List of Once Upon a Time characters

Four men, three women, and a boy stand in the midst of a fog.

The primary characters of the series as they appear in Storybrooke from the first season. From left to right: Archie Hopper, Regina Mills, Henry Mills, Emma Swan, Sheriff Graham, Mr. Gold, Mary Margaret Blanchard, and David Nolan.

The characters of Once Upon a Time, an ongoing 2011 American fantasy-drama television series created by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, are Disney and or non-Disney renditions of classic fairy tale and fantasy characters from the Enchanted Forest who are cursed to remain trapped in time in the town of Storybrooke, Maine. They are forced to live forever without happy endings, and initially are unable to recall their memories of the Enchanted Forest where they once lived.

The television series revolves around lonely bail bond agent Emma Swan who is reunited with Henry Mills, the son she gave up for adoption ten years earlier. Initially not wanting a relationship with him, Emma drives him home to Storybrooke.

On the way there, Henry tells her that all of the stories in his large book of fairy tales are real: everyone in Storybrooke are characters from the book and are cursed by the Evil Queen and that as the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, Emma is the only one who can release them.

She returns Henry to his adoptive mother Regina Mills, the town's mayor and the series' central antagonist, the Evil Queen. Regina's antagonistic attitude causes Emma to become suspicious of her and she moves into town. Inadvertently, she starts breaking the curse.

The rest of the cast are Storybrooke citizens whose true fairy tale identities are revealed through flashbacks to events in the Enchanted Forest: Mary Margaret Blanchard, Henry's teacher and truly Snow White; David Nolan, who wakes up from his coma to find that his false memories of his wife Kathryn Nolan conflict the feelings he as Prince Charming has for Snow White; Mr. Gold, the town's wealthiest and most feared resident, reflecting his identity as Rumplestiltskin; Archie Hopper, Jiminy Cricket living as the town's psychotherapist; Sheriff Graham, the huntsman sent out to kill Snow White; August Booth, a deathly ill writer who needs magic to recover and the first stranger in town after Emma; and many other fairy tale characters, including three characters that would later become part of the ongoing storylines, Belle, the love interest of Mr. Gold, and Ruby, the waitress whose past is that of Red Riding Hood and her alter ego, the Wolf, and Captain Hook, a handsome, but villainous pirate captain.

In the second season, the curse is broken. Even though this has happened, the citizens still may not leave Storybrooke otherwise they will lose their memories all over again.

Main characters

Emma Swan

Jennifer Morrison plays Emma Swan.

Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) is a bail bond agent and bounty hunter. She is also the long-lost daughter of Snow White and Prince James. As an infant, she and seven-year-old Pinocchio were both sent to Storybrooke in a special cabinet that Geppetto made from a magic tree. Pinocchio, now using the name August Booth claims to have found Emma by the road, placing both of them in an orphanage, which led to her placement in the foster care system. Her negative experience in the system and her apparent abandonment have caused her to resent her biological parents; despite this, she keeps a folder of news articles about herself and has kept her baby blanket in the hopes that she will one day find her parents.

At eighteen, Emma becomes pregnant by her boyfriend, Neal Cassady, a thief. The two plan to use the money made from stolen watches to start a life together in Tallahassee. Neal is persuaded by August Booth to turn her into the police to protect her destiny, August having retained all of his Enchanted Forest memories. Emma is arrested and gives birth to her now fatherless son in jail; later giving him up for closed adoption to "give him his best chance."

On her twenty-eighth birthday, she wishes that she did not have to be alone on her birthday and is immediately reunited with her son Henry Mills. He explains that she is actually the daughter of Snow and Prince James ("Charming") and that she is the only one who can free her parents and the rest of Storybrooke from the curse. Refusing to start a relationship with him, she returns him home to his adoptive mother Regina Mills in Storybrooke and intends to leave him there. However, Regina's repeated warnings to leave town and keep away from Henry make her suspicious of Regina, deciding to stay. Regina eventually forbids Emma from seeing Henry unless given her permission.

Emma's decision to remain in Storybrooke begins a series of changes in the town and constantly puts her at odds with Regina. Emma states that she wants Henry to let go of his theories about the curse as she believes that the idea is "crazy." However, she later accepts the fact that Henry will not give it up though she remains skeptical about the curse actually existing.

Emma eventually starts living with Mary Margaret, who Henry believes is Snow White.

Despite Regina's protests, Sheriff Graham appoints Emma his deputy because of her experience with law enforcement. It becomes clear to the town that the pair are attracted to one another; Emma feels betrayed upon learning of his sexual relationship with Regina. Desperate, Graham kisses her, triggering memories of his true identity. He leaves Regina soon after and begins a relationship with Emma. Regina, crushes Graham's magically detached heart, causing him to die in Emma's arms shortly after.

Two weeks later, she becomes sheriff after winning the election, but is disturbed to find that her "benefactor" Mr. Gold manipulated the residents' fear of him to help her win so that she is in a better position to repay the favor she owes him.

She is later forced to arrest Mary Margaret for Kathryn Nolan's alleged murder after she is found missing with her heart buried near a river. Evidence proves that Mary Margaret is the murderer, despite Emma's belief that Regina framed her. She tells Mr. Gold that she is willing to go further than it takes to find evidence against Regina, suddenly becoming, in Mr. Gold's words, a "woman of faith." Mary Margaret disappears soon after, and Emma goes looking for her.

In the search, she is abducted by Jefferson. He orders her to make him a magical hat so that he can return home: something only she can do as she brought magic to Storybrooke. She tries to convince him the curse and magic are not real, but he is frustrated that she chooses not to believe Henry. She and Mary Margaret are eventually able to escape by pushing him out of a window. After, Emma convinces Mary Margaret to return to her cell and face her trial. Emma later sees Jefferson's daughter, from whom he claimed to be separated for twenty-eight years. Seeing that the illustrations in Henry's book of the Mad Hatter and his daughter are identical to Jefferson and his, she begins to wonder if the curse is real.

In the end, she refuses to believe in the curse, though August shows up and brings her to the tree he found her in, tells her he is Pinocchio and shows her that he is slowly turning back into wood. Her denial is so strong that she sees his leg (which had been slowly turning into wood) as a normal leg. She insists that she cannot handle the responsibility of being a savior. Later, Emma asks Henry if he wants to live with her. He replies "more than anything," and she makes the decision to leave Storybrooke. However, he stops her from doing this to force her to fulfill her destiny and break the curse. Emma eventually decides to stay in Henry's life, visiting when she can, despite leaving Storybrooke. After telling Regina, she receives an apple turnover, which is made from a cursed apple. Before she can eat it, Henry, knowing it to be poisoned eats it to protect her and falls unconscious.

As Henry is admitted into the hospital, she begins to finally believe in the curse, realizing the truth and accepting her destiny as the Savior of all fairytale characters.

To save Henry, she and Regina reluctantly collaborate and turn to Mr. Gold for help. He tells them that Henry can only be saved with true love, a bottle in which is hidden in the belly of the dragon Maleficent, whom had been locked beneath the foreclosed public library. Emma defeats Maleficent with Charming's sword and retrieves the bottle. Mr. Gold tricks Emma into giving the bottle to him, fleeing.

Dr. Whale is unable to revive Henry, leading to the prediction of his death. Henry dies but is quickly awoken by Emma, whom now believes and admits that she loves him, kissing him on the forehead. The kiss awakens Henry and breaks the curse, allowing all residents to remember their true identities. However, the residents of Storybrooke do not return to the Enchanted Forest. In addition, a magical cloud of smoke engulfs the town, due to Mr. Gold dropping the bottle containing the true love into the magical well. Therefore, magic returns to Storybrooke

In the second season, Emma reunites with Snow and James, but is overwhelmed that she has finally found her parents. To abide by Henry's wishes, she helps protect Regina from a Wraith intended to kill her, sent by Mr. Gold. Emma, Regina, Charming, and Snow use Jefferson's hat to open a portal into another world, hoping for the Wraith to be sucked inside. Instead, Emma and the Wraith are sucked inside, Snow jumping after her, the two winding up in the Enchanted Forest, a short distance away from Aurora and Mulan

In a part of Enchanted Forest that had been spared from the Dark Curse, Emma meets Regina's mother Cora, in a place where she is temporarily imprisoned. Also in the spared village lives Lancelot, a former knight of the round table and friend to Charming and Snow. He leads them to discover the remains of the wardrobe used to transport Pinocchio and Emma twenty-eight years before, quickly revealing himself to be Cora in disguise. The wardrobe is burned, and Cora collects its magical ashes.

Returning to the village, all of the survivors are found dead, the village destroyed. Captain Hook, disguised as an injured blacksmith attempts to trick them into helping him steal a magic compass from a giant in the sky, his identity revealed by Emma. Emma and Hook scale the beanstalk and confront the Giant, Emma successfully evading the Giant and obtaining the compass, abandoning Hook inside the castle and returning to the Forest.

Evil Queen/Regina Mills

Lana Parrilla plays Queen Regina.

The Evil Queen Regina (Lana Parrilla) is the second wife of King Leopold, whom she does not love, and the step-mother of Snow White. Originally, she was the exact opposite of who she is now, and fell in love with a stable boy named Daniel (Noah Bean).

When Snow White was a child, Regina's mother Cora caused Snow's horse to go wayward, leading to her being saved by Regina. King Leopold wanted to marry her as thanks and to give Snow a new mother. While resolving to run away with Daniel, Snow discovered their affair. Regina made Snow promise not to tell her mother, but Snow is tricked into telling the secret by Cora, thus leading to Cora killing Daniel (by ripping out his heart) and Regina being forced to marry Leopold. From then on, Regina vowed to destroy Snow's happiness to avenge her lost happy ending. While preparing for her wedding, she meets Rumplestiltskin for the first time, and he promises to help her rid of Cora (who has prevented any attempts made by Regina to escape) behind. She sends Cora through a magic mirror and although her mother disappears and she is finally relieved, she is married anyway.

While married, Regina pursues studying magic with Rumplestiltskin. During the duration of her training, she finds herself unable to cope with murder, eventually giving up, too engrossed with the loss of Daniel. The Mad Hatter and Rumplestiltskin make a deal to bring in Dr. Victor Frankenstein from another land to falsely attempt to reanimate Daniel, the hopes of the failed experiment being Regina giving in to darkness. After the experiment "fails," Regina finally succumbs to evil, but not before preserving Daniel's body in the family crypt.

Years later, she obtains control of Aladdin's Genie as a gift from her husband. She kills King Leopold by taking advantage of the unwanted love the Genie holds for her, via the use of poisonous snakes from his native Agrabah. This enacts the first part of her plan and makes her ruler of Leopold's realm. Later, Regina and the Mad Hatter journey into Wonderland to rescue Regina's father, Henry whom has been trapped there for quite some time. Due to a matter of transportation into Wonderland, she takes her father and leaves the Hatter behind, an act in which he can never forgive her for.

She then contrives various ways to kill Snow — first by enlisting the Huntsman's help. The plan backfires when the Huntsman is unable to kill her, his punishment being Regina tearing out his heart and making him her slave. She then accuses Snow White of treason and places a bounty on her head, eventually puts her into a deathlike sleep with the use of a cursed apple. Snow is later awakened and she and Prince James are happily married.

On the day of the wedding, Regina vows to cast a curse on all of the inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest and to take away all of their happiness so that she is the only one who is happy. She previously traded this curse to Maleficent in exchange for the sleeping curse. She forcibly retrieves it from her only friend when negotiations go sour. She has difficulty enacting it and goes to see its creator, Rumplestiltskin, for advice.

In exchange for the info she desires, he asks that she give him a place of comfort and respect in the "new world" the curse will send them to and that she must do anything he asks when he utters "please." Agreeing, Regina learns she must use the heart of "the thing [she] love[s] most," understanding this to be her father Henry; with reluctance, she cuts out his heart and enacts the curse. Shortly after, she travels to Snow's castle where she triumphantly exclaims to Snow White and Prince Charming that the curse is taking them "somewhere truly horrible." Her desire to "win for once" fuels her endless quest for revenge.

In Storybrooke, she is Mayor Regina Mills. With Mr. Gold's help, she adopts Henry Mills as a baby, unbeknownst to her at first that he is really the grandson of Snow White and Prince Charming. Her relationship with Henry is strained: he prefers the company of his birth mother Emma Swan, he constantly rebels, and constantly lies to her to spend time with Emma or in the second season, with David Nolan.

Because of this and after discovering who Emma really is, Regina is antagonistic toward her and is determined to keep Emma away from Henry, even going as far as to forbid Emma from seeing him without her permission and threatening to file a restraining order against Emma.

Regina is also determined to convince Henry that his theory about the curse and the true identities of the Storybrooke residents is false, and she starts him on regular sessions with therapist Archie Hopper.

When Archie's methods are too slow, Regina tries to force Archie to tell Henry that his idea is crazy; however, Archie refuses and threatens to declare her an unfit mother if she continues to meddle in his sessions with Henry. She has a sexual relationship with Graham, really the Huntsman, but he eventually breaks up with her. Out of jealousy of Graham in taking an interest and kissing Emma, she crushes his heart and kills him, revealing that she remembers her identity as the Evil Queen.

Regina manipulates Emma's trust of Sidney Glass to keep an eye on Emma's activities. She also tries to prevent the relationship between David Nolan and Mary Margaret Blanchard, really Prince James and Snow White, by reuniting David and his wife Kathryn, as well as using David's and Mary Margaret's affair to discredit Mary Margaret after the Nolans' marriage falls apart, and stealing Kathryn's letter stating that she never loved David and that she is allowing him to be with Mary Margaret.

The power struggle between Regina and Rumplestiltskin continues in Storybrooke where she is constantly at odds with Mr. Gold. He helps Emma run against the Regina-backed Sidney, and he has become more feared by the residents than Regina has become. He eventually reveals to her that he knows he is Rumplestiltskin.

Not known to many of the residents and him, Regina is holding Belle, his true love, captive underneath the Storybrooke Hospital. Despite their rivalry, Regina makes another deal with him to ensure Mary Margaret's defeat. She leaves a key in Mary Margaret's cell as he assured her that Mary Margaret would use it to escape. She becomes angry with him when she learns that Mary Margaret did as he predicted but returned to her cell after.

Regina is further upset when she discovers that Gold never killed Kathryn but returns her alive. She convinces Sidney to claim to have been the one to frame Mary Margaret but Emma tells Regina she knows the truth and declares her intentions to get Henry back.

During a confrontation at the school yard, Mary Margaret tells Regina she feels sorry for the other woman going out of her way to hurt others. Henry then tells Regina he knows she was the one trying to get Mary Margaret and it will not change anything as Snow and Charming will be together in the end.

When Mr. Gold suggests that she may need to give up Henry to keep the curse in full strength, she replies that she simply needs to get rid of Emma. Gold declines to help her any further, so she asks Jefferson for help. She gives up the last bit of her magic so that Jefferson can use his hat to retrieve her cursed apple from the Enchanted Forest.

She succeeds in retrieving in with the last bit of magic she has left, and turned the apple into a turnover. When Emma visits her and offers to leave Storybrooke as long as Regina allows her to see Henry, she agrees to the arrangement and gives Emma the turnover as a gift for the road. When Gold deduces her plan, he reminds her that all magic comes with a price.

Henry eats the turnover since Emma refuses to believe in magic or him and later he was hospitalized. Mr. Gold told Regina and Emma that to break the curse, they need to retrieve a bottle of true love. However, Mr. Gold tricks Emma into giving the bottle to him.

In the hospital, Dr. Whale announces Henry's death. Emma kisses Henry's forehead, telling him she loves him, and waking him up and breaking the curse on Storybrooke. As the other characters threaten that Regina should leave as soon as possible, Regina tells Henry that she always loved him and returns home in tears. Despite this, she smiles when she sees a magical cloud of smoke engulfing the town, thus restoring magic to Storybrooke.

In the second season, a mob arrives at Regina's house intending to kill her, but Snow and James stop them and lock Regina in a cell in the sheriff's office for her own safety. There she is confronted by Rumplestiltskin regarding her kidnapping and imprisoning Belle in the asylum, and marks her with an amulet that summons a Wraith. The Wraith attempts to suck out Regina's soul, but Snow, James, and Emma manage to get it through a portal into the Enchanted Forest, though Emma and Snow fall through as well. Henry is heartbroken by their loss, and tells Regina he never wishes to see her again until she returns them to Storybrooke.

Regina was still unable to reclaim her magic, until she went to Mr. Gold and get back a magic book which belonged to Cora. She got back her abilities to use magic and reclaimed Henry. After she realizes she behaved like her mother Cora to force Henry to stay with her, she offers to let Henry continue living with James. In a rare gesture of kindness, she assures Henry she loves him very much, and that is why she is letting him leave her for as long as he pleases.

In a later time, Dr. Whale (Dr. Frankenstein) successfully reanimates Daniel's preserved corpse. The experiment backfires and Daniel becomes a mindless monster, even attacking Regina. He briefly remembers her and urges her to move on and love again. Much to her dismay, she turns Daniel to dust and seeks consolation in Hopper.

Henry Mills

Henry Mills (Jared S. Gilmore) is Emma's 10-year-old son whom she gave up for closed adoption after giving birth to him in jail. He is also Snow White's and Prince Charming's grandson. He was adopted by Evil Queen/Regina Mills, who found him through Mr. Gold; Henry is named after Regina's father. Henry receives his cherished book of fairy tales from his teacher Mary Margaret and discovers that the residents of Storybrooke are actually characters from this book after noticing he is the only one in town who ages. His realization that Regina is the Evil Queen further strains his relationship with her, and she starts taking him to regular therapy sessions with Jiminy Cricket/Archie Hopper in an attempt to end his rebelliousness and his unwavering belief in the curse. Hoping to break the curse and learn why he was put up for adoption, Henry finds his biological mother Emma and brings her to Storybrooke. He even begins a rescue program called "Operation Cobra" to help Emma revive the residents' memories of the Enchanted Forest despite her denial. He begins spending as much time as he can with Emma, often lying to Regina to get away from his adoptive mother. Eventually, Regina forbids Emma from seeing Henry unless Regina allows it. Despite this, he spends times with Emma when Regina is not looking. He wishes nothing more than to live with Emma but only after she breaks the curse. Discovering that Emma has received a poisonous apple turnover from Regina, he eats it to protect Emma and prove the validity of the curse, falling unconscious. As he is hospitalized, Emma comes to believe in the curse. Shortly after the hospital pronounces him dead, Emma tells Henry she loves him and kisses him on the forehead. The kiss wakes Henry up and subsequently breaks the curse.

In the second season, Henry begs Emma not to let an angry mob harm Regina, as she is still his adopted mother. But when he and Red arrive at her house and find out that Emma and Snow fell through a portal to another world, he tells Regina he will never see her again until she returns them to him. He moves in with James into Snow's apartment, where James reassures him that Emma and Snow are alive, and that he will find them. Henry wants to help James in his quest to get back Snow White and Emma, but is taken back by Regina after she restored her powers. At the end of the episode, Regina has a change in heart and offers to let Henry keep living with James out of her love for him.

Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold

Robert Carlyle plays Rumplestiltskin.

Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle) is a whimsical yet sinister sorcerer who delights in making deals with desperate people. In roundabout ways, Rumplestiltskin is also the Beast and the ticking crocodile.

He is originally a poor spinner who had deserted from the Ogre Wars due to his reputable cowardice. His first wife, Milah left him and their young son Baelfire as a result of it, having been "taken" by the crew of Captain Killian Jones, a pirate who mocks Rumplestiltskin when he tries to talk Jones into letting Milah go, challenging him to a duel which Rumplestiltskin refuses. Baelfire will be taken to fight the Ogre Wars when he turns fourteen, the custom for all children in their village. To save his son from the war, he and Baelfire try to flee, but are discovered by soldiers. Rumplestiltskin is publicly humiliated, and Baelfire is told of his father's hidden past.

Sometime later he meets a lowly beggar, who tells him about a magical dagger engraved with the name of the Dark One, a wizard the soldiers use to submit the villagers to their will. The Dark One serves the owner of the dagger and if he is killed with it, the killer will gain his powers and become the new Dark One. Rumplestiltskin steals the dagger and kills the Dark One, who is revealed to be the beggar after he is stabbed. The beggar felt that being the Dark One was a burden and used Rumplestiltskin's desperation to pass the burden to him, saying, "I know how to recognize a desperate soul." The name on the dagger changes to Rumplestiltskin's and he becomes the Dark One. He kills the soldiers who mocked him and saves Baelfire from the war. As a result his son and the other villagers have become terrified of him. Later, Rumplestiltskin agrees to his son's demand to find a way to get rid of his powers, having no longer been able to put up with his father's reputation. When Baelfire receives a magical bean from the Blue Fairy that will take them both to a world without magic and rid Rumplestiltskin of his powers, Rumplestiltskin is too afraid to lose his powers and Baelfire crosses over alone, the portal quickly sealed behind him. Rumpsletiltskin blames the Blue Fairy for Baelfire's disappearance and vows that he will create a curse that will reunite him with his son one day. Rumplestiltskin becomes the most feared and most powerful being in the Enchanted Forest and enters a power struggle with his former student in the Dark Arts, the Evil Queen Regina, resulting in a rivalry between the two ever since. He begins making deals with other characters from the Forest, constantly warning them that "magic always comes at a price." Among his more infamous deals were with Jiminy Cricket and Cinderella, and the deals are mentioned frequently in various episodes.

During his search for Baelfire, he is told of a magic bean that can open a portal to other worlds by Mr. Smee, a bean which Smee can obtain. Soon after he encounters Jones, revealing himself as the man Jones mocked long ago, Jones now mocking him as a crocodile due to his haggard, creature-like appearance. Jones claims Milah is dead. As revenge, Rumplestiltskin challenges him to a duel. Just before he kills Jones, Milah shows up, revealing that she and Jones are lovers. She gives Rumple the bean he wished for and Rumple is willing to forgive her for leaving him, but not for leaving their son. He rips Milah's heart out of her chest and slices Jones' hand off. Rumplestilskin leaves with Jones' severed hand only to find that Jones (now calling himself Hook) kept the bean.

As part of a deal to save Sir Maurice's town from the Ogre Wars, Maurice's daughter Belle becomes the caretaker of his estate. Over time, the pair form a bond, and Rumplestiltskin asks her to go out and buy straw, expecting that she will not return. She surprises him by returning and they share a kiss, slowly changing him back into who he was prior to becoming The Dark One. However, he learns that she met the Queen on the road and becomes convinced that she was Regina's spy; this stops the transformation. In his rage, he rejects her and locks Belle in his dungeon. He then flies into a tantrum and breaks all of his dishware, except the cup that she had accidentally chipped earlier. He throws her out of his castle, telling her that his power is more important to him than she is. She leaves, but not before telling him he will regret his decision. Months later, the Queen visits and lies to him, telling him that Belle was imprisoned and tortured because of her association with him and eventually committed suicide. Heartbroken, he places the chipped cup in a place of honor while silently weeping. Later, he is frozen by a quill created by the Blue Fairy, to prevent Cinderella from giving up her child.

At some point, Regina takes possession of his curse intended to reunite him with his son. When she cannot enact it, he asks that she give him a place of comfort and respect in the "new world" the curse will send them to and that she must do anything he asks her to do so long as he says "please," in exchange for telling her how to set the curse in motion.

In Storybrooke, he is Mr. Gold, the local pawnshop owner and the town's wealthiest resident. He helped build the town and owns most of it, including Granny's Inn. He is the one who brings the infant Henry to Regina, most certainly knowing it was Emma's biological child (Emma being the one to break the curse). As in the Enchanted Forest, he continues to make "deals" with the residents. He agrees to pay Ashley Boyd in exchange for her child, but agrees to allow Ashley her child in exchange for a favor from Emma. He backs Emma in her bid to be sheriff after Graham's death; he starts a fire and manipulates the voters' fear of him to get Emma elected. When she wins the position, he reminds her that she owes him a favor. Flower vendor Moe French, actually Belle's father Maurice, robs Mr. Gold's home. Emma retrieves everything but the chipped teacup Mr. Gold treasures as a reminder of Belle. To recover the cup, Mr. Gold kidnaps Moe and tortures him; his ranting seems to show that he is truly punishing Moe as retaliation for causing Belle's death. Emma finds them just in time to stop Mr. Gold from beating Moe to death, and he is arrested. Soon after, Regina visits Mr. Gold and offers to return the cup if Mr. Gold tells her his name. He admits that he knows he is Rumplestiltskin and assures her that he is still more powerful than she is.

When Mary Margaret is accused of the murder of Kathryn Nolan, he offers her his legal services, which she accepts. Emma begins to believe that Regina framed Mary Margaret and asks him to help her find proof. It is revealed that Regina made another deal with him to ensure Mary Margaret's conviction and that Regina left a key in Mary Margaret's cell upon his suggestion. Later, when he sees August in his shop, Mr. Gold believes that August is Baelfire. He admits that he regrets not going with Baelfire and only wants to be forgiven. Mr. Gold soon realizes that August is not his son when August tries to use the Dark One's dagger to control him (Baelfire would have known that such an attempt was futile on Earth). August reveals that he is deathly ill and needs magic to get better, but at the rate Emma is going, she will bring magic to Storybrooke too late to save him. Mr. Gold points out that there is no magic whatsoever in Storybrooke and leaves August to find a different way. Regina later comes to him to ask for help destroying Emma; he refuses, as he secretly hopes the curse will be broken so he can continue searching for his son. When Henry bites into Regina's poisoned apple (which she recovered with Jefferson's help), he tells Emma where to find a bottle of true love, the only thing that will save him. However, he tricks her into giving it to him and takes it to his shop. Jefferson releases Belle from the hospital asylum in which Regina had locked her in, telling her to tell Gold that Regina had locked her up. Gold promises to protect her and takes her to the woods when the curse on Storybrooke is broken. He discovers that Belle has regained her memory and tells her that he loves her, a feeling mutual with her. He takes her to a well that has "the power to restore what one has lost." He drops the bottle of true love into the water, causing a cloud of magical smoke to engulf the town and bring magic back to Storybrooke.

In the second season, Rumplestiltskin promises Belle that he will not kill Regina for what she did to her, though he later shows up at the sheriff's office where Regina is being held. Confronting her about Belle's imprisonment, he marks her with an amulet and summons a Wraith to kill her. Heartbroken that he betrayed her, Belle leaves his shop. Gold's plan fails when Snow, James, and Emma help send the Wraith back into the Enchanted Forest. When Belle returns to his shop, he urges her to leave as he is "still a monster," but Belle tells him that is why she needs to stay, and they reconcile. He learns later on that anyone who attempts to leave Storybrooke will have their memory of their magical self completely erased, enraging Mr. Gold, since he had planed to leave town to search for Baelfire. Gold begins to experiment with magic, upsetting Belle, who leaves presumably for good. Worried about what Belle's father will do to control her, he enlists David and Ruby to help search, and rescues her from having her memory wiped by being sent across city limits. He later sets Belle up with a job as the town librarian. He and Belle argue again, with her accusing him of being a coward and he confesses that he is, using magic as a crutch and is now trying to find a way to break this new curse so they can leave Storybrooke. The two start their relationship anew.

Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard

Ginnifer Goodwin plays Snow White.

Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin as an adult, Bailee Madison as a young Snow White), Snow for short, is the daughter of King Leopold and the stepdaughter of the Evil Queen Regina.

When she is a little girl, Regina rescues her from a runaway horse cursed by Regina's mother, Cora. As a result, Leopold wants to marry Regina and provide Snow with a mother as her real mother has recently died. However, Snow discovers that Regina loves the stable boy, Daniel, and innocently reveals this to Regina's evil mother Cora. This revelation leads to Daniel's death. Regina wants Snow dead for revealing this secret and wishes to prevent her from having true love as she was denied of hers.

Years later, King Leopold is murdered and Regina assumes the throne, enlisting the Huntsman to kill Snow. Instead, he spares her for her selflessness. Snow now lives in the forest, stealing from the nobles of the Queen's domain in the hopes of collecting enough money to move out of the realm. She meets Prince James while robbing him, and nicknames him Prince Charming when he captures her to regain his stolen engagement ring, which she already sold. The pair fall in love on their journey to buy back the jewels, but he returns to his fiancée.

Realizing that she and James can never be together, she receives a potion from Rumplestiltskin that will erase all her memories of James. Shortly after, she gets a letter from James telling her to meet him at the castle if she loves him so they can run away before he is married. She goes to meet him, but his "father" King George catches her in the castle and forces her to tell James that she does not love him. Afterwards she moves in with the Seven Dwarfs. James breaks off his engagement, but Snow untimely drinks the potion shortly before the news reaches her. The potion changes her into a mean-spirited and cruel person, and she realizes that her anger stems from the death of her father. She tries to kill Regina, the person responsible for her father's murder, but James takes the arrow meant for the Queen. He tells her that he would rather die than let Snow become evil, and she realizes that no one else is willing to die for her. She kisses him and regains her memory. The pair are shortly after again separated when George's knights capture James. She and the dwarfs then set out to rescue James. She learns that the Queen has taken James captive and agrees to meet her. In exchange for James' life, Snow willingly eats a cursed apple that puts her into a deathlike sleep. James breaks free of his imprisonment and kisses her, bringing her back to life.

During this time, King George continuously pursues Snow and James. Using his knight Lancelot as a pawn, Snow is brought to George and forced to drink from a potion cursing her with the inability to give birth. She is released and joins James (and Lancelot) to seek out James' mother, Ruth. Snow keeps the curse a secret and eventually meets with Ruth. Initially the two hit it off until Ruth is shot with an arrow and mortally wounded. Lancelot and James lead the party to a lake in which bestows all-healing water. The lake has since dried out and left only a small shell full of water. Ruth presumably drinks the water, but the effects prove useless. Wishing to see James and Snow married before she dies, Lancelot marries the two, Ruth dying shortly after. As a part of the marriage ceremony, Snow and James drink from a cup. Unbeknownst to Snow, Lancelot and Ruth had secretly placed the lake water into the cup to allow Snow to have children,a fact in which is only known between Lancelot and Snow.

Charming and Snow are afterwards married in a full ceremony. The Queen arrives at the wedding and announces that she will place a curse on everyone to destroy Snow's happiness. Snow is soon pregnant and gives birth to Emma just as the curse begins to take hold of the Enchanted Forest. Emma is placed in a magical wardrobe crafted by Gepetto, transported to Maine twenty-eight years before the events of Emma's arrival in Storybrooke.

In Storybrooke, she is Mary Margaret Blanchard. She is Henry's favorite teacher and gives him his book of fairy tales to instill him with hope. She also invites Emma to live with her upon realizing that Emma was thrown out of the Bed & Breakfast. Mary Margaret volunteers at the hospital and reads the Snow White and Prince Charming tale to the comatose David Nolan, who is really James. He wakes up and the pair fall in love, despite David's marriage to Kathryn. Mary Margaret resigns from the hospital because of the heartache she feels from being around David and tries to start a relationship with Dr. Whale. However, she develops stalker-like behavior: she knows David's daily schedule and tries to be where he is. She finally tries to avoid David, but she and David find they cannot stay away from each other and begin a secret relationship. After the affair becomes public and David's marriage breaks down, Mary Margaret is labeled a tramp and becomes an outcast. However, some of the residents reach out to her after she sells candles to help the local nunnery pay its rent. She is arrested for Kathryn's apparent murder after Mary Margaret's fingerprints are found on a box containing a human heart shortly after Kathryn disappears. The box is later found to be Mary Margaret's and the heart is proven to be Kathryn's. Emma believes that Mary Margaret is being framed and asks her to wait and to trust Emma until she can be proven innocent. However, Mary Margaret finds one of Regina's skeleton keys in her cell. At the end of "Heart of Darkness", her jail cell is shown to be empty. It is later revealed that she escaped her cell but was captured and held captive by Jefferson. She is found by Emma, and the pair are eventually able to escape when Mary Margaret kicks him out a window. After, Mary Margaret willingly returns to her jail cell to face her trial. When Kathryn reappears, Mary Margaret is released. However, her relationship with David becomes strained as David did not believe she was innocent. David eventually decides to leave Storybrooke when Mary Margaret does not give him a reason to stay. They are reunited when the curse is broken, and they regain their memories.

In the second season, Snow White reunites with Emma for the first time in 28 years, and helps Regina send a Wraith out to kill her into another world. When Emma falls into the portal as well, Snow jumps in after her, desperate not to lose her again. They appear in the Enchanted Forest a short distance away from Aurora and Mulan. She is knocked unconscious by Mulan when she and Emma attempt to escape, and the two are thrown in prison, the same prison Regina's mother, Cora, was in.

Prince Charming/David Nolan

Josh Dallas plays Prince James.

Prince "Charming" James (Josh Dallas) is a poor shepherd whose twin brother was given to King George as an heir in a deal with Rumplestiltskin. The real Prince James is killed in battle shortly after agreeing to kill a dragon for King Midas in exchange for gold, and the shepherd takes his brother's place in exchange for the prosperity of his mother's farm and the promises that he can return home afterward. He takes his brother's name and unexpectedly slays the dragon himself. Midas then declares James worthy to marry his daughter Abigail and unite the kingdoms, unaware that neither the real James nor his replacement is of royal blood. James, wanting to marry for love, tries to decline, but George reneges on his promise and vows to kill James's mother if he does not marry. James reluctantly agrees. He visits his mother to say goodbye and receives her wedding ring, which she claims is followed by true love. The ring is stolen and sold by Snow White, who nicknames him "Prince Charming". The pair fall in love while trying to retrieve it. He writes a letter to Snow saying that if she loves him, visit the castle before his wedding, and they will run away and be happy. She comes, but George catches her. He forces her to tell James that she does not love him or he will kill James, martyring him, and hopefully uniting the kingdoms out of Midas's pity for George. She complies, but James still attempts to secretly flee his wedding. Abigail reveals that she knows he does not want to marry her and tells him that she does not want to marry him either; she gives him provisions for his journey. He is later seen fleeing King George's knights on his search for Snow. When he finds Snow, he learns that she cannot remember who he is. To prevent her from killing the Evil Queen, he takes the arrow meant for the Queen and tells Snow he would rather die than let her become evil. She realizes that no one else will die for her; she kisses him and regains her memories. However, the pair are separated again when George's knights capture him. He is set to be beheaded, but is rescued by the Queen. She takes him captive and uses him to convince Snow to willing eat a cursed apple that put her into a deathlike sleep. Some time after, he awakens Snow from her enchanted sleep and the pair marry. At their wedding, the Queen announces that she will cast a curse on the Enchanted Forest and take away all they love. James and Snow seek advice from Rumplestiltskin, who tells them that Emma, the daughter they are expecting, will break the curse. Emma is born shortly before the curse takes hold, and James places her in a magical wardrobe to protect her from the curse. However, he is seriously wounded by the Queen's knights in the process.

In Storybrooke, he first appears as the comatose John Doe, who has gone unidentified for years. He wakes up after Mary Margaret, who is Snow White, reads him the story of Snow White and Prince Charming. Shortly after, he is reunited with his wife Kathryn Nolan, who is Abigail, and is identified as David Nolan. It is revealed that he and his wife were separated after he left the house after an argument and, unknown to Kathryn, fell into a coma. However, David suffers from amnesia and cannot remember his life with Kathryn. Although he cannot remember his life in Storybrooke either, he falls in love with Mary Margaret and decides to leave Kathryn for her. However, his false memories of his marriage begin to return and he decides to work things out with Kathryn instead. He eventually gives in to his attraction to Mary Margaret and begins having an affair with her. Kathryn is later accepted to a law school in Boston, but he tells her that he cannot come with her and suggests they end their marriage. Kathryn learns about the affair, but realizes there was never any love in the marriage. She decides to go to Boston alone. She writes David a letter telling him that she wants David and Mary Margaret to be happy together and that she forgives them both. However, Regina steals the letter from the Nolans' home and burns it before he can read it. Kathryn disappears shortly after. David becomes a suspect in her disappearance, namely because of a phone call he made to her immediately before she went missing and because he starts exhibiting strange trance-like behavior during which he cannot recall his actions. However, the suspicion is dropped when Mary Margaret's fingerprints are found on a box containing a human heart thought to be Kathryn's. In an attempt to prove Mary Margaret's innocence, he asks Archie Hopper to help him regain his memories of the black-outs. However, he recalls some of his memories of the Enchanted Forest, namely when he was telling Snow not to kill the Queen. He confuses these for more recent memories and believes he is telling Mary Margaret to not kill Kathryn. He starts to doubt her innocence. When Kathryn turns up alive, David sees her at the hospital and Kathryn says she is no longer angry at David as she is the first to realize that he and Mary Margaret belong together. The two break up on good terms. However, Mary Margaret is upset over David doubting her innocence and refuses to speak to him. David decides to move to Boston and asks Mary Margaret to give him a reason to stay in Storybrooke. However, she does not. As he approaches the town limits, the curse is broken and he regains his memories. He returns to town and reunites with Snow White.

In the second season, James reunites with Emma for the first time in 28 years and embraces Henry as his grandson. He stops Dr. Whale from killing Regina and agrees to help her send a Wraith out to kill her into another world. However, Emma and Mary Margaret both fall into the portal with the Wraith. In rage, James tells Regina he should have killed her when he had the chance, but Regina pins him against the wall and tries to kill him instead, but is stopped when Henry enters the room. Out of love for Henry, Regina releases James. James offers to take care of Henry while Emma and Mary Margaret, and they move into Mary Margaret's apartment. He assures Henry that he knows they are still alive, and that he will find them. He manages to unite the townspeople when they all attempt to leave with a moving speech, and for the first time, opens up about his experiences. Claiming that David was weak and never knew how to take action, James said he would still never trade either of his personalities, as he now embodies them both.

Jiminy Cricket/Archie Hopper

Raphael Sbarge plays Jiminy Cricket.

Jiminy Cricket (Raphael Sbarge, Adam Young as a child) is the son of unscrupulous con artists. Disapproving his parents' treachery, he desires to live an honest life, but was too weak-willed to leave his family. Eventually, he receives a potion from Rumplestiltskin that will free Jiminy from his parents. However, he inadvertently gives the potion to a young couple, transforming the pair into puppets. He wishes on a star in the hopes that the couple will be transformed back, but the Blue Fairy appears and tells him she cannot undo Rumplestiltskin's work. Instead, he wishes to make things right, and she transforms him into a cricket so that he can be free from his parents and guide the couple's son Geppetto for as long as the boy lives. He later helps the dwarves confront Snow White about her mean-spirited behavior after she drinks a potion and forgets about her true love Prince James. However, the confrontation drives her to want to kill the Evil Queen. He later tells James that the only way for her to remember James is if she remembers her true self. Much later, he is seen advising the residents of the Enchanted Forest against waging war with the Queen and urges them to find a more peaceful solution. When Geppetto is told by the Blue Fairy to carve the wardrobe to transport Emma, he forces the Fairy to agree to let Pinoccho go with her. Jiminy tells Geppetto this is wrong but he snaps that the debt Jiminy owes over his parents is paid and he no longer wants the cricket's advice.

In Storybrooke, he is Dr. Archie Hopper, the town's psychotherapist. He owns a pet Dalmatian named Pongo and is frequently seen carrying an umbrella, like he does as a cricket in the Enchanted Forest. He is also good friends with Marco, who is actually Geppetto. Archie is asked by Regina to convince Henry that his ideas about the curse and the true identities of the Storybrooke residents is "crazy." He makes little progress, and Regina becomes impatient and asks him to take a more radical approach. Although it violates his conscience, he initially complies with her demands. Archie later confides to Henry that he wants to be free to do as he wants, and Henry tells him that Jiminy Cricket was a man who took a long time deciding what the right thing to do was. Archie then stands up to Regina and threatens to declare her an unfit mother if she continues to interfere with his sessions with Henry. Archie later puts David under hypnosis to help David remember his actions during his black-outs, causing David to remember some of his memories from the Enchanted Forest. Emma breaks the curse and he regains his memories as Jiminy Cricket. Jiminy begs Emma not to let the mob hurt the Evil Queen, saying that she should not stoop to Regina's level. He later is asked by Regina to help her be willing to let go of using magic. One of their sessions is interrupted by Dr. Whale, who is seeking to return to "Victor Frankenstein's World"; Regina simply explain she can't and they continue their session as an infuriated Dr. Whale leaves.

While Raphael Sbarge had been a member of the main cast in the first season, he became a recurring cast member in the second season.

Huntsman/Sheriff Graham Humbert

Jamie Dornan plays The Huntsman.

The Huntsman (Jamie Dornan) is a nameless hunter who is a solitary recluse who does not have many friends. Abandoned by his parents at a young age, he was raised by wolves. He considers the wolves to be his true family, and is greatly saddened by the deaths of animals, but he does not hesitate to kill other humans, which he views as selfish, honor-less creatures. Which is why he is considered by the Queen the perfect assassin, and is hired to kill Snow White and cut out Snow White's heart. When the Huntsman tracks Snow White down, she inadvertently proves her purity of heart and selflessness when he attempts to kill her, and he lets her go, offering the Queen a stag's heart instead. The Queen realizes she has been tricked and tears out the Huntsman's heart, keeping his heart in her vault and uses it to make him her slave, threatening to kill him by crushing it if he defies her again. When Prince James is led to his execution, the Huntsman helps him escape by killing a guard that tried to stop them. When James asks him to come with him, the Huntsman replies he cannot leave and not to let his sacrifice (his loss of his heart) be in vain. After James escapes, the Huntsman tells the Queen he will attempt to recapture him, but the Queen uses the Magic Mirror to track him down instead.

In Storybrooke, he is Sheriff Graham Humbert, the town's handsome and level-headed police officer with a less obvious counterpart than the other citizens of Storybrooke (his fairy tale persona was not revealed until the seventh episode of the first season). He proves to have the same accuracy of his dart throws, and he is very familiar with the forest surrounding Storybrooke. He is also one of the few residents who go directly against Regina, who is really the Evil Queen: first by refusing to continue arresting Emma Swan after doing it once (Emma convincing him she was innocent), and then by making Emma his deputy. It becomes clear to the town-and Regina-that he and Emma are mutually attracted to each other. However, he has a secret relationship with Regina and Emma feels betrayed that he did not tell her about it and covered it up through his work. Graham reveals to her that he "doesn't feel anything" with Regina and desperately wants to feel "something" with someone else. To prove he has no feelings for Regina, he kisses Emma, inadvertently triggering memories of his past as The Huntsman. Emma rejects his advances, disgusted by his past relationship with Regina. As the flashbacks of his previous life continue, he seeks advice from Henry, who tells him about the Huntsman and his missing heart. Graham is unable to find his heart in Regina's vault, disguised as her father's mausoleum, but he ends his relationship with Regina, insisting that Emma has nothing to do with the break-up. Shortly after, he starts a new relationship with Emma, and he regains all of his lost memories in the process. However, Regina crushes his heart (hidden beneath her father's masoleum) and he dies in Emma's arms. His final words were to Emma, thanking her for helping him remember who he truly was.

The Huntsman appeared, in the early part of season one, to be a main character. Actor Jamie Dornan stated that he knew about Graham's death since the pilot's filming. Producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz commented that Graham's death was always planned and was meant to prove how serious the curse is; they felt that killing a lesser character would not create the intended effect. Although Graham is dead, the producers stated that because of the popularity of the character, they are trying to "move heaven and earth" to bring the Huntsman back. The Huntsman made a surprising appearance in the season finale, and the possibility of him returning for other flashbacks to the Enchanted Forest is still open.

Red Riding Hood/Wolf/Ruby

Meghan Ory plays Red.

Red Riding Hood (Meghan Ory), called Red, lives with her Granny, who insists to Red's annoyance that she always wear a red cloak. She loves her childhood friend, a blacksmith named Peter, but Granny disapproves of their relationship. The pair plan to run away together one day to escape Granny's scrutiny. Red meets Snow White when Snow takes refuge in Red's chicken coop during Wolfstime, when a killer wolf that slaughters cattle and anyone who tries to stop it plagues Red's village. When the wolf kills a large hunting party, the townspeople decide to kill the wolf, even after Granny reveals that the wolf had slaughtered her entire family and bit her. Red and Snow decide to go hunting for the wolf themselves so Red and Peter can be together. Unfortunately, what they find indicates that Peter is the wolf at night. Snow wears Red's cloak to trick her Granny and allow Red to go out and see Peter, convincing Peter to chain himself up for the night while she keeps him company. Granny discovers the deception and reveals that Red is the wolf-she inherited a curse that turns her into a wolf during a full moon, but her red cloak (which Granny purchased from a wizard) is enchanted and prevents the transformation. By the time Snow and Granny reach Red, she has already turned into a wolf and killed Peter. They throw the cloak over Red, and she transforms back into a human. Horrified to learn that she killed Peter, she goes on the run with Snow. She is later seen bringing Snow food every month, and she is the one who tells Snow that Prince James has not yet called off his wedding. When Prince James comes looking for Snow, Red tells James that Snow has not returned from her trip to his father's kingdom. When King George's guards arrive to kill James, James takes Red with him to find Snow. When the soldiers attack again, Red transforms into a wolf to fight them off and allow James's escape. She and Granny are later seen helping Snow rescue James, and they help determine the best way to fight the Evil Queen and her curse.

During her travels with Snow, she encounters Quinn, a fellow werewolf whom leads her to an underground castle home to a society of werewolves. Here she reunites with her mother, Anita, shocked to learn that Granny had lied to her about her mother's death. Red learns to control her wolf transformation as to not become a mindless killer, eventually deciding to stay with the pack. Searching for Red, Snow discovers the ruined castle and is attacked by Quinn, quickly released on Red's request. After the Evil Queen's soldiers invade the castle and kill Quinn, Anita plans to kill Snow in revenge but in turn is accidentally impaled on an arrow by Red in wolf form. Red buries her mother in the forest.

In Storybrooke, she is Ruby, a rebellious young woman who wants to leave town but is held back by her grandmother's ill health. She works at Granny's Café as a waitress and occasional bartender. Her relationship with her grandmother is strained, as her grandmother disapproves of her behavior and her provocative attire. She is friends with Mary Margaret and Ashley Boyd, Snow White and Cinderella respectively, and becomes friends with Emma when she arrives in Storybrooke. When Emma goes looking for Ashley when she is in trouble with Mr. Gold, Ruby covers for Ashley and leads her in the wrong direction because she wanted to buy Ashley time. In one episode, Ruby becomes tired of her grandmother telling her to take on extra responsibility, quits her job, and intends to leave town. Instead, she temporarily moves in with Mary Margaret and takes a job as Sheriff Emma Swan's assistant in the station. Because of her tracking skills inherited from the wolf's curse, she is the one who locates David Nolan unconscious in the forest and discovers a buried box containing a human heart. Finding the heart horrifies her, and she decides to start working at Granny's again. Perhaps as the result of her newfound maturity, she starts wearing less revealing clothes and less make-up. She apologizes to her grandmother, who tells her that she was working Ruby so hard because she wanted her to take over the café when she retired. When Emma breaks the curse, Ruby's memories of being Red Riding Hood are returned to her. After the curse is broken, Red reunites with her grandmother and Snow, and accompanies Henry to Regina's home after Emma and Mary Margaret fall through a portal into the Enchanted Forest. She has assumed a leadership role in Storybrooke following the Wraith's attack. Unlike many residents of the town, she seems to have little difficulty reconciling her two lives (probably as a result of her growth over the first season), and generally goes by her "cursed" name. As a result of magic returning to the town, Ruby has begun to display more and more of her wolfish abilities, such as being able to track a person by smell. Red becomes fast friends with Belle, now the town librarian. On the first full moon since the curse has been broken, Red transforms into a wolf and is discovered in the forest the next morning. Later on, Red, Granny, and David discover a graphic murder scene near the docks, the result of a wolf attack. Spencer (King George's Storybrooke counterpart) rallies an angry mob to kill Red. An investigation reveals that Spencer is actually the murderer, having stolen Red's cloak in an attempt to frame her, proving her not guilty. She discovers she remembers self-control as a wolf and goes on a run through the forest.

Pinocchio/August Wayne Booth

Eion Bailey plays Pinocchio.

Pinocchio (Eion Bailey, Jakob Davies as a young Pinocchio) is a puppet Geppetto carved from an enchanted tree. As a little boy puppet, he gives his life to save Geppetto from drowning in a storm. As a reward, the Blue Fairy turns Pinocchio into a real boy, promising that the spell will hold so long as he is selfless and good. However, the boy remained mischievous, though he means no harm. The Blue Fairy asks Geppetto to carve another enchanted tree into a magical wardrobe with the ability to save two people, the pregnant Snow White and Prince James, from the Evil Queen's curse. However, the curse will send everyone else to a land without magic and Pinocchio, who is a real boy because of magic, may turn back into a puppet. Geppetto bargains with the Blue Fairy to use the second spot for Pinocchio instead, and the Blue Fairy lies to the others and says that the wardrobe can only save one. However, Snow White gives birth to Emma. Instead of giving up Pinocchio's spot to Snow as the Blue Fairy asks, Geppetto sends his son ahead and asks him to protect the child and get her to believe when the time is right. After emerging in the real world, Pinocchio and the infant Emma are taken to an orphanage. However, he leaves Emma to run away as the man taking care of them was cruel.

August Wayne Booth (Eion Bailey), previously known as The Stranger, is a mysterious young man visiting Storybrooke. He originally shows up in 2001 Portland, Oregon in the episode Tallahassee, where confronts Neal Cassidy, the thief who fell in love with Emma Swan, and convinces him to leave Emma because Neal would prevent Emma from achieving her destiny, which would lead to Emma being arrested. He later shows up in Vancouver to let Neal know how Emma was doing and gave August the keys to the car, which he later mailed to Emma. August in turn promised to let him know that once the curse was broken that he would send him a message, resulting in the postcard Neal would get in the second season. August later shows up at the end of "True North" (his first appearance in the series) after Henry Mills states that no one ever comes to Storybrooke and Emma is the first stranger there. Shortly after, he rides into town on his motorcycle and asks Henry and Emma for directions to a place to stay, but never names himself. He also carries everywhere a large wooden box whose contents are unknown until Emma confronts him at the diner and he tells her that he will show her what is in the wooden box if she agrees to let him buy her a drink sometime. She agrees, and he shows her that the box contains a typewriter and he tells her that he is a writer. Later, he is revealed to have possession of Henry's storybook, which was hidden then lost. He finally names himself when he tries to take Emma out for the drink she promised him, but she refuses to let him because she believes a man who will not tell her his name is probably hiding other things. He is later seen working with the storybook in a dark room: applying chemicals to the pages and reassembling the book. He plants it by Emma's car to make it look like it washed away in a storm; she finds it and returns the book to Henry. He later tells Henry that he believes in the curse and wants to convince Emma that it is real. He later tries to control Mr. Gold, who is Rumplestiltskin. August reveals that he is deathly ill and needs magic to get better, so he tried to help Emma bring magic to Storybrooke. However, he believes that Emma will be too late to save him. Gold points out that not even he can help August as there is no magic in Storybrooke and leaves August to find a different way. His illness turns out to be that he is turning back into wood because he broke his promise to Geppetto. Desperate, he conspires with Gold to force Emma to ask August for help to beat Regina. When she does, August takes her out of Storybrooke to tell her his story. He reveals that he is the seven-year-old boy who found the infant Emma. He says he was across the world when Emma decided to stay in Storybrooke and his leg began to feel pain as time began to move forward again. He tries to prove the curse's existence by showing his now-wooden leg but Emma's denial is so strong that she does not see it as wood. Afterward, he goes to see Marco, who is his father Geppetto, and tells him that he failed his father and though he tried to keep his promise, he tried too late. Marco says that if he had a son, that would be enough. August offers to work as Marco's assistant though he cannot be paid, stating that he simply likes to fix things. When Emma tries to leave Storybrooke, Henry comes to August, who shows that his arm is also turning into wood and says that soon he will be completely wooden. He gives up on making Emma believe in the curse and wants to spend his remaining time with his father. When Emma finally believes, she goes to August for help. However, August completely turns to wood before her eyes. Pinocchio is briefly seen in the second episode of the season- although still wood, he blinks. Later in the episode, Henry tells Geppetto who Pinocchio is, but upon finding his room, Marco discovers that Pinocchio is gone, leaving only his hat.

Belle

Emilie de Ravin plays Belle.

Belle (Emilie de Ravin) is the daughter of Sir Maurice, (Eric Keenleyside) who presumably rules a town that will soon be destroyed in the Ogre Wars. Rumplestiltskin offers to protect them if Belle becomes the caretaker for his estate. Her father and her fiancé Gaston (Sage Brocklebank) refuse to let her leave, but Belle accepts the deal. Over time, the pair form a bond that is shown when Rumplestiltskin catches her when she falls off a ladder and tells her about his missing son. Rumplestiltskin asks her to go out and buy straw, expecting that she will not return to him. On the road, she meets the Evil Queen Regina and learns that true love's kiss will break any curse, including the one on Rumplestiltskin. Belle returns to the castle and kisses him, and he starts changing back into who he was before becoming The Dark One. However, he learns that she met the Queen and becomes convinced that she was working for her to drain him of his powers; this stops the transformation. In his rage, he rejects her and locks her in his dungeon. He then breaks all of his dishware, except the cup that she accidentally chipped. He throws her out of his castle, stating that his power is more important to him than she is. She tells him he is a coward for not believing she truly loves him, telling him, "Now you've made your choice-and you're going to regret it. All you'll have is an empty heart...and a chipped cup." She then leaves and he does not see her again in the Enchanted Forest. She is later seen giving advice on love to Grumpy in the dwarf mines. When Regina next sees Rumplestiltskin, she tells him that when Belle returned home, her father shunned her, locking her in a tower that she later jumped from, dying. Rumplestiltskin believes her and replaces a jeweled goblet on a pedestal with the chipped cup, believing Belle was truly gone.

It is quickly proven that Regina lied to Rumplestiltskin, as Belle is proven to exist in Storybrooke when Regina visits her in a secret ward in the hospital. She is released by Jefferson, who was enraged that Regina would not compensate him for helping her retrieve the poisoned apple that almost killed Snow White and Henry (it is unclear how Jefferson was aware of her existence). He tells her to find Mr. Gold, who is actually Rumplestiltskin, and to tell him that Regina held her captive. She finds Mr. Gold, but does not remember who he is. He hugs her, promising to protect her, and tells her that she will remember. When the curse on Storybrooke is broken, she regains her memories as Belle and professes her love for Rumplestiltskin. The two embrace, and Belle stands beside Rumplestiltskin as he brings magic to Storybrooke.

On June 19, 2012, it was announced that Emilie de Ravin will be a series regular for the second season.

In the second season, Belle tells Rumplestiltskin that Regina had abducted her and kept her imprisoned during the Curse, but she begs him not to kill her. Rumplestiltskin promises to her just before they kiss. She comes back to his shop during the second season, but she leaves, heartbroken, when she learns that Rumplestiltskin unleashes a Wraith to take revenge on Regina. Later on, she returns when she learns that Regina was unharmed from the Wraith. She is touched when she sees her chipped cup and realizes that Rumplestiltskin had kept it ever since she left, and while he asks her to leave as he is "still a monster," she tells him that is why she has to stay, and reconciles with him.

Captain Killian "Hook" Jones

Captain Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) is originally known as Killian Jones, a pirate captain who the then-human Rumplestilskin meets in a bar while he is attempting to claim his wife, Milah. Rather than his "cursed" name, Killian Jones is the character's real name, "Hook" being simply a nom de guerre. When Milah is taken by the pirates, Rumplestilskin pleads with Jones to let her go but Jones laughs at the cowardly man. Years later, after Rumplestilskin becomes the Dark One, he sees Jones in a bar again. He confronts Jones who at first laughs at this "crocodile" but then realizes who Rumple is. He tells Rumple that Milah is dead and Rumple challenges him to a duel. Rumple is about to kill Jones when Milah arrives, alive and Jones' long time lover. She bargains for Jones' life by offering Rumple a magic bean that can transport him to another world to find Balefire. Rumple is willing to forgive Milah for leaving him but not for leaving their son and rips her heart out of her chest. Jones attacks but Rumple slices his left hand off. However, Jones manages to keep the bean and uses a hook he attacked Rumple with for a new hand and his new name. Captain Hook then uses the bean to open a portal in the water to Neverland, where he and his crew will never age and find a way to get revenge on Rumplestiltskin.

Hook is shown in the present as Cora comes up to him in the Fairy Tale Land, showing him the remains of the wardrobe that can cross to Storybrooke. Hook is eager to follow to finally settle the score and "skin the crocodile" that took his hand and love. He poses as a one-handed blacksmith to infiltrate the rebel camp that Cora (posing as Lancelot) controls. When Cora massacres the camp, Emma, Snow, Mulan and Rose find Hook the sole survivor. Emma suspects him and forces him to confess his true identity and how he was sent as a spy. He tells them he can help them get back to Storybrooke if they take him with. Hook says they need to find his special compass and leads them to a beanstalk that leads to where it is hidden.

Hook and Emma travel up the beanstalk to retrieve the compass from the Giant and along the way Hook is flirting with Emma. He assists her in knocking the giant unconscious and remarks that they make a great team, much to Emma's dislike. They search for the compass but the Giant wakes and traps Hook under several large rocks. Emma later frees Hook, but chains him to the wall because she doesn't trust him.

Hook later escapes the giant and meets up with Cora. Rather than kill him for his betrayal, Cora decides to simply abandon him. He later sneaks into Cora's camp and frees Aurora (who had earlier been captured by Cora's zombies), telling her to pass on the message that Emma can trust him. In a twist, however, Hook reveals that he stole Aurora's heart, and gives it to Cora so the princess can be controlled.

Secondary characters

Seven Dwarves

The Seven Dwarves are a group of miners who are good friends with Snow White and Prince Charming. Their names reflect their personality traits.

Dreamy/Grumpy/Leroy

Lee Arenberg plays Grumpy.

Grumpy (Lee Arenberg) is one of eight Dwarf brothers who hatched from their eggs at the same time. Like all dwarfs, he is immediately sent to work in the mines and is given an ax, which names him Dreamy. Because his egg was accidentally sprinkled with fairy dust by the fairy Nova, he dreams about her and falls in love with her. Later, he meets her and the pair make plans to buy a boat and see the world. However, the Blue Fairy tells him that if he and Nova run away together, she will lose her wings and she will never be truly happy. To prevent this, Dreamy ends their relationship and breaks her heart. He returns to the mines the next day and breaks his ax mining; when he is given another, it renames him Grumpy. He is later caught possessing a stolen diamond, which he did not know was stolen, and is seen in King George's dungeon in a cell next to Snow White's. He is freed by Stealthy, one of his brothers, and he in turn frees Snow. As he and Stealthy escape, they are discovered by George and his guards and Stealthy is killed. Before the guards can kill Grumpy, Snow goes with George in exchange for Grumpy's life. Grumpy and the remaining six dwarves run into Snow outside the castle. Grumpy tells her that she must live with the pain of a lost love to grow as a person and does not allow her to drink a potion that makes her forget about her love for Prince James. The seven dwarves then allow her to live with them. Later, Grumpy goes to tell her that James called off his wedding, but he discovers that she drank the potion. He and his brothers try to confront Snow about her new, mean-spirited behavior, but they drive her to try and kill the Evil Queen instead. He takes her to see Rumplestiltskin, who gave her the potion, but he advises her on the best way to kill the Queen instead. Eventually, Snow regains her memory and apologizes to the dwarves for her behavior. She decides to rescue James, who was captured by George, and Grumpy and his brothers go with her. Grumpy is later seen discussing the best course of action against the Evil Queen and her curse, calling for war. He is also seen as a guard looking out for the curse in a watchtower of Snow's and James's castle.

In Storybrooke, he is Leroy, a janitor at the hospital and the "town drunk." He, like the rest of Storybrooke, is hostile toward Mary Margaret, who is Snow White, after learning about her affair with David Nolan, who is Prince James. He meets Sister Astrid, who is Nova, and decides to help Mary Margaret sell candles for the nunnery and raise money for the nunnery's rent so that he can be near Astrid. When he and Mary Margaret fail to sell enough candles, he lies about the number they sold because he is unable to disappoint Astrid. He tries to sell his boat to Mr. Gold in the hopes that he will forgive the rent. Mr. Gold refuses. Astrid later learns about the candles and is upset that he lied. That night, Leroy causes a blackout, forcing the residents to buy candles. The candles sell out and the nunnery is able to pay its rent. Leroy then offers the grateful Astrid the opportunity to be the first passenger on his boat. Leroy's memories as Grumpy are restored when the curse is broken, and he hugs Snow when he next sees her. He wishes for Regina to be killed by the mob led by Dr. Whale, though he decides against it at Snow's insistence. He unites the dwarves together and they begin to mine for fairy dust again.

Sleepy/Walter

Sleepy (Faustino Di Bauda) is a sleepy dwarf who is one of the Seven Dwarves.

In Storybrooke, he is Walter, a security guard that works at Storybrooke Hospital who occasionally dozes off on the job.

Sneezy/Tom Clark

Sneezy (Gabe Khouth) is a dwarf who often sneezes and is one of the Seven Dwarves. In Storybrooke, he is Tom Clark, the owner of a pharmacy where several characters are seen purchasing different products throughout the show.

In season two, Sneezy joined the other Dwarves in an experiment that involved why the fairy tale characters can't leave Storybrooke. Upon drawing the shortest straw, Sneezy crossed the border out of Storybrooke and lost his memories of his past life in Fairy Tale Land once again.

Doc

Doc (David Paul Grove) is a dwarf who is one of the Seven Dwarves.

In Storybrooke, he still has his name but his occupation is unknown.

Bashful

Bashful (Mig Micario) is a dwarf who is one of the Seven Dwarves.

In Storybrooke, his human form is not named.

Dopey

Dopey (Jeffrey Kaiser) is a dwarf who is one of the Seven Dwarves and has never spoken.

In Storybrooke, his human form is not named.

Happy

Happy (Mike Coleman) is a dwarf who is one of the Seven Dwarves.

In Storybrooke, his human form is not named.

Widow Lucas/Granny

Widow Lucas (Beverley Elliott), simply referred to as "Granny", is the grandmother of Red Riding Hood. She is very protective of Red, insisting that Red always wear her cloak and preventing her from going out when it is dark. She also disapproves of Red's relationship with Peter. When a wolf starts killing villagers, Granny warns the others that the wolf is a monster; she tells them that when she was a girl, a wolf killed her father and her brothers and then bit her before it walked away. Red and Snow White come to believe Peter is the wolf, and they trick Granny so Red can chain Peter and spend the night with him. Granny discovers the deception and reveals that Red inherited the family curse and is actually the wolf. Granny received the red cloak from a wizard, who enchanted it so that it prevents Red's transformation. Granny herself became a wolf when Red's grandfather turned her into a wolf after marking her with a bite and later finding her. The other aspects of the curse faded with age, but she has kept her heightened senses. By the time Granny and Snow find Red, she has already killed Peter. They throw the cloak over Red and Granny urges the pair to run and escape the hunters after the wolf. The pair are later seen helping Snow rescue Prince James, and much later they help determine the best way to fight the Evil Queen and her curse.

In Storybrooke, she is only known as Granny and is the owner of Granny's Inn and Granny's Cafe and is the grandmother of Ruby, who is Red. Her health problems prevent Ruby from leaving town. Their relationship is hostile as Granny disapproves of Ruby's behavior and sexually provocative attire. Ruby becomes tired of her grandmother telling her what to do and quits her job. Ruby eventually returns and apologizes to her grandmother, who tells her that she was making Ruby work so hard because she wanted her to take over the Cafe. Granny's memories are returned at the same time as Ruby's. She embraces Snow and Prince James when they meet them again for the first time since the curse was broken.

Princess Aurora

Sarah Bolger portrays Aurora.

Princess Aurora (Sarah Bolger) is Prince Phillip's true love, who was cursed by Maleficent prior to the events of the series. She first appears in the second season, when she is woken from her deep sleep by Phillip, who had searched to free her along with his guide, Mulan. She is overjoyed that they can be together again; however, she does not know that Phillip was marked by a Wraith that had attacked them just as she was wakened. Because he wished to protect her and Mulan, Phillip leaves them on their way to a safe haven. While Mulan urges Aurora to let her find him alone, Aurora follows her. They find Phillip just before he intends to be killed by the Wraith, and he assures Aurora of his love and begs her not to get in the way of the Wraith. Heartbroken, she watches Phillip's soul be sucked out, and she and Mulan lay him to rest at the same place she had slept during her curse, and Mulan gives Aurora the amulet that had caused the Wraith to appear and mark Phillip. There, Mulan tells her that their part of the Enchanted Forest had been spared from Regina's Dark Curse, and that she had actually been asleep for 28 years, though time had been frozen. When time resumed, Mulan and Phillip continued their search to find her. Mulan and Aurora reach the safe haven along with Snow White and Emma, who they had taken prisoner. Although she tried to kill Snow at first, she would later trust her and Emma, now that they were deceived by Cora and hope to help them return to Storybrooke.

Mulan

Jamie Chung portrays Mulan.

Mulan (Jamie Chung) had been the guide and companion of Prince Phillip during their search to rescue Aurora. Spared by the Dark Curse, which had left their land unaffected except that time had been frozen, Mulan and Phillip were able to resume their search for Aurora after 28 years of frozen time. After Aurora is rescued, Mulan finds an amulet that unleashes a Wraith. Unbeknownst to her and Aurora, the Wraith marks Prince Phillip as its next victim. In order to protect them, Phillip leaves the two during their journey to a safe haven to spare them from the Wraith. Mulan and Aurora find him just as he is about to be killed, but he urges them not to interfere. After his soul is sucked out by the Wraith, Mulan and Aurora lay him to rest at the same palace where Aurora had stayed during her curse, and she gives the amulet to a heartbroken Aurora. When Emma and Mary Margaret appear during a short distance away, Mulan believes that they were responsible for unleashing the Wraith, and for Phillip's death. Mulan knocks Snow unconscious when they arrive at their safe haven, after Snow White and Emma try to escape. Mulan would later trust Emma and Snow, who Mulan wanted to have as their leader, upon learning that Sir Lancelot was killed by Cora, and vows to help Emma and Snow return to Storybrooke.

Princess Abigail/Kathryn Nolan

Anastasia Griffith plays Princess Abigail.

Princess Abigail (Anastasia Griffith) is the haughty daughter of King Midas. When Prince James slays the dragon plaguing her realm, her father deems him worthy enough to marry her; she reluctantly agrees, stating "he'll do." James later falls in love with Snow White and tries to secretly run away from the marriage. She intercepts him before his father can kill him and reveals that she knows about his love for Snow. She gives him provisions and aid in his search for Snow and tells him that reuniting James and Snow might provide some consolation for her lost love Frederick, a knight she loved and was to marry until he was turned into gold while protecting her father. James then retrieves the magical waters of a lake to restore Frederick and reunite Abigail and Frederick.

In Storybrooke, she is Kathryn Nolan, the wife of David Nolan, who is really Prince James. The pair were separated for years because he left the house after an argument and, unknown to her, fell into a coma. When he wakes up from his coma, Regina Mills reunites the pair, starting Kathryn's friendship with Regina. However, Kathryn and David's marriage is plagued with problems. David suffers from amnesia and has difficulty remembering his life with Kathryn, and he later falls in love with Mary Margaret Blanchard, who is Snow White, and starts an affair with her. Kathryn tells David she was accepted into a law school in Boston, but David tells her that he cannot go with her and suggests they end their marriage. Kathryn learns about the affair from Regina and later learns that there was never any love in her marriage. She decides to go to Boston alone. She writes David a letter telling him that she wants David and Mary Margaret to be happy together and that she forgives them both. However, Regina steals the letter from the Nolans' home and burns it before he can read it. Kathryn's car crashes at the city limits and is found empty by a teacher, who is really Frederick. The missing persons case becomes a murder case when a heart proven to be Kathryn's is found in Mary Margaret's jewelry box. Mary Margaret is arrested for her murder. However, she is later found battered but alive behind Granny's Cafe by Ruby. She cannot remember anything about her disappearance other than she was imprisoned in a basement.

Genie/Magic Mirror/Sidney Glass

Giancarlo Esposito plays Magic Mirror.

The Genie (Giancarlo Esposito) and his lamp is discovered by King Leopold, who is given the customary three wishes. However, the King feels he has no need to wish for anything and uses the first and second wishes to free the Genie from the lamp and to give the third wish to the Genie. The Genie expresses the desire to find true love, so the King takes the Genie to his castle as he believes the Genie can find true love there. He falls in love with the King's second wife Queen Regina and gives her a hand mirror. The King reads in the Queen's diary that she has fallen in love with the man who gave her the hand mirror, but as the man is not named, he asks the Genie to locate him. The Queen is then locked in her room to prevent her from leaving the King. To free her, her father Henry has the Genie bring her a locked box, which turns out to be filled with poisonous vipers from Agrabah so the Queen can kill herself. Instead, the Genie uses the vipers to kill the King and allow the Queen to be with him. Soon after, she tells him that since the vipers were from his country, the guards will find out that he was the murderer and that he should flee. He realizes that the Queen never loved him and was simply using him to kill the King and let her rule. As he still loves her, he uses his wish to be always with her and to never leave her sight. However, this traps him in the hand mirror. As a spirit in the mirror, he is able to move between and see through all other mirrors in the Enchanted Forest. He is used by Regina to spy on and locate others.

In Storybrooke, he is Sidney Glass, a reporter for Storybrooke's local newspaper The Daily Mirror. On Regina's request, he researches Emma's past to help Regina expel her from Storybrooke. After Graham's death, Regina attempts to appoint him sheriff, but the wording of the town charter calls for an election. He loses the position to Emma. Regina has him removed from the newspaper staff, and Sidney goes to Emma, claiming that he wants to expose Regina as the corrupt person she is. However, the exposé reveals Regina's attempts to improve the community. Despite this, Sidney tells Emma that he will help her take down Regina, but it is revealed that he is secretly in league with Regina, who is using Emma's trust in Sidney to gain leverage over Emma. Emma later learns that he planted a bug in a vase glass after it is used to tip off Regina upon discovering a key piece of evidence that would have cleared Mary Margaret of Kathryn Nolan's murder. Emma confronts Sidney and realizes that he is in love with Regina. Still, Emma presses him to help defeat Regina. However, after Kathryn is found alive, Sidney falsely confesses to kidnapping Kathryn and framing Mary Margaret so that he could "find" Kathryn and become famous. Later, a cell labeled "S. Glass" is seen in the hospital basement's psychiatric ward. The name "S. Glass" is visible on a door in the first season finale, assuming that Regina had locked him in the asylum after he confessed to the kidnapping. It has been confirmed that Esposito will reprise the role of the Magic Mirror in the second season.

Cora

Cora (Barbara Hershey) is the cruel and controlling mother of Evil Queen Regina. She feels that Regina does not act like a proper lady and wants her to achieve a high status in life, just as Cora, a miller's daughter, elevated her own status through marriage. She is also dismissive of her husband Henry and believes he coddles Regina too much. She uses her magical powers to force Regina to submit to her demands. Cora causes a child Snow White's horse to become wild, knowing that Regina would save Snow. Cora then uses this opportunity to arrange a marriage between Regina and Snow's father King Leopold. When she learns that Regina is in love with the stable boy Daniel, she first appears to let Regina remain with Daniel. She advises them that a good parent knows when to do what is best for her child. Shortly after, she magically pulls out Daniel's heart and kills him. Cora tells a heartbroken Regina that love is an illusion and that only power is real. She also states that she made too many deals and sacrifices to let Regina pass up the chance to be queen.

Cora was actually the miller's daughter from the original fairy tale of Rumplestiltskin, who was responsible for giving her a book of spells that gave her power. This book would come in handy for Regina after she takes the book and summons Rumplestiltskin to get rid of Cora. Cora's fate would be sealed after Rumoplestiltskin gave Regina a looking glass mirror that was actually a gateway to Wonderland. Regina attempted to push her into if but Cora uses magic to stop her. Rumplestiltskin then appears in the mirror encouraging her, Regina then uses magic for the first time finishing the job. However, it turned out that Cora survived and was a prisoner in the same refugee camp in the post-fairy tale world as Emma and Snow/Mary Margaret. At first, Emma thought she could trust her until Snow told her that she was as evil as Regina, but when Cora found out that Regina and Henry were in Storybrooke, she pretended to be Sir Lancelot so she could get access to the portal. Her plan was foiled by Emma when she burned the tree, thus preventing Cora from reaching it, but not before retrieving a portion of the tree's remains, which still harnesses its magic.

In "The Crocodile," Cora meets up with Captain Hook where she uses some fairy dust in order for them to go to Storybrooke where she can deal with her daughter and Captain Hook can deal with the "Crocodile" that bit off his hand.

King George/Albert Spencer

Alan Dale plays King George.

King George (Alan Dale) is the adoptive father of the original and replacement Prince James. George and his wife were unable to bear children on their own, so he struck a deal with Rumplestiltskin for an heir. Years later, the kingdom falls into financial trouble, and Prince James offers to slay the dragon plaguing King Midas's realm in exchange for gold. However, James is killed shortly after. To replace the prince and win the gold, George gives Rumplestiltskin the location of a Fairy Godmother for another heir. Although Rumplestiltskin cannot resurrect the dead prince, he tells the king that the prince has a twin brother, who is living as a shepherd. George tells the new Prince James that he can return home after the dragon is slain. The task is completed, but Midas deems the prince worthy of marrying his daughter and uniting the kingdoms. George reneges on his promise and forces James to marry; if he does not, George will kill James's mother and burn his home. Later, the king learns that James has fallen in love with Snow White. He forces Snow to break James's heart and allow him to marry Midas's daughter or he will kill the prince, martryring him, and hopefully uniting the kingdom out of Midas's pity for George. However, James still breaks off his engagement, so George and his knights chase James through the kingdom trying to kill him. They eventually capture him, and George orders James to be beheaded. However, the Evil Queen rescues James and takes him as her captive. When he learns of Prince James and Snow White's plan to take the Kingdom, he kidnapps Snow with the help of Sir Lancelot and uses a potion that he put in Snow's water to prevent her from having children. But that plan is foiled when a special water broke the curse, allowing Snow to have children.

In Storybrooke, he is the coldhearted District Attorney Albert Spencer who leads the prosecution, for the Princess Abigail/Kathryn Nolan "murder case", against Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard. Although he did regained his memories, he is still determined to ruin James at any costs by still making him pay for defying him, even at the expense of Henry after he watches them together. Following the curse on Storybrooke being partially broken, Albert is seen in his car suspiciously watching David and Henry practice sword fighting. Sometime later, Spencer meets with David and warns him that he plans to make his life hell as revenge for ruining his plans for family as King George. Spencer later murders car mechanic Billy and a passerby framing the murder on Red in her wolf form. He soon after rallies an angry mob to kill her to no success. James uncovers Red's cloak and a bloodied weapon in Spencer's car, discovering his identity as the killer. As yet another act of revenge, Spencer burns Jefferson's hat (supposedly sealing the only hope for Emma and Snow's return) and escapes from David.

Dr. Victor Frankenstein/Dr. Whale

Dr. Victor Frankenstein (David Anders) is a man of science from an unknown black-and-white world (not Fairytale Land where most of the characters are from) who firmly believes magic to be second-rate to science. Seeking the perfect heart needed to bring his deceased brother back to life, Victor was contacted by Rumplestiltskin and the Mad Hatter who offered to take him to the Enchanted Forest where he would be able to get the heart he needed for the procedure. As part of a bargain, he creates a false attempt to reanimate Daniel, Regina's lost love, to make it easier for Rumple to teach her the dark arts. He kept the heart Regina gave him to use on Daniel. Once the experiment has "failed," Jefferson returned him to his own world. Frankenstein successfully reanimates his brother into an unseen Frankenstein's monster.

In Storybrooke, his countpart is Dr. Whale, a doctor working in the Storybrooke Hospital and is most often seen treating David Nolan. He is strongly connected to Regina Mills and does whatever she says without hesitation. He becomes romantically involved with Mary Margaret Blanchard when she tries to move on from David. He sends her flowers, buys her drinks, and take her out on a couple of dates. However, on the pair's first date, he is unable to stop looking at Ruby. He is also seen trying to help Ruby carry her bags when she leaves home. In the second season, he leads a mob to Regina's home intending to kill her, but is stopped by Emma and Charming. Because he doesn't come from their world, they have no idea who Victor really is. After the curse has been broken, Victor seeks a way to return to his brother. Believing if he were to do something for Regina she would bring him back, he robs Daniel's preserved corpse and reanimates him with a magical heart. The reanimation is successful, but it turns Daniel into a monster whom savagely rips off Whale's arm and escapes. After checking out of the hospital and carrying his arm in a cooler, Dr. Whale visits Rumplestiltskin (who later taunted him for putting more faith in science than magic) and states that he needs magic this time. At this admission, Mr. Gold reattaches his arm saying that it's a pleasure doing business with him as always, and calls him "Victor". Dr. Whale was the last of the major recurring Storybrooke-based characters in the series to have his otherworld counterpart revealed.

NOTE: It should be noted that James Whale was the name of the director of the two famous Frankenstein films Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935).

Blue Fairy/Mother Superior

The Blue Fairy (Keegan Connor Tracy), or the Reul Ghorm is a high-ranking fairy godmother who uses her magic to help others, although her plans are practically machiavellian at times. While she is quite powerful, she is unable to undo Rumplestiltskin's magic; to help fix a problem created by Rumplestiltskin's magic, she transforms Jiminy into a cricket and guides him to help Geppetto. However, she is able to create a quill that temporarily freezes Rumplestiltskin when he signs using it, aiding in his imprisonment. Rumplestiltskin is antagonistic towards her and other fairies because he blames her for the disappearance of his son Baelfire; she helps Baelfire take away Rumplestiltskin's powers by giving him a magical bean that will transport both to a world without magic, but Baelfire crosses over alone. The Blue Fairy ends the relationship between the fairy Nova and dwarf Dreamy by telling Dreamy that their love will cause Nova to lose her wings and stop her from becoming happy. The Blue Fairy also presents the idea of fashioning a wardrobe from a magical tree that could ward off any curse, which saves Emma from the Evil Queen's curse by sending her to the new world.

In Storybrooke, she is the Mother Superior of the town's nuns who were all fairies prior to the curse. Mr. Gold, who is Rumplestiltskin, is the nunnery's landlord, who refuses to forgive one month of their rent in exchange for Leroy's boat because he and the nuns "have history," most likely a reference to the Blue Fairy's aiding his son in leaving the Enchanted Forest. She tells Mr. Gold later about August's fake history, leading him to believe that his son Bae is back. In the last episode, she is seen in Henry's hospital room. When the curse is broken, she warns Regina the Evil Queen, "If I were you, your Majesty, I'd find a place to hide." When Henry begs her to use magic to restore order in Storybrooke, she tells him she cannot without her wand or fairy dust. The Mother Superior sets about organizing disaster relief after the town is damaged by a Wraith. Although she generally seems to have no difficulty with her reclaimed memories (her personality being much the same in both worlds), she is among those who try and flee Storybrooke after the attack.

Mad Hatter/Jefferson

Jefferson (Sebastian Stan) is the Mad Hatter and owns a magical hat that he can use to travel between different worlds. He worked for both Rumplestiltskin and the Evil Queen, obtaining objects from other worlds for them. When he first met Regina, Rumple had him bring Dr Frankenstein to their world to pretend failing to revive Daniel to make her become evil. In his later life, he gave his job up as his daughter Grace lost her mother because of it. He lives with Grace in the forest, and they collect and sell mushrooms to survive. When the Queen asks for another favor, he initially refuses, but eventually agrees with the condition that his daughter "will want for nothing" afterward. He takes the Queen to Wonderland, and she rescues her father Henry. However, his hat will only take two back to the Queen's realm because only two left that realm. The Queen tells him that if he truly cared for Grace, he would have never left her. Jefferson is left behind and captured by the knights of the Queen of Hearts. He is beheaded when he does not tell her how he came to Wonderland, but he survives. He is then ordered to make another magical hat to return home. His head is then reattached, leaving a scar around his neck. Although he makes thousands of hats, none are able to take him home, leading him into insanity.

In Storybrooke, he is able to remember life in the Enchanted Forest which is his part of the curse. He lives near the forest in a large house, from which he uses telescopes to spy on Sheriff Emma Swan's office and on his daughter Grace, who is now named Paige. He captures Mary Margaret Blanchard after she escapes from her cell though he says he did this to save her from the curse, as she was intending to leave Storybrooke. He later abducts Emma when she goes looking for Mary Margaret. He orders Emma to make a magical hat that will take him home: a task only she can do as she has brought magic to Storybrooke. He also tells Emma that the curse is real and that his curse is to watch Grace be happy with a different father and know that he does not belong to the world she is living in. She makes a hat, but she is unable to make it take him home. She and Mary Margaret eventually escape by pushing him out a window. He disappears immediately after, leaving nothing but the hat Emma made. Jefferson returns when Regina leaves a White Rabbit playing card on his daughter's bike. She tells Jefferson she can return his daughter to him with her memories returned. However, Jefferson feels that would be cursing his daughter to remember both of her lives and instead demands he be allowed to forget and have a new life with his daughter. Regina agrees provided Jefferson help her get rid of Emma. With the last bit of Regina's magic, they get his hat working again and he retrieves the cursed apple that put Snow White into a deathlike sleep. When he calls on Regina to uphold her end, she promises that she will after Emma is gone. After Henry eats the poisoned apple turnover to prove to Emma that the curse is real, Regina refuses to help Jefferson, blaming him. Furious, Jefferson frees Belle from her cell and instructs her to tell Mr. Gold that Regina held her captive, knowing that Mr. Gold will want to take revenge. He was trapped under a car after the Wraith went through Storybrooke, and he is freed by James in exchange for information about his hat. He spend the following days avoiding his daughter, as he felt guilty for leaving her behind when they were still in the Enchanted Forest. However, Henry encourages him, saying he would give anything to be reunited with his mother again, and so Jefferson seeks out Grace, and they happily reunite.

Other characters

Geppetto/Marco

Geppetto (Tony Amendola, Michael Strusievici as a young boy) is an elderly carpenter and Pinocchio's caretaker. Geppetto is orphaned when Jiminy accidentally transforms Geppetto's parents into puppets. To make amends, Jiminy looks after him. Geppetto later carves himself a son named Pinocchio out of magical wood. As a little boy puppet, he gives his life to save Geppetto from drowning in a storm. As a reward, Blue Fairy turns Pinocchio into a real boy. The Blue Fairy asks Geppetto to carve another enchanted tree into a magical wardrobe with the ability to save two people, the pregnant Snow White and Prince James from the Evil Queen's curse. However, the curse will send everyone to a land without magic and Pinocchio, who is a real boy because of magic, may turn back into a puppet. Geppetto bargains with the Fairy to use the second spot for Pinocchio, and the Fairy lies to the others and says that the wardrobe can only save one. When Snow White's child is born, instead of giving up Pinocchio's spot to Snow White, Geppetto sends his son and tells him to protect the child and get her to believe in magic after twenty years.

In Storybrooke, he is Marco, the town's handyman and an old friend of Archie, who is really Jiminy. Marco states that he and his wife are unable to have children. August Booth, the adult Pinocchio, later tells Marco that he failed his father and though he tried to keep his promise, he tried too late. Marco tells him that if he had a son, that would be enough. August offers to work as Marco's assistant though he cannot be paid, and Marco agrees to take him on. Marco's memories as Geppetto are restored when the curse is broken.

Maleficent

Maleficent (Kristin Bauer van Straten) is a witch who is able to take the form of a fire-breathing dragon. Upon Rumplestiltskin's request, Prince James hides an egg containing a bottle of true love inside Maleficent. After failing to kill Sleeping Beauty, she gave up on her revenge and found solace in her pet black unicorn. She traded a sleeping curse with the Evil Queen in exchange for another, much darker curse. The Queen tries to reclaim that curse, but Maleficent refuses to return it, insisting that the curse is so evil that not even they should use it. Although it appears they are evenly matched magically, Regina defeats Maleficent by threatening her unicorn and takes back the curse. However, she allows Maleficent to live, saying that Maleficent is her only friend.

When the curse takes hold, Regina traps Maleficent in her dragon form and imprisons her underneath Storybrooke's abandoned library; hence, Maleficent has no mundane counterpart in Storybrooke. Emma Swan is forced to kill Maleficent to retrieve the bottle of true love. However, it was revealed that due to Rumplestiltskin unleashing magic into Storybrooke, she will return in the second season. During the second season, it is revealed that, true to the Disney version of the story, Maleficent was an adversary of Aurora and cursed Aurora into a deep sleep that she woke from in the second season. Aurora also mentions that Maleficent went after her mother in a similar fashion some time earlier.

Cinderella/Ashley Boyd

Cinderella (Jessy Schram), called Ella, is a maid who wished to attend the royal ball. Her fairy godmother appears to grant her wish, but Rumplestiltskin kills the fairy. Warning her that "all magic comes with a price," he offers her a contract: her wish in exchange for something she will have in the future. She signs it without reading it and goes to the ball. She meets Prince Thomas, and the two fall in love and marry. At the wedding reception, Rumplestiltskin reminds Ella of the contract and informs her that he asked for her first-born child. When she discovers she is pregnant, she tries to run away. But Thomas and Prince James devise a plan to capture Rumplestiltskin. The plan succeeds, but Thomas disappears. Rumplestiltskin vows that she will never see Thomas again until the contract is fulfilled.

In Storybrooke, she is 19-year-old Ashley Boyd, a single, pregnant maid. The baby's father Sean Herman, who is really Thomas, is not allowed by his father to continue seeing Ashley. Sean's father arranges for Mr. Gold, who is Rumplestiltskin, to pay Ashley in exchange for the baby. She originally agrees to the exchange, but she later decides to keep her child. She tries to flee town but goes into labor at the city limits. Sheriff Emma finds her and brings her to the hospital. There, Emma agrees to do Mr. Gold a favor if Ashley is allowed to keep the baby. Mr. Gold agrees to the arrangement. Ashley gives birth to a daughter, and Sean visits the hospital to reconcile with Ashley and to see his daughter. A few months after, he proposes to Ashley and the pair are engaged.

Prince Thomas/Sean Herman

Prince Thomas (Tim Phillipps) is the husband of Cinderella whom he met the night she struck the deal with Rumplestiltskin. When he figures out what Cinderella has done, he and Prince James devise a plan to capture Rumplestiltskin. The plan succeeds, but Thomas mysteriously disappears afterwards.

In Storybrooke, he is 19-year-old Sean Herman who was forced by his father to leave Ashley after she gets pregnant. When Emma tries to find Ashley, who was fleeing town at the time, she tries to enlist Sean for assistance, but his father interrupted them, telling Emma that Sean will have nothing to do with Ashley. However, after Emma finds Ashley and brings her back to the hospital to give birth, Sean decides to go against his father's wishes and visits Ashley to reconcile with her and to see his daughter. A few months later, he proposes to Ashley and the pair are engaged.

King Leopold

King Leopold (Richard Schiff) is the father of Snow White and the husband of Queen Regina, his second wife. After Regina saved his daughter, King Leopold married her in order to give his daughter a mother. Despite the death of his first wife, he remains cheerful and he is always thankful for his daughter. He rules his realm with kindness and wants for nothing except for the happiness of his kingdom and its subjects. So when he finds the Genie's lamp, he uses the first wish to free the Genie from the lamp and uses the second wish to give the third wish to the Genie. However, these wishes end in disaster when the Genie falls in love with Regina and plots to kill the King to free her from the loveless marriage. The Genie places poisonous vipers in the King's bed, as the Genie apologizes, the King dies after he is bitten but not before revealing to the Genie that he should have never made any wish.

King Midas

King Midas (Alex Zahara) is a rich king with the power to turn all he touches to gold, an ability restrained only by a glove he wears. Despite his wealth, he is a kind and caring king who wishes to have the dragon terrorizing his kingdom slain and desires the happiness of his daughter Abigail above everything else. A knight named Fredrick, who was in love with Abigail, was accidentally turned into a golden statue while protecting him. He promises King George gold in return for the head of the dragon, which is to be killed by George's son Prince James. Unbeknownst to Midas, the prince is killed and another man replaces the prince and completes the task. Midas, unaware that both James and his replacement are adopted and neither is of royal blood, deems the dragon's slayer worthy to marry his daughter and offers to unite his kingdom with George's through a marriage between their children. Since Fredrick was restored by Lake Nostors' water. Midas appears to have a problem with Abigail marrying him instead of Charming.

Baelfire

Baelfire (Dylan Schmid) is the son of Rumplestiltskin, a poor spinner. He lives alone with his father as his mother supposedly died years before, it is later revealed that she actually ran away with Captain Hook/Kilian Jones to escape a loveless relationship with Rumplestilskin. On his fourteenth birthday, Baelfire will be taken to fight in the Ogre War. A few days before his birthday, he and Rumplestiltskin try to run away, but they are discovered. Instead, his father becomes the Dark One and kills the soldiers who will take Baelfire. Although Rumplestiltskin claims that Baelfire is safe, Baelfire responds that he is not and that he is scared. Rumplestiltskin later agrees to find a way to dispose of his powers that does not kill him. However, Baelfire worries that he may back out of the deal because the Dark One's powers corrupt his father more each day. Desperate, Baelfire asks the Blue Fairy for help and receives a magic bean that will take Baelfire and his father to a world without magic, taking Rumplestiltskin's powers away. However, Rumplestiltskin is too afraid to lose his powers and Baelfire crosses over by himself. Baelfire's fate has yet to be revealed from the beginning of season 2.

Frederick/Jim

Frederick (Greyston Holt) is a knight and true love of Princess Abigail. The couple were to be married until he was turned into a gold statue protecting her father King Midas. He is restored by the magical waters of Lake Nostos, gathered by Prince James, and is happily reunited with Abigail.

In Storybrooke, he is Jim, a physical education teacher at the elementary school. After Kathryn Nolan, who is really Abigail, crashes her car at the city limits, he finds her car abandoned. After the Dark Curse is broken, he presumebly found Abigail/Kathryn Nolan and resumed his relationship with her.

Henry

Henry (Tony Perez) is the loving but weak father of the Evil Queen Regina and serves as her royal valet in the Enchanted Forest. Regina's adopted son Henry Mills in Storybrooke is named for him. Henry is supportive of Regina, but does not protect her against the manipulations or actions of her mother. Although he objects to Regina's cruel and evil behavior as queen, he continues to possess a strong love for her. When Regina is locked in her room at the palace, Henry is the one who brings the vipers to the Genie to free her. Some time after, he is abducted by the Queen of Hearts and held captive in Wonderland in an attempt by the Queen of Hearts to gain leverage over Regina. With the Mad Hatter's help, Regina is able to rescue him. He also advises her to visit Maleficent to retrieve her curse. When she is unable to enact the curse properly, she visits Rumplestiltskin and is told that she must tear out the heart of the "thing [she] love[s] most." She understands this to mean her father. He tries to convince her that they can still be happy together and start a new life, but she still tears his heart out. He is buried in a grave near the site where she enacts the curse.

He does not appear in Storybrooke, but it is revealed that his tomb has become a large mausoleum. It is broken into by Sheriff Graham and Emma Swan, who are looking for Graham's heart. They are confronted by Regina, and they eventually leave. After, she pushes aside her father's tomb to reveal the secret vault where she keeps the hearts she collected as Queen.

Nova/Sister Astrid

Nova (Amy Acker) is a new fairy being trained by the Blue Fairy. While carrying a bag of fairy dust, Nova accidentally sprinkles some on an egg. When the egg hatches in the dwarf mines, Dreamy emerges. Nova and Dreamy later cross paths again and fall in love, and both plan to run away so they can see the world together. When the Blue Fairy tells Dreamy that Nova will lose her wings if she elopes with him, Dreamy ends the relationship and breaks Nova's heart in the process. He is renamed Grumpy after he returns to the mines.

In Storybrooke, Nova is Sister Astrid, a kindhearted but clumsy nun who accidentally orders too much helium for a candle fundraiser and loses all the funds the nunnery badly needed to pay their rent. Leroy, who is actually Grumpy, offers to help her come up with the money to sell the candles. When he does, he asks Sister Astrid, who is as smitten with Leroy as he is with her, to be the first passenger on the new boat he purchased. She agrees without hesitation. Sister Astrid presumably regains her memories as Nova when Emma breaks the curse.

Stealthy

Stealthy (Geoff Gustafson) was a dwarf who used to be part of the Seven Dwarves' group. He once tried to break Grumpy and Snow White out of his prison cell in King George's castle, but was killed during their escape.

Bossy

Bossy (Ken Kramer) is a dwarf who is also the leader of the other dwarves.

Watchy

Watchy (Richard Cox) is a dwarf who watches over the dwarf eggs until they hatch.

Hansel and Gretel/Nicholas and Ava Zimmer

Hansel and Gretel (Quinn Lord and Karley Scott Collins) They helped retrieve a little black sack (something precious) for the Evil Queen from the Blind Witch. Their father, the Woodcutter, went missing and they searched for him in the Infinite Forest.

In Storybrooke, they are sister and brother named Nicholas and Ava Zimmer who have never met their parents and live by their wits. In order not to let them be separated by social services, Emma finds their father and convinces him to take care of them.

Woodcutter/Michael Tillman

The Woodcutter (Nicholas Lea) was Hansel and Gretel's father who was captured by The Evil Queen's guards. After banishing Hansel and Gretel to the Infinite Forest for refusing to live with her, she asks him why. The Woodcutter replies that they are family and family does not abandon one another. The Evil Queen releases him while telling him that he and his children can live together as a family once they find one another.

In Storybrooke, he is a mechanic named Michael Tillman. He is the father of Nicholas and Ava whom he wasn't aware about until Emma tells him. At first, he refuses to take in Nicholas and Ava because he fears that he would not make a good father and that he wouldn't be able to support them. Later, when Emma was taking them to Social Services in Boston, she pretends that her car breaks down and calls him. When he arrives to tow her car, she tells him to at least see them before making a decision. He then decides to take them in after all.

Blind Witch/Miss Ginger

The Blind Witch (Emma Caulfield) was a blind witch who had a very keen sense of smell, particularly for children. When Hansel and Gretel sneaks into her house to retrieve a little black sack, Hansel bites into a cupcake thus awakening her from her slumber. She locks them both in a cell in the corner while preparing the oven for cooking and tries to roast Hansel first. However, Gretel tricks her by passing for her brother and while she leads Gretel out of the cell, Gretel grabs the key out of her pocket and tosses it to Hansel. Hansel releases himself and tries to attack her, but trips and alerts her. As the Blind Witch tries to grab him, both children push her into the oven, bar the door, and escape. Regina, secretly watching everything from her palace, unleashes a fireball which flies through her mirror and transports into the Blind Witch's oven, thus disfiguring her.

Her Storybrooke counterpart is Miss Ginger (Patti Allan), who was talking on the phone to Regina about work conditions she has to endure. She also later called the police about a prowler outside, which was revealed to be Pongo. She was also seen at Regina's meeting.

Peter

Peter (Jesse Hutch) was the son of a blacksmith and Red's love interest. The two were close friends growing up, and their friendship eventually blossomed into romance. Both Red and Peter had plans to one day leave the village and see the world together. When Red are led to believe that Peter is the wolf and is behind all of the slaughtering in the village, she devises a plan to chain Peter down and stay with him to see if he really is what she thinks he is. However, it is revealed that Red is actually the wolf and ends up killing Peter by ripping him to shreds.

Grace/Paige

Grace (Alissa Skovbye) was the daughter of Jefferson and they both were very close. At the market, when she and Jefferson passes by a toy wagon, she spots a white, stuffed rabbit and asks Jefferson to get it for her. The merchant (the Evil Queen is disguise) tells him that it costs one silver coin. Jefferson tries to offer her his last bit of money, which is eight copper coins, but she refuses, stating the economy was the reason she could not take his offer. As Jefferson tries to bargain with the merchant, Grace says that it she didn't really need it and wants to leave since others were waiting. She was told by Jefferson to go to the neighbors while he was on an important business trip and that he will be home in time for tea.

In Storybrooke, she is Paige and she now believes that she is the daughter of another family and is no longer aware that Jefferson exists. At the end of the episode "Hat Trick", she walks by Henry and greets him. In "Lady of the Lake" she is reunited with her true father, Jefferson.

Ruth

Ruth (Gabrielle Rose) was the mother of Prince James. She tries to convince her son to marry a grain merchant's daughter for her dowry in order to save their farm. When Rumplestiltskin arrives, she reveals to him that he had a twin brother and she, along with her husband, gave him away to keep their farm. When James came back and tells her that he is forced to marry King Midas' daughter, Princess Abigail, and that they can never see each other again, she gives him her ring in order for him to pass on to his true love, which turns out to be Snow White.

Ruth is shot by a poisoned arrow when Charming arranges a rendezvous at her hideout which King George ambush. As Charming, Snow and Lancelot bring her to find the curative waters of Lake Nostos, she offers Snow a charm that indicates the sex of her firstborn child, but because of the potion King George has given Snow, it indicates nothing for her. When the lake is found to have dried up, Ruth wants to give the last remaining water to Snow to cure her; Snow protests, but Ruth does not appear to be healed by the water, and as her dying wish asks to see Charming and Snow married. Shortly after Ruth's death Snow realizes she has been given the magic water (Ruth enlisted Lancelot's help to make the switch), and the charm indicates that she will have a girl.

Sir Maurice/Moe French

Sir Maurice (Eric Keenleyside) was the ruler of a land losing the Ogre Wars. He is also Belle's father. At the beginning of Skin Deep (1.12), he is waiting for Rumplestiltskin to save his people from the war. While Belle still has hope, he does not; saying to Belle, "It’s too late, my girl. It’s just too late." Soon after, Rumplestiltskin appears and makes a bargain, he'll end the war, but Belle has to come with him and be his maid in return. Maurice says no, even attempting to call Rumplestiltskin out for even suggesting it. Belle makes her own choice, saying, "No one decides my fate but me. I shall go."

In Storybrooke, he is Moe French, the owner of Game of Thorns, a flower shop in town. In Season 1 episode, "Skin Deep," Mr. Gold repossessed the shop's van, insisting that the loan he made Moe is due, despite the "half a grand of roses" in the back of the van. While Moe shouts that Mr. Gold is "the lowest", Gold and his associate drive away with Moe's van. Later in the episode there is a robbery at Mr. Gold's house. Mr. Gold tries to tell Emma he knows who did it and what was taken. Emma gets him to tell her that he knows it was Moe French. And while Emma recovers most of what was stolen by Moe, Mr. Gold knows what he really cared about is missing, and ends up abducting Moe, bringing him to his cabin in the woods and beating him viciously, shouting that it was "his fault she's gone ... you were her father". Emma stops Mr. Gold, and Moe is taken to the hospital (where he is seen later). This was one of the first clues in the season that Mr. Gold has remembered his true self. In Season 2 ("The Crocodile"), Moe is looking for Belle, and hires Smee to find and abduct her. Initially they are reunited, but when Moe/Maurice finds out that Belle still has feelings for Rumplestiltskin, Moe tries to send her across town lines in order to have her forget her past-self, but more importantly Rumplestiltskin. After Rumplestiltskin rescues Belle, she tells both Moe/Maurice and Rumplestiltskin that she never wants to see either of them again.

Daniel

Daniel (Noah Bean) was a stable boy at The Evil Queen's home when she was a teenager and also her love interest. After saving a young Snow White, King Leopold proposes to her, which Cora answers "yes" for her. The Evil Queen then devises a plan to run away with him, but Snow White caught them kissing. After The Evil Queen explains to her that she does not love her father and makes her promise not to tell Cora, Snow White does so anyway after Cora tricks her. That night, as Daniel and the Evil Queen tries to escape, Cora ambushes them and pulls out Daniel's heart (the same way that the Evil Queen pulled out the Huntsman's heart) and squeezes it into dust, killing him in the process. After Regina learned basic magic, she used a preservation spell on Daniel's body, keeping him in a glass case. Dr. Frankenstein pretended to fail in bringing him back as part of a deal with Rumplestiltskin to make Regina give into her dark side.

Dr. Whale (Victor's counterpart) actually succeeded after the curse in Storybrooke was broken, using a heart from Regina's vault. However, the pain of resurrection turned Daniel into a "monster". Guided by his last thoughts. he went to the stable, where he met Henry, David and Regina. Before lapsing into psychotic behavior, Daniel told Regina to forget their love and move on. Regina sadly turned Daniel to dust.

Prince Phillip

Prince Phillip (Julian Morris) was the true love of Aurora. Spared from the Dark Curse, in the second season premiere he and Mulan finally rescued Aurora from her sleeping curse when the Dark Curse weakened and time resumed again. However, Mulan unleashed a Wraith that marked Phillip as his next victim by burning its symbol into his hand. Desperate to protect Aurora and Mulan, he leaves them during their journey to a safe haven, and while the two manage to find him, he begs them not to interfere with his plans. The Wraith sucks out Phillip's soul, and he presumably dies. He is laid to rest in the same place as Aurora during her curse, and when Emma and Snow White appear a short distance away, Mulan believes they caused the Wraith to appear as well as Phillip's death.

Sir Lancelot

Sir Lancelot (Sinqua Walls) is a knight who used to work for King Arthur. Under orders of King George, Sir Lancelot captured Snow White and brought her to King George. King George had Sir Lancelot unknowingly give Snow White a cup of cursed water that made her be barren forever with no chance of producing children. When Sir Lancelot goes after Snow White and is attacked by her, Sir Lancelot mentioned that he had no knowledge of the water's content. Using the remnants of the water in Lake Nostros, Sir Lancelot was able to use it to undo the curse on Snow White.

Sir Lancelot's form was assumed by Cora in order to reactivate the Magic Wardrobe that brought Emma Swan and Pinocchio to Storybrooke. The ruse was exposed by Mary Margaret. After the group got away from Cora, Mulan revealed that Sir Lancelot was cut down by a villain and that he "died" an honorable death.

Milah

Milah (Rachel Shelley) is Rumplestiltskin's deceased wife as well as Baelfire's mother. She is first introduced drinking at the local village tavern with a band of pirates, one of them revealed to be Killian Jones (Captain Hook). The next morning, a local villager tells Rumplestiltskin that the band of pirates Milah had been mingling with abducted her. Rumplestiltskin arrives at the docks and begs the pirates for his wife back, but only after Rumplestiltskin defeats Jones in a duel. Rumplestiltskin is too afraid to fight Jones and abandons Milah. Some time later, after Rumplestiltskin became the Dark One and Baelfire has left, Killian Jones encounters Rumplestiltskin and informs him that Milah has died. After stopping Rumplestiltskin from ripping out Jones's heart, Milah reveals herself to be alive and that she had fallen in love with Jones that night at the tavern and had willingly sailed away with him. In exchange for her life as well as Jones's, she can give him a magic bean that he wanted in order to get to Baelfire. After seeing the bean and promising both Jones and Milah their safety, Rumplestiltskin confronted Milah about leaving her son. Milah retorted that her misery clouded her judgement since she never loved Rumplestiltskin in the first place. This causes an enraged Rumplestiltskin to rip out her heart and crush it while she dies in Jones' arms.

William Smee

William Smee (Christopher Gauthier) is a man capable of procuring objects that are hard to find. In the Enchanted Forest, he makes a deal with Rumplestiltskin in order to get his life extended....a magic bean for his age reversal. Captain Hook manages to intervene and kidnaps William Smee. William Smee later becomes a crewman on Captain Hook's ship (like the original Peter Pan story) as the ship sails off to Neverland (where he and his crew will never age).

In Storybrooke, William Smee appears as a homeless man who kidnaps Belle. When Mr. Gold captures William Smee to learn where Captain Hook is, William Smee states that he wasn't able to find Captain Hook in Storybrooke.

Giant

The Giant (Jorge Garcia) is based on the Giant that appears in Jack and the Beanstalk. He resides in a realm of giants which can only be accessed through a large beanstalk. A man named Jack was responsible for leading an army in a fight against the Giants which led to the death of all giants except for this Giant. The Giant developed a hatred towards humans for what happened to his family. When Emma Swan and Captain Hook arrived at the Giant's castle to look for a magic compass, they draw out the Giant and Emma ends up using a powdered poppy to knock out the Giant. When Emma finds the compass, the Giant wakes up and traps Captain Hook beneath some rocks. The Giant lunges towards Emma and grabs her in his hand and proceeds to being to squeeze the life out of her. Emma pleads with him that she needs the compass to get back to her son. The Giant does not heed her. Almost out of breath, Emma bites the Giant's hand causing her to be dropped. Catching her breath, Emma runs away and grabs Jack's sword laying nearby. Emma cuts the rope holding a large iron trap and it falls on top of the Giant seemingly trapping him. Menacing him with the poisoned sword, Emma demands the compass. The Giant reluctantly gives it to Emma stating that she is going to kill him anyway and that all humans are alike. Emma states that they are not all alike and walks away. The Giant then breaks out of the trap and runs towards Emma. But rather than grab Emma again, he reveals a secret exit from his lair saying that he owes Emma a favor for not killing him. Emma then states that the Giant actually owes her two favors since she could have killed him while he was unconscious. The Giant agrees to the terms.

Anita

Anita (Annabeth Gish) is the leader of a pack of wolves that reside in the Grand Hall of a buried castle. Anita also insisted she was Red's mother and that Granny has lied to her, her whole life about her "death." Red is persuaded by Quinn, another wolf to go underground to learn to control her wolf-side. Snow then comes to their quarters and is rescued from Quinn by Red. The Evil Queen's knights invade the castle and kill Quinn by shooting an arrow through the center of his chest. An enraged Anita tells the other wolves to tie Snow up, so they could take her life since she brought the knights there. Anita demands Red to kill her to which she objects. Anita turns into a wolf and plans to feed on Snow since Red won't. Red transforms into a wolf and pushes Anita in her wolf-form just before she kills Snow. Snow puts Red's cloak on her to change back to human. Anita is discovered to have a long sharp pin protruding through her back to her stomach. Anita perishes and is later buried. Snow hugs Red, saying "Now you know what it feels like when you lose family". Red replies "I haven't lost my family. I protected it."

Quinn

Quinn (Ben Hollingsworth) is another wolf that Red encounters when he steals her cloak in the woods. Quinn informs Red that she doesn't need to use the cloak and that there is another way to control her wolf-side. Quinn takes her underground into the Gathering Hall of a buried castle. This is where Red is introduced to Anita, who claims to be her mother. Snow discovers the castle, and Quinn chokes her to protect their society. Red claims her to be a friend and she is saved. The Evil Queen's knights then invade the castle. The other wolves kill the knights, but not before Quinn is killed by an arrow.

Gus/Billy

Gus (Jarod Joseph) is a mouse in the Enchanted Forest, presumably one of Cinderella's only friends along with Jaq and the other mice.

In Storybrooke, he is Billy, a car mechanic whom shows an interest in Red but is denied a date, unaware of the reasoning being Red's werewolf persona later in the night. That same night, Billy is supposedly murdered by Red near the docks, found mutilated beneath his tow truck with his legs thrown in a nearby dumpster. It turned out that Albert Spencer killed him and left doctored evidence that Red was responsible.