Board Thread:Character Discussion/@comment-25926288-20160621181850/@comment-1916997-20160622015755

Well, I'd say (and the writers have to) that one of the core themes of the show is "hope". So I kind of feel like the majority of the villains need some kind of redemption, because otherwise, where is the hope? As much as they try to make all the characters be shades of grey and not black and white, the fact of the matter is at the end of the day you want to be considered a hero and not a villain. Because, as Rumple has told us multiple times: "Villains don't get happy endings", and you can't very well say your show is about "hope" and then screw over half the main cast. So I personally feel the majority of the villains (at least the important ones) will be redeemed by the end of the show.