Henry Mills

"I'm done reading about heroes. I want to be one."

- Henry Mills to David Nolan

Henry Daniel Mills, also known as Truest Believer and the Author, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. He débuts in the first episode of the first season. He is portrayed by starring cast member Jared S. Gilmore, and does not have an Enchanted Forest counterpart.

Trivia

 * -|Character Notes=

Etymology

 * Henry was named after Regina's father, and her former lover.
 * The surname "Mills" is of English origin that was an occupational word used for someone living near or working on a mill. It alludes to the "Rumpelstiltskin" fairytale as Henry's adoptive grandmother Cora was the miller's daughter who could spin straw into gold.

Character Notes

 * Besides August and both of his mothers, Emma and Regina, Henry is the only person capable of leaving Storybrooke, without repercussions, during the curse, due to being born in the Land Without Magic.
 * Enjoys hot chocolate with cinnamon like his birth mother and maternal grandmother.
 * In "The Dark Swan", Henry mentions that Regina uses his birthday for all of her passwords, including the one for the entrance to the psychiatric ward. In "A Tale of Two Sisters", Regina types 815 as password for the psychiatric ward, meaning that Henry's birthday is August 15.
 * This makes Henry one of five characters to have known birthdays; the others being Regina, Emma, Zelena and Peter.
 * According to "The Heart of the Truest Believer", Henry was born at 8:15 am. Both the date and time of his birth are a reference to the numbers in the TV show Lost.
 * Henry is ten years old in "Pilot", eleven in "The Cricket Game", and twelve years old in "The Jolly Roger". In "Dreamcatcher", he incorrectly says to Sir Morgan that he is thirteen (the show's timeline would place the episode in early 2014, and Henry was born in 2001, which means that Henry cannot possibly be thirteen years old at this point).
 * In "Our Decay", Emma implies that Henry is "officially" a teenager, but this episode also seems to take place before he turns thirteen.


 * -|Popular Culture=

Disney

 * Henry has a Tron: Legacy lunchbox.
 * Throughout his life, Henry has watched Peter Pan several times.

Lost

 * Henry has a Geronimo Jackson audio cassette, which can be seen when Emma dumps out Henry's backpack. Geronimo Jackson is a fictional band on the TV show Lost.


 * -|Set Notes=

Set Dressing

 * Just like his father, maternal grandmother and paternal grandfather, Henry has a large collection of clocks. A close look at his bedroom reveals he has at least eighteen different clocks.
 * One of the name keychains in the Portland convenience store, which his parents rob, has the name "Henry" on it.

Costume Notes

 * Henry's necklace has the same symbol as Anita's gravestone; a moon with a dot in the middle.
 * When Henry becomes Mr. Gold's assistant, his tie is the same one that Mr. Gold was wearing in "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter", at the sheriff's station in "Desperate Souls", in "Heart of Darkness", and when he is reunited with his "son" in "The Return".

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.