Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-25926288-20170203182557/@comment-25375217-20170206204916

While I, too, doubt that Zelena will die this season, her being demoted or outright leaving may be a possible outcome. She follows the pattern of a character being left out every season, and while only two of them have been killed, none of them have been series regulars in the following season.

That said, Zelena also has more inherent potential than most of the characters who have been removed as the sister of one of the leads, a mother, and a villain going through a redemption arc. While they haven't gotten to her yet this year, there is at least something to get to, something that can't be said for Archie, Ruby, or Robin (that's not to say any of those characters were useless, but their continued inclusion in the plot as mains would require something new to be written for them; Zelena already has her plot written, just not resolved. Archie and Ruby are functioning fine as recurring characters.) She's also a popular character and her actress seems to enjoy being on Once despite little use, which while those facts don't necessarily guarantee that she'll stick around, they certainly can't hurt. She may play a role more like Belle, who was also useless in seasons 2-5 (perhaps not as much as Will or Robin, but still), and stick around until they have room for her to shine. Although given that we're certainly late in the series' lifespan, they may not have time to wait for that.