Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-26159109-20160201202653/@comment-24674051-20160208181203

Ok, The  very first question to ask is "If Neal Doesn't Die to ressurect Rumple, who does?" I don't see Killian giving his life to bring Rumple back, given the years of bad blood between the two. Belle is too smart to go that route.

So for Neal to live would mean that Rumple is brought back a different way. And to fit with the overarching plot from 3B, it would have to involve some way that allows Zelena to gain the Dagger and therefore control.

Next, is the whole "Emma is the only way to defeat Zelena". I think that SNow and David still share the heart, and Neal returns with them, minus one year of Memory. ANd the whole Killian goes and restores Emma's memory plot falls to pieces. That whole story would need to be rewritten.

Also, with Neal present when Zelena is defeated, It is Neal, and not Regina, that picks up the dagger and prevent's Rumple's immediate retribution. Rumple gets the dagger back from Neal, and Rumpbelle have their wedding. With Neal present, I don't think that Rumple goes for the final kill. Which also removes the whole Time Travel adventure (unless the portal just opens on it's own). Assuming taht the Time Travel is still going to happen, it would be Neal and Emma, which would create some very interesting drama for meeting Rumple.

However, with Neal present, Rumple would NEVER put them in his vault. This is Neal we're talking about, and Rumple won't do anything to him. so Frozen would have to be initiated differently.

I could keep going, but not having Neal die is a whole "Butterfly effect" type of thing that would simply cascade into a huge mess. Same with having Killian die, that just creates a whole mess. You don't just replace one with the other, because the character development is completely different.