Board Thread:Character Discussion/@comment-26116863-20151103000104/@comment-26116863-20151103225001

LostGirl01 wrote: Blech, I hate the new, mushy Rumple too. I practically miss the evil one. XD

But Rumple wasn't really brave as the DO, she said so herself--no matter what walls he puts up to protect himself, he will always be a coward. I think people make the situation more complicated than it actually is--she thought she saw good in him and fell in love with him, and by the time he had manipulated her beyond forgiveness, she decided that there was never any good in him at all. But when he nearly died and fell into a coma, she couldn't help but care, since she had devoted so many years of her life to loving him and trying to make him a better person. But now she sees that this Rumple isn't her Rumple, and sort of resents him for that. Exactly.And we're seeing the same dependency on magic as an easy way out. He always chose evil and dark magic because he was too afraid of doing the right thing, or because he was afraid Belle wouldn't accept him. Fear motivated his every decision, save for when he defeated Pan.

It's so deep rooted that even when Isaac wrote him as a hero in the alternate universe, he still had to depend on magic to act "brave". And he still gave in to fear when Isaac cowed him into trying to kill Henry.

I think the only truly brave thing he ever did was to sacrifice himself to kill Pan. So, I guess he's not completely a lost cause for that reason. Maybe Belle can help him reignite that spark, but I'm a little dubious at the moment.