Magic Mirror

> I wish to be with you forever, to look upon your face always, to never leave your side.
>       —The Genie to Regina when making his final wish

The **Magic Mirror**, formerly known as the Genie of Agrabah, is a character on ABC's *Once Upon a Time*. He débuts in the second episode of the first season. He is portrayed by guest star Giancarlo Esposito, and is the Enchanted Forest counterpart of **Sidney Glass**.

The Magic Mirror is based on a character of the same name from the fairytale, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and a Genie from the folktale, "Aladdin".

## History

### Before First Curse

As the Genie of Agrabah, a powerful magical being who is imprisoned within the confines of a magic lamp, he grants wishes to all who happen to come across it in their travels. One day, while taking a stroll through his kingdom, King Leopold comes across the lamp by the side of a river. After curiously rubbing the lamp, the Genie appears to the King, granting him three wishes; with the warning that once a wish is fulfilled it cannot be undone. King Leopold, wanting for nothing, listens to the Genie's unhappiness over forever granting wishes. Since he longs for freedom, King Leopold happily uses his first wish to free him. Then, King Leopold uses the second wish to let the Genie have the third wish. Invited to the royal palace, the Genie meets King Leopold's daughter, Snow White, and his wife, Regina, whom he falls in love with. During King Leopold's birthday celebration, the Genie notices Regina reacts unhappily when her husband dubs his daughter the "fairest of them all". He follows Regina out to the apple tree garden; gifting her a mirror and dubbing her the fairest in the land. Later, King Leopold, enraged to discover from Regina's diary that she is having an affair, asks the Genie to find the man who gave her the mirror. Regina's father, Henry, arrives to hand over a box to the Genie to take to his daughter. Upon opening it, Regina prepares to let the vipers hiding inside poison her to death. Believing she reciprocates his love, the Genie murders King Leopold with a viper and admits on the man's death bed that he was the one who gifted Regina the mirror. Only after the deed is done, he realizes Regina has only been using him to get rid of her husband. With his heart broken, the genie frantically uses the last wish so to be with her forever and to look upon her face always. Much to his dismay, he becomes trapped as the Magic Mirror, now, ironically, able to look upon her forever. *("Fruit of the Poisonous Tree")*
Following his imprisonment in the mirror, Regina uses him to spy on her enemies such as Snow White, Rumplestiltskin and the Blind Witch. *("True North, "Skin Deep", "Ariel")*
After King Leopold dies, the Magic Mirror suggests Regina use a Huntsman to kill Snow White; knowing that the princess is too well-liked by everyone to be killed outright by the Queen. In the end, the Huntsman is unable to go through with the Queen's request, and spares Snow White's life in mercy. Discovering his deception, the Queen makes him her slave forever. *("The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter")*
When Regina comes into power as Queen with Snow White gone from the palace, she seeks out the help of a former portal jumper, Jefferson, to take her to another land. He refuses, but to sway his decision, the Queen disguises herself as an old hag selling items at a market vendor. Jefferson's daughter, Grace, eyes a stuffed rabbit, but her father does not have enough money to pay for it. The hag does not accept anything less than the asking price, and the two leave the market empty-handed. Once they are gone, the Magic Mirror, hanging on flip side of the vendor, teases the masqueraded Queen for being cruel to the young girl. *("Hat Trick")*
The Evil Queen, successful in her mission to destroy Snow White, puts the princess under a Sleeping Curse and keeps Prince Charming as her prisoner. However, the Huntsman secretly aids Prince Charming in escaping. To the Queen, he lies and says the man managed to break out on his own. Livid, the Queen is ready to sentence out the Huntsman's punishment for his incompetency, but the Magic Mirror is able to show her Prince Charming's exact location. She buys time by entrapping Prince Charming into the Infinite Forest, but she remains unaware Rumplestiltskin strikes a deal to help him find Snow White. *("An Apple Red as Blood", "A Land Without Magic")*
Eventually, Prince Charming leaves the Infinite Forest to awaken Snow White with true love's kiss, which the Magic Mirror sees while spying on them. While being carried to the Queen by a knight, he warns not to be dropped or else a curse of fourteen years will be unleashed. Hastening towards the Queen's apple tree garden, the Magic Mirror shows her a curseless Snow White being proposed to by Prince Charming. Enraged, the Queen immediately makes plans to confront the two. *("Lost Girl")*
In the Evil Queen's attempt to learn more about how to enact the Dark Curse, she goes to speak with Rumplestiltskin. Upon returning to the palace, the Magic Mirror tries to engage her in conversation about it, but goes ignored. As it is, the Evil Queen learns from Rumplestiltskin she must sacrifice the heart of the thing most beloved to her, which is her father. Going through with it, the Dark Curse is cast, and later engulfs everyone, including the Magic Mirror, into another land. *("Pilot", "The Thing You Love Most")*

*For events occurring after the casting of the first curse, see Sidney Glass.*

## Trivia

* When first meeting King Leopold, he states that he has granted "One thousand and one wishes..." This is a reference to the popular Middle Eastern folk-tales *One Thousand and One Arabian Nights*, which itself contains the story "Aladdin's Wonderful Lamp".
* By using him, the Evil Queen is able to see through uncovered mirrors. *("True North", "Skin Deep")*
* The lamp that he once lived in is currently in the possession of Mr. Gold in his pawnshop. *("Heart of Darkness")*
	+ Another genie lamp, with a different design, is also in the pawnshop. *("That Still Small Voice")*

### References

1. ↑ File:116AndThisSurprisesYou.png
2. ↑ File:105CreepyPuppets.png