Evil Queen

"My life was never just one story. It was many stories. To some, a villain. I hurt people... in ways I can never make up for. To others, I'm... a hero. They've seen my strength, my ability to do the hard things, even when I thought I couldn't. I want to start a new story. One where the Evil Queen doesn't get a part."

- Regina Mills to Snow

Regina Mills, formerly known as the Evil Queen, currently known as Roni, and briefly known as Wilma and Ursula, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. She debuts in the first episode of the first season. She is portrayed by starring cast member Lana Parrilla and guest star Ava Acres. She is the main reality version of the Evil Queen.

The Evil Queen is based on the Queen from the fairytale, "Snow White" and from the Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and the child of the miller's daughter from the fairytale "Rumpelstiltskin", and also is an allusion to the Stepmother from the fairytale "Hansel and Gretel". She also briefly takes the place of the Sea Witch from the fairytale, "The Little Mermaid" and Ursula from the Disney film, The Little Mermaid.

History
{{After Fourth Curse| When the Black Fairy's death causes the Dark Curse to be broken, Regina and her allies are transported back to Storybrooke, where Henry reveals the Black Fairy gave Gideon one last command to kill Emma no matter what. Regina persuades Emma to remain hopeful that there may be a third way to finish the final battle since the two known options, whether killing Gideon and darkening her own soul or allowing Gideon to kill her and eradicating all light magic, will not end well either way. During Emma's battle with Gideon, Regina witnesses Emma allowing herself to be stabbed, causing a burst of light to emit from her abdomen, which defeats Gideon by reverting him back into an infant. Regina and her family rush to Emma's still body and realize she is dead, however, Henry uses the power of true love's kiss to revive Emma. {{Ep|The Final Battle Part 2}}

Sometime after final battle has been won, Regina and Emma walk Henry to the school bus stop, with each of them saying goodbye to him before they both watch him head off. Regina heads for her mayoral office, but when she gets to the door, she sees Leroy, Walter, and Mr. Clark blocking the entrance. The three men eventually step aside to let her see that they changed the lettering on the door from "Mayor's Office" to "Regina Mills Queen". Regina is touched by the gesture and smiles at them as they tip their hats to her. {{Ep3|The Final Battle Part 2}}

Regina later attends baby Gideon's first birthday, providing the balloons with Zelena. {{Ep|Beauty}}

After Operation Cobra is done, Regina walks out of her house with Henry, who has decided to leave Storybrooke in search of his own story now that he has finished writing his family's happy endings. Regina gives him a farewell hug before watching him board a motorcycle and open a portal to another realm. She regards the portal warily and wonders how he will return if there are no more magic beans, to which Henry assures her it will find a way. {{Ep|Hyperion Heights}}

Some years after Henry is still away on his adventure, Regina along with Hook and Emma suddenly receive a summons for help from him. Before going, Regina gives her mother's old spell book to a now eighteen-year-old Robin, who is interested in learning magic, without Zelena knowing. Emma stays behind because of her pregnancy, while Regina and Hook travel through a portal to the realm where Henry is being held captive by Lady Tremaine. The pair interrupt Tremaine's daughter Drizella as she is in the midst of preparing to torture Henry, and when the girl questions who they are, Regina threateningly states that she is Henry's mother before magically flinging Drizella into the wall, knocking her out cold. After Hook unties Henry, Regina looks at her son with amazement and expresses awe at how much he's grown up since she last saw him. As the trio head out, Henry notices Emma's absence, which Hook explains is due to Emma being busy fighting a group of tiny dragons. However, out of Henry's earshot, Regina tells Hook for lying, but the pirate insists it was necessary because it's what Emma wanted to ensure she isn't getting in the way of her son's life. Regina tries to help Henry find a missing Cinderella with a locator spell, but somehow her magic is ineffective in this realm. While Hook is away scoping out a dock for information about Cinderella's whereabouts, Regina updates Henry on how his family and friends are doing in Storybrooke, though Henry points out she has yet to talk about herself. Regina admits she misses him, and when he asks about Emma, she simply says she is fine. She then diverts the conversation to what he has been up, to which Henry expresses skepticism about whether he'll see Cinderella again or if she even likes him. When Hook arrives back with a goodbye note from Cinderella, they fail to notice anything off with him and that he is actually Wish Realm Hook who is trying to take the other Hook's place in Storybrooke. Henry becomes upset over Cinderella's note and calls himself a failure, despite Regina trying to persuade him otherwise, and after her son goes outside to be alone, Regina pushes Hook to go comfort him. Much later after the conflict between the two Hooks is resolved with Emma's help, Regina says goodbye to her son in preparation for her return home, but Henry suggests she accompany him since her story is not yet over. Regina considers it and agrees after Henry coins the mission name Operation: Next Chapter. Afterward, she, Henry and Wish Realm Hook, who is also staying to help Henry, say one last farewell to Emma and Hook, who both disappear into the portal back to Storybrooke. {{Ep|A Pirate's Life|Secret Garden}}

After Regina gets her locator spell to work, she, Henry, and Hook arrive at a camp, where Cinderella has joined Tiana in a Resistance group to take down Lady Tremaine. Henry introduces Cinderella to his mother, who apologizes for the wait since her locator spell needed some fixing. Tiana curiously inquiries if she really has magic, which Regina confirms, allowing Tiana some assurance that they have a chance of defeating Tremaine after all. Later as Tiana is going over the battle plans for storming Tremaine's manor with two groups of Resistance members, Regina and Henry choose to join Cinderella, who will be leading one of the groups. That night, Regina notices Cinderella leaving the camp to sneak off. Cinderella returns to try and rip out Jeremiah's heart, but Regina stops her in time and confronts her about her suspicions that she went to Tremaine's manor. Regina insists they can work around whatever Tremaine wants from them, however, Cinderella explains Tremaine wishes to have Henry's pure heart but that she couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead, Cinderella admits she went for Jeremiah's heart since he is so loyal to the Resistance and would likely die for the cause. Regina disagrees, telling her that sacrificing one person's life to save others is never okay. She then lifts the enchantment on Cinderella's hand to remove the heart-ripping ability and asks her what is really going on with her and Tremaine, but Cinderella refuses to say anything. The next day, Regina catches her trying to leave on her own and convinces her to open up about her problems. Cinderella discloses her painful past with her stepmother, which began when her stepsister Anastasia died because of her, and now Tremaine wishes to use magical means to revive her daughter. Realizing Cinderella is punishing herself for what happened, Regina encourages her to forgive herself for Anastasia's death and to start making decisions for herself instead of someone else. As Regina meets up with Hook, Tiana, and Henry in the camp, Cinderella shows up to reveal Tremaine has set a trap for them in her manor. Tiana asks how she knows this, but Regina saves her the burden of admitting the truth by making up a lie about using her magic mirror to spy on Tremaine. {{Ep|The Garden of Forking Paths}}

In the woods, Regina chances upon Henry and Cinderella as the pair are feuding off some bandits. She prepares a fireball at the assailants, but seeing that Henry can handle himself, she stops herself. After Cinderella leaves to chase the remaining bandit, Henry shows his old Tron lunchbox to his mom. Regina fondly recalls how long ago that was and now he's all grown up. Henry mentions he and Cinderella are off on a mission for the Resistance once his motorcycle is fixed and invites her to come too, but she lies about being busy. Regina understands he doesn't need his mom all the time anymore and trusts that he can take care of himself. While walking through the woods alone, Regina spots a cloaked figure near a broken tower. When the person happens to open a chest that unleashes an aggressive plant monster, Regina destroys it with a well-aimed fireball. Upon realizing she just saved Drizella, she expresses regret over not letting her die as she once tried to kill her son. Drizella explains she only did so on her mother's orders, but now, she is done following her and desires magic to be free of her. When Drizella shares more about her painful childhood, Regina comes to see a bit of herself in the younger girl and decides to train her in magic. Drizella has trouble lifting a boulder during training, but when Regina pushes her harder by knocking down a portion of the tower and almost killing herself, she is able to magically shatter the debris to save Regina. Afterward, Regina talks about the dark path she went down by casting the Dark Curse. They are interrupted by the arrival of Mr. Gold, who converses with Regina about his time in the Edge of Realms with Belle, who died of old age, and his quest to find the Guardian and be rid of his immortality. Regina expresses interest in guiding Drizella on the right path in life, however, Mr. Gold persuades her that Drizella's mother may be manipulating things by allowing her daughter to learn magic for a very specific reason. With her magic mirror, Regina spies on Tremaine as she is practicing with extracting a heart, to which Drizella realizes her mother wants her heart for Anastasia. The girl begs Regina to help kill Tremaine, but she refuses, not wanting her to give into darkness. Regina later freezes Prince Gregor, who is attempting to kill Tremaine for Drizella. She gives the girl another chance to stop, but Drizella murders Gregor to darken her heart so her mother cannot use it. Once Drizella proclaims her intentions of casting the Dark Curse as revenge on Tremaine, Regina vows to do everything in her power to break it, although Drizella promises to make it unbreakable. Later in a conversation with Henry, Regina reminisces about her reasons for staying in this realm for his sake but believes he no longer needs her like he used to. Henry disagrees, telling her that even now when he can fight his own battles, he still needs her. Regina echoes his sentiments, admitting how hard it was not having him around in Storybrooke, and that whatever else she is meant to do in life, she is his mother first. {{Ep|Wake Up Call}}

While Henry and Cinderella are away, Hook asks Regina about what she saw when she visited the tower. Regina tells him it was in ruins, which saddens Hook, who was hoping to find his long-lost daughter as she was once trapped in it. Suddenly, Henry and Cinderella return with none-other-than Alice, Hook's grown daughter. Regina watches as father and daughter reunite, with Alice convincing Hook that she found a magical way to shield herself from his curse's effects. Hook tries to embrace Alice, but as soon as they touch, he is thrown back as the poison in his heart increases. Regina rushes to check up on him while a distraught Alice, not understanding why her shield didn't work, runs off, to which Regina shouts for Henry and Cinderella to follow the blonde. Later on, Regina continues to look after a recovering Hook until Henry and Cinderella return from New Wonderland to give him a message from Alice. {{Ep2|Eloise Gardener (Episode)|Eloise Gardener}}

At some point after Henry and Ella get married, they have a daughter, whom Henry introduces to his family and friends as Lucy, however, he notices his mother is strangely absent. Drizella arrives, telling him that she has detained Regina for the time being, before giving the heroes a prophecy about a curse she will cast on the child's eighth birthday. Soon after, Drizella is thwarted by the heroes as she is turned into a statue, although she promises to be back in eight years' time. {{Ep|The Eighth Witch}}

After Tiana leads the Resistance and defeats Tremaine, Regina helps Tiana get ready for her coronation, but Dr. Facilier arrives to give his regards the new Queen. Additionally, he greets Regina, whom he has crossed paths with before, and notes disappointedly that the rumors about her going soft are true. Facilier gives Tiana a warning about a terrible beast that will soon threaten her kingdom and directs her into checking the Fairy Docks at the southern edge of the bayou. After Facilier is gone, Regina disagrees with Tiana holding off her coronation until she can investigate Facilier's claims, but Tiana insists she must in order to protect her kingdom if there truly something dangerous out there. Later, Regina learns from Tiana that Facilier purposely sent her after the beast just so he could retrieve a necklace. Tiana, before going to her coronation, invites all her allies to come with her to greet her subjects as a display of solidarity because she is putting he trust in them to help her protect her people. As Ella, Tiana's mother Eudora, Henry and baby Lucy depart from the room altogether, Regina stays behind and calls out Facilier from hiding. Facilier suggests she can stop pretending to be upset to see him now that her friends are gone and then shows her the necklace which once belonged to her. Regina remembers the necklace but states he shouldn't bother returning it now that she is a different person from the one he knew. She questions what he gets out of the situation, and Facilier caresses her cheek before admitting he misses her. The pair then share a passionate kiss. {{Ep|A Taste of the Heights}}

As Ella and Henry fawn over baby Lucy, Regina notices Hook watching them with a sad expression and encourages him to believe that he will be reunited with Alice one day. An open portal appears in the courtyard, which Zelena comes through to tell Regina about Robin has been kidnapped by Gothel after summoning her with Cora's spell book. Regina offers to help look for Robin, but Zelena is too upset since she blames her sister for giving Robin the book in the first place. However, Hook convinces Zelena to let him come along, as he has his own grudge against Gothel to settle. {{Ep3|Secret Garden}}

Sometime after Zelena and Robin stay in the New Enchanted Forest, Regina joins Henry, baby Lucy, Ella, Zelena, and Hook by a campfire in the woods, where, from a distance, Alice observes them through a spyglass. {{Ep|The Girl in the Tower}}

Eight years later, in the courtyard of Queen Tiana's castle, Regina helps to light the candles on Lucy's birthday cake, but before the girl can even blow them out, the flames disperse on their own. Gothel, with intentions of helping Drizella cast the curse, shows up with a coven of witches to free her before all of them teleport away. Regina goes to find Zelena to inform her about what is going on, but upon reaching her sister's farm gate, she is startled when someone looses warning shots on her but is relieved to discover they came from her niece Robin. As the two catch up, Zelena pops out and brings Regina up to speed about just how dangerous the coven of witches are. This gives Regina the idea that she and Zelena are powerful enough to take them on, which Zelena agrees to be a part of. After Henry is kidnapped by the coven, the sisters confront Drizella as Hook, Jack, and Ella ambush the other witches. Regina manages to subdue Drizella by holding her throat in a vice grip, and Zelena poofs the curse scroll into her hand before giving it to her sister. However, the plan falls apart when Drizella reveals Regina will be casting the curse and then ushers Gothel to show her what she means. Regina signals for Hook, who is holding Gothel hostage, to let her go, to which Gothel unmasks a cloaked figure at the center of the altar, revealing he is a sickly Henry. Horrified at her son's condition, Regina rushes to unbind him and attempts to heal him, but it's no use since Drizella poisoned him. As further incentive to make Regina cast the curse, Drizella explains her son can only be saved if he goes to a Land Without Magic, in addition to the final curse ingredient being magic from a witch who crushed the heart of the thing she loved most. Regina struggles to make a choice, and even as Henry manages to tell her not to do what Drizella says, she ends up agreeing to it. She then steels herself for what is to come, telling Drizella that it's not over, before creating an open cut on her palm and allowing the blood to drip onto the altar symbol to trigger the curse. As Regina is eventually engulfed by the curse, she is taken to Hyperion Heights along with everyone else. {{Ep2|The Eighth Witch}}

{{During Fifth Curse| After Regina casts Drizella's curse to save Henry's life, she becomes Roni, the co-owner of Kelly and Roni's Pub in Hyperion Heights with her sister Kelly West, and completely forgets her past as the Evil Queen. Roni persuades Kelly's daughter Margot that going to college is a waste of time and instead hires her to work at the pub, in addition to later providing her with a ticket to Amsterdam. However, this backfires when Margot decides to not come back and instead stay in Phuket to party her life away, resulting in Kelly blaming Roni for her daughter's decision. After Kelly is pushed out of Hyperion Heights by Victoria Belfrey and moves to San Francisco, Roni renames the pub to "Roni's", puts the old pub sign in storage, and refurnishes some of the bar's aesthetics. {{Ep|Hyperion Heights|Pretty in Blue|The Eighth Witch|Secret Garden}}

Roni is pressured by Victoria into selling the bar as she watches much of the community in Hyperion Heights get similarly chased away, and the day before she is supposed to sign the papers, she is setting up the bar when Henry walks in. The two talk, with Roni explaining her issues with Victoria, and Henry revealing that a girl showed up at his apartment and claimed to be his daughter before stealing his laptop. Jacinda Vidrio, Lucy's mother, arrives to return Henry's laptop, apologizing for her daughter's behavior, as Henry muses that he's now certain Lucy can't be his daughter because he would have remembered Jacinda. Recognizing the romantic tension between the pair, Roni offers them both drinks to break the ice. Roni watches as they bond, but they are unfortunately interrupted when Victoria arrives, livid over learning her granddaughter Lucy sneaked out during the night to see Henry, a complete stranger. Victoria criticizes Jacinda for day drinking and announces her plan to take full custody of Lucy. At midnight, as Victoria waits for Roni to sign the bar over to her, Roni decides that she will not go through with the deal, having been inspired by Jacinda's attempts to stand up to Victoria. She explains to Victoria that she has hope for Hyperion Heights, considering the bar is her home and rips the contract to shreds. Infuriated, Victoria tells Roni that she will regret her decision, but Roni assures her that regret isn't her thing. Once Victoria is gone, Roni takes a look at her bar and smiles. {{S|("Hyperion Heights", "The Eighth Witch")}}

At her bar, Roni is questioned by Weaver about why Henry was in her pub that morning, but she refuses to divulge anything, stating that bartenders are like therapists and are sworn to secrecy. An unimpressed Weaver tells her he'll get his answer either way and after he has left the bar, Roni warns the detective's partner Rogers to be careful of him. She mentions that all of Weaver's past partners have mysteriously disappeared, and asks him to consider just how badly he wants this detective job. {{Ep|A Pirate's Life}}

One night at her bar, Roni serves a customer who works for the building commission in Hyperion Heights. This customer, while inebriated, talks about how he will be making lots of money soon once he helps Victoria with a certain favor, and that he is meeting with her in the afternoon at Hyperion Plaza. Later after Henry arrives to join Roni and Rogers at the bar, Roni mentions her conversation with the drunk customer, whom Henry suspects is accepting a bribe from Victoria to help her redevelop the neighborhoods. While Rogers is on a stakeout to corner the customer, Roni continues tending to her bar as Henry is doing research. Jacinda comes bearing information about Victoria's plans to demolish the community gardens today and replace them with condos. Roni discovers a loophole from a building manual, which states an injunction can be overturned as long as the community deems the property essential to the public good. She gives Jacinda the idea to form a petition and get people to sign it as a way to halt the demolition. After Jacinda burns the signed petitions to accept an offer given to her by Victoria, Jacinda recuperates at the bar, telling Roni about how her actions disappointed Lucy, despite that she believes she was right to destroy the petitions for a chance to be with her daughter. Roni assures her there's nothing wrong with wanting to be with Lucy, however, she has to consider how much she is willing to give up to Victoria to do that, as the woman will take away everything from her if she lets her. Later, Roni helps to quiet down the noisy residents who are gathered at the garden, where Jacinda makes up for her mistake by persuading them to sign the petition again and join her in planting more flowers to show Victoria that they won't stand for the demolition. {{Ep|The Garden of Forking Paths}}

For Halloween, Roni dresses up as Sandy from the movie Grease and lets Henry sample one of her new drinks called the Poisoned Apple, though Henry suggests it could use a bit of cinnamon. She notices he is more downtrodden than the day before when he was eating ice cream with Jacinda and Lucy, and Henry tells her about finding the cemetery where his wife and child are buried. Roni sympathizes with his reluctance to move on from them, but reasons that eventually he has to let go of their ghosts. She presses him to ask Jacinda out to a Halloween party, and though Henry says he might not be ready yet, she reminds him that moving on doesn't mean he has to forget about those he lost and if he loved once before, he owes it to himself to at least try to find happiness again. {{Ep|Beauty}}

At the bar, Roni agrees to help Rogers store a box of evidence pertaining to the missing girl he never found. After Rogers departs, she grills Henry about why he was having drinks with Ivy during the other night. Roni doesn't trust Ivy because she is Victoria's daughter, even when Henry suggests Ivy might be willing to help them. Henry later informs her about the intel he got from Ivy concerning Victoria's recent habit of spending time on the top floor of Belfrey Towers, but Roni is unhappy he actually believes the girl and the possibility that he is falling for her. She insists Jacinda is the better option for him because she doesn't believe Ivy has genuine feelings for him. Henry expresses frustration over her acting like his mother, although Roni reasons that, if his mother were present, she'd tell him to get back into writing, ask Jacinda on a date and tip her generously for giving him such sound advice. Upon seeing Henry begin leaving, she inquires about where he is going, to which Henry exasperatedly states that he's headed to the bathroom unless she means to hold his hand in there too. Ivy texts Henry to meet her in the office lobby, however, Roni secretly replies for him, telling Ivy "he" will be there, only to delete both texts from Henry's phone afterward so Henry won't know about it. Roni goes to confront Ivy in-person about her suspicions that she is only going after Henry to ruin what he and Jacinda could have. Despite Ivy explaining how much she is risking to bring down Victoria, Roni insists she prove her worth by taking her to the top floor room. Ivy obliges, but unknown to the latter, she asks the woman in the room to hide from Roni. On the top floor, Roni sees a tea set tray on the ground and guesses that Victoria might've had company, as Ivy feigns ignorance about who the person is. Roni then spots a paper flap sticking out from an open locker and discovers a shocking photograph inside. Later, she comes clean to Henry about what she did before showing him what she found: a purported picture of herself in stylish clothes as she hugs a young boy. Roni is sure that she doesn't know who the boy is, but a stunned Henry recognizes the child as himself. {{Ep|Greenbacks}}

As Roni and Henry look at the picture together, Henry deducts they were photoshopped into it, with Roni as his mother the Evil Queen and him as her son from his book. Roni assumes Victoria is playing around with them and grabs her baseball bat to go teach her a lesson, though Henry persuades her to calm down so they can investigate things first. Jacinda pops in to borrow tools from Roni as she has a new food truck to fix, but when Henry offers his help, she declines before leaving. Roni, having no answers about Jacinda's brush off towards him, offers him a beer as consolation. She is in the midst of cleaning the bar counter when Henry tells her about discovering pictures Ivy posted from their bar night and that Jacinda may have assumed from seeing them that they are together. Lucy rushes in and asks to see the photo as well, with Henry mistakenly believing she means the one with Ivy and him, but Roni realizes she wants to see the one of herself and Henry. The girl pieces together who is who in the photo, including the fact the Evil Queen Regina adopted Henry in Boston, and goes off to execute a way in which Regina can remember her old life. After Roni takes Henry out for pizza, she talks about her failed attempt to adopt in the past, however, Henry assures her that she is a mother to lots of people in Hyperion Heights. Roni suggests they pretend to believe Lucy's fantasies so she stops being defensive about her beliefs and will accept the truth in her own time. Henry dubs their mission Operation: Heartbreak, but rather than going together to where Lucy is now, Roni directs him to Jacinda's food truck, jokingly telling him to "be charming and don't slouch." Roni finds Lucy in her old room, where the girl was hoping to locate Henry's old storybook which might allow a person to recover their memories if they touch it. She persuades Lucy that she is willing to take a chance in believing, and then they team up by getting information about Regina from Weaver, whom Roni agrees to owe a favor. Looking over Regina's signature on the adoption agreement, Roni signs the same name and notices her penmanship matches the woman's. That night, Ivy drugs her drink with a serum created by the Witch in order to make her regain her true memories. Regina finally wakes up, and after recognizing Drizella, she tries to choke her but her magic doesn't work in a Land Without Magic. She moves to answer a call from Henry, but a smug Drizella leads her into remembering that, if the curse breaks, something bad will happen to her loved ones. Drizella admits she is close to enacting her revenge on Victoria and cannot have the curse ending anytime soon with true love's kiss, so she orders Regina into separating Henry and Jacinda. While Henry reports to Roni that his date with Jacinda went well, she asks about his mother under the pretense this information may help Lucy. Henry reveals he was born in prison and grew up in the system because of never being adopted, and that his wish to have a mother is what made him create two of them in his book. Regina almost tells him the truth but catches herself before she does and instead says she is glad that they are getting to know each other. {{Ep|Wake Up Call}}

In celebration of the fixed electrical system on the food truck, Henry and Jacinda stop by the bar for some drinks from Roni. Jacinda mentions being without income since the truck business hasn't started yet, but Roni graciously chips in by hiring her. After Henry and Jacinda grab a table together, Ivy badgers Roni at the counter, once again warning her to separate the couple before they share true love's kiss or face the consequences if the curse breaks. Jacinda, during a work shift with Roni, excitedly tells her about her upcoming date with Henry and the possibility of working on regaining custody of Lucy. Falling in line with Ivy's demands, Roni subtlely convinces Jacinda that pursuing a new relationship with Henry won't look good in the eyes of social workers if she intends to get her daughter back. Now worried about spoiling her chances of regaining Lucy, Jacinda cancels her date with Henry as Roni guiltily watches nearby and notices her son's disappointment. Later, Henry informs Roni and Jacinda about Victoria being arrested for holding a woman captive, with these circumstances freeing Lucy from her Victoria's guardianship. {{Ep2|Eloise Gardener (Episode)|Eloise Gardener}}

While Ivy is trying to get closer to Henry, Roni interrupts in the nick of time to ask for Henry's help with unjamming the keg room door, which he happily obliges. Roni warns her to stay away from her son, but Ivy instead mocks her for sounding very "Evil Queen" and recalls how much it must've hurt her to have to drive a wedge between Jacinda and Henry during the other night. Roni cautions her to tread lightly with her words or face the wrath of her baseball bat, however, Ivy reminds her that neither of them wants the curse broken and Roni is outnumbered now that Eloise is free from her mother. Roni is surprised to hear she is working with Gothel, even asking how they know each other, but Ivy scoffs, declining to villain monologue for her. Worried about what Ivy and Gothel have planned, she goes to the station to look for Weaver, in the hopes of making an alliance with him as she knows he is awake like she is. However, Weaver is not there, though Roni takes the opportunity to suggest to Rogers that he shouldn't be so hard on Tilly, Weaver's street informant, because she only played the part of a pawn since she had nothing else to live for. Roni spots the cake that Eloise gave Rogers and she dumps it into the trash, telling him that too much sugar will kill him. When Weaver shows up at the bar, Roni questions him about what the name Rumplestiltskin means to him, but after he gives her a flimsy answer, she wastes no time calling him out for hiding under the radar and asks for his help to fight against Gothel. Weaver continues feigning ignorance and eventually goes to leave, to which Roni wonders if he is keeping his cover because of the Guardian and tells him to consider that Belle wouldn't want this for him. This appears to strike a nerve in Weaver, though he manages to turn around with a neutral face and ask her who Belle is. Frustrated with Weaver's noncompliance, Roni drops the subject and states she'll get help somewhere else. Roni later finds Henry getting drunk in her bar while he is heartbroken over Jacinda and persuades him to join her for a trip to California to find someone whose assistance she desperately needs. {{Ep3|Pretty in Blue}}

After arriving to San Francisco, Roni looks over a vial of liquid that she intends to use on Kelly West, the cursed persona of her sister Zelena, in order to restore her true memories. Henry receives a missed call from Jacinda and worries something is wrong, but Roni persuades him to let Jacinda get back to him later and then provides him with sweatpants so he can join her for Kelly's pedaling class. During the class, Roni instructs him to play along and act enthusiastic about it. By the end of it, Kelly unhappily confronts Roni while Roni unconvincingly pretends that she and Henry really enjoyed her class. After Kelly shoos off Henry, she mistakes him for Roni's new boyfriend; something Roni fervently denies. Kelly demands to know what Roni wants from her and recalls having never forgiven her for ruining her daughter's life. Roni apologizes, explaining that Kelly doesn't know the whole story and then suggests they have a drink together for old time's sake, but Kelly angrily declines. After Kelly walks out, Henry rushes in to inform Roni that he's since learned Lucy is in a coma and has plans to take the first flight back to Seattle. He invites Roni to come with him, but she has unfinished business with Kelly and urges him to go back without her. Later outside Kelly's studio, Roni manages to convince the redhead to take a sip of whiskey that she mixed with the vial liquid. Kelly regains her memories and is ready to return to Hyperion Heights with her sister and fight against Gothel, however, she hesitates after recalling she is engaged to someone. Roni expresses regrets about coming to her for help knowing she had a life in San Francisco, but Kelly decides to put the wedding on hold so she can help Roni. At the airport, Roni is notified by Henry that Lucy still hasn't woken up even when he tried true love's kiss. Both Roni and Kelly realize the only way they can help Lucy is by getting their magic back, but to do that, the curse must be broken, though doing so will result in Henry's death. {{Ep|The Eighth Witch}}

Getting back to Hyperion Heights, Roni is told by Henry at the hospital that Lucy's condition is stable but she's not getting any better, in addition to him not being able to do anything else to help. Roni reminds him not to give up and how much Lucy needs his belief even if she can't ask for it right now. Henry thanks her for the pep talk, but walks off in low spirits. Kelly sympathetically notices how difficult it is for her because Henry doesn't remember her. Despite not having a real plan to both save Henry and Lucy without either of them dying, Roni is certain she and Kelly can figure out together. Later, Kelly tells Regina about Gothel approaching her for an offer: she'll revive Lucy in exchange for the Resurrection Amulet. Kelly believes they should pretend to play along with Gothel's game, which Roni agrees with, suggesting they locate the amulet first and find a way to use it without paying the price of its magic. In the bar storage room, Kelly and Roni find the old bar sign and talk about using it again if Kelly decides to stay in Hyperion Heights. Kelly then smashes the sign into pieces, which shocks Roni until she sees Kelly pick through the debris to retrieve a circular red stone that is actually the amulet. When Victoria shows up to intimidate them with a gun, she agrees she was willing to sacrifice Lucy because of her own desperation to save her own child, but to prove she is no monster, she needs the amulet so Gothel can restore Lucy. Roni warns that the cost of using the amulet is too high, but Victoria, not knowing that a life must be sacrificed for it to work, says that when it comes to their children, there is no such thing. On returning to Lucy's hospital room, Roni and Kelly are stunned to see the girl is now awake, leading them to conclude that Victoria must have sacrificed herself. {{Ep3|Secret Garden}}

At the bar, Roni and Kelly resume their partnership and begin working alongside each other again. While the two sisters are away, Mr. Samdi drops by and gives his business card to Henry, telling him that he wants to speak to the proprietor of the bar as he is interested in buying it. Roni, the middle of pushing a keg out from the backroom, has Kelly take over while she chats with Henry about a new writing assignment he is looking into. After he gives her Samdi's card, Roni discusses this with Kelly as both of them realize the man is Dr. Facilier. Wishing to find out if Samdi is awake, Kelly pretends to be Roni when Samdi arrives with his offer to buy the bar. Kelly declines and Roni later shows up to confirm she too, as co-owner of the bar, is uninterested, to which Samdi asks them to contact him if they change his mind. Afterward, Kelly and Roni celebrate that Samdi doesn't remember his past as Facilier, but are interrupted by Weaver arriving and revealing that he remembers his as Rumplestiltskin. Roni is briefly irritated that Weaver played dumb when she asked for his help, but Weaver explains that he was forced to due to his alliance with Victoria. He talks to them about Doctor Sage's death, which he originally believed was by the Coven of the Eight, but then he discovered that Hilda Braeburn, a known member, was almost killed as well and that he then found a scar on Doctor Sage's wrist indicating that she had a tattoo of the coven's symbol removed. Kelly and Roni realize, shocked, that someone else is murdering members of the coven. Later, Roni confronts Samdi at his door as both acknowledge the other is awake. Samdi invites her in, and while she declines at first, he states that she can do as she likes. He then leaves the door open before walking back in, and Roni relents by going in and closing the door behind her. {{Ep|A Taste of the Heights}}

After spending the night with Samdi, Roni makes her way across town, running into Henry as he finishes a night shift with Swyft. As they talk, Roni learns that Henry almost kissed Jacinda before being interrupted by Lucy, who for some reason no longer seems to approve of him. Later, Lucy stops by the bar and informs Roni that she found a page of the storybook that explains Henry will die if the curse is broken. Roni reveals to Lucy that, unlike last time they spoke about the curse, she is now awake and remembers her time as the Evil Queen. They decide to figure out a way to save Henry just like Henry did when he was Lucy's age; with walkie-talkies and an operation name: Operation Hyacinth. {{Ep|Knightfall}}

At the bar, Roni shows Lucy the walkie-talkies they will be using, but the girl finds them to be too clunky and instead persuades her to communicate by text messaging instead. She tells Lucy about the plan to find out why Samdi is in Hyperion Heights, and she stresses that Kelly cannot know about it. Just then, Kelly comes by and asks Roni what she doesn't want her to know. Roni plays it off by suggesting she wanted to add a kid's menu to the bar which she knew Kelly wouldn't like. She then excuses herself to walk Lucy home and departs by giving her sister the keys to lock up the bar. The next day, Roni lures Samdi out of his apartment to go on a date with her, but she secretly tampers with the door latch to ensure Lucy can sneak in later. The two go out for lunch and enjoy a stroll together afterward, with Roni commenting that the chowder she ate was delicious. Samdi begins confessing something he has been meaning to tell her, but Kelly catches them and calls out Roni for lying to her and Samdi for being awake. As the sisters bicker, Samdi decides to leave so they can work out their disagreement. Roni tries to get him to stay and have Kelly go instead, but her sister refuses to budge, causing Samdi to depart on his own. Once Samdi is gone, Roni quickly tells Kelly that the date was a cover for Lucy, who is at Samdi's apartment looking for intel. She warns Lucy by text that Samdi is on his way home and then tries to call her, but the girl does not pick up. Roni blames Kelly for ruining her plan, while Kelly questions her decision to send Lucy into a snake pit. She defensively states that Samdi is not a snake, to which Kelly points out that she likes him. Roni, neither denying or confirming it, simply says what she would like is to get Lucy out. Lucy manages to escape in time and shows Roni a photo of Samdi's tarot deck with the death card. That night at the bar, Samdi comes to return Lucy's hat that she left behind. Roni confesses she did send Lucy to his apartment but it doesn't change the fact he is targeting someone with the death card. When Samdi freely admits he intends to kill Weaver and obtain the Dark One's Dagger, Roni insists she won't allow it to happen and she doesn't have any other choice but to stop him. However, Samdi tells her that if she plays her cards right, she can have a great romance in her future, and like what Weaver once did, perhaps she should find a way to have everything she wants. Later, Roni makes Kelly a green appletini, in addition to apologizing for lying and promising that she will be honest with her from now on. She reveals Samdi's plans with Weaver and the dagger and agrees that Kelly was right, in that she does like Samdi and still does even after knowing he has ill intentions. Kelly squeezes her sister's hand in a show of solidarity, assuring her that she isn't judging her. Suddenly, Margot arrives at the bar, having finally returned from her travels to be with her mother and aunt. After Margot goes to freshen up with a shower, Kelly tells Roni how difficult it is to lie to her daughter about who they really are. Roni agrees with her sentiments before clinking drink glasses with her. {{Ep|The Girl in the Tower}}

As Jacinda is outside taking a call from Lucy's babysitter, who'll be watching her daughter for the evening while she is dining out with Sabine, Roni gives Lucy a glass of cocoa out of sympathy as she knows the girl is sad over having to keep her mom and Henry apart. Lucy feels bad because although Jacinda has Sabine, Henry has no one to lean on. At this, Roni recalls that Henry did have two close friends in the New Enchanted Forest; Captain Hook who is now Officer Rogers and Jack who is now Nick in Hyperion Heights. She suggests the three men can get reacquainted and become friends as they were before the curse hit, to which Lucy agrees with by working on Operation Bromance. That evening at the bar, Ivy comes to Roni for help because the Candy Killer, the nickname for the witch murderer, came after her. Roni refuses to help since Ivy has no cure for Henry's heart, however, she softens upon seeing Ivy has no one else to turn to. She allows the brunette to stay in the bar and assures her that she will call Weaver. While Roni is busy phoning the detective, Ivy slips out of the bar with Samdi, which Roni only finds out about later when one of the bartenders tell her Ivy was seen leaving with someone. After her calls to Weaver go unanswered, she tracks him down at an abandoned restaurant, where he is investigating a recent sighting of Anastasia. Roni tells him about Ivy and the mystery person she left with, whom Weaver suspects is Samdi before questioning when she was going to tell him that the man is after his dagger. Roni insists she is working on changing his mind, but Weaver reminds her if things remain unchanged, he won't be able to reunite with Belle and there's no telling what Samdi will do to Anastasia. Roni agrees with the severity of the situation which is why she has come to him, and Weaver tells her they have to reach Anastasia before Ivy does. Weaver and Roni eventually find both girls at Victoria's old office in Belfrey Towers, where the sisters have since reconciled with each other after thwarting Gothel's attempt to manipulate Anastasia into killing Ivy. Ivy, finally understanding the strength in love and family that Roni tried to convince her of when she was still her magic student, makes mention of returning to the New Enchanted Forest with her sister. Although Ivy is the reason why everyone is cursed, Roni assures her that things will be fine as she and her family have broken curses before. Ivy asks if she forgives her, and Roni states that she understands Ivy and has belief in her ability to change for the better. After the sisters disappear into the magic bean portal, Roni expresses surprise at Weaver for letting Anastasia go as he needed her Guardian powers to reach Belle. Weaver muses that every time he does something good, he is brought closer to her and he has hope that one day another Guardian will appear. Finding Samdi waiting for her at the bar, Roni believes he was up to no good, as she saw his discarded voodoo instruments at Belfrey Towers. Samdi admits he did mislead Ivy but that Anastasia was never going to die and he just needed to get some of the girl's magic. He then gifts the vial of magic to her so she can save her son, and when Roni asks what the price is, he simply tells her that her beautiful smile is all he wants. {{Ep|Sisterhood}}

Having been distracted by the heart-shaped box given to her by the Candy Killer, Kelly does not call Roni to inform her that Henry left to New York, though she is unaware that Nick is holding him captive in his apartment. After ignoring a call from Chad, Kelly sees Roni returning to the bar and confesses about Henry's departure and her belief that Chad would've never chosen her if he knew her as Zelena. After going to the police station to speak with Weaver, Kelly returns to the bar and prepares to use Roni's bat to defeat Nick, and Roni tells her he won't let Nick kill her, as no one gets to kill her "big sis" except Roni herself. Following Nick's arrest, Roni returns, where she gives her blessing for Kelly to return to San Francisco to marry Chad and the two share a goodbye hug, which Margot walks in on. {{Ep|Chosen}} }}

Trivia

 * -|Character Notes=

Etymology

 * The name "Regina" is of Latin origin that means "Queen".
 * Cora alludes to this meaning when she names her newborn daughter Regina and states, "For one day, she will be queen".
 * It was Snow White who added "Evil" to her title.
 * The surname "Mills" is of English origin that was an occupational word used for someone living near or working on a mill. It also alludes to the "Rumpelstiltskin" fairytale as her mother Cora was the miller's daughter who could spin straw into gold.
 * Regina is one of the few characters from the first curse who is confirmed to have the same real name in Storybrooke as her Enchanted Forest counterpart; the others being David Nolan, Jefferson and Mother Superior.
 * Roni is named after Ronnie Spector. Edward Kitsis explained they "wanted a name that was specific" and they thought "Roni" was "such a cool and fun name, and at the same time [they] could totally picture Lana with background singers".

Character Notes

 * According to Lana Parrilla, Regina is portrayed as Latina to represent Lana Parrilla's own ethnicity.
 * Before the first curse, even though she was banished by Snow White to live alone with her misery and she was "not a Queen anymore", she was still called as the "Queen" many times, both by Snow and Prince Charming and even by herself.
 * Her house in Storybrooke is white; complementary to her palace, which is black.
 * The Evil Queen has a black feather tattoo on her right wrist. However, her cursed persona, Regina Mills, has no tattoo. Her second cursed persona, Roni, had Def Leppard lyrics tattooed on herself but later removed them.
 * After her husband's death, Regina re-decorated the palace into something befitting an evil monarch and adopted a much darker wardrobe.
 * Initially, Regina retained a small amount of magic via items she carried over from the Enchanted Forest, including her apple tree. After the curse is lifted, all of her powers are restored, and by the third season, she is as powerful as before the curse.
 * According to Regina back when she was 18 years old, people said that she was beginning to resemble her mother when she was younger.
 * Even though she was cursed and adopted many Land Without Magic aspects (like technology, driving cars, or knowing everyone's Storybrooke names), Regina was never a victim of the curse, therefore she can leave the town whenever she wants contrary to other inhabitants, which she did in "Save Henry".
 * Regina named Henry, her adoptive son, Henry Daniel Mills after her deceased father and deceased first love, Daniel.
 * According to Isaac, Regina has "very clear goals, damaged personality and a self-destructive streak"; she is also the villain who gets "screwed over" the most.
 * When she was a child, Regina had a doll that she named Isabella.
 * Regina is approximately eight-nine years older than her stepdaughter Snow White.
 * Unlike Henry, Mary Margaret and Emma, Regina does not like hot cocoa with cinnamon.
 * If not for the original Dark Curse, Regina would be (at least) seventy nine or eighty years old.


 * -|Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * According to Edward Kitsis, the Evil Queen is inspired by Alexander McQueen's runway shows.
 * With the exception of "The Crocodile", "Tallahassee", "The Bear King", "One Little Tear" and "Breadcrumbs", she has appeared in every single episode of Once Upon a Time, thanks to all her counterparts. It makes her the character who appears in the most episodes.
 * Lana Parrilla keeps her own timeline of Regina's history as a way to immerse herself in the character's mindset, and to know how to portray Regina for certain time periods during her life.
 * During Season One, crows can often be heard when Regina's cursed persona is around; a conscious decision by the sound designers. For example, when Regina tells Emma to leave town in "Pilot", and when Regina is talking to Sidney in "The Thing You Love Most", crow sounds are heard.
 * The casting call for her younger self describes her as, "Latina. 9-11 years old to PLAY 10. Neglected and lonely, longs for companionship. Still many years away from becoming the Evil Queen, she has no interest in the royal duties her mother's so engaged in. Determined to fill the hole in her heart somehow, Regina puts it all on the line for a chance at family..."
 * According to Lana Parrilla, Roni is "a little rough around the edges". She explained "this version feels really different" as "she's no longer in charge. We've always seen Regina in charge, and then she redeemed herself, but this Regina is something else". She added, "I’m having a blast playing her. [...] It’s refreshing, it’s different".


 * -|Cultural References=

Disney

 * Regina's heart caskets are similar to the one the Evil Queen has in the Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
 * Regina turning into an old woman is a reference to the Disney movie in which the Evil Queen turned into an old woman in order to make Snow White eat the poisoned apple.
 * While masquerading as Ursula, Regina says to Ariel, "My dear sweet child", which are the spoken words at the start of the song "Poor Unfortunate Souls" sung by Ursula in The Little Mermaid.
 * In "Ariel", Regina mentions the evil munchkins' dirt road from Oz the Great and Powerful.
 * In "Save Henry", Regina makes a reference to the game Space Paranoids from Tron.
 * The red dress Regina wears in Camelot resembles Mother Gothel from the Disney movie Tangled.
 * The Once Upon a Time version of Mother Gothel débuts in "Eloise Gardener".
 * According to the Evil Queen, Regina and Henry watched the Star Wars movies together several times.
 * While under the Blue Fairy's spell, the queen sings, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, I'm tortured by some spell / Mirror, mirror, on the wall, please save me from this hell". This is a reference to the classical line from the Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: "Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all".

Lost

 * Regina's house number is 108, a reference to the sum of all the numbers on Lost.
 * In "The Cricket Game", upon being told the battle is lost, Regina says, "Don't tell me what we can or cannot do!" This is a spin on the mantra often repeated by Locke on Lost.
 * The storybook page where young Regina is running away, and the page Robin Hood finds, are number XXIII (as Regina points out), a reference to the fifth Lost number, 23.
 * Regina offers Devin an Apollo bar, a fictional brand on Lost.

Popular Culture

 * In "Witch Hunt", Regina mentions the Lollipop Guild from the 1939 MGM movie, The Wizard of Oz
 * While helping Regina look for the candle, Belle picks up a candelabra. To this, Regina sarcastically calls the latter Liberace; referring to the renowned pianist.
 * Regina gives Henry a set of comics, which includes issues of the Marvel Comics Thor and S.H.I.E.L.D..
 * While spending time with Henry, Regina pretends to read the trade paperback comic book Ultimate Comics: Wolverine: Legacies. She also makes a reference to the main character's trademark adamantium claws, and mentions "purple shorts", a reference to the Hulk, who always wears large purple shorts in the comics.
 * When Regina is upset because Emma is planning to get rid of her magic, she says that they're "not talking about a pair of old Jimmy Choo shoes".
 * According to Regina, her happy ending "is not a Stephen King book-on-tape".
 * Before the ball at King Arthurs castle, Regina mentions Club Med with her line, "I should be figuring out how to free Merlin, not fox-trotting my way across Club Med-ieval."
 * When Regina summons a cyclone to send her sister back to her homeworld, she refers to Oz as the "somewhere over the rainbow". This is the feature song by Judy Garland from the 1939 The Wizard of Oz film.
 * While they are tracking down Henry, Emma mentions that it was Regina's idea to get food from Hardee's, an American fast food restaurant chain.


 * -|Set Notes=

Props Notes

 * As the Evil Queen, Regina possessed a silver chest, which she has retained in her office in Storybrooke.
 * Lana Parrilla says that the silver chest is the prop that she wants to take as her own from set.
 * King Leopold's coat of arms is several overlapping black squares on a white background, with a black torch billowing out reddish-orange flames at the top. When the Evil Queen takes over, she uses a modified version of his crest: Overlapping white squares on a black background, with a white torch instead of a black one. The squarish symbol is reminiscent of the grid on the Nine Men's Morris board game, also known as "Mills" or "The Mill Game". Mills is the Evil Queen's last name in Storybrooke.

Costume Notes

 * Regina's Evil Queen ring is made from a gemstone called a black star diopside by Canadian-based jewelry designer Leanne Guthrie Johnston. The ring itself is part of a jewelry brand, LeaFloria, and is sold through Esty, Steveston Village's Juvelisto jewelry shop as well as Cavalier.
 * The ring Regina Mills wears is a prop specifically hand-picked by Lana Parrilla to help her understand the character she is playing.
 * The outfit Regina is wearing in Isaac's alternate reality is the same outfit worn by Snow White during her days on the run.
 * The Evil Queen has a circular necklace with an apple tree in the center.
 * The shoes Regina wears when she summons Rumplestiltskin are the same shoes worn by Belle when she was Rumplestiltskin's maid in "Skin Deep".
 * The dress worn by Regina when she is imprisoned in the Royal Castle is the same dress that Emma wears after she becomes the Dark One in "The Dark Swan" and "The Price", but with a different cloak. In "There's No Place Like Home", Emma wears a lightened version of the same dress when she is the Evil Queen's prisoner.
 * Regina has a secret room in her mausoleum displaying dresses, mirrors, and jewelry from her time as the Evil Queen.
 * The necklace the Evil Queen is wearing when she crashes her stepdaughter's wedding is also worn by her in the Season One episodes "The Thing You Love Most", "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" and "Hat Trick". The necklace has also been worn by her serum counterpart in the Season Six episode "A Bitter Draught" and by her Storybrooke counterpart in the Season Six episode "Wish You Were Here".
 * Dr. Facilier retrieves the necklace from the bayou in the Season Seven episode "A Taste of the Heights".


 * -|Goofs=

Goofs

 * In "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter", after Regina's scuffle with Emma, there is blood on the lower left corner of her lip. For the rest of the episode, the wound keeps changing appearance and position.
 * In "Desperate Souls", while Regina is on the ambulance stretcher and breathing in oxygen from a mask, she has a coat draped over her shoulders. After Sidney irritates her by snapping photos, she says, "She's the competition, you fool", and pushes him away; the coat is lying behind her back in the next shot.
 * In "An Apple Red as Blood", in the opening scene, Regina is wearing black pants. When she is being tied to the apple tree by Archie and Ruby, her pants are gray.
 * In "Our Decay", when Belle and Robin are found by Regina and Robin Hood, Regina is suddenly wearing a hat despite not wearing one earlier and having spent the entire day out in the woods with Robin Hood.


 * -|Other Notes=

Other Notes

 * In Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Evil Queen is credited as "Queen Grimhilde", though this name has rarely been used in the decades since.

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.