Board Thread:Character Discussion/@comment-34563899-20180202235154/@comment-31231929-20180205034618

Rumple is definitely a villain pre-season 5 and his relationship with Milah was very toxic. I'm in agreement with Aine1989 in that Rumple was abusive towards her. He thinks of her only as Bae's mother (using her love for him to get her to obey) and not as her own person and made life-altering decisions without her which led to her being miserable and a social outcast. Both of them are terrible parents, but I think Milah was very very slightly better because she left Bae with who she thought would be good for him, was planning on going back for him when he was older, and regretted her decision to leave so much it was her unfinished business. Rumple let Bae fall through the portal and didn't find him for 300 years because he was too afraid to give up his power. He also killed a bunch of people in front of him and isolated him which could have affected his mental health.

Rumple has manipulated, lied, controlled, killed, decieved, abused, etc since the beginning of the show. There is no way he isn't a villain.