MsMojo Can Fix It: Rewriting Regina's Story on Once Upon A Time
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VOICE OVER: Kirsten Ria Squibb
WRITTEN BY: Tal Fox
Once upon a... wait a minute... Welcome to MsMojo, and today we're holding the magic mirror up to Regina Mills a.k.a The Evil Queen's story arc in “Once Upon a Time” and conjuring up the tweaks we believe better suited her narrative. We are talking plot points so if you're yet to watch the series in its entirety there will be spoilers. We'll have a look at the character as is, where it went wrong at how we can fix it!
Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re holding the magic mirror up to Regina Mills a.k.a The Evil Queen’s story arc in “Once Upon a Time” and conjuring up the tweaks we believe better suited her narrative. We are talking plot points so if you’re yet to watch the series in its entirety there will be spoilers. Do you think Regina got the ending she deserved? Let us know in the comment
As has become the trend in modern times, “Once Upon a Time” throws in its thoughts on a matter that puzzled many for a while, “Evil isn’t born, dearie; it’s made.” That certainly seems to be true in Regina’s case. Flashbacks show us that power, control, and life on the royal throne were far from what Regina wanted as a young woman. All she wanted was her happily ever after with Daniel, the man she loved. Unfortunately, her mother, Cora, was more concerned with her own social climbing than her daughter’s happiness, bringing that relationship to a permanent end. When Cora crushed Daniel’s heart, she effectively crushed Regina’s too. Could this have been avoided if Snow White had kept her promise and stayed silent? Perhaps, but Snow was just a child trying to help. However, this mistake unleashes Regina’s vengeful side, giving her vendetta against Snow more depth than jealousy over being the fairest in the land.
Driven by rage, Regina causes countless casualties in her quest to destroy Snow White. She eventually gets her revenge by casting the curse that brings everyone to Storybrooke. Unbeknownst to her, Rumpelstiltskin had his own agenda, steering her toward casting the curse, knowing it would ultimately end her reign. He even directed her to adopt the savior’s son. When the curse breaks, and everyone regains their memories, they come after Regina. But in Storybrooke, new villains are constantly emerging, so Regina becomes yesterday’s news. The heroes realize they can harness her power for good. Although, at first, she’s somewhat reluctant, she soon genuinely puts all her efforts into changing for the better. It definitely gives her one of the series’ most compelling story arcs as we watch her rediscover that light that her mother had extinguished all those years ago. We even see her go as far as literally separating from her evil half. Love also comes along once more, and he helps Regina see who she truly wants to be. We still can’t forgive the writers for taking Robin away.
By the season six finale, Regina is accepted as one of the heroes. Season seven is tricky to judge, as Regina spends a good part of it believing she’s a bar owner named Roni. Yet, even when she remembers her true self, her heroic spirit remains strong. By the series finale, the entire fairytale world recognizes she’s earned her place as a Queen and crowns her as such. It’s a fascinating journey from The Evil Queen to The Good Queen, but could it have been even more?
One of the key themes running throughout the series is understanding how villainy is created, and another is showing that if someone can turn evil, they can also find their way back to goodness. Perhaps no one is more emblematic of this than Regina. However, her journey feels a bit lacking, as any healing process isn’t linear.
Regina has a lot of amends to make. She did so much damage as The Evil Queen and much of it might be considered unforgivable. Yet the heroes are surprisingly quick to let bygones be bygones. We get it; there are supposed to be clear-cut divisions between heroes and villains, but it’s hard to see how they could so easily forgive and forget. Regina spends much of the series grappling with the boundaries of good and bad, and occasionally, her past does come back to haunt her, but there aren’t really many serious consequences for her crimes. Shouldn’t there have been at least a few episodes dedicated to Regina facing some real retribution rather than just the odd apology, usually to characters she needs something from?
Although she’s initially resistant to joining forces with the heroes, Regina is quick to turn away from the path of darkness. We all know that habits, especially ones that have been in progress for over 28 years, are incredibly hard to break. Wouldn’t it have made more sense to see her fight a little more for her power post-curse rather than quit practically cold turkey? Yes, she was doing her best for Henry, but even the most well-intentioned people have slip-ups. It’s not like she’s opposed to going back to her old tricks when the time calls, only now it’s under the guise of helping the good guys.
The biggest flaw in Regina’s arc is her journey from The Evil Queen to a good one. One of the things that made Regina a likable and relatable character is that she showed us what it means to be human. We’re not all bad, and we’re not all good; we make mistakes, let our emotions get the better of us, and carry baggage that’s hard to shake off. Her bad side is more extreme than the average person’s, but that doesn’t mean she can’t go through all the middle ground that the rest of us do. Sometimes, the desire to fall back on old familiar habits is just too good to resist. When The Snow Queen’s curse takes effect, Regina turns back into her evil self. This isn’t just someone being forced to see the bad in others like everyone else; this is full-on Evil Queen, suggesting that it’s still a big part of who she is. Maybe some of her triggers won’t be connected to dark magic; who knows? Eventually, she literally parts with her evil half and even finds the goodness in her, which almost feels like a cop-out.
Rather than turning her back on who she was, a big part of her story could’ve been Regina reckoning with her history and finding a way to have more belief in herself going forward. Regina once says that the author has esentially decided that “once a villain, always a villain,” yet we think that comes from a more internal place. Regina never truly believed she was worthy of redemption, so she just blamed all her misfortunes on that. When Robin came along, he helped her see that her past doesn’t have to define her and that she is deserving of forgiveness, acceptance, and a happily ever after—but first, she has to believe it herself. Then they went and took him away, but let’s not focus on that right now.
Fast forward to the end: more villains have been defeated, the realms are united, and they need someone to reign over them all. Who do they choose? That’s right, the Queen formerly known as Evil, Regina. On a superficial level, it might seem like a great happily-ever-after for her. She’s on the throne, and she doesn’t have to crush anyone’s heart for it. The people have finally accepted her as their ruler. However, if we look back at Regina’s backstory, we realize this may not be the right “happy beginning” for this Queen.
As we said, Regina never dreamt of becoming a queen. She didn’t even want to marry the king; she just wanted true love. However, one thing led to another, and she found herself in a position of great power that snowballed out of control. It’s great that everyone thinks this Regina will rule with compassion and fairness, but they seem to have forgotten the last time she wielded that much power. Also, isn’t she going to get a bit lonely reigning alone while all her closest allies are off seeking their own adventures? Who’s to say she wouldn’t eventually become disillusioned with her position, especially when she realizes it was never what she really wanted? We get what they’re doing here, but this ending doesn’t do our Regina justice at all.
Regina is one of the most compelling characters because her internal struggles are so relatable. Do we always make the best decisions? Nope. But do we hope to learn and grow from them? Absolutely! Regina’s story should have explored this journey more deeply. Instead of the typical heroes vs. villains narrative, Regina’s path could have been filled with challenges, setbacks, and growth that see her walk that tricky tightrope between the two. Her promise to Henry to do better should have shown her stumbling, making mistakes, and learning from them because that’s what being human is all about.
After the first curse breaks, Regina should have really faced her past and those she hurt. She needed to do more than just apologize. Expecting everyone to forgive her might be a stretch, but she could show them she’s changed. We’re not saying she needed to grovel, but she should ask herself, “Would I forgive me if I were in their shoes?”
We’d have let Regina explore her villainous side more before jumping over to the hero camp. Her thirst for power stems from deep-seated pain, grief, rejection, and anger, and those emotions don’t just disappear overnight. The curse breaking means everyone remembers who they were, but it doesn’t magically erase bad feelings. Letting Regina explore these emotions would make more sense than sweeping them under the rug for the sake of the story. At the very least, she and Snow needed a real reckoning.
Only then would her journey toward becoming a hero feel authentic and less bitter. Instead of the heroes constantly preaching about goodness, they should have been telling Regina, “Hey, we know you’re trying; we know it’s hard, but keep doing your best, and don’t beat yourself up over setbacks because even heroes falter.” Let’s not forget our heroes have blood on their hands, too! Still, holding Regina accountable when she slips up is crucial—it’s how you learn to do better!
Regina’s story arc could have helped viewers see themselves in her. You don’t have to be perfect or a hero; you just have to be your best and most real self. We never would have written a storyline where Regina separates and tames her evil half. Instead, she’d acknowledge it as part of her—a messy part, but still part of who she is. She might have magic, but she’s a real person, and real people have flaws. Our Regina would learn that every experience shaped who she is, and without them, she wouldn’t be where she is now.
Instead of trying to fit into the hero or villain box, we would have focused on Regina learning to accept herself as she is without clinging to who she was or who she thinks she should be. People can be beautiful disasters and can’t be neatly boxed in, not even in a fairytale world, as the series shows time and time again.
Okay, grab the tissues because we’re going to talk about Robin. Regina and Robin could have been together earlier, but Regina wasn’t ready to open her heart. As sad as it was, maybe it was necessary because Robin came back into her life at the perfect moment. Now, we’re not saying you need a partner to fix you or make you complete, but Robin had a huge impact on Regina. With his love, she finally starts to see what we, the audience, saw all along: she’s capable of being good, she deserves redemption, and she deserves true love. Regina, with Robin, is the character we would have written.
We get it; the writers probably didn’t want a man to be responsible for Regina’s happiness, but we wouldn’t have killed off two of Regina’s love interests. Robin’s death did show Regina’s growth—she didn’t react to Zelena the way she did to Snow White—but still, we would have kept Robin around. Not just because they’re the cutest together but because he was a catalyst for Regina’s real healing. He told her all the things her hero friends didn’t. Regina started her journey of self-love and acceptance because Robin helped her let her guard down. He didn’t care about who she was, only who she is, and he showed her that it was okay not to be this perfect beacon of light. After he dies, Regina essentially goes back to feeling like she’s a villain who can never find redemption.
This brings us to Regina’s happy ending. Sure, it’s a nice full-circle moment when Snow crowns Regina as Queen of the realms, but what happens next? Regina sits there on her throne, alone, thinking about everything that brought her to this moment. She sighs with relief, knowing she’ll likely rule in peace, but then she remembers she only agreed to marry Snow’s father after Cora killed Daniel. She wanted to spend her life with Daniel, and now her heart aches for Robin, too. She becomes aware that this isn’t the life she wanted.
In our fairytale, Regina realizes that the love of her people isn’t the same as the love she lost. Despite the heartbreak, she decides she has to try to open her heart again. She puts Henry, Snow, or Emma in charge and sets off on a new adventure to find what truly fulfills her. We’re not saying it has to be a partner, but it has to be something that feeds her soul and makes her feel as alive as she did with the men she loved. Whether she finds what she’s looking for and returns to the throne or discovers her happy ending elsewhere doesn’t matter. What matters is that Regina heals her heart by embracing her true self and opening herself up to a real happy ending.
The Character You Know
As has become the trend in modern times, “Once Upon a Time” throws in its thoughts on a matter that puzzled many for a while, “Evil isn’t born, dearie; it’s made.” That certainly seems to be true in Regina’s case. Flashbacks show us that power, control, and life on the royal throne were far from what Regina wanted as a young woman. All she wanted was her happily ever after with Daniel, the man she loved. Unfortunately, her mother, Cora, was more concerned with her own social climbing than her daughter’s happiness, bringing that relationship to a permanent end. When Cora crushed Daniel’s heart, she effectively crushed Regina’s too. Could this have been avoided if Snow White had kept her promise and stayed silent? Perhaps, but Snow was just a child trying to help. However, this mistake unleashes Regina’s vengeful side, giving her vendetta against Snow more depth than jealousy over being the fairest in the land.
Driven by rage, Regina causes countless casualties in her quest to destroy Snow White. She eventually gets her revenge by casting the curse that brings everyone to Storybrooke. Unbeknownst to her, Rumpelstiltskin had his own agenda, steering her toward casting the curse, knowing it would ultimately end her reign. He even directed her to adopt the savior’s son. When the curse breaks, and everyone regains their memories, they come after Regina. But in Storybrooke, new villains are constantly emerging, so Regina becomes yesterday’s news. The heroes realize they can harness her power for good. Although, at first, she’s somewhat reluctant, she soon genuinely puts all her efforts into changing for the better. It definitely gives her one of the series’ most compelling story arcs as we watch her rediscover that light that her mother had extinguished all those years ago. We even see her go as far as literally separating from her evil half. Love also comes along once more, and he helps Regina see who she truly wants to be. We still can’t forgive the writers for taking Robin away.
By the season six finale, Regina is accepted as one of the heroes. Season seven is tricky to judge, as Regina spends a good part of it believing she’s a bar owner named Roni. Yet, even when she remembers her true self, her heroic spirit remains strong. By the series finale, the entire fairytale world recognizes she’s earned her place as a Queen and crowns her as such. It’s a fascinating journey from The Evil Queen to The Good Queen, but could it have been even more?
Where It Went Wrong
One of the key themes running throughout the series is understanding how villainy is created, and another is showing that if someone can turn evil, they can also find their way back to goodness. Perhaps no one is more emblematic of this than Regina. However, her journey feels a bit lacking, as any healing process isn’t linear.
Regina has a lot of amends to make. She did so much damage as The Evil Queen and much of it might be considered unforgivable. Yet the heroes are surprisingly quick to let bygones be bygones. We get it; there are supposed to be clear-cut divisions between heroes and villains, but it’s hard to see how they could so easily forgive and forget. Regina spends much of the series grappling with the boundaries of good and bad, and occasionally, her past does come back to haunt her, but there aren’t really many serious consequences for her crimes. Shouldn’t there have been at least a few episodes dedicated to Regina facing some real retribution rather than just the odd apology, usually to characters she needs something from?
Although she’s initially resistant to joining forces with the heroes, Regina is quick to turn away from the path of darkness. We all know that habits, especially ones that have been in progress for over 28 years, are incredibly hard to break. Wouldn’t it have made more sense to see her fight a little more for her power post-curse rather than quit practically cold turkey? Yes, she was doing her best for Henry, but even the most well-intentioned people have slip-ups. It’s not like she’s opposed to going back to her old tricks when the time calls, only now it’s under the guise of helping the good guys.
The biggest flaw in Regina’s arc is her journey from The Evil Queen to a good one. One of the things that made Regina a likable and relatable character is that she showed us what it means to be human. We’re not all bad, and we’re not all good; we make mistakes, let our emotions get the better of us, and carry baggage that’s hard to shake off. Her bad side is more extreme than the average person’s, but that doesn’t mean she can’t go through all the middle ground that the rest of us do. Sometimes, the desire to fall back on old familiar habits is just too good to resist. When The Snow Queen’s curse takes effect, Regina turns back into her evil self. This isn’t just someone being forced to see the bad in others like everyone else; this is full-on Evil Queen, suggesting that it’s still a big part of who she is. Maybe some of her triggers won’t be connected to dark magic; who knows? Eventually, she literally parts with her evil half and even finds the goodness in her, which almost feels like a cop-out.
Rather than turning her back on who she was, a big part of her story could’ve been Regina reckoning with her history and finding a way to have more belief in herself going forward. Regina once says that the author has esentially decided that “once a villain, always a villain,” yet we think that comes from a more internal place. Regina never truly believed she was worthy of redemption, so she just blamed all her misfortunes on that. When Robin came along, he helped her see that her past doesn’t have to define her and that she is deserving of forgiveness, acceptance, and a happily ever after—but first, she has to believe it herself. Then they went and took him away, but let’s not focus on that right now.
Fast forward to the end: more villains have been defeated, the realms are united, and they need someone to reign over them all. Who do they choose? That’s right, the Queen formerly known as Evil, Regina. On a superficial level, it might seem like a great happily-ever-after for her. She’s on the throne, and she doesn’t have to crush anyone’s heart for it. The people have finally accepted her as their ruler. However, if we look back at Regina’s backstory, we realize this may not be the right “happy beginning” for this Queen.
As we said, Regina never dreamt of becoming a queen. She didn’t even want to marry the king; she just wanted true love. However, one thing led to another, and she found herself in a position of great power that snowballed out of control. It’s great that everyone thinks this Regina will rule with compassion and fairness, but they seem to have forgotten the last time she wielded that much power. Also, isn’t she going to get a bit lonely reigning alone while all her closest allies are off seeking their own adventures? Who’s to say she wouldn’t eventually become disillusioned with her position, especially when she realizes it was never what she really wanted? We get what they’re doing here, but this ending doesn’t do our Regina justice at all.
How Do We Fix It?
Regina is one of the most compelling characters because her internal struggles are so relatable. Do we always make the best decisions? Nope. But do we hope to learn and grow from them? Absolutely! Regina’s story should have explored this journey more deeply. Instead of the typical heroes vs. villains narrative, Regina’s path could have been filled with challenges, setbacks, and growth that see her walk that tricky tightrope between the two. Her promise to Henry to do better should have shown her stumbling, making mistakes, and learning from them because that’s what being human is all about.
After the first curse breaks, Regina should have really faced her past and those she hurt. She needed to do more than just apologize. Expecting everyone to forgive her might be a stretch, but she could show them she’s changed. We’re not saying she needed to grovel, but she should ask herself, “Would I forgive me if I were in their shoes?”
We’d have let Regina explore her villainous side more before jumping over to the hero camp. Her thirst for power stems from deep-seated pain, grief, rejection, and anger, and those emotions don’t just disappear overnight. The curse breaking means everyone remembers who they were, but it doesn’t magically erase bad feelings. Letting Regina explore these emotions would make more sense than sweeping them under the rug for the sake of the story. At the very least, she and Snow needed a real reckoning.
Only then would her journey toward becoming a hero feel authentic and less bitter. Instead of the heroes constantly preaching about goodness, they should have been telling Regina, “Hey, we know you’re trying; we know it’s hard, but keep doing your best, and don’t beat yourself up over setbacks because even heroes falter.” Let’s not forget our heroes have blood on their hands, too! Still, holding Regina accountable when she slips up is crucial—it’s how you learn to do better!
Regina’s story arc could have helped viewers see themselves in her. You don’t have to be perfect or a hero; you just have to be your best and most real self. We never would have written a storyline where Regina separates and tames her evil half. Instead, she’d acknowledge it as part of her—a messy part, but still part of who she is. She might have magic, but she’s a real person, and real people have flaws. Our Regina would learn that every experience shaped who she is, and without them, she wouldn’t be where she is now.
Instead of trying to fit into the hero or villain box, we would have focused on Regina learning to accept herself as she is without clinging to who she was or who she thinks she should be. People can be beautiful disasters and can’t be neatly boxed in, not even in a fairytale world, as the series shows time and time again.
Okay, grab the tissues because we’re going to talk about Robin. Regina and Robin could have been together earlier, but Regina wasn’t ready to open her heart. As sad as it was, maybe it was necessary because Robin came back into her life at the perfect moment. Now, we’re not saying you need a partner to fix you or make you complete, but Robin had a huge impact on Regina. With his love, she finally starts to see what we, the audience, saw all along: she’s capable of being good, she deserves redemption, and she deserves true love. Regina, with Robin, is the character we would have written.
We get it; the writers probably didn’t want a man to be responsible for Regina’s happiness, but we wouldn’t have killed off two of Regina’s love interests. Robin’s death did show Regina’s growth—she didn’t react to Zelena the way she did to Snow White—but still, we would have kept Robin around. Not just because they’re the cutest together but because he was a catalyst for Regina’s real healing. He told her all the things her hero friends didn’t. Regina started her journey of self-love and acceptance because Robin helped her let her guard down. He didn’t care about who she was, only who she is, and he showed her that it was okay not to be this perfect beacon of light. After he dies, Regina essentially goes back to feeling like she’s a villain who can never find redemption.
This brings us to Regina’s happy ending. Sure, it’s a nice full-circle moment when Snow crowns Regina as Queen of the realms, but what happens next? Regina sits there on her throne, alone, thinking about everything that brought her to this moment. She sighs with relief, knowing she’ll likely rule in peace, but then she remembers she only agreed to marry Snow’s father after Cora killed Daniel. She wanted to spend her life with Daniel, and now her heart aches for Robin, too. She becomes aware that this isn’t the life she wanted.
In our fairytale, Regina realizes that the love of her people isn’t the same as the love she lost. Despite the heartbreak, she decides she has to try to open her heart again. She puts Henry, Snow, or Emma in charge and sets off on a new adventure to find what truly fulfills her. We’re not saying it has to be a partner, but it has to be something that feeds her soul and makes her feel as alive as she did with the men she loved. Whether she finds what she’s looking for and returns to the throne or discovers her happy ending elsewhere doesn’t matter. What matters is that Regina heals her heart by embracing her true self and opening herself up to a real happy ending.
