Evil Queen

"I shall destroy your happiness... if it is the last thing I do."

- Evil Queen to Snow White and Prince Charming

Queen Regina, better known as the Evil Queen, 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 Enchanted Forest counterpart of Regina Mills.

The Evil Queen is based on the character of the same name from the fairytale, "Snow White", and the child of the miller's daughter from the fairytale, "Rumpelstiltskin". She also briefly takes the place of the Sea Witch from the fairytale, "The Little Mermaid".

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".

Character Notes

 * Regina has a black feather tattoo on her right wrist.
 * After her husband's death, Regina re-decorated the palace into something befitting an evil monarch and adopted a much darker wardrobe.
 * When she was a child, Regina had a doll that she named Isabella.


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Production Notes

 * 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..."
 * 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.


 * -|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.
 * 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.

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.

Popular Culture

 * In "Witch Hunt", Regina mentions the Lollipop Guild from the 1939 MGM movie, The Wizard of Oz


 * -|Set Notes=

Set Dressing

 * 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 Evil Queen has a circular necklace with an apple tree in the center.
 * The dress worn by Regina when she is imprisoned, 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.


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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.