Underworld

This article focuses on the world also known as the Broken Kingdom. For the Wonderland location with a similar name, see Underland. For the Fairy Tale Land realm with a similar alias, see Camelot. For the Season Five episode, see "The Broken Kingdom".

Underworld
World
Character Affiliations
Ruler:	King Arthur † Cruella De Vil † (formerly) Hades † (formerly)
Inhabitants:	Inhabitants: See "Inhabitants"
Visitors:	Visitors: Belle † David Nolan Emma Swan Henry Mills Mary Margaret Blanchard Regina Mills Robin Hood Robin Hood † Ruby Zelena
Prisoners:	David Nolan (formerly) Emma Swan (formerly) Henry Mills (formerly) Mary Margaret Blanchard (formerly) Regina Mills (formerly) Robin Hood † (formerly)
Show Information
First mention:	"The Price"
First appearance:	"Souls of the Departed"
Latest appearance:	"Leaving Storybrooke"
Relevant Pages

“

All that matters is that all these people, in this Underworld, are dead and trapped because they have unfinished business.

”

—Mr. Gold to Emma Swan ^src

The Underworld, mistakenly referred to as Hell, and also known as Purgatory, Limbo or the Broken Kingdom, is a world featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time. It first appears in the twelfth episode of the fifth season.

The Underworld is based on the location of the same name from Greek Mythology, and the Disney film Hercules. Underbrooke itself is based on Storybrooke.

History

Before First Curse

While the Underworld has been able to exist on its own in the past, Hades is banished to this realm and made to rule it, as punishment by Zeus for trying to usurp a family heirloom. He is left unable to repair the heirloom, the Olympian Crystal, after Zeus stops his beating heart, an ailment that only true love's kiss can cure. ("Our Decay")

Sometime during Hades' reign, two key events occur. While a man named Orpheus is already in the Underworld, he saves his dead lover Eurydice by feeding her ambrosia, giving her the ability to be alive again. The couple escape the Underworld together, and this angers Hades so much that he cuts down the ambrosia tree to bar anyone from ever leaving again. Later, some people stage an unsuccessful rebellion against Hades, in which rumors spread among them about a certain book that can defeat him. ("The Brothers Jones," "Firebird")

Hades' hopes for undoing Zeus' sentence rest on Zelena, whom he falls in love with and wishes to leave the Underworld for. Zelena ultimately rejects him, believing he is using her to gain her time spell, leaving Hades no choice but to return to the Underworld. Despite the sting of rejection, Hades attempts to win over Zelena by remodeling the Underworld into Storybrooke's likeness, as this is something of her sister's that Zelena has always wanted. The replica is not perfect, however, as it decays and becomes hellish as a result of the Underworld's nature. ("Our Decay")

In the new Underworld town, residents begin using a haunting booth, which is a telephone line that connects to the land of the living. People are able to communicate with their loved ones who are still alive, however, no one is certain if their messages reach the other side. ("Our Decay")

After Third Curse

Like countless souls before him, Killian is one of the deceased that end up in the Underworld, with the difference being his lover Emma coming to bring him back to the land of the living. From the moment Emma and her allies come to the Underworld, Hades schemes to ensure they fail on their mission. After the heroes help three people move on to a better place, Hades attempts to make Killian choose three of his friends who will stay in the Underworld in place of the lost souls. When Killian refuses, Hades leaves him to be lowered into the River of Lost Souls, though Emma eventually saves him. Emma, Mary Margaret and Regina's names are later added to headstones by Hades to make them permanent Underworld residents. The heroes hope to overthrow Hades by finding his weakness in a book, but the pages are lost during the search. With help from the Apprentice, Henry finds the quill and tasks himself with rewriting Hades' lost story. Hades gains Mr. Gold as an unwilling accomplice, after threatening to take the latter's unborn child, and forces him to open a portal to Storybrooke to retrieve Zelena's daughter. Rather than just the baby, both Zelena and Mr. Gold's wife Belle are pulled to the Underworld. ("Swan Song," "Souls of the Departed," "Labor of Love," "Devil's Due," "The Brothers Jones," "Our Decay," "Sisters")

After much ado, Zelena gives Hades a kiss of true love, which ends his banishment in the Underworld and restarts his heart. This also triggers a portal to Storybrooke that is set to open in a few hours' time. Hades frees the heroes by removing their names from the headstones, but he purposely stalls them from going through the portal, while Zelena remains oblivious to her lover's unchanged ways. Henry helps Underbrooke's residents move on by providing their unfinished businesses, as Cruella declares herself the new Underworld ruler now that Hades is leaving. Killian decides to stay in the Underworld and move on to a better place, but he is unable to after learning Hades is a danger to Emma and her friends in Storybrooke. Aided by King Arthur, Killian finds the missing pages from Hades' story and then goes on to search for the book that Cruella hid away. With Hades no longer around, the souls in the river gain mobility, with two of them rising up to attack the men, but they are quickly taken out with fire. After Killian delivers the pages to Emma and Hades is defeated, a path to Mount Olympus opens for him. Arthur, instead of going with him, opts to stay in the Underworld and repair it, as he was once prophesied to fix a broken kingdom. ("Firebird," "Last Rites")

Description, Society and Culture

• All souls of deceased people and creatures go to the Underworld after they die, where they have a chance to go to the worse place and suffer for all eternity, or move on to the better place. Moving on means a deceased person must come to terms with his or her unfinished business, and if the person fails to do this, he or she will get surrendered by fire and tossed in the Fiery Cave, meaning they get trapped in the "Worse Place". ("Souls of the Departed")
  • According to Jane Espenson, not all bad things someone has ever done are included in their Underworld unfinished business.
  • According to Mr. Gold, a person who dies as a Dark One must have an unfinished business, therefore this person is automatically sent to the Underworld. ("Souls of the Departed")
• Edward Kitsis describes the Underworld as "a weigh station between two other worlds". These worlds are Mount Olympus, which is above the Underworld and where dead people finishing their business are sent, and the "Worse Place", where dead people get stucked before finishing their unfinished business and going to the Fiery Cave. ("Souls of the Departed")
• According to Adam Horowitz, the Underworld is not Hell, but a place between Hell and the living world. It is described as "the place for people with unfinished business", which is not about being good or evil.
  • However, the Underworld is called "Hell" on several occasions in the series. ("Broken Heart," "Swan Song," "The Brothers Jones")
• It is possible for a person's soul to not make the journey to the Underworld if the person is revived shortly after death. In David's case, his soul never made it to the Underworld because he was brought back to life within a minute of being dead. ("Firebird")
• Residents of the Underworld can communicate with the living via a phone booth. However, it is a one sided method of communication, as the users are unsure whether their messages get through or not. According to the Blind Witch, the phone booth's main purpose is for haunting people, and is classified as a "Level 1 haunting". ("Our Decay")
• According to the Blind Witch, the breath of the living sells for a lot on the Underbrooke black market. ("Our Decay")

Inhabitants

Current Inhabitants

The Apprentice † Berryl Dendrus † Blind Witch † Charon Claude † Cruella De Vil †

Fendrake the Healer † Furies Guard † King Arthur † King Fergus † Mordred †

Oz guard † Sad eyed boy † Sad-eyed man † Stealthy †

Former Inhabitants

Blacktooth † Captain Silver † Cora † Daniel Colter † Eighteen previous Dark Ones † Emily Brown † Eurydice † Gaston †

Gorgon † Hook Hades † Hercules † Liam Jones † Megara † Milah † Nimue †

Orpheus † Peter Pan † Prince James † Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold † Six men from Captain Silver's crew † Valet † Zoso †

Locations

For detailed location information, please see the Underworld Locations category or the list of minor Underworld locations.

Ways to Access the Underworld

All the souls of the deceased people come to reside in the Underworld until they complete their unfinished business and move on to Mount Olympus, or to the "Worse Place" by not completing their unfinished business and going to the Fiery Cave earlier or Acheron. (Souls of the Departed" et al.)

The Underworld is also reachable by a portal which can be opened with the help of the blood of a person who has died and come back to life. At this moment, the only known person who accomplished that is Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold. However, it can only be achieved in some specific areas, like the Heritage Park for Storybrooke for instance. ("Broken Heart," "Swan Song")

A portal can be opened in a location which is not a specific one, but it requires some other work and effort. ("Our Decay")

Ways to Leave the Underworld

It is possible to summon the spirit from someone in the Underworld either by getting the person's murderer to use the murder weapon to open a portal, or by using the Ale of Seonaidh brewed by the Witch from DunBroch. ("Bleeding Through," "The Bear King")

Any souls trapped in the Underworld can be returned to any mortal world by Charon. However, they are branded with the Mark of Charon which will force them to return when the moon reaches its peak. The Mark of Charon can also be traded with another person, allowing the trapped soul to remain in the living world, while the recipient of the mark takes their place. ("Swan Song")

Living people who visit the Underworld can escape either taking the Charon's boat, or going through the portal of the broken Underbrooke Clock Tower after Hades' heart restart once again. ("Devil's Due," "Firebird")

The King of Mount Olympus, Zeus, can resurrect people and send them to the land of living without making them pay any price of magic. ("Last Rites")

Trivia

• On-Screen Notes
• Cultural References
• Set Notes

On-Screen Notes

• Underbrooke's fallen clock tower is featured in the title card for "Souls of the Departed".
  • Additionally, the title cards of all episodes that take place in the Underworld (from "Souls of the Departed" to "Firebird") have red backgrounds, which reflect the Underworld.
• Charon's mark is shaped like a beetle, but has the wings of a fly. ("Swan Song")
• While most of the Underbrooke shops are the same as the ones in Storybrooke, Modern Fashions and Purbeck Shoe Store have been replaced with Iletus and Sons Candlestick Makers, and Harmony Mortuary. ("Devil's Due")
  • A set photograph from the filming of Souls of the Departed" reveals that a coffin is sitting behind the display window of Harmony Mortuary, although this cannot be seen on the show

The Time on the Clocks

• Every time the hands on the broken clock tower moves, it means that a soul has left Hades' domain. The other clocks in the Underworld seem to follow the same pattern:
  • When the heroes first arrive, the hands on the clock tower and the wall clock in the diner both show the same time: 8:15. ("Souls of the Departed")
  • After the hands on clock tower move to 8:16 after the Valet left the Underworld in "Souls of the Departed", the diner wall clock shows the same time. ("Labor of Love")
  • When Hercules and Megara leave, the hands on the clock tower move to 8:17 before the scene cuts to the clock in Hades' Lair moving from 8:17 to 8:18. Later, the diner wall clock and the clock at the sheriff's station also show 8:18. ("Labor of Love", "The Brothers Jones")
  • After Liam Jones and six of Captain Silver's crew leave the Underworld in "The Brothers Jones", the hands on the clock tower move from 8:25 to 8:27 in the next episode. However, the time on the diner clock and the Underbrooke Blanchard Loft wall clock shows 8:25. The time on the clock tower is later shown as 8:27, indicating that two more souls have left the Underworld. Admittedly, Blacktooth and Captain Silver have left for the Worse Place; however, the clock did not move when Blacktooth left in "Souls of the Departed". Making matters even more complicated, is that when Hades seeks out Gaston at the Underbrooke Pet Shelter, the wall clock shows 8:26. ("Our Decay," "Her Handsome Hero")
    • Neither did any of the clocks move when Milah fell into the River of Lost Souls in "Devil's Due", even though "Ruby Slippers" shows that the headstone of someone who falls into the river cracks, which, according to Cruella in "Devil's Due", will happen to a tombstone when someone goes "some place worse".
    • In addition, after Cora leaves for Mount Olympus in "Sisters", the clock tower shows 8:28. If the clock tower is the correct version, it does not account for Gaston and Prince James, who both fell into the river in "Her Handsome Hero" and "Sisters" respectively. ("Firebird")

Religious

• Mr. Gold says that the Underworld will make everyone wish that the old stories of fire and brimstone were true. "Fire and brimstone" is a figurative expression of signs of God's wrath in the Bible. ("Swan Song")
• Hook refers to Charon's boat as the "S.S. Purgatory". ("Swan Song")

Lost

• When the heroes first arrive, the time on the broken clock tower in the Underworld is frozen at 8:15. It is a reference to Oceanic Flight 815. ("Souls of the Departed")
• The number on Neal's room key is 8, the second Lost number. ("Souls of the Departed")
• The clock tower unfreezes at 8:15, and moves to 8:16. 8, 15 and 16 are three of the Lost numbers. ("Souls of the Departed")
  • In "Labor of Love", the clock tower is shown at 8:16, just like in the previous episode.
• The number 15 appears on a pavement sign outside the Underbrooke version of the Marine Garage; a reference to the third Lost number. ("Sisters")
• As the heroes leave the Underworld, the hands on the clock tower spin around and stop at 8:15, then move to 8:16. ("Firebird")
• When Cruella asks for a glass of whiskey, Mordred holds up an empty bottle of MacCutcheon Scotch Whisky. This was a fictional brand on Lost. ("Tales From The Underworld: A Knight With Cruella")

Set Dressing

• A map of the United States of America, listing animal shelter spending by state, is pinned to a board at the Underbrooke Pet Shelter. ("Her Handsome Hero")

Costume Notes

• One of Cruella's necklaces is the Underworld version of the necklace that Isaac created for her with the Enchanted Quill in "Sympathy for the De Vil". ("The Brothers Jones," "Tales From The Underworld: A Knight With Cruella")

Appearances

Once Upon a Time: Season Five
"The Dark Swan":	"The Price":	"Siege Perilous":	"The Broken Kingdom":	"Dreamcatcher":	"The Bear and the Bow":	"Nimue":	"Birth":	"The Bear King":	"Broken Heart":	"Swan Song":
Absent	Mentioned	Absent	Mentioned	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Mentioned	Mentioned	Mentioned
"Souls of the Departed":	"Labor of Love":	"Devil's Due":	"The Brothers Jones":	"Our Decay":	"Her Handsome Hero":	"Ruby Slippers":	"Sisters":	"Firebird":	"Last Rites":	"Only You":	"An Untold Story":
Appears	Appears	Appears	Appears	Appears	Appears	Appears	Appears	Appears	Appears	Mentioned	Mentioned
The Underworld appears in the canon Season Five DVD/Blu-Ray special Bonus, "Tales From The Underworld: A Knight With Cruella".

Once Upon a Time: Season Six
"The Savior":	"A Bitter Draught":	"The Other Shoe":	"Strange Case":	"Street Rats":	"Dark Waters":	"Heartless":	"I'll Be Your Mirror":	"Changelings":	"Wish You Were Here":	"Tougher Than the Rest":
Mentioned	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Mentioned	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Murder Most Foul":	"Ill-Boding Patterns":	"Page 23":	"A Wondrous Place":	"Mother's Little Helper":	"Awake":	"Where Bluebirds Fly":	"The Black Fairy":	"The Song in Your Heart":	"The Final Battle Part 1":	"The Final Battle Part 2":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent

Once Upon a Time: Season Seven
"Hyperion Heights":	"A Pirate's Life":	"The Garden of Forking Paths":	"Beauty":	"Greenbacks":	"Wake Up Call":	"Eloise Gardener":	"Pretty in Blue":	"One Little Tear":	"The Eighth Witch":	"Secret Garden":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"A Taste of the Heights":	"Knightfall":	"The Girl in the Tower":	"Sisterhood":	"Breadcrumbs":	"Chosen":	"The Guardian":	"Flower Child":	"Is This Henry Mills?":	"Homecoming":	"Leaving Storybrooke":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Archive	Archive

Once Upon a Time: Specials
"Magic is Coming":	"The Price of Magic":	"Journey to Neverland":	"Wicked is Coming":	"Storybrooke Has Frozen Over":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Secrets of Storybrooke":	"Dark Swan Rises":	"Evil Reigns Once More":	"The Final Battle Begins":
Absent	Absent	Archive	Archive

Other Appearances

The Underworld appears in the Underworld storybook in "The Brothers Jones", "Our Decay" and "Last Rites".

Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.

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