Cruella De Vil

> I will *never* go back to where I started!
>       —Cruella to Mr. Gold

**Cruella De Vil**, also known as Cruella Feinberg, is a character on ABC's *Once Upon a Time*. She débuts in the eleventh episode of the fourth season. She is portrayed by guest star Victoria Smurfit.

Cruella De Vil is based on the character of the same name from the novel, "The Hundred and One Dalmatians", and the Disney film, *One Hundred and One Dalmatians*.

## History

### Before First Curse

Receiving a mysterious invitation to the Forbidden Fortress, Cruella De Vil arrives with her two dog companions, using her magical ability of persuasion on them, to which they react with hostility towards two strangers, Maleficent and Ursula. Cruella and Ursula assume Maleficent sent for them, although Rumplestiltskin reveals he did. Desiring help from all three women to retrieve a curse, he promises it will give them as well as himself the happy endings they otherwise would not get as villains. After agreeing, they travel with him to the Bald Mountain, where each women uses their powers to defeat an obstacle. For Cruella, she magically persuades a horde of venomous blood scarabs to part aside for them. Once Ursula grabs the curse orb, it triggers the Chernabog into attacking. Admitting that he used them, Rumplestiltskin advises the women about the Chernabog, which detects the heart with the greatest evil and devours it. He then leaves, with the curse orb, while the trio face the beast. The Chernabog attacks Maleficent, who distracts it as Cruella and Ursula climb up a crack in the ceiling. Just before the Chernabog can kill Maleficent, Ursula hoists her to safety. *("Darkness on the Edge of Town")*
Later on, with Maleficent and Ursula, Cruella schemes to gain Camelot's magic gauntlet, an item used for locating one's greatest weakness, so they as villains can win against heroes. Knowing Rumplestiltskin possesses the gauntlet, Cruella kidnaps his maid, Belle, as ransom. With an enchanted sand dollar, they coerce Belle into speaking a message to ask Rumplestiltskin to save her by showing up at Demon's Bluff with the gauntlet. The message is then sent to the Dark One by raven. Upon Rumplestiltskin's arrival, Maleficent confronts him, and when he attacks her, both Ursula and then Cruella step out to pressure him into honoring their agreement. He doesn't, so Cruella orders Ursula to crush Belle's heart. As Belle is almost suffocated to death, only then, he gives up the gauntlet and releases Maleficent from his grip. With the terms satisfied, the trio reveal their main motivation for having the gauntlet is to know their enemies' weaknesses. Maleficent transports herself and her allies away, but Rumplestiltskin later seeks them out to retrieve the gauntlet. Although Maleficent insists they had a deal, the Dark One contends asking a ransom from him is a death wish and a fool's errand as he swiftly steals back the gauntlet. Cruella then suggests he join them to change the game so they, the villains, can win for once. Rumplestiltskin declares he always wins and doesn't need to team up with them to do it. *("Heroes and Villains")*
At some point, the curse ends up in the Queen's hands, and she trades it to Maleficent for the sleeping curse to use on Snow White. When this curse is broken by Prince Charming, the Queen steals the curse she previously gave to Maleficent. Fearing that the Queen will cast the curse and doom them all, Cruella goes with Maleficent and Ursula to gain Snow White and Prince Charming's help. The trio want the royal couple to ask the Tree of Wisdom how to defeat the curse since the being will only answer questions from two of the most valiant heroes. The pair eventually agree to make the journey with the trio, but at a bridge crossing, the guards refuse them passage due to deeming Cruella and her two companions untrustworthy. Impatient, Maleficent morphs into a dragon, killing the soldiers with fire breath, as the bridge is left unguarded. After camping out at night, the villains realize too late that Snow White and Prince Charming left earlier without them. Tracking them down, they arrive just after the pair are denied an answer from the tree. On closer inspection of Snow White's overall physique, Maleficent recognizes the early signs of pregnancy. She suggests that although their child is a born from true love, it also means he or she has potential to become evil, which is why the tree denied them. Departing, the three women decide to find another way to stop the curse. *("Unforgiven")*

### After Second Curse

In an unknown fashion, Cruella De Vil ends up in the Land Without Magic. At some point, she begins living in Great Neck, Long Island and marries a man with the last name Feinberg. One day, her husband is arrested as their possessions are taken by the FBI, but she stubbornly snatches back her coat. At Mr. Gold and Ursula's arrival, she expresses little interest in joining them and instead shows off her car. However, convinced by his claims that he knows where to find magic, Cruella drives them to a road near Storybrooke. Upon learning the town is invisible and cannot be entered, Cruella angrily aims her pistol at him, but Mr. Gold contends that they cannot get into Storybrooke without his help. In Mr. Gold's plan, Cruella and Ursula use his phone to call Regina. Claiming to have met Mr. Gold in New York City and learning about Storybrooke from him, they desire to enter town and prove they've changed from their old ways. During the conversation, the pair hear the Chernabog's roar in the background and advise Regina on the beast's attributes. After the Chernabog is defeated thanks to their knowledge, Regina tosses a scroll over the town line, which Cruella opens to unveil Storybrooke. That night, in the final part of the plan, the villainous twosome return to the town line and help Mr. Gold cross into Storybrooke with the scroll. As they walk down the street, he instructs them to continue playing nice with the residents. When Ursula complains they are doing all the work, Mr. Gold reveals having managed to get the Chernabog released from the hat as the "Oxford professor" that Belle consulted for the spell to release those trapped in it. That night, Cruella and Ursula meet with David and Mary Margaret, who swear the twosome into never revealing their past dealings in the Enchanted Forest. Ominously, Mary Margaret promises to tear out their hearts herself if they don't comply. *("Darkness on the Edge of Town")*
Ordering drinks at the diner, Cruella and Ursula receive a cold reception from Granny, who deliberately delays their orders. When Regina walks in with her son, Henry, the women casually cajole the former Queen about having once ripped out hearts from an entire region. Upset, Regina sends Henry out, and after he is gone, she warns the ladies from ever mentioning her past again in front of her son. Taking their leave, Ursula and Cruella depart as Hook and Emma arrive. At the pawnshop, the women distract Belle as Ursula steals a wooden box to mislead David into believing they will use it to revive Maleficent. When David does a patrol search of their car, he steals the totem inside the box. After he and Mary Margaret venture unto Maleficent's cavern to destroy her ashes, Ursula knocks them out. Cruella then sacrifices some of the couple's blood to the ashes and resurrects Maleficent, who promises to make Mary Margaret suffer for as long as possible for what she did to her. The female trio later stand in a hilltop overlooking the town as Maleficent teleports the totem to her, connecting it with a bottom half to form a baby rattle, and shakes it as a pained look crosses her face. *("Unforgiven")*
As the villains have a get-together at the diner, Regina enters and persuades Maleficent that she wants to join their inner circle. Still skeptical, the ladies test their newest addition, in which Cruella drives her car onto railroad tracks while a train approaches. With everyone still seated in the vehicle, Regina must prove she is not heroic by not using magic to save them. Waiting until the train almost crashes into the car, only then, she teleports them out of harm's way. Cruella, having previously bet that Regina would save them, collects a necklace from Maleficent, who lost the bet. While the women think she's gone soft, Regina then suggests they stir up trouble elsewhere, and the foursome spend the night drinking and damaging public property. The next morning, Ursula, Cruella and Maleficent report to a cabin in the woods, where they tell Mr. Gold about Regina. He considers her a possible asset for their scheme since she's just as desperate as them to find the author, which convinces the women to trust her. That night, Cruella lets Maleficent borrow her car, which is enchanted to drive on its own. Meeting up with Regina alone, Maleficent instructs her to kidnap Pinocchio, who they need to interrogate about the author. The plan goes smoothly, and they bring the boy to the cabin, where Regina is shocked to see Mr. Gold has returned. When Cruella and Ursula arrive, Mr. Gold reveals Pinocchio is no use to them, but the man he used to be remembers everything. Using his dagger, he reverts the boy into August, who they'll torture for information about the author. *("Enter the Dragon")*
Under Mr. Gold's questioning, August claims to have information on the author hidden in his old trailer. While he is gone, Cruella and the others guard the captive, and then Ursula excuses herself outside. Mr. Gold returns, having stolen magic from the nuns, and uses it on August to make his nose to grow every time he lies. Finally, August admits the sorcerer trapped the author behind a door, but he claims to not know where it is, though there is a storybook page illustrating the door. While Regina and Maleficent go with Mr. Gold to check the sorcerer's mansion, Cruella stays to guard August. When Emma and her parents storm the cabin, she counters with her gun, but Mary Margaret knocks her out. Later, she wakes up to see the heroes helping Ursula regain her singing voice and reconciling with her father. Believing Ursula has been a double agent this whole time, Cruella slips away unnoticed and notifies her allies about the development. *("Poor Unfortunate Soul")*

## Trivia

* The casting call for her was "Sasha".
* Her husband's last name, "Feinberg", may be an Irish-derived form of "fionnbahrr", which means "white, fair hair". It may also be of Ashkenazi Jewish descent from the Germaniac area.*[citation needed]*

* Assuming that Feinberg is human, Cruella is the first *Once Upon a Time* character established to have married or otherwise be in a (supposedly) long-term relationship with someone from Earth, as all other characters (including Emma Swan) have thus far been shown only in relationships with individuals originating from the Enchanted Forest or other non-Earth realms.
* The green smoke which comes out of Cruella's mouth when she uses persuasion magic, is designed to reflect the green cigarette smoke of Cruella's in Disney's *One Hundred and One Dalmatians*.
* Her car is a modified Zimmer Golden Spirit from the 1980s.
* Cruella's phone case has a dalmatian spots pattern. *("Unforgiven")*

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.accesshollywood.com/victoria-smurfit-talks-taking-on-cruella-de-vil-in-once-upon-a-time\_article\_105126
2. ↑ http://www.behindthename.com/name/fionnbharr
3. ↑ File:413CruellaPhone.png