‘Once Upon a Time’ Family Tree: How It Will Change in Season 7

Click image to enlarge (Designed by Danny Miller/Yahoo TV)
Click image to enlarge (Designed by Danny Miller/Yahoo TV)

Once Upon a Time isn’t just a story about fairy tale characters — it’s a story about one big, sometimes happy, sometimes conflicted, sometimes treacherous family.

The ties between the characters run deep. The family tree we’ve made is just the start of it! There are friends and foes with bonds to multiple characters.

At the center of the tree is Emma Swan, the Saviour who arrives in Storybrooke in the pilot. Jennifer Morrison is not returning for Season 7, and with her departure, this tree is going to lose a lot of branches. Not only is Morrison leaving, so are Ginnifer Goodwin (Snow White), Josh Dallas (Prince Charming), Jared Gilmore (Henry), Emilie de Ravin (Belle), and Rebecca Mader (Zelena).

Season 7 will focus on Lana Parrilla’s Regina, Robert Carlyle’s Rumplestiltskin, Colin O’Donoghue’s Captain Hook, and two new characters played by Andrew J. West and Allison Fernandez.

Let’s look at how these departures will affect the relationships of OUAT:

  • Nearly all of the Charmings are out of the picture: Emma, her parents, her baby brother, and her biological son.

  • Emma just married Hook, so this newlywed is left on his own.

  • So is his archenemy, Rumplestiltskin, who will lose his estranged wife, Belle.

  • Regina says goodbye to adopted son Henry, half-sister Zelena, and likely, Zelena’s baby, Robin (fathered by Regina’s dead true love, Robin Hood).

A lot of the fun of OUAT is seeing recurring fairy tale characters pop in and out. So, who might we see (and not see) in the future?

  • Not likely: Frozen’s Anna and Elsa were tied to Emma, since Emma’s real-world foster mother was their Aunt Ingrid.

  • Not likely: Brave’s Merida first met Emma when they all traveled to Camelot. She also befriended Belle.

  • Possible: Ariel. The mermaid and Hook have been firm friends.

  • Not likely: Dorothy Gale or anyone from Oz, now that Zelena/the Wicked Witch is off the canvas.

  • Not likely: Ruby/Red Riding Hood or Mulan. Both were tied to Emma and Belle.

  • Probable: Peter Pan. The fan-favorite villain can be counted on to cause trouble for his son, Rumplestiltskin.

Once Upon a Time airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on ABC. Watch clips and full episodes of OUAT for free on Yahoo View.

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