else.

T-Y

• Tears of Remorse: In the series finale, she sheds these during her My God, What Have I Done? moment while trapped alongside Rapunzel, crying into her chest and finally taking responsibility for her actions, as well as begging Rapunzel to give up on her.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: With Rapunzel in Season 3's "Tale of Two Sisters". Trapped in the tunnels beneath Gothel's old cottage, Cassandra begrudgingly agrees to work together so they can escape, under the condition that "she can't be mean" while they do so.
• Then Let Me Be Evil: At the end of season 3, she heads to Corona with the intent of patching things up with Rapunzel. After some manipulation, the people attack her, and she repeats Mother Gothel's line, "You want me to be the bad guy? Fine, now I'm the bad guy!"
• This Cannot Be!:
  • Her reaction to Rapunzel mastering the fourth incantation thanks to Varian is to yell "Impossible!"
  • After Zhan Tiri jumps on her and manages to snatch the Moonstone from her, Cassandra is in utter shock and disbelief (having imprisoned her in a cage beforehand), just before getting Brought Down to Normal.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Cassandra is the Tomboy to Rapunzel's Girly Girl. Cassandra has an entire armory of swords, is more comfortable in a tunic and pants according to the junior novelization, and has short hair.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: After her Face–Heel Turn at the start of Season 3, Cassandra grows increasingly self-involved to pretty disturbing levels. She actually grows jealous of Mother Gothel kidnapping, imprisoning and abusing Rapunzel for eighteen years, because Gothel chose Rapunzel over her. She tries to murder Rapunzel and her friends several times over, turns her back on the man who raised her, magically enslaves members of the Brotherhood so she can use them as pawns to attack Corona, and she puts the safety of the entire world in jeopardy, all to appease her inferiority complex. The fact that Cassandra has isolated herself in the wilderness with only the manipulative Enchanted Girl to keep her company definitely isn't helping her Sanity Slippage.
• Took a Level in Kindness: In the series finale, Cassandra finally realizes the error of her ways and takes responsibility for them in a My God, What Have I Done? moment. She then proceeds to help save Corona from Zhan Tiri, and gives a warm farewell to Rapunzel and Eugene when she leaves Corona, also reconciling with her adoptive father.
• Traitor Shot: At the end of "Lost and Found", Eugene read a prophecy left behind by Demanitus that says one of Rapunzel's companions will turn against her. As Eugene observes the group, Cassandra gives him a friendly smile before making a way more sinister smile at Rapunzel. She becomes a traitor the very next episode.
• Tragic Villain: Despite the power high she gets from it, taking the Moonstone did not appease the sad little girl inside Cassandra who is tormented by fears that she will never be good enough. It only made her the perfect Unwitting Pawn for Zhan Tiri.
• Tranquil Fury: After Rapunzel's seemingly permanent transformation into a bird, she goes after Father in ice-cold fury. Threatening him with a sword, she demands more eggs to turn Rapunzel back and when he tells her that there are no more and begs for mercy, she shatters his teapot.
  Father: No! I'll never be able to make my tea again! [disappears]
  Cassandra: That's what I was counting on.
• Troubled Abuser: After finding out about how she was abused and abandoned by Gothel, Cassandra takes her anger out on Rapunzel (whom she blames) and Corona, due to her own anger and the manipulation of Zhan Tiri.
• True Blue Femininity: Subverted. Cassandra's handmaiden dress is blueish-white and her hair later becomes blue, but she's a tough-as-nails tomboy.
• The Unfavorite: Cassandra believes Rapunzel stole her mother's love from her, but it is clear that Mother Gothel never loved anyone but herself.
  Cassandra: Oh sure! Let's have another chat about how my mother chose you over me!
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Initially downplayed. She used to be more open and sensitive as a child but after Gothel abandons her, Cassandra grows up to be harsh and self-righteous but still good. Played straight later, when she betrays Rapunzel and becomes a villain.
• Understatement: Cassandra's favorite way to self-criticize:
  • In "Great Expotations", after Cassandra has been treating Varian callously, accepting his offer to help with her handmaid duties in exchange for helping him later, then blowing him off when she gets a chance to be a guard instead, she says:
    "Ok, so I could have been a little nicer earlier..."
  • In "Beyond the Corona Walls", Cassandra's comment on what her relationship with Eugene is like:
    "Rapunzel, we all know that Eugene and I don't always agree on everything..."
  • In "Beginnings", Cassandra has been polite enough to drop hints that she does NOT want to be Rapunzel's friend, but after Rapunzel was trying too hard to be her friend, Cassandra gives her a Hidden Disdain Reveal telling Rapunzel they are not friends because Cassandra wants no part in Rapunzel's attempts to have fun with her. After a moment of self-reflection, Cassandra then says:
    "You know, I'm probably not that good at making friends either..."
  • But "Once a Handmaiden..." takes the cake, when Cassandra summarizes her decisions of the last year to Owl like so:
    "I know I've been not the nicest person lately..."
• Ungrateful Bitch:
  • She remains hostile and suspicious of Adira throughout the second season, even though the latter saved her and her friends' lives several times.
  • In season 3, Cassandra willingly turns her back on Rapunzel, her father, and everyone she loves by stealing the Moonstone in the hopes of achieving her own destiny. Unlike most other examples though, Cassandra occasionally shows remorse for committing this betrayal... only to be swerved back on course by Zhan Tiri. That said, it could be argued that the entirety of Season 3 is a Deconstruction of this trope.
• Unreliable Expositor: She believes that the people of Corona don't give her the recognition she deserves, despite the fact that they cheered for her even though she came second place to Rapunzel during the Challenge of the Brave, rewarded her for defeating Andrew/Hubert, and even entrusted her with leading the assault against Varian.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom:
  • If Cassandra hadn't taken Rapunzel out to see the spikes, the spikes wouldn't have grown and endangered the kingdom, leading to the rest of Season 1. Ironically, Cassandra also sets up the events leading to her own Face–Heel Turn.
  • In "Queen For A Day", Cassandra's constant Snark-to-Snark Combat with Eugene backfires when she accuses Eugene of "playing Make-believe King" and asks him to "do something useful". Later in the episode, Eugene decides to lead a Suicide Mission to rescue the King and the Queen from a blizzard, and his Ironic Echo makes Cassandra realize that she has inspired Eugene into walking to his death.
• Unwitting Pawn: The Enchanted Girl/Zhan Tiri took advantage of Cassandra's insecurities and resentment against Rapunzel to push her into making a Face–Heel Turn, in addition to setting up a series of events that lead to a battle between Rapunzel and Cassandra that releases her from her prison.
• Villainous Breakdown: After Rapunzel overpowers her with the fourth incantation and keeps demanding that she let Eugene go, an enraged Cassandra lets out all she has at Rapunzel, only to still be overpowered.
• Villainous BSoD: In "Plus Est En Vous", after being depowered and imprisoned by Zhan Tiri with Rapunzel, she simply shuts down, sitting defeated with a blank expression, before abruptly flying into a guilt-ridden meltdown over her horrible actions.
• Walking Spoiler: It's hard to talk about her in detail without mentioning that Cass is Gothel's biological daughter, and her resentment and jealousy of Rapunzel causes her to betray her friends, steal the Moonstone, and become a villain.
• Welcome Back, Traitor: After Cassandra's betrayal arc in Season 3 ends with her pulling a Heel–Face Turn, she's Easily Forgiven by her old friends and welcomed back, especially by Rapunzel who's been pining for Cassandra's company all season during her absence - stubbornly refusing to give up on their friendship.
• "Well Done, Daughter!" Girl:
  • Prior to being abandoned by Gothel, her biological mother, Cassandra sought to win over Gothel's love and affection.
  • Cassandra's goal of proving herself and joining the royal guard is rooted in a dream of making her father proud of her. She succeeds in the first season finale.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: A zig-zagged example. Initially in season 3, Cassandra steals the Moonstone so she can use its power to find her destiny, knowingly burning bridges with all her friends. Despite her desire for respect and appreciation being relatively noble, she still makes herself an enemy of Corona, attacking the kingdom, kidnapping, and threatening its citizens. On top of scheming with Zhan Tiri to brainwash the Brotherhood into her personal army. By the time "Once a Handmaiden..." rolls around, Cassandra's done many terrible things, but still asserts that just because she's been pursuing her destiny it doesn't make her a bad person. It's Zhan Tiri's mockery of this that ultimately leads Cassandra to her Heel Realization later in the episode.
  "Despise me, that's fine. I'm taking what's mine even so."
• When She Smiles: As Rapunzel says in "Plus Est en Vous," when they first met, it was nearly three weeks before she heard Cassandra laugh for the first time, and it was remarkable because Rapunzel knew Cassandra meant it.
• Where I Was Born and Razed: Demolishes her home kingdom in "Once a Handmaiden..." after being convinced the people won't accept her back.
• With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Upon taking the Moonstone's power, Cassandra becomes increasingly unstable, abusing her newfound abilities and using them to lash out at others with reckless abandon, even demolishing Corona in a fit of rage.
• Would Hurt a Child: She doesn’t hesitate to kidnap and drug Varian, a teenager, after learning he's the only one who can translate the Demanitus Scroll. Once he gets on her nerves by calling her a villain and trying to dissuade her from going through with her plans, Cassandra takes a swipe at the boy with a blade and sends him flying with black rocks before trapping him in a cage which she dangles hundreds of feet above the ground.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are:
  • In "Challenge of the Brave", Rapunzel tells Cassandra that the only motive to participate in the Challenge was to be with her, because she respects Cassandra and looks up to her, to Cassandra's surprise.
  • The Central Theme of "Plus Est En Vous" and the argument Rapunzel does to convince Cassandra of her Heel–Face Turn.
• You Are What You Hate: Her complaints about Eugene, mainly in how he's an arrogant, self-centered criminal who takes advantage of his relationship with Rapunzel and is bad for her, become especially applicable to Cassandra herself in Season 3, and her decision of committing Chronic Backstabbing Disorder to all her friends so she can achieve her destiny is reminiscent of Flynn Ryder, Eugene's A Darker Me personality.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Done mutually. After Cassandra has served her purpose and took good care of the Moonstone, Cassandra decides she’s done with Zhan Tiri so she traps her so she can have the glory all to herself. It doesn’t matter because Zhan Tiri ends up escaping and disposes of her anyway and leaves her to die alongside Rapunzel once she has gained possession of both the Sundrop and Moonstone. With Rapunzel's help, Cassandra gets back at Zhan Tiri for it.

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