Once Upon A Time has been a fantasy staple of prime time television for four years now. As it starts it's fifth season with newcomers like Merida and a returning guest cast including Mulan, Aurora, Ruby and Lancelot I can't help but look back over the first four seasons and think about all the minor characters I want to see back!
Dr. Victor Frankenstein
Dr. Whale first appeared in Season 1, episode 3 as someone who had been cursed along with the rest of Storybrooke working in the hospital as a surgeon. Victor is not even from the Enchanted Forest like most of our characters he's from a "World Without Color" where Frankenstein attempted to re-animate his deceased brother. He was last seen in Storybrooke at the end of season three.
I love David Anders, he's an amazing actor, and I've always felt like his character's story never finished. We never got to see him reconnect with his father, or even return to his world.
Genie/Magic Mirror
Originally the Genie was discovered by King Leopold, Snow's father, who intended to help the Genie become free so he could find his true love. Instead Genie fell in love with the King's wife, Regina, who manipulated him into helping her kill the King so she could reign. Regina than trapped Genie in the mirror he had given her as a gift creating the ironic Magic Mirror on her wall.
Much later, after the second Storybrooke curse, Genie was working with Ingrid the Ice Queen in an attempt to kill Regina and Emma. He fulfilled his role and was released back to the Enchanted Forest. With our characters heading back to Camelot on a quest for Emma it's likely we'll run into Genie again in the Enchanted Forest!
Peter Pan
In my opinion Pan was probably the best villain Once Upon A Time has seen. I know he was killed by Gold but I think we can still bring him back through flashbacks or other magical means.
As it turns out Malcolm, as he was originally called, turns out to be Rumpelstiltskin's father who had left his family on his lifelong quest to find a magical cure for aging, and succeeded. He leaves for Neverland and takes on the new name Peter Pan. He also goes back to the Enchanted Forest posing as the Pied Piper to steal boys and bring them back to become part of his tribe of "lost boys", and one girl - Wendy. He captured Henry which brought his family to rescue him, but eventually he was trapped in Pandora's box....well Henry in Pan's body was trapped in the box and Pan in Henry's body went back to Storybrooke. Our heroes soon realized this and fixed the problem, killing Pan.
Tinker Bell
Tink worked with the other fairies in the Enchanted Forest, but was disavowed when she used her fairy dust to help Regina search for true love. When our heroes arrive in Neverland looking to rescue Henry they meet Tinker Bell who had been banished, and still despises Regina. Tinkl agrees to help if they'll take her back to Storybrooke with them, they agree and follow through on the promise but when they arrive the fairies still refuse to reinstate her powers until she saves the Blue Fairy's life.
Her story arc was finished with regaining her abilities, but she was such a great character I'd still love to see her back! I'm assuming she was left in the Enchanted Forest after the second curse because we haven't seen her since!
Cinderella
Cinderella's story is pretty well known to all of us, but the fun OUAT twist is that her Fairy Godmother was actually the Dark One - Rumpelstiltskin. He binds her into a contract for true love but the price of his magic is her first born child. Some time after she's married she finds out she's pregnant and attempts to flee but is captured by the Dark One. Charming and Prince Thomas devise a plan to capture Rumple and succeed, but when the curse is enacted the contract is still intact until Ella gives birth and Thomas and her are reunited. Ella is supposed to give up the baby, similar to her magical counterpart through a legal adoption set up through Gold. Emma tells Gold she'll be in his debt if he'll allow her to break the agreement and keep the baby. As this is what Gold no doubt wanted from the beginning he agrees leaving Emma in his debt and Cinderella and Thomas with their son.
Cinderella is still in Storybrooke, even after the second curse, and she's teaching a parenting class with students Snow and Aurora. Her character seems to be happy and fulfilled, but I still want to see more!
Ursula
In her early life Ursula was a beautiful mermaid who was banished from the kingdom by her father King Poseidon. Later he tries to make peace with her but she takes his trident and transforms herself into the iconic half-octopus being and giving herself magical abilities as strong as her father's.
Eventually she becomes companions with the Queens of Darkness Cruella DeVil and Maleficent, and soon transported to Earth along with Maleficent's egg and Cruella. Many years later after the second curse, and Gold is banished from Storybrooke he finds her working in an aquarium in NYC. Gold convinces her to join him and the other Queens to fight for their own happy endings. In the end Hook contacts Ariel who brings King Poseidon into this world to visit his long lost daughter. The two make peace, and she leaves for their world with him.
I loved the character, it was unfortunate that OUAT feels like they need to often redeem their villains. Ursula is one of the most wicked and evil villains in Disney history. While her ending was a happy one, and it would be a shame to make her evil again I still feel like we could see more of Ursula and maybe even the hero side of her. She is such an iconic character it would be a shame if she was left to just the few episodes she was in.
Anton
The Giant Anton was the last of his kind, and left to protect the magic beans that transport people between worlds. He was brought to our world by Queen Cora, the mother of Regina, in hopes that he could help her plan the return trip back to the Enchanted Forest. Instead Anton worked with Charming, Regina, Snow, Emma to defeat Cora and ended up staying and becoming an honorary Dwarf. Anton was not brought back from the Enchanted Forest after the second curse.
I would very much like to see Anton get his happy ending. We thought he had it with the Dwarves, but then he was left alone again when the second curse brought them all back to Storybrooke except him. Hopefully with our return to the Enchanted Forest this season, and the introduction of Camelot we'll be reunited with him.
Glinda
When Zelena left the Enchanted Forest for Oz she's quickly met by Glinda and her sisters, the witches that protect Oz. They believe Zelena could fulfill the prophecy and be the Savior of their world. However once Dorothy arrives from Kansas Zelena's intense jealousy is triggered when the witches believe she could be the Savior instead of Zelena. She manipulates Dorothy into returning to Kansas, and also banishes Glinda to the Enchanted Forest.
With the return of everyone to the Enchanted Forest and Zelena controlling the Dark One through his dagger, Glinda helps Charming and Snow enact the second curse because they need light magic from Emma in order to defeat her. Glinda hasn't been seen since but with the return of Zelena as a main cast member this season, and several of our characters returning to the Enchanted Forest it's likely we'll run into her at some point.
Ariel and Prince Eric
When the couple first met Ariel had saved Eric from a shipwreck much like she did in the cartoon. A year later she is still pining over him, and with the help of Regina posing as Ursula she manipulates her into trading fins for legs if she'll get Snow to wear a magical bracelet that would make her permanently a mermaid. Snow helps Ariel get into the castle to meet Eric and when Ariel realizes what she's set Snow up for she leaves the ball and Eric to warn Snow just in time, however because she broke her deal with the Evil Queen her voice is trapped, and taken by Regina.
When our heroes are in Neverland Regina summons Ariel and apologizes for evil ways, she tells her that Eric is in Storybrooke and that the two can reconcile with or without helping them. Ariel helps by bringing a magical object back to Neverland for them to help capture Pan.
It's said that Ariel and Eric are now living on an island somewhere happy together, and not brought into Storybrooke through the second curse.
If we're returning to the Enchanted Forest I'd love to see these two again. They've always been one of my favorite Disney couples!
Huntsman
In the Enchanted Forest the Huntsman was hired to kill Snow White by Regina the Evil Queen but once he met her he refused.
In Storybrooke he became the Sheriff, and makes Emma his deputy even when everyone around them wants Emma out of town. Instantly there is a connection between he and her, but he's already secretly in a sexual relationship with Regina. The more he's with Emma the more he remembers his life from the Enchanted Forest, and when they kiss he remembers it all and Regina crushes his heart killing him.
Graham has never come back! Graham's death was the moment we realized how evil Regina was and that's now been sort of undone with her redemption, why hasn't the death of the Huntsman ever come to light? I'm hoping to find out he's alive in the Enchanted forest somewhere when our heroes go back.
Mad Hatter/Jefferson
Previous to Storybrooke the Mad Hatter had worked for Regina and Rumple because his magical hat could transport him between worlds. Regina has him take her to Wonderland to free her father. She abandons Jefferson in that land leaving without him and he's put to work by the Queen of Hearts in making a new magical hat for her to use to travel. He makes thousands of hats which pushes him to the brink of insanity; giving him the name Mad Hatter.
In Storybrooke Jefferson retains his pre--cursed memories and insists on getting his old life back with his long lost daughter. Eventually Jefferson releases Belle from her Regina's prison and tells her where to find Gold, and after the curse is broken he is reunited with his daughter.
Now with Sebastian Stan a big time movie star it's unlikely we'll see him come back to primetime television, however I'd still really enjoy seeing his relationship with his daughter and how his sanity is holding up in Wonderland or the Enchanted Forest - wherever they end up!
Jafar
I know Jafar wasn't a OUAT character, he came from the Wonderland spinoff but he was one of the best parts of the show, and since they exist in the same world why couldn't Jafar appear to antagonize our heroes?
The fun OUAT spin to this villain was that he's actually royalty. He was the bastard son of the Sultan and commoner. As a child his mother dies so the Sultan takes pity on him and takes him in as a servant but Jafar is never allowed to make any reference to their "unfortunate" relationship. When he breaks this rule the Sultan almost kills him but he escapes and seeks revenge.
Last we saw Jafar his evil plot had been thwarted by Alice and the other heroes, including the Knave of Hearts that has now joined our OUAT cast. I'd love to see Jafar show up, maybe in the second half of this season, as our main antagonist!
Is there anyone I missed? Anyone you want to see come back to Once Upon a Time?