OnceUponATime

What if Hades is actually Zelena’s father? And Once Upon a Time accidentally wrote a perfect Greek myth?

In Once Upon a Time Zelena’s father Cora calls him a “drunken gardener” or a peasant.

What if Zelena’s father was Hades all along?

It explains so much:

1. Zelena was born with raw, powerful magic but neither of her parents (officially) had magic when she was born.

That level of innate power has to come from somewhere. And Cora wasn’t magical until she trained with Rumple. If her father was a god, that tracks. OUAT never gives people born with magic unless it’s bloodline-based.

2. Hades is a master manipulator who often disguises himself and plays long games.

What if he foresaw the need for a magically powerful heir, came to the mortal realm in disguise, seduced Cora (who wanted power above all), and left her pregnant knowing the child would one day be useful?

OUAT is full of these long-game mythic setups: Rumple manipulating bloodlines, Pan being Rumple’s father, etc.

3. Zelena’s green magic, her fiery red hair, and her obsession with death and rebirth all align with Hades’ domain.

Sure, the color is “Wicked Witch” branding, but her actual magic? Elemental. Explosive. Realm-hopping. Time-traveling. And her hair stands out in a family of brunettes. Symbolically, she’s fire and destruction incarnate.

Also who else cheats death more times than Zelena? She’s practically Underworld royalty.

4. Hades and Zelena have undeniable chemistry, but their relationship has always felt… off.

What if it’s because he saw her as something more than a lover - a creation, an heir? What if he knew all along she was his daughter and was trying to pull her into his rule? Greek mythology is riddled with gods seducing or using their offspring — and OUAT already leaned into mythological themes hard in Season 5.

5. And finally: Zelena kills him.

Just like Kronos, just like Zeus, just like every god-child-destiny story ever written — the child destroys the parent to reclaim autonomy. it’s mythology 101.

So well OUAT tells us Zelena’s father is Johnathan a gardener pretending to be a prince so a liar and a manipulator. Who else lies and manipulates more than any other. Hades fits perfectly: her power source, her thematic opposite, her manipulator, and ultimately her victim. She’s not just the Wicked Witch of the West. She’s the daughter of death who killed the god that made her

What’s going on??

Why would they be promoting the show this many years after it ended?

And it comes after the actors said they would love to come back not too long ago??

There’s something new, I can feel it.

What’s one character you would’ve chosen to take off the show, or not include at all?

Can be a poorly written, or oddly placed, character, or even just someone you personally don’t like, and you have no reason why, lol

I know people here don’t want a reboot, sequel, revival, etc. But I really want more. Now hear me out..

I really want a revival with all of the original cast coming back but that’s probably way too much commitment for them all so I propose that we make a Once Upon a Time movie that’s solely focused on our favorite characters.

Then they can make a new show set in the world but with new characters and storylines. That way we can check back with our favorites and then welcome in a new story unrelated.

her happy ending with Robin, that is.

it's not fair that Hook repeatedly came back, Neal came back multiple times, Charming came back, even Rumple came back!!

why is Regina the ONLY one who wasn't allowed to have her one true love?

She is the only character (besides Hook) that truly changed for the better.

This is still the funniest scene throughout Once Upon a Time and it makes me crack every time.

The fact that Emma was with both Milah's former lover Killian Jones/Hook and son Balefire is insane, and Rumple got too excited when he introduced the two.

like genuinely, the whole first two seasons… we get it, Emma is his biological mom — Regina still loved him, raised him, and took care of him. he’s HER son as long as I’m concerned during the first season , obviously shit gets better and they co parent equally but as i said… she got shit on so much.

I remember watching s1 for the first time and all the theorizing.

Who is who but also who knows what?

We began to realize that Regina still had her memories when she squashed Graham's heart.

(Poor, poor Graham.)

But Mr Gold was always so enigmatic.

He never acted like anything other than a creepy land owner.

But then Regina confronted him in "Skin Deep" while he was in a cell.

For the first time we heard her verbally reference the truth and the Enchanted Forest, when she asked him his true name.

"I am Mr Gold. Every day I've spent on the earth that's been my name."

"What about the time you spent... elsewhere!"

And then his mask drops with a sly little smile and he gnarls breathlessly:

"Rumplestiltskin!"

Boom! Chills!

Man, Robert Carlyle is such a fantastic actor!

Especially with the movie, arguably I think Regina’s evil queen is WITHOUT A DOUBT the best evil queen out there save for the original animated for obvious different reasons,

I still can’t stop thinking about how Peter Pan was woven in-

Cinderella has Drew Barrymore’s Ever After and Brandy’s Roger’s and hammersteins Cinderella with Whitney Houston

Mulan animated will never be topped-

What other best adaptations do you think there are/what do you think of this version of Snow compared to others?

It's been a while since I watched, so maybe they explained it, but if he's so powerful why couldn't he just kill them while they slept or something?

He wanted Henry to think they abandoned him, and what better way than to kill them, and make sure they never come for him?

I haven’t seen this show in like ten years, so this is my first re-watch (second time seeing it) and I’m at the end of season 5 and I honestly just forgot how many women this man has bagged lol

And I know there’s more … 🤣😭

that Baelfire was to become Henry's father?

Isn't he supposed to see everything? He knew about Emma and as I recall he knows about Henry - like who he is and how important he is?

How come he didn't know Baelfire would have a child with the saviour?

I accept the creators' attempt to portray Rumple as a coward... but I don't like the examples they show.

First: Rumple cries all the time as a child. According to the creators, it's because he's a coward who's always afraid... but fuck! He's just a child! His father is always at the pub and his mother abandoned him. No wonder he's afraid.

Second: Rumple got maimed in the war and that's supposed to be a sign of cowardice. But someone on reddit wrote that Rumple maimed himself to be with his son. And I think the same thing. What's cowardly about a man wanting to see his child grow up? Do you know what I would give to have a father like Rumple? One who would be willing to maim himself just to protect me? If that's cowardice, then I guess I don't know the meaning of the word.

Third: When Rumple wasn't dark one and his wife ran off with Hook. Hook said he'd give her back to him if he fought him with swords. But Rumple never held a sword and Hook looked (and even was) experienced. So it was a pre-planned fight. He tried to at least beg Hook but he sent him to the barn saying he was a coward because he didn't fight for his wife.

And now please explain to me what kind of logic is it that I, as an experienced swordsman and captain, challenge a guy to a duel who has obviously only heard of swords but never held one and who is limping and can barely stand, and I, who am as agile as a doe, call him a coward after he refuses to fight me? Rumple refused to fight because he knew it was a lost battle. I don't think there's anything cowardly about that, it just happened to be smart. Hook was a coward when he challenged a man who could barely stand to a duel, and especially when he told David that he didn't beat up disabled people.

And may I also point out that this coward was willing to go beg for mercy for his wife? the woman who had been humiliating him all this time?

If he was really that big of a coward, he wouldn't have gone there at all.

And fourth: the Hordor thing. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about.

The creators tried to make us feel like Rumple was such a coward that he would kiss that idiot Hordor's shoe in front of his son. But you know what? Rumple is great in this scene. The guy humbled himself to protect his son. He was willing to give up his own dignity for him.

Okay. You don't have to agree with me. Feel free to write back and tell me I'm stupid, and that all of this is cowardice, and that I'm just giving him credit he doesn't deserve, but you know what? I'll stand my ground. As I wrote, I don't mind the creators' idea of ​​making Rumple a coward. I mind the examples they showed us.

S1 they were cursed, and S2 there was magic in town they and a lot of family drama that got some quality (unlike the Emma- Snow-Malefcient drama) so all fitted her character. Emma in later seasons feels off, after Zelena arrival I always had the feeling she should just break the 4th wall and say "I shouldn't be here".