From Regina to Rumpelstiltskin — here’s a list of contenders for the post!
‘Once Upon A Time‘ was a show that took adults on a nostalgic trip and dazzled fantasy fans with its reimagination of fairy tale stories in the modern world. While its stories and plot were one thing — and sometimes were both a hit and a miss — what was really special about the show was its characters. Were we to have ‘Once Upon A Time’ characters ranked, we’d get a motley group of characters that ranged from good to evil and weak to powerful, and everything in between. With its many twists and turns, we could never know which evil character would show themselves as actually having a heart of gold.
But the most interesting of a lot of characters were the ones that had power or used power in some way. The many interweaving stories on the show dealt with power, which could also be called its underlying theme. So it makes sense to talk about who the most powerful person in ‘Once Upon A Time’. Here is our list of contenders.
1/5
The Black Fairy
It could be said that the Black Fairy is the root cause of most of the evil things happening in ‘Once Upon A Time’. That itself could make her powerful. She creates the Dark Curse to protect her son, and in the process, herself becomes the evil that endangers her son’s life. Most importantly, she becomes the source of the creation of two other powerful, evil people: Peter Pan and Rumpelstiltskin.
2/5
Rumpelstiltskin
Rumpelstiltskin is arguably the best villain of all the ‘Once Upon A Time’ villains ranked. He was feared by the other powerful characters, who knew they had to make an alliance with him or largely avoid crossing his way in any manner. Rumpelstiltskin was the one who implemented the Dark Curse, trapping the storybook characters and making them live in a loop with erased memories for almost three decades. Granted, the character redeems himself, but there is no question of the wide extent of his power throughout the series.
3/5
Peter Pan
In an interesting twist of character reimagining, the maker of the show chose to take a beloved character and make him evil. The boy who doesn’t want to grow up and be a child forever is turned into one that gleefully abandons children for his own selfish gain. None of the other powerful villains, not even Rumpelstiltskin, can defeat him. That’s how invulnerable and powerful he actually is, making him a strong contender for ‘Once Upon a Time’s’ most powerful villain.

4/5
Regina
Regina is one of the most complex characters on the show. She was another character along with Rumpelstiltskin who got to truly redeem herself, but for a while, she was the cruel, ruthless Evil Queen. She even killed her own father, who was the only one who loved her then, for the Dark Curse. She ruled Storybrooke powerfully and made everyone dance to her tune. Her redemption arc was one of the most interesting and strong themes of the show.
5/5
Emma
Who said powerful characters could only be villains? Emma Swan is the strongest character on the show. She has her own kind of magic, and she makes use of her sharp mind and the good fighting ability for the good of people. She pushes herself and does her best to save the ones she loves, and doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice herself if need be. All through the show, she has remained decidedly on the side of the good. In fact, she hardly even turns into the Dark One, even when she is struck by the curse, still remaining true to herself, and good through and through. What could be more powerful than that?
Do you agree with our list? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
