By: Jacob Elyachar
Halloween is in five days!
Once again…Jake’s Take is celebrating Halloween!
Up until Halloween, I will be paying tribute to some of my favorite villains in cinema, comics, literature and television.
To kick off this special event, I am paying tribute to the villains in the Once Upon A Time universe.
9. Dr. Victor Frankenstein/Dr. Whale (David Anders)
Storybrooke’s resident monster maker has been a thorn in the side to numerous residents. During the curse, he was promiscuous with the show’s women. Once the curse was broken, the Monster Maker targeted Regina emotionally by kidnapping the body of her beloved Daniel and turning him into a monster (just like his brother). It is unknown if Regina will ever confront him for this action, but it could happen the events in Neverland.
8. The Red Queen/Anastasia (Emma Rigby)
Probably one of the most complex figures in Once Upon A Time in Wonderland is the Red Queen. Last Thursday, we learned that the Knave’s beloved Anastasia was really the Red Queen. Hopefully, we will learn how the Red Queen got the throne and how she got this way. Despite frightening the White Rabbit and partnering with Jafar, the Red Queen has a long way to go to get to the top of the countdown.
7. King George/Albert Spencer (Alan Dale)
The sinister patriarch of the Charming family menaced his adoptive son and his daughter-in-law for the past two seasons. From idle threats of killing Charming’s mother and actual acts of poisoning Snow, turning Storybrooke against Red and burning the Mad Hatter’s hat, George remains one of the nastiest father figures on television. It would be interesting to see what reign of terror he could unleash on the Charmings once they get back to Storybrooke.
6. Maleficent (Kristen Bauer van Straten)
While this version of the Mistress of All Evil does not show her full potential as Disney’s top villainess, Kristen Bauer van Straten brought a snarkier side to the character and still menaced the Charmings and their allies. Even though, Emma killed Maleficent in her dragon form at the end of the first season, Maleficent was revived as a zombie-esque character in Season Two and recently made a cameo in Once Upon A Time in Wonderland. But with a live-action film on the villainess on the way next year, viewers might see her again in the future.
5. Peter Pan (Robbie Kay)
This nasty and bratty ruler of Neverland is one of the show’s vilest manipulators. He performed multiple acts of malice this season including causing the second rift between Gold and his son, Neal, forced Emma to reveal that she was an orphan and began to turn Henry to the dark side. If our heroes do not prevail, expect Pan to be at the top of the list next year.
4. Regina, the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla)
Regina became a monster because of the manipulations of both her mother and her mentor: Rumpelstiltskin. She blamed Snow White for Daniel’s murder and that action caused her to go off and search for blood. Regina has caused much damage to the Storybrooke residents that included breaking up families and destroying property. However, since the end of Season Two…Regina took steps on her path of redemption. Will she continue her quest in Neverland?
3. Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle)
Since the show made its debut two years ago on the Alphabet Network, one of the main messages of OUAT is that “Magic always comes with a price.” The Dark One certainly knows that phrase very well as his ascension to power cost him his wife, son and own humanity. There is only so much Belle can do to save Mr. Gold…but Rumpelstiltskin remains one of the villains fans love to hate.
2. Jafar (Naveen Andrews)
Fans are four episodes into Once Upon A Time in Wonderland and they can already tell…who is the show’s ultimate bad guy: Jafar. The conniving Agrabah sorcerer has threatened, scared and tortured Wonderland its residents (including his frenemy the Red Queen) in his search for the ultimate power. Fans can expect Jafar to continue to threaten Wonderland (and maybe Storybrooke) in the future.
1. Cora, the Queen of Hearts (Barbara Hershey)
The baddest villain in the Once Upon A Time universe is Cora. Once, the Miller’s Daughter, she was tired of her social standing and began a climb to power that affected the entire show. From killing Snow White’s mother and beloved Johanna to manipulating events that lead to Regina’s transformation into the Evil Queen, the Queen of Hearts remains the show’s ultimate villainess and it would be interesting to see if Once’s co-creators can bring her back from the dead.
