Storybrooke was weird. Let’s just start there. When Once Upon a Time premiered on ABC back in 2011, it didn't just give us a "gritty" reboot of Disney tropes. It shoved every fairytale figure we knew into a Maine town with bad coffee and no memory. Keeping track of all the once upon a time characters became a full-time job for the fandom because, frankly, the family tree was a circle.
If you try to map out how Henry Mills is related to literally everyone, you’ll get a headache. He’s the son of the Savior and the son of Baelfire. That makes him the grandson of Snow White, Prince Charming, and Rumplestiltskin. It’s messy. It’s chaotic. It’s exactly why the show stayed on the air for seven seasons.
The Core Four: More Than Just Heroes and Villains
The show lived and died by its central quartet. You had Emma Swan, the "Savior" who was basically a cynical bail bonds person shoved into a red leather jacket. Jennifer Morrison played her with this constant look of "I can’t believe this is my life," which honestly made her the most relatable person on screen. She wasn't a princess. She was a woman who grew up in the foster system and suddenly found out her parents were the most famous couple in literary history.
Then there’s Regina Mills. The Evil Queen.
Regina is arguably the best character arc in modern network television. She started as a woman who literally ripped out hearts to get her way and ended as the "Good Queen." Lana Parrilla brought a level of camp and heartbreak to the role that made people root for her even when she was doing objectively terrible things. Her rivalry with Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) wasn't just about "who is the fairest." It was about a deep-seated trauma involving a stable boy named Daniel and a very meddlesome mother named Cora.
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Snow White and Prince Charming: The Optimism Anchor
Snow and David (Josh Dallas) were the moral compass. Sometimes that compass was annoying. They were so "good" it hurt, but the show needed that. Without their unwavering belief that "I will find you," the darkness of the other characters would have been too much. They represented the classic fairytale ideal that the show spent the rest of its time deconstructing.
The Villains Who Stole the Spotlight
You can't talk about all the once upon a time characters without mentioning Rumplestiltskin. Robert Carlyle was doing something different than everyone else. He played Rumple (and Mr. Gold) as a jittery, high-pitched dealer of magic who always had a hidden motive.
"All magic comes with a price, dearie."
That line defines the whole series. Rumple wasn't just a villain; he was a coward. His entire journey was a back-and-forth between his love for Belle and his addiction to power. It’s a recurring theme in the show: magic as an addiction.
Then came the guest stars. Each season brought in a new big bad.
- Zelena (The Wicked Witch): Regina’s half-sister who was literally green with envy.
- Peter Pan: This was a brilliant twist. Instead of a boy who didn’t want to grow up, he was a soul-sucking demon who abandoned his son (Rumple) to stay young. Robbie Kay played him with a chilling sociopathy.
- Hades: Greg Germann brought a weird, corporate energy to the God of the Underworld.
- The Queens of Darkness: Maleficent, Ursula, and Cruella de Vil. Cruella, played by Victoria Smurfit, was a standout because she was just pure evil—no tragic backstory needed, she just liked killing things.
The Supporting Cast: The Heart of Storybrooke
Sometimes the best parts of the show were the characters who didn't get top billing every week. Take Ruby (Red Riding Hood). The twist that she was actually the wolf was one of the strongest moments in Season 1. It subverted the victim narrative.
And Belle. Oh, Belle. Emilie de Ravin had the impossible task of playing a woman who saw the best in a monster. Their "Beauty and the Beast" dynamic was the most divisive part of the show. Some saw it as a toxic cycle; others saw it as the ultimate redemption story.
We also had:
- Killian Jones (Captain Hook): He started as a vengeful pirate out to kill Rumple and ended up as Emma’s husband. Colin O'Donoghue joined in Season 2 and the show’s "thirst factor" skyrocketed. He was the rogue with a heart of gold, literally traded his ship for the woman he loved.
- Archie Hopper (Jiminy Cricket): The town therapist. It makes sense that a cricket would be a psychiatrist, right?
- Mulan and Aurora: The show hinted at a romance there that they never quite followed through on, which is still a point of contention for many fans.
- Robin Hood: The man meant for Regina, whose life was cut short in a move that still makes fans angry on Twitter.
Why the Character Writing Worked (And Where it Faltered)
The writers, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (who came from the Lost writers' room), loved a good flashback. This allowed us to see all the once upon a time characters in two lights: their cursed selves and their enchanted selves.
The contrast was the point.
Mary Margaret was a mousy schoolteacher; Snow White was a bandit with a bow and arrow. David Nolan was a cheating husband with amnesia; Prince Charming was a hero. This duality gave the actors room to breathe.
However, the show struggled with bloat. By the time they reached the "Frozen" arc in Season 4, it felt a bit like Disney corporate synergy. Elsa and Anna were great, but they felt dropped in from another show. The same happened with the Merida arc and the Jekyll and Hyde stuff. When the show focused on its internal mythology—the Dark One, the Savior, and the Author—it was invincible. When it tried to be a live-action Disney catalog, it lost some of that Maine-based grit.
The Problem of the "Reset"
Season 7 is the elephant in the room. Most of the original cast left. Emma, Snow, David, and Henry (the young version) were gone. We got an adult Henry in a new city (Seattle/Hyperion Heights) with a new curse. While Andrew J. West did a great job as adult Henry, and Regina’s "Roni" persona was a blast, it felt like a reboot no one asked for. Still, seeing Regina finally get her "coronation" as the Good Queen in the series finale felt like a earned ending for the decade-long journey.
Real World Impact and the "Oncer" Fandom
People didn't just watch this show; they lived it. The "Oncer" fandom was massive. It wasn't just about the magic; it was about the idea that "hope is a very powerful thing."
Fans analyzed the costumes created by Eduardo Castro, which were masterpieces of storytelling. If Regina wore purple, she was feeling powerful. If she wore grey, she was mourning. The sets, the music by Mark Isham—everything worked together to build a world where a wooden puppet could become a real man and then a disgraced father (August/Pinocchio).
How to Navigate the Once Upon a Time Universe Today
If you're jumping back into the show or watching for the first time, don't try to make sense of the timeline. It’s non-linear. It’s messy. Just follow the emotional beats.
The core of all the once upon a time characters is simple: they are all people who lost something. Regina lost Daniel. Rumple lost Baelfire. Emma lost her childhood. The "villains" were just people who didn't know how to handle their grief.
Actionable Takeaways for a Rewatch:
- Watch the pilot and the finale back-to-back. The growth in Regina and Gold is staggering when viewed without the 150 episodes in between.
- Pay attention to the background characters. Characters like Granny and Blue Fairy (who many fans still suspect was the real villain) have arcs that play out in the margins.
- Focus on Season 1 and 2 for the best writing. These seasons had the tightest mystery and the most cohesive world-building.
- Check out the spin-off, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. It only lasted one season but featured an incredible performance by Naveen Andrews as Jafar and a very cool take on the Red Queen.
The legacy of these characters isn't just in the fairytales they represent. It's in the way the show argued that no one is born evil, and no one is purely good. We are all just a collection of our choices and the people we choose to love. Whether you're a fan of Captain Swan or an Outlaw Queen shipper, the show offered a seat at the table for everyone who ever felt like an outcast in their own story.