Zelena Mills

## Media

### Alias

The Wicked Witch of the West, Sis (by Regina), The Witch, Evil, Wicked, Greenie, Mom (by her daughter), Auntie Zelena, Aunt Zelena (by Henry), Kelly West, Kel

### Occupation

Peddling instructor
Bartender at Roni's (formerly)
The Witch of the West (formerly)
Ruler of Oz and Emerald City (formerly)

### Affiliations

Robin Hood's Merry Men (as Marian)
The Sisterhood Witches of Oz (formerly)
Heroes of Story broke
Mills Family

### Romance(s)

Robin Hood (faked marriage/father of her daughter)
Chad (fiance)
Hades (former lover)

### Friends

Emma Swan
Belle
Prince Charming/David Nolan
Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold (sometimes)
King Arthur
Grumpy/LeroyHades (formerly)
Aladdin
Jasmine
Alice/Tilly
Dr. Jekyll (formerly)
Stanum (formerly)
Munchkins
Flying Monkeys
Ivo (formerly)
Evil Regina

### Enemies

Regina Mills (formerly)
Emma Swan (formerly)
Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard (formerly)
Belle (formerly)
Prince Charming/David Nolan (formerly)
Robin Hood (formerly)
Killian Jones (formerly)
Munchkins (formerly)
Baelfire/Neal Cassidy
Dorothy Gale
Toto
Mulan
Ruby
Merida
Stanum
Ivo
Cowardly Lion
Blind Witch
Hansel and Gretel (Oz)
Fiona/Black Fairy
Mother Gothel
Drizella Tremaine
Merlin

### Goal

Go back in time to kill Eva and ensure her mother keeps her, while ensuring her half-sister Regina is never born. (failed)
Pose as Marian to ruin her half-sister's happiness (formerly).
Reconcile with Regina
Help her family defeat the Black FairyRaise her daughter (all succeeded).

## Defining Moments

### Heroic Action

Choosing to kill Hades to Save herself and her sister
Giving up her magic to purify the crystals that Fiona manipulated her into corrupting.

### Event Moral Horizon

Attempting to kill Regina and later erase her sister from existence, manipulating Neal to resurrect his father and orchestrating his demise, killing a past version of Marian and taking over her place in order to ruin her sister's happiness

**Zelena Mills**, also known as the Wicked Witch of the West, previously cursed as **Kelly West**, is a character from the ABC television series *Once Upon a Time*. She is the eldest daughter of Cora and her first born child, the older maternal half sister of Regina and the adoptive mother of the second Robin Hood, the adopted aunt of Henry Mills and the adoptive great aunt of Lucy Mills.

Initially jealous of her half sister, Zelena eventually becomes a hero herself due to the love of Regina and her daughter.

Zelena is based on the Wicked Witch of the West from the novel *The Wonderful Wizard of Oz* by Frank L. Baum and the 1939 film adaptation. She also takes the place of the stepmother from The Grimm Brothers version of "Hansel and Gretel," Persephone from Greek mythology and the Enchantress from the Disney film *Beauty and the Beast*

## Summary

Jealous of her half-sister, Regina, Zelena plotted to go back in time and prevent her mother from giving her up so Rumpelstiltskin chooses her to cast his curse. However after being foiled by her sister and Regina's allies, Zelena faked her own death when Mr. Gold stabbed her with his dagger. Traveling back into the past, Zelena killed Marian and took her place to ruin her sister's happiness. After being reminded of her forgotten friendship with Regina as a child, she gave up on revenge for her sister, but struggled with redemption..However, with the love of her daughter and Regina, Zelena gave up her magic to purify the crystals that the Black Fairy tricked her into darkening and helped her family win the final battle against Fiona and her threats.

## Personality

Like her sister, Zelena used to be sweet, kind, and caring, showing compassion to an unhashed baby bird and healing Regina with her magic despite not knowing her. She suffered years of abusive at the hands of her adoptive father. Additionally, her mother's abandonment of her and both Cora and Rumpelstiltskin choosing Regina over her caused Zelena to plot against her sister and ruin Regina's happiness wherever it pleases her. She would ruthlessly turn innocent individuals into flying monkeys to do her bidding. However after being reminded of her past as Regina's childhood friend, Zelena let's go of her hatred for her sister and the two reconciled. She later became a true hero when Zelena read herself of her magic after the Black Fairy manipulated her into corrupting the dark crystals she needed to enact the dark curse and begin the final battle

## Acts

### Heroic Acts

#### Before the Curse

* Despite everyone hating her for her magic and growing up with a cruel father, the young Zelena was caring and optimistic. After seeing a bird's nest knocked out of its tree and a broken egg lying there, she and her friend, Stanum, look at the bird and Zelena heals it with her magic. (6x18 Where Bluebirds For)
* After Cora brings her to the Enchanted Forest, Zelena heals Regina without realizing they are sisters. Despite barely knowing her, Zelena wants to help her magic because it will prove to her father that she is not wicked. Even as Cora tries to separate them, Zelena and Regina swear to find each other but her memories of her are erased. (5x18 Sisters).
* After learning Hades has been manipulating her ever since his heart restarted and that he killed Robin, Zelena was forced to kill him to protect herself and Regina.
* Clearly was not happy to learn Hook had been brought back to life, possibly because of Regina's heartbreak and how unfair it was that Killian survived and Robin did not.
* Acts very kind and motherly to Roland as he departs for the Enchanted Forest.
* Selflessly, she gave up her dark magic for Fiona couldn't harness the Black Crystals for the Final Battle so their family could win.
* Has been a good mother to her daughter, Robin. After learning Mother Gothel planned to steal Robin's life force to heal Madame Leota, who has been stuck in limbo Zelena later tries to sacrifice herself to protect her daughter. Robin saves her and the mother and daughter reconcile. After her powers are restored, Zelena uses them for good.
* Zelena would kill people more than anything if they were seeking revenge. When Nick was at her mercy, he yelled for her to finish the job, but Zelena refused and said that wasn't her anymore.

### Horrendous Acts

#### Before the Curse

* Zelena begins to grow jealous of Regina, especially after learning how Cora abandoned her at birth, kept Regina in favor of her, and how much time Rumpelstiltskin is teaching her sister instead of her. As such, she starts to turn green. Outraged, Zelena takes a knife and attempts to assassinate Regina when she sees her in her bedroom. However "Regina" turns out to be Rumplestiltskin in disguise and he realized her attempted fratricide shows that she is not fit to cast his curse. (3.16 It's Not Easy Being Green)
* When Zelena returns to Oz, she tosses the guards away and learns that the wizard is nothing more than a con man named Walsh who is from another world, Kansas. In an act of revenge, Zelena curses him to be her obedient servant. As she watches Regina train Rumplestiltskin and swears to make Regina wish she was never born, Zelena turns completely green. (3.16 It's Not Easy Being Green)
* When given a second chance by Glinda, Zelena is given a pendant that is now attached to her powers and restores her skin white. However, when Dorothy comes into the picture, Zelena Gross jealous again and begins to turn green. After letting jealousy consume her again, Zelena completely turned green yet again. (3.20 Kansas)
* Attempts to kill Dorothy with a fireball until she takes a bucket of water to extinguish the fire. (3.20 Kansas)
* After impersonating the wizard and sending Dorothy home, Zelena reveals herself to Glinda and banishes her to the north. After a while, Zelena banishes the Witches of the East and North and takes over Oz. (3.20 Kansas)
* In a flashback of season 7, Zelena left Hansel and Gretel to die at the hands of the Blind Witch and later steals the woman's eyesight to restore Ivo's eyesight, the man who helped her in the woods. However, after being called wicked, Zelena destroys the vile containing the blind Witch's eyesight and ruthlessly burns Hansel's arm with fire. This leads Hansel to suffer from a mental breakdown, develop a hatred for witches and cause problems for Zelena and her family at least thirty years later.

During the Missing Year

* Curses an innocent man Lumiere into a candelabra and refuses to turn him back into a human unless she helps him manipulate Neal and Belle into resurrecting Rumpelstiltskin. After Rumple is resurrected and forced to absorb Neal and his life force into him, Zelena subjugates Rumpelstiltskin to do her bidding when she steals the Dark one's dagger.
* After learning her sister and her allies plan to recast the Dark Curse to reach the Land Without Magic, Zelena uses a memory potion. She adds it to the curse's ingredients to make everyone forget the missing year and why they cast it. She wants to prevent them from finding David and Snow's daughter Emma, a a powerful witch who is capable of defeating her because light magic is Zelena's weakness.
* Mocks Snow White for her husband's sacrifice and Regina for how to properly get rid of a happy ending.

#### After the Second curse

* Mocks Gold, Emma, and all of Storybrooke for Neal's sacrifice and relishes in her sister's confusion
* Once again threatens Regina with a date worse than death. Belle eventually pieces together Zelena's plan to go back in time. If she succeeded in casting it, it will cause Regina, Snow, Emma, and Henry from being born.
* Cursed Captain Hook's lips to get rid of Emma's magic
* Attempts to kill her own nephew Henry after his memories have been restored until Emma intervenes with her powers
* Attacked Regina and Dr. Whale at the maternity ward and abducted baby Neal
* Cast her time travel spell as Rumpelstiltskin tried to kill her. Her spirit flees her body as she activated her time-travel spell
* When traveling with Emma and Hook into the past and watching their story play out, Zelena overhears Emma's plans on taking Marian, Robin's wife into the future. After they leave the unconscious woman unattended, Zelena kills Marian, and shape shifts into her, plotting to ruin her sister's happiness and relationship with Robin. (Snow Drifts, Heart of Gold)
* Purposefully becomes pregnant with Robin's child to have an advantage over Regina, knowing she can never have children.

### Post-Redemption

==Trivia==\*Zelena is based on the Wicked Witch of the West from the novel *The Wonderful Wizard of Oz*.

* She also shares several traits of Margaret Hamilton's portrayal of the character from the 1939 film adaptation, such as the flying broom, the green skin, The Black dress, the pointed hat, and the threatening Dorothy with a fireball. Similar to Mrs. Gulch, The Wicked Witch's Kansas counterpart, Zelena owned a bicycle with a basket.
* She also shares some elements of Elphaba from *Wicked* because both her and Zelena share tragic and have tragic and more sympathetic backstories.
* Ironically, when the curse was cast, Zelena took up residence in a farmhouse, a possible reference to Dorothy Gale who lived on a farm with her aunt, uncle and several of their hands in the original novel.
* She is a peddler instructor in San Francisco, referring to Mrs. Gulch driving a bicycle with a basket in the original 1939 film
* When Regina uses the apprentice's wand in the Season 5 mid-season finale to banish Zelena back to Oz, Regina sarcastically tells her sister that they will meet again "Somewhere over the rainbow." This is also how Zelena described Oz. Later, one of Zelena's backstory episodes is titled, "Where Bluebirds fly," which was also taken from lyrics of the classic song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
* The way Zelena calls Dorothy "my pretty" and the way Zelena asks Cora if she is a "good witch" is a reference from the 1939 film *The Wizard of Oz*. *("Our Decay", "Sisters").*
	+ Zelena says, "We're certainly not in Storybrooke anymore" when arriving in the Land of Untold Stories. This refers to Dorothy's original line from the 1939 film: "I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." *("Only You")*