Once Upon A Time: 20 Couples The Show Wants Us To Forget

Ever since it first premiered in 2011, Once Upon a Time captivated viewers’ imaginations and changed everything fans thought they knew about several beloved Disney characters and classic fantasy stories. The hit series altered the origin stories of heroes like Prince Charming and Mulan, turned iconic villains like the Evil Queen and Rumplestiltskin into likable protagonists and kept audiences on their toes with countless twists and unconventional pairings.

While Emma Swan’s adventures in the cursed town of Storybrooke first hooked fans on Once, the various dynamic relationships in the show kept us tuning in each week. Everyone wanted to see whether or not Snow White and her Prince would finally get their happy ending, which of the Savior’s many suitors she’d end up with and whether or not Regina would put aside her wicked ways long enough to finally find love. Most of the epic romances featured on Once Upon a Time were truly inspirational and will be remembered for years to come, but a surprising number of relationships the series explored over its seven-season run are better left forgotten.

The series’ writers loved throwing viewers for a loop by pairing up characters that never interacted in the Disney films or classic stories they originated from. No one could have expected someone like the Evil Queen to fall for Robin Hood or for Belle’s “beast” to be the Dark One, Rumplestiltskin. It was definitely fun to see so many unique and unexpected pairings take place, but the show probably hopes fans won’t remember a few of their more risky relationship decisions.

Here are 20 Couples Once Upon A Time Wants Us To Forget.

20 MULAN AND AURORA

When Mulan joined Prince Phillip on his journey to awaken his true love Aurora from a Sleeping Curse, it seemed like she was starting to develop feelings for her traveling companion. Viewers were pleasantly surprised when Mulan instead began to fall in love with Aurora, as it gave fans hope for a gay Disney couple. Once Upon a Time did go on to pair several women with each other, but the fan-favorite would-be pairing of Aurora and Mulan was simply never meant to be.

Mulan turned down Robin Hood’s invitation to join his Merry Men because she wanted to be with Aurora, but before she could confess her feelings, Aurora shared news of her pregnancy. Mulan was heartbroken and accepted Robin’s offer after all, and the series simply gave up on her relationship with her true love. Fans, however, never forgot about them and always wished for a future for these two women that never came.

19 EMMA AND WALSH

After Zelena cast her dark curse, the Wicked Witch ordered one of her flying monkeys to keep an eye on Emma and make sure she stayed away from Storybrooke. The monkey masqueraded as Walsh and dated Emma for eighth months in New York City. Emma actually seemed to really like Walsh, but he couldn’t convince Emma to stay in the city to be with him. After Emma rejected his proposal, Walsh revealed his true form and attacked her. She fought back with a metal pipe and knocked him off a building, and he disappeared in a puff of smoke and was never seen again.

Emma was a great judge of character and had an uncanny ability to tell when someone was lying, so it didn’t make much sense that Walsh was able to fool her for so long.

18 ZELENA AND HADES

Zelena spent most of her life envying her half-sister Regina, and when the God of the Underworld realized this, Hades concocted a plan that could help Zelena switch her life with Regina’s while he could switch fortunes with his brother Zeus. The notorious antagonists actually started to develop feelings for each other during all of their schemings, and in a The Notebook-style romantic gesture, Hades even made the Underworld look like Storybrooke so he could truly give his beloved everything that her sister had.

Unfortunately, the show went on to disprove its own repeated mantra of love being able to change people for the better. Not even Hades’ love for Zelena could thaw his cold heart, and Zelena was forced to end his life to save the heroes of Storybrooke.

17 BELLE AND WILL SCARLET

Rebellious and romantic thief Will Scarlet’s fight to win back Queen of Hearts’ heart in Once Upon a Time in Wonderland was one of the focal points of the Once spinoff. Will did everything he could to make Anastasia realize that love is more valuable than riches or power, and fans rejoiced when the couple finally reunited and earned their happy ending at the show’s conclusion.

Positive fan reception to Will’s character encouraged the Once writers to include him in the main series, but Anastasia sadly didn’t join him. Will bizarrely became a secondary love interest for Belle, and he treated her far better than Belle’s ex-husband Rumpelstiltskin ever did. Belle told Hook that her new romance made her happy, but when Rumple started cleaning up his act and trying to win Belle back, her relationship with Will was completely abandoned and forgotten.

16 KATHRYN AND DAVID

In the Enchanted Forest, Abigail and Prince Charming were nearly forced to marry by their parents even though they were both in love with different people. When the Evil Queen cast her first dark curse, the couple was forced together yet again, as Regina hoped that tricking them into thinking they were married would ensure Charming and Snow White stayed apart from each other.

Kathryn, Abigail’s Storybrooke identity, did everything she could to remind her “husband” David of their past together. David couldn’t recall any of the memories Kathryn brought up, though, and he had absolutely no chemistry with the woman who was supposedly his wife. Their awkward relationship was incredibly uncomfortable for viewers, and fans were more than happy to forget Kathryn and David were ever together once the curse was finally broken.

15 RUMPELSTILTSKIN AND REGINA

Regina’s mastery of magic was developed during lessons with Rumpelstiltskin throughout her early adulthood. The Dark One helped manipulate the young royal into becoming addicted to power and guided her down the twisted path that turned her into the Evil Queen. The two villains frequently walked the line between being enemies and being friends, but their relationship was never particularly romantic.

Then, in one bizarre episode of Once Upon a Time, Regina took things to the next level by kissing Mr. Gold in Storybrooke. Okay, technically it was Regina’s Evil Queen alter-ego that did it, but it was still a weird moment that fans were eager to forget ever happened—especially since Belle and Rumpel were starting to get back on track towards working things out in their relationship.

14 ALADDIN AND JASMINE

In the sixth season of Once Upon a Time, Aladdin and Jasmine were finally included in the show. Viewers discovered that Aladdin was once a Savior like Emma, but after Jafar repeatedly told him that Saviors are fated to perish without happy endings, Aladdin used the Fates’ Shears to rid himself of that tragic destiny. Unfortunately, in doing so, he played into Jafar’s plans and was unable to save Agrabah.

Jasmine had a difficult time forgiving Aladdin for this selfishness, and for several episodes, was too focused on saving her kingdom to enter into a relationship with him. It took ages for them to both acknowledge their feelings for each other, and their characters vanished from the show shortly after they did. Their brief romance felt like mere fan-service haphazardly thrown into the show to satisfy Disney lovers.

13 DR. WHALE AND MARY MARGARET

Before David Nolan woke up from his coma and reunited with his soulmate, Mary Margaret was alone in Storybrooke and forced to date some seriously undesirable men. Among them was Dr. Whale, the curse version of Victor Frankenstein. Dr. Whale was absolutely vile during their first date, as he spent most of it ignoring Mary Margaret and ogling Ruby instead. Mary Margaret asked for the check to end dinner before either of them had even finished eating.

Mary Margaret and Dr. Whale met again at the diner a few weeks later, and Mary was in a saddened state because she felt a connection to David but it turned out he was married to Kathryn. The pair shared a few drinks and spent the night together, which was out of character for Mary Margaret.

12 REGINA AND SHERIFF GRAHAM

After the Huntsman failed to eliminate Snow White, the Evil Queen stole his heart and ensured that he’d never be free of her and would live to serve her from that day on. As the owner of his heart, Regina was able to force him to be her lover, something that was definitely against his wishes.

After the casting of Regina’s dark curse, the Huntsman became Graham, the local sheriff of Storybrooke. The mayor made him maintain an intimate physical relationship with her, and when it became clear that Graham was helping Emma and that he regained his memories of the Enchanted Forest, Regina crushed his heart to ash and ended his life. Regina later became one of Once‘s main heroes, so the show tried making viewers forget all about the way she used and terminated Graham.

11 EMMA AND NEAL

After Baelfire escaped the world of Neverland, he became Neal Cassidy and grew up in our Land Without Magic. Here, he met Emma Swan, a fellow thief who tried stealing the yellow bug he himself had already stolen. The duo quickly bonded over their rough childhoods, and embarked on a crime spree together.

Emma became pregnant and she and Neal were ready to retire from their life of crime and start a family, but August put their relationship on halt by telling Neal that Emma was destined for greater things. He convinced Neal to leave Emma, and while they reunited after she broke the first dark curse, their love story came to a tragic end after Neal sacrificed himself to save his father Rumpelstiltskin. Hook became Emma’s soulmate, but some fans will always believe the Savior should have ended up with her first love.

10 MOTHER GOTHEL AND HOOK

During alternate reality Hook’s quest to gain access to the non-magical world, he came across Rapunzel’s tower. After a night of passion with the long-haired princess, Hook was shocked to discover that the woman he was with was actually Tangled villain Mother Gothel, who simply used him to birth a child who could then take her place in the cursed tower and allow her to finally escape from it.

That child became Alice, one of the most likable characters in the final season of Once Upon a Time. While viewers were happy she was created, the details of her birth made most fans uncomfortable as it was yet another instance of a woman on the show tricking a man into being with her against his will.

9 HENRY AND VIOLET

When Henry first met Violet in Camelot, it was young love at first sight. Emma cast a curse that inadvertently caused them to forget their first meeting, but when the young couple reunited in Storybrooke, they immediately hit it off yet again. Henry spent a long time helping his crush adjust to life in her new town, and their mutual desire to rid the world of magic to better protect their loved ones helped strengthen their bond.

The sixth season of Once ended with Henry and Violet happy and seemingly perfect for each other, but in the final season, Henry is with Cinderella and Violet is nothing more than a distant memory. Their relationship isn’t even mentioned, which was definitely a shock for viewers.

8 “DREAMY” AND NOVA

When Nova flew into a mine to collect some fairy dust, she was assisted by a dwarf named Dreamy, and the two unlikely lovers instantly fell for each other. They made plans to travel the world together, but after Dreamy’s supervisor told him that dwarves were incapable of love and the Blue Fairy explained to him that his relationship with Nova would keep her from reaching her dream of becoming a fairy godmother, Dreamy decided to call things off with Nova for her own good. Dreamy told Nova that they should stick to their own kind, breaking Nova’s heart and causing him to be renamed “Grumpy.”

When the couple met again in Storybrooke, they got back on track towards finally getting their happy ending together. Unfortunately, Grumpy’s soulmate was only seen in the one episode and the show expected viewers to forget all about her.

7 MARIAN AND ROBIN HOOD

Regina’s relationship with Robin Hood helped her transform into a hero, but before she and the notorious thief fell in love, he was married to a faithful and supportive woman named Marian. Their marriage stayed strong even after Robin became a wanted man on the run from both the Sheriff of Nottingham and the Dark One; it only ended because the Evil Queen ended Marian’s life for refusing to divulge information about Snow White’s whereabouts.

They were a perfectly happy couple until Regina ruined everything, but Robin quickly forgave Regina for her role in his wife’s passing and proceeded to date her. That’s not particularly realistic, but Once hoped viewers would forget about Marian and just embrace Robin and Regina’s relationship.

6 RUMPELSTILTSKIN AND CORA

Cora was once a mere miller’s daughter who dreamed of advancing beyond her station. In order to gain a prince’s hand in marriage, she lied to King Xavier about being able to spin straw into gold and make his kingdom rich. She then entered into a partnership with Rumpelstiltskin, who agreed to teach her magic in exchange for her first-born child.

Cora was successful in demonstrating her magical talent before the king and earning Prince Henry’s proposal, but she soon realized that she’d rather be with Rumpelstiltskin than have wealth or power.  She and Rumpel made plans to run away together, but when the king told her that “love is weakness,” Cora changed her mind and ripped out her own heart so she’d stop loving the Dark One. Cora’s past with Rumpelstiltskin made his relationships with her daughters Regina and Zelena even creepier.

5 CINDERELLA AND PRINCE THOMAS

In the final season of Once Upon a Time, Henry Mills fell in love and had a baby with Cinderella, and had to fight his soulmate’s wicked stepmother and twisted step-sisters. Casual viewers were happy to see one of the earliest and most beloved Disney princesses in the show, but true fans were confused because Cinderella’s story had already been explored in the series’ very first season.

Cinderella made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin which helped her attend Prince Thomas’ ball, and when she and Thomas got married, Rumpelstiltskin appeared to claim their child as payment for his role in their union. Cinderella tried to protect their baby, but breaking the Dark One’s contract led to Thomas’ disappearance. Luckily, they were brought back together in Storybrooke and lived happily ever after. The show would clearly prefer viewers to just forget that ever happened, though.

4 HENRY AND IVY

Speaking of Cinderella stories that Once Upon a Time would prefer fans to forget about, who remembers Henry Mills’ kiss with his wife’s stepsister? Drizella cast the curse which sent several residents of the Enchanted Forest to Hyperion Heights, in an attempt to get revenge on her mother for neglecting her throughout her childhood. She also poisoned Henry so if he and Cinderella tried to break the curse with true love’s kiss, Henry would perish.

All of her magic tore Henry away from his family and caused him to forget all about his wife and daughter, but the show made the questionable decision to briefly pair Henry with the sorceress who ruined his life. Ivy, Drizella’s alter ego, repeatedly manipulated Henry’ emotions and even got him to kiss her. It was needlessly twisted, since Regina was already doing everything she could to keep Henry and Cinderella apart.

3 EMMA AND AUGUST

When Pinocchio traveled to the Land Without Magic following the first dark curse, he took it upon himself to watch over baby Emma, knowing that she was one day destined to become the Savior. He took on the name of August, and did everything he could to help Emma stay on the path towards saving the residents of Storybrooke. August convinced Neal to leave Emma so she’d fulfill her destiny, and when she finally arrived in Storybrooke, he tried to convince her that magic existed and that she was meant to put an end to Regina’s curse.

August’s willingness to look after Emma and help her reach her potential made him seem like a perfect match for the Savior, but he, unfortunately, turned into wood before their relationship could be taken to the next level.

2 ZELENA AND ROBIN

Even though Once Upon a Time is filled with beloved Disney characters and was meant to be a family-friendly series, the show had a serious problem which its writers refused to fix. Several of the series’ female villains used magic to trick men into the bedroom with them, and two of the show’s babies were born under false pretenses.

Before Hook was tricked by Mother Gothel into fathering a child while she was disguised as Rapunzel, Zelena pretended to be Marian to ruin Robin Hood’s relationship with Regina. Robin then impregnated the Wicked Witch while believing she was his long-lost wife. Zelena later became one of the show’s heroes, but it’s hard to forgive her for this despicable deception.

1 RUMPLE AND BELLE

Rumpelstiltskin and Belle’s relationship on Once Upon a Time was given a lot of screen time, and they eventually became one of the series’ most popular pairings. Unfortunately, the longer this surprising couple was together, the more problems arose in their relationship which the show likely hopes fans will forget about.

Every time the Dark One seemed like he was going to sacrifice his power for love, he let Belle down. The Stockholm Syndrome featured in Beauty & the Beast was already problematic, but at least when the Beast started to change for the better, he never reverted back to his evil ways again. Rumpel kept up his abusive and deceptive tendencies even after he and Belle got married, and he hurt Belle emotionally and physically far too many times for viewers to see them as a healthy couple.

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Which couple are you trying to forget from Once Upon a Time? Let us know in the comments!