Dr. Whale

"I wanted my name to stand for life."

- Dr. Whale to Ruby

Dr. Whale is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. He débuts in the third episode of the first season. He is portrayed by guest star David Anders, and is the Storybrooke counterpart of Victor Frankenstein.

Trivia

 * -|Character Notes=

Etymology

 * Dr. Whale's name is a reference to movie director James Whale, who directed the classic horror movies Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935).

Character Notes

 * The character of Dr. Frankenstein was inspired by Mary Shelley's husband, Percy Shelley, who was known to be a womanizer. Frankenstein's Storybrooke counterpart is also a womanizer.
 * In the traditional Frankenstein stories, there is always an angry mob out to destroy Dr. Frankenstein's creation. In the episode "Broken", Dr. Whale leads an angry mob.
 * Unlike most known characters in Storybrooke, Dr. Whale is not a native of the Enchanted Forest, but another realm. Dr. Whale's presence confirms that Regina was able to bring people originally from other magical realms to Storybrooke through the curse.
 * -|Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * According to David Anders, Ruby and Dr. Whale were originally going to be love interests after the events of "In the Name of the Brother". However, these plans were shelved once Meghan Ory left the series to star in the short-lived CBS drama Intelligence.
 * The reason why Dr. Whale's hair is dyed blonde in "Birth", is because David Anders bleached his hair for his role on the television series iZombie. Dr. Whale's and Regina's comments about his hair are a nod to his character on the show.

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.