Maleficent

"You want darkness? I'll give you darkness!"

- Maleficent to the Chernabog

Maleficent, also known as Mal, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. She débuts in the second episode of the first season of Once Upon a Time. She is portrayed by guest star Kristin Bauer van Straten.

Maleficent is based on the Wicked Fairy from the fairytale, "Sleeping Beauty", and on the character of the same name from the Disney film, Sleeping Beauty. She is also an allusion to the Evil Fairy from the fairytale "Beauty and the Beast".

Magical Abilities

 * Immortality - Eternal unaging life.

Trivia

 * -|Character Notes=

Character Notes

 * Maleficent's dragon form is featured in the title card for "Unforgiven".
 * Maleficent is from Prince Phillip's kingdom.
 * Maleficent said that once she leaves for the Land Without Magic, she'll crumble back into the dust that she was before Mr. Gold revived her, because there is no magic beyond the Storybrooke Town Line. However, after Henry takes the tethered Olympian Crystal out of Storybrooke and magic is briefly lost in Storybrooke, Maleficent should return to her old form. However, it remains unconfirmed.


 * -|Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * Actress Paula Marshall was originally cast as Maleficent in the summer of 2011. However, Kristin Bauer van Straten landed the role when producers decided to go in a different direction.
 * According to Adam Horowitz, Maleficent is not a fairy.
 * For Maleficent's body movements and transformation into a dragon, Kristin Bauer van Straten took inspiration from reptiles and black mambas.


 * -|Cultural References=

Disney

 * In Disney's Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent had a pet raven named Diablo. On the Once Upon a Time series, she has a pet unicorn.
 * However, as a reference to the film, she can shape-shift to and from a flock of ravens. In addition, a raven delivers her message to Rumplestiltskin.
 * In addition, a small statue of a raven is sitting on a table inside Maleficent's castle.
 * In the fourth season, Maleficent's outfit was changed to reflect the Disney film, Sleeping Beauty.


 * -|Set Notes=

Props Notes

 * The design on the wooden box, which contains Maleficent's baby rattle, is reminiscent of the horns on her headpiece. The same thing goes for her spell book.
 * Maleficent's baby rattle is shaped like a dragon's foot holding an orb.

Costume Notes

 * According to Eduardo Castro, Maleficent's Storybrooke attire was completely custom made. He also added that "we wanted to make her almost a modern gangster".


 * -|Other Notes=

Other Notes

 * Maleficent's outfit and hairstyle from "The Thing You Love Most" and "A Land Without Magic" was featured in the Facebook game Sorority Life during the Fairytale Adventure travel abroad series.
 * Despite being a fictional character, the show's version of Maleficent was featured on a Biographic comic strip.

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.