Maleficent

This article focuses on the character, Maleficent. For Maleficent's animal form and Storybrooke counterpart, see Maleficent's Dragon Form.

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“

But, 'beast' is so harsh. I prefer Maleficent.

”

—Maleficent to Prince Charming ^src

Maleficent is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. She makes her debut in the second episode of the first season. She is portrayed by Kristin Bauer van Straten, and her Storybrooke counterpart is a dragon hidden beneath the clock tower.

Maleficent is based on the Wicked Fairy character from the fairytale "Sleeping Beauty".

History

Before the Curse

Many years ago Maleficent is bested by Sleeping Beauty. Years later, Maleficent inflicts Sleeping Beauty's daughter Aurora with the Sleeping Curse, putting the princess and her kingdom into a thorn-endorned ruin. The reason and circumstances for this currently remains unknown.

She transforms Prince Phillip into a beast known as the Yaoguai, and banishes him to a far away land, Mulan's kingdom, so that he is incapable of reaching Aurora. ("The Outsider")

In order to punish Snow White, the Evil Queen trades Maleficent the Dark Curse, which has been created by Rumplestiltskin, in exchange for Maleficent's sleeping curse.

Some time after, but before the casting of the Dark Curse, Prince Charming fights Maleficent as ordered by Rumplestiltskin, who leaves him the dangerous offer in exchange for his mother's ring back. Forced to take Rumplestiltskin's bottle of true love encased within a protective egg, and to hide it in the belly of a great beast, Charming is left little choice to travel to the Forbidden Fortress.  There, he finds that the beast turns out to be Maleficent transformed into a fire-breathing dragon. Barely managing escape from the evil sorceress, Charming eventually is able to succeed with his task, and jumps out the window of Maleficent's castle to safety. ("A Land Without Magic")

Later, after Maleficent is defeated, she retires and lives with her unicorn, until the day the Evil Queen comes to her. Frustrated at the failure of the sleeping curse, which was broken by true love's kiss, the Queen desires the Dark Curse once more, but Maleficent refuses, proclaiming that they made a deal and the curse belongs to her now. She keeps the curse held in the orb of her staff, and when she refuses to willingly hand it over, the Queen challenges her to a magic spar. The Queen draws fire from the fireplace, and Maleficent jumps away. Regina throws the fireball at Maleficent, who uses her staff to protrude a magic shield and block the fire. The Queen then collects all the weapons from the room and sets them to Maleficent, but changes them and directs them at the unicorn. Maleficent jumps in front to intervene, blocks the weapons, but the Queen drops the overhanging chandelier above Maleficent, who then is tied up with the metal of it and then thrown into the wall. She believes she will be killed, but the Queen states she would never do that since Maleficent is her only friend. Free to get the curse's recipe from her friendly-rival's clutches, the Queen is warned of the curse's dangers and of how it would leave a void in her, but she takes this all in stride and leaves. ("The Thing You Love Most")

For events occurring after the casting of the Dark Curse, see Maleficent's Dragon Form.

Trivia

• She is the second witch to appear in the series.
• She can transform herself into a dragon.
• In the Disney adaptation of Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent had a pet raven named Diablo. In this series, she has an as of yet unnamed unicorn instead.
• Maleficent's outfit and hairstyle from "The Thing You Love Most" was featured in the Facebook game Sorority Life during the Fairytale Adventure travel abroad series.
• The staff she uses resembles the staff Maleficent uses in the Disney film Sleeping Beauty.
• She, the Evil Queen, Red, Cora, Anita, Quinn and the other "Children of the Moon" are the only people shown to be able to transform into something different from their human form.
• Emma Swan slays the dragon Maleficent with an overhead sword throw, mirroring a moment in the first episode where Prince Charming attempts to kill the Evil Queen in the same manner with the same sword. Both instances are homages to Prince Phillip slaying Maleficent in Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty. ("A Land Without Magic")
• She's the Evil Queen's only "friend".

Appearances

Once Upon a Time: Season One
"Pilot":	"The Thing You Love Most":	"Snow Falls":	"The Price of Gold":	"That Still Small Voice":	"The Shepherd":	"The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter":	"Desperate Souls":	"True North":	"7:15 A.M.":	"Fruit of the Poisonous Tree":
Absent	Appears	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Skin Deep":	"What Happened to Frederick":	"Dreamy":	"Red-Handed":	"Heart of Darkness":	"Hat Trick":	"The Stable Boy":	"The Return":	"The Stranger":	"An Apple Red as Blood":	"A Land Without Magic":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Appears

Once Upon a Time: Season Two
"Broken":	"We Are Both":	"Lady of the Lake":	"The Crocodile":	"The Doctor":	"Tallahassee":	"Child of the Moon":	"Into the Deep":	"Queen of Hearts":	"The Cricket Game":	"The Outsider":
Mentioned	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Mentioned
"In the Name of the Brother":	"Tiny":	"Manhattan":	"The Queen Is Dead":	"The Miller's Daughter":	"Welcome to Storybrooke":	"Selfless, Brave and True":	"Lacey":	"The Evil Queen":	"Second Star to the Right":	"And Straight On 'Til Morning":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent