“Jake’s Take’s Halloween series kicks off with a tribute to the nastiest villains from “Once Upon A Time.” (Photo property of ABC)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
It’s almost Halloween!
In honor of this time of the season, Jake’s Take is celebrating the time of year dedicated to celebrating vampires, witches, zombies, Frankenstein’s monsters, and warlocks for a special series devoted to villains. Up first, my favorite ABC fairy-tale drama: Once Upon A Time!
Over the past five years, Once Upon A Time has introduced its viewers to some of the most complex and twisted villains that have made an impact on Sunday night.
Without further ado, here are sinister suspects that Storybrooke residents will not give any candy to this Halloween.
(Photos property of ABC)
#10 (Tie): King George/Albert Spencer (Alan Dale) & Lady Tremaine (Lisa Banes)
Spencer & Tremaine could be a good name for a law firm supporting wicked stepparents. Both of them have taunted and tortured their iconic stepchildren, Prince Charming and Cinderella, for years. In the Enchanted Forest, King George’s most iconic crimes are nearly poisoning Snow White and threatening to kill Charming’s beloved mother. Meanwhile, Lady Tremaine’s insidious psychological insults scarred both Cinderella and her daughter, Corinda. But they nearly had their victories in Storybrooke, as Albert Spencer almost killed Red Riding Hood and burnt the Mad Hatter’s hat (which was the only way to save Emma and Snow in Season Two), while Lady Tremaine stabbed Cinderella. While both wicked step-parents are in Storybrooke’s prison, they would be a formidable duo if they were to escape their current predicaments.
(Photo property of ABC)
#9: Peter Pan (Robbie Kay)
One of the biggest curveballs that Once Upon A Time creators Adam Horowitz & Edward Kitsis threw at fans for Season Three that they made Peter Pan—the show’s first villain of the third season. The King of Neverland gave our heroes and anti-heroes one hell of a welcome as the forces of Neverland nearly had the Storybrooke gang at each other’s throats. Pan also tried to get his own great-grandson’s heart…that’s right, Pan is Gold’s father, Neal’s grandfather and Henry’s great-grandfather! However, in his only moment of heroism, Gold sacrificed his life to save Belle and Neal from his father’s clutches. Pan returned to gloat in the Underworld during Season Five, but just like in Storybrooke—Gold stopped him by filling his papa’s lungs with water from the River of Souls.
(Photo property of ABC)
#8: Maleficent (Kristin Bauer van Straten)
The Evil Queen’s only friend comes in at number eight in our countdown! The Mistress of All Evil has made the lives of several Storybrooke residents hell over the years. From using Belle as a tool to lure Gold into a showdown with her fellow Queens of Darkness to stalking two generations of Sleeping Beauties, Maleficent continued to a force that keeps Storybrooke residents. However, it was her history with Snow and Charming that shocked fans. Because of the couple, Maleficent could not raise her daughter, Lily, and she vowed to make their lives a living hell. While Emma was able to reunite the dark fairy with her daughter, Lily’s dark ambitions might cause Maleficent to begin a new reign of terror (Hopefully, later on, this season).
(Photo property of ABC)
#7: Cruella de Vil (Victoria Smurfit)
Darling, Cruella is at number seven! The 101 Dalmatians villainess and a member of the Queen of Darkness Trinity has spent the past two seasons harassing our heroes in the Enchanted Forest, Storybrooke, and Underbrooke. Throughout her two seasons on the ABC fairy tale drama, Cruella had juicy scenes that showcased her past with crooked author, Isaac, her interactions with Henry and defeated Maleficent! While Cruella was dethroned as the Mayor in Underbrooke at the end of the fifth season, it would be nice if Adam and Edward write Cruella one or two more times before the end of the series.
(Photo property of ABC Studios)
#6: Hades (Greg Germann)
The Lord of the Underworld comes in at number six! While he was only on for one season, Hades made a significant impact on our heroes and villains. In Underbrooke, he punished the people who not only made the lives of our favorite characters a living hell (Cora was transformed into the Miller’s Daughter, while Milah was Underbrooke’s crossing guard) but was also nearly scarred them as well (Gold and Belle’s unborn son was almost Hades, Jr.). However, while he showed love for Zelena, he brought Regina’s worst nightmare to life as he killed her true love and fan-favorite Robin Hood right in front of her.
(Photos property of ABC)
#5: Jafar (Naveen Andrews/Oded Fehr)
Agrabah’s most dangerous sorcerer comes in at number five on our countdown. For longtime fans of the Once Upon A Time universe, the Season Six opening episode was not the first time they saw the ex-vizier. Jafar was the main antagonist of the short OUAT spin-off: Once Upon A Time in Wonderland. Because of his major daddy issues (his father tried to kill him), Jafar sought to bend the laws of magic to get his way. Throughout the spin-off’s 13 episodes, he intimidated the Red Queen, Alice, Will, and Cyrus until he was turned into a genie during the series finale! He got better and made his appearance on the Season Six opening taunting his internal foe, Aladdin, who was suffering the savior’s syndrome. I cannot wait to see what he has in store for our Storybrooke heroes.
(Photo property of ABC)
#4: Zelena, the Wicked Witch of the West (Rebecca Mader)
Just like Jafar, Zelena had parental issues, but she never got the love of her mommy: The Queen of Hearts! As Cora chose to go to a better place in Enchanted Forest Society, she abandoned her first born daughter to a heartless adoptive father in Oz. After seeing that her half-sister, Regina, got everything Zelena began a crusade to take away her younger sister’s happiness. Over the past three seasons, the Wicked Witch enslaved Mr. Gold, murdered his son, Neal; killed tried to steal Snow and Charming’s baby boy, went back in time and killed Marian; raped Robin Hood and became pregnant with his baby; put Dorothy in a sleeping curse and fell in love with Hades. While she sacrificed her love to save Regina, Ms. Mills disowned her sister, and she turned to the Evil Queen. Will the Evil Queen tempt Zelena to return to the dark side?
(Photo property of ABC)
#3: Cora, the Queen of Hearts (Barbara Hershey/Rose McGowan)
It’s time to meet the woman who birthed two of the Enchanted Forest’s worst nightmares and is one of the show’s most manipulative villains! Cora was known as the Miller’s Daughter and fought for a place in Enchanted Forest’s high society. She abandoned Zelena as a baby, killed Snow White’s mother and vowed to her former rival, Queen Eva, that she would blacken Snow’s heart and destroy Eva’s legacy. Snow unwitting helped Cora transform Regina into the Evil Queen as she killed Daniel. After Regina had banished her to Wonderland, Cora became one of the rulers of the realm, mentored the Red Queen and broke Will Scarlett’s heart. In Season Two, Cora returned with a vengeance and partnered with Hook to invade Storybrooke and become the new Dark One. While she was nearly successful, Snow stopped her from killing Gold by tricking Regina into putting her mother’s poisoned heart back into her body. As Cora died, she looked at her daughter and her former lover and stated that it would have been enough. Cora reunited with both of her daughters in Underbrooke, and for her unfinished business, she was able to stop her daughters’ bitter feud before she moved on to the afterlife.
(Photo property of ABC’s Jack Rowland)
#2: Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle)
“All magic comes with a price!” A legendary quote that has played a significant role in the Once Upon A Time universe. That person that said that line: one of the show’s most signature villains: Rumpelstiltskin is also known to Storybrooke residents as the town’s infamous owner: Mr. Gold! Back in the Enchanted Forest, his father, Peter Pan, abandoned him and was bullied by townsfolk and his first wife, Milah, who called him a coward for not dying in the Ogre Wars. After Milah had abandoned him for Hook, Rumple became a single father to Baefire. A chance encounter with a senior man transformed him into the malevolent Dark One. As Rumple became guillotined with power, he got his revenge on Hook by taking his hand, killed Milah, lost Baefire to another world, kidnapped Belle and murdered her fiancé, Gaston. He also created Mr. Hyde, assisted Dr. Frankenstein with creating his creature, formed and later betrayed the Queens of Darkness, and taught all three Mills women. In Storybrooke, Mr. Gold remains a formidable force to every resident: good or bad. Gold’s lust for power has caused his loved ones including Belle and Neal to disown him. Villains such as Cora, Evil Queen, Hades, Pan, and Zelena have tried to use him as a pawn, but never trust the smile of a crocodile because that is when you will regret the day, you first crossed Mr. Gold.
(Photo property of ABC Studios & Kitsis/Horowitz)
#1: The Evil Queen/Regina Mills (Lana Parrilla)
She had me at “I’m sorry, I’m late!” and “I shall destroy your happiness if it is the last thing I do!” TV Guide’s Favorite TV Villain has returned from the ashes and is in the middle of taking Storybrooke on one wild ride. During her last run on the show, manipulated the Genie to kill Snow’s father; she slaughtered an entire village for supporting Snow White; managed to “kill” Snow with an apple; stole Ariel’s voice, and separated Hansel & Gretel from their father. While Regina has redeemed herself over the show’s past five seasons, the Evil Queen’s reemergence has changed the game in Storybrooke. While Hyde, Lady Tremaine, and the Count of Monte Cristo have been defeated, there are still villains from the Land of Untold Stories that could be great partners for the Queen’s plan. One question is on everyone’s mind, in a show full of hope: “How can the heroes stop her?”
Once Upon A Time airs Sunday night on ABC.
I do not own any of the clips that were used in this article. They are the properties of ABC Studios & Kitsis/Horowitz Productions!
