Zelena

"The Queen may be Evil, but I'm Wicked. And Wicked always wins."

- Zelena to a Flying Monkey

Zelena, also known as the Wicked Witch of the West, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. She débuts in the twelfth episode of the third season. She is portrayed by starring cast member Rebecca Mader and guest star Isabella Blake-Thomas.

The Wicked Witch of the West is based on the character of the same name from the children's novel, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz".

Before First Curse
Abandoned by her birth mother, who leaves her to be taken by a cyclone, she is taken by it to the land of Oz and picked up by a woman. The woman's husband, a woodcutter, witnesses the baby exhibit magic by felling a tree, though the latter remains oblivious. Frightened by this sight, the woodcutter tries to persuade his wife to not take in the baby, but she insists on it, deciding to name the child Zelena.

Sometime during her childhood, Zelena's adoptive mother dies, leaving her to be raised solely by her adoptive father, who dislikes her ability to use magic. One day, while Zelena is outside her home collecting a stack of wood to place on a shelf, she accidentally drops the entire pile. Shen then uses magic to make the wood float and fly into place on the shelf, which her father sees and reprimands her for giving into her "wickedness". She promises it won't happen again, but he prepares to give her a beating as punishment, only for a witch, Cora, to magically freeze him in place. Cora, who was watching Zelena earlier, praises her for having the gift of magic. She offers Zelena a chance to prove to her father that her magic is not bad by helping her save someone. Cora brings Zelena to her home, where she needs her to use a spell to heal her daughter, Regina. Before Cora can prepare the spell, Zelena's eagerness to use her powers for good leads her to channel magic into Regina, successfully curing her. Zelena becomes fast friends with Regina, and one morning, Regina sneaks out of bed to play dress-up with her. They pretend to be royal enemies, in which Regina aims an imaginary fireball at Zelena, before they both burst into laughter. When Regina opens a drawer to take out a necklace for Zelena to wear as they continue to play, Zelena notices a box inside, that Regina states is where her mother used to keep her wand. Drawn to the box's design, Zelena touches it, unknowingly triggering the blood magic seal on it, causing the box to unlock. Regina, knowing about seal, suggests she and Zelena are related. They ask Cora, who admits the girls are siblings, with Regina hopeful about being a family with Zelena. Cora chides Regina for this, as she believes her daughter should depend on herself only, and if people find out about Zelena, everything she's worked towards for Regina's sake will be undone. On Cora's orders, guards take Zelena away as she and Regina hold onto each other, until the two are pried apart. Regina vows to Zelena that they will always be sisters no matter what and that she will find her again, but Cora ensures this never happens, by having both girls take a potion to forget each other.

After many years, an older Zelena still lives with her father. While she is shaving his neck, he harps on her to always put on her best face to hide the ugliness inside herself. Accidentally cutting him with the razor, she conjures a rag, but her use of magic angers him. He reveals the truth, that she is not his biological daughter, and spitefully calls her "wicked". Hurt over his words, she consults the Wizard about her birth family, hoping they will want her instead. Zelena finds out she was abandoned because her own mother, Cora, wished to become royalty, which her first-born could not give. She glimpses her half-sister, Regina, who has become Queen and struggles during a magic lesson with her instructor, Rumplestiltskin. Gifted silver slippers, Zelena uses them to travel to Regina's palace, where she dresses herself in her sister's clothes and succeeds in Rumplestiltskin's prior magic lesson. Rumplestiltskin witnesses this, and when she admits being Cora's firstborn, he has doubts until testing her genetics. Accepted by him, she learns that he is making a powerful curse to take himself to a Land Without Magic. She is taught to channel rage, such as anger about her own abandonment as well as jealousy towards Regina, into magic. Rumplestiltskin also teaches Zelena how to let the rage go by thinking of a happy moment, and even shares his childhood memory of being raised by spinsters and eating meat-pies. This helps her realize her happiest moment is having met him. After the lesson, she bakes him a meat-pie, but he has to leave to teach Regina magic. Upset, she reacts in hysterics until he points out that her jealousy is literally turning her skin green. Unwilling to have competition, Zelena attacks Regina, though it is Rumplestiltskin in disguise. He disqualifies her as the future caster of his curse since one of the ingredients required for it is the thing she loves most—him—and that makes her too dangerous. He backtracks upon seeing the silver slippers she has, which can take him to a Land Without Magic. Too furious at his prior rejection, she scathingly promises him that he'll choose her next time. Returning to the Wizard, she asks for a way to change the circumstances of her own past, though he says it's impossible. She rips away the Wizard's curtain, discovering he is just a man putting on a show, and transforms him into a pet flying monkey. As she gets a glimpse of Rumplestiltskin calling Regina his "best pupil", her jealousy reaches a boiling point, and Zelena's skin becomes completely green with envy.

Shortly after, Glinda, the Witch of the South, recruits Zelena into a sisterhood of witches. Along with the Witch of the East and the Witch of the North, the trio believe Zelena is destined to join them because of a prophecy foretelling of a sorceress arriving by cyclone and becoming the Witch of the West. Zelena is still obsessed about changing her past, but with Glinda's encouragement, she decides her own future as a good witch is more important. After receiving a pendant to harness her powers, Zelena views the western area of Oz, which she will be responsible for watching over. She and Glinda approach the wreckage from a cyclone to rescue a young girl named Dorothy. Fearing this child, who also arrived by cyclone, is the actual Witch of the West, Zelena researches the prophecy in the Book of Records; discovering the sorceress will "unseat the greatest evil the realm has ever seen", whom she believes is herself. Even with Glinda's advisement that her fears may be not true, Zelena plots to get rid of Dorothy by attacking the girl with fire. However, Dorothy counters her assailant with water; causing Zelena to physically melt away. Despite being seemingly dead, Zelena reemerges at the Wizard's Emerald City palace, after Dorothy rejects Glinda's offer of joining the sisterhood since she only wants to go home. Assuming the Wizard's voice, she sends Dorothy back to Kansas with the silver slippers, and then reveals herself to a shocked Glinda. Zelena reaffirms her goal of changing her own past, and to keep Glinda from finding another sorceress to fulfill the prophecy, she banishes the Witch of the South to the Enchanted Forest.

With the Wizard under her control and Glinda trapped in the Enchanted Forest, Zelena takes dominion over the Emerald City and its guards. At some point, she acquires the elixir of the wounded heart.

After settling a green birthday cupcake on a platter, Zelena uses magic on a mirror to see the moment her mother abandoned her. Intending to prove that Cora deserted the wrong daughter, she moves forward with creating a time travel spell, by getting the Scarecrow's brain. Before she can, Dorothy storms the palace to stop her. While Zelena prepares to finish her with a fireball, Dorothy's dog Toto wanders the room without her noticing. Zelena tosses the fireball at Dorothy, who ducks, with the flame incinerating a guard instead. Toto then pulls at a wall string, making the curtains topple onto Zelena, giving Dorothy time to flee with her dog and the Scarecrow. Blaming the munchkins for Dorothy's return, she tries to intimidate them into giving up the girl's hiding spot, but the munchkins scatter after being frightened by Hades' flaming hair. Hades thanks her for providing him with many souls in the Underworld and later offers to help her find the Scarecrow. Sympathetic to her plight, Hades explains that, he too, has to compete with an older sibling who has everything he wants. Leading her to an area where Dorothy landed in Oz years ago, he persuades Zelena into riding Dorothy's old bicycle with him, until they crash onto the ground, both giddy with laughter. After Zelena puts a tracking spell on the bike, she and Hades find Dorothy at a cottage. When Hades flirts with her, Zelena leans in to kiss him, but the romantic moment is cut short once they spot the Scarecrow. Confronting Dorothy, Zelena works quickly to extract the Scarecrow's brain, but she finds Hades gone. She returns to the palace, where Hades has prepared a celebratory banquet for her. Hades professes that he wants to be with Zelena, and his belief that a kiss of true love between them can restart his non-beating heart. Zelena rejects him, suspecting he wants the time spell for himself, since only one of them can use it. Believing no one can love her, she reasons that if he does love her, he won't stand in the way of her revenge. With a tone of finality, she sends him away, warning him to never show his face again.

One day, while Zelena is away from her chambers, Robin Hood, on Rumplestiltskin's orders, attempts to steal some of the elixir of the wounded heart. Disguised as one of Zelena's guards, Robin manages to fill two vials, but he drops one of the vials after she catches him trespassing. When she questions his actions, Robin salutes and greets her, unaware that her guards know better than to talk to her. Even more suspicious now, Zelena demands to know why he is stealing from her. With his cover blown, Robin grabs an enchanted bow from the room to fire at her. However, she duplicates two more illusions of herself to confuse him. As Zelena realizes he must have been sent by Rumplestiltskin, and he continues to not respond to her accusation, she dissipates the illusions and hurls a fireball at him. Robin dodges the attack, letting his arrow fire as he does, causing the shaft to fly around the room until it hits a steam engine. With the room completely fogged up, Robin escapes as Zelena is distracted.

Before Second Curse
Zelena, now known as the Wicked Witch of the West, eventually leaves Oz and begins taking residence in Regina's former palace, breaking the latter's magic lock on the crypt, which was created by blood magic. Conveniently, due to her blood link to Regina, this allows her easy access into the palace. Zelena later enacts her own protection spell to keep outsiders out. Threatening to harm Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip's unborn child, she forces them to notify her when the old inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest return. When they do so, she sends her minion, a flying monkey, to extract some of Regina's blood. After doing so, the Wicked Witch mixes the blood with a potion intending to seek revenge on Regina.

While still in the palace, she notices Regina and a man break in through the underground tunnel with intentions of bringing down the barrier encasing the building. Zelena also learns that Regina is concocting her own brew of the Sleeping Curse and planning to use it on herself. Only after Regina, having broken the palace shield, prepares to use the curse, she finally reveals herself to the other woman. The Wicked Witch speaks freely about having tried on Regina's clothes and seeing all the various rooms in the palace such as the crypt. While Regina believes Zelena forcibly opened the crypt, which is bound by blood magic, she insists that is not the case. When she admits their relation as half-sisters, with Cora as their shared mother, Regina doesn't believe her. Zelena elaborates by detailing how she was sent away to Oz while scathingly recounting how Cora gave Regina everything. Though Regina considers her lucky to have escaped Cora's tyranny, Zelena is too hurt by her mother's abandonment. Additionally, Zelena feels inferior to her since they were both students of Rumplestiltskin, but yet she wasn't the one chosen to enact the curse. Upon learning Cora and Rumplestiltskin are dead, she is somewhat disappointed by the news. Nonetheless, Zelena announces that her true intent is to get what she desires; describing it as "her dreams being realized" while Regina will suffer a "fate worse than death".

Zelena entraps a man named Lumiere in the form of a candelabrum; forcing him to manipulate Belle and Neal into reviving Rumplestiltskin by using a key to open the vault of the Dark One. Unknown to the pair, whoever resurrects the Dark One will lose their life. Shortly after Neal opens the vault, he begins dying while Rumplestiltskin is resurrected. As opportunity would have it, Zelena reveals herself to Rumpletstiltskin as he is holding his son as well as the accursed dagger. Since he is unable to cling onto both Neal and the dagger, she grabs the weapon. To keep his son alive, Rumplestiltskin quickly absorbs him into his body. Zelena then orders him to kill Belle, but before he can, Zelena is entrapped by Lumiere's flames. Belle flees unharmed, taking Lumiere with her, while Zelena furiously seethes.

Leading Rumplestiltskin back to this old castle, she imprisons him in the great hall inside a human-sized cage. After learning Aurora and Prince Phillip told Snow White that she desires their unborn child, Zelena makes a speedy entrance to the palace to turn the twosome into flying monkeys as punishment. Leaving no time to waste, she immobilizes Snow White and does the same to Prince Charming and Regina when they attempt to defend the pregnant princess. Casually, she approaches to touch Snow White's belly and promises the child will soon be hers. Later, Snow White learns from the banished Good Witch of the South, Glinda, that Zelena's weakness is light magic. Since Emma's powers fit this description, Snow, with the assistance of Regina, proceeds to cast a new Dark Curse to return everyone to Storybrooke. In the midst of it, Zelena interferes by dropping a potion into the curse mixture, which will erase their memories of the past year in the Enchanted Forest. Victorious, she flies off back to the castle to ingest another potion to retain her memories during the curse. Zelena then hands the same vial to Rumplestiltskin; daring him to keep his memories or be foolish enough to want to forget.

During Second Curse
While in Storybrooke, Zelena imprisons a resurrected Mr. Gold, courtesy of Neal, who previously used a key on the vault of the Dark One to bring back his father. As a price of opening the vault, Neal was supposed to die, but just before he perished, Mr. Gold absorbed him into his own body. At a town hall meeting, she gets her first glimpse of the savior, Emma, who is attempting to figure out who caused the new curse. One of the residents, Leroy, openly blames the mayor, Regina; an accusation that the other townspeople and Emma seemingly agree with. In a display of frustration, Regina causes a tremor and magically disappears out of the room. Zelena, sitting at the end of one aisle, watches the situation with interest. Under the disguise of a midwife, she becomes acquainted with Mary Margaret at the diner, and becomes an asset to the expecting mother, who desires a midwife to help her throughout the final stages of the pregnancy. Hours later, Leroy announces to the town's citizens that Emma caught Regina making a memory potion, which will apparently allow whoever drinks it to recall who cursed them. To protect herself from exposure, Zelena teleports into the mayoral office during the night to steal the potion, but disappears in green smoke when Emma and Regina burst in to apprehend her. Luckily, they do not catch a glimpse of her face, which is shrouded by the smoke. That same night, she magically opens a cellar door outside her house and carries a tray of food to a ragged and disheveled Mr. Gold, who grabs her arm to hiss that she should have never brought him back. She laughs, roughly kicking the tray into the cell, snidely telling him to "eat up" since they've got work to do and then strolls out of the cellar with ease.

Paying Mr. Gold another visit in the cellar, she walks in on him furiously spinning straw into gold. Zelena unlocks the cell door, daring him to harm her, though she is well aware he cannot since she possesses the Dark One's Dagger. She forces him to sit still so she gives him a facial shave, using the dagger as razor, while she sourly recounts how her drunken father often made her shave him. She recalls him telling her to "put on her best face", which was impossible since the outside always shows what is rotting on the inside. On purpose, Zelena nicks Mr. Gold to get a droplet of his blood, though she pretends it was an accident. Later, she goes to the pawnshop, which is now run by Belle, to ask for a baby gift for Mary Margaret, but quickly freezes the girl, and uses Mr. Gold's blood on a locked compartment behind a wall painting to retrieve a plant called night root. On her first day as midwife, Zelena is introduced to Mary Margaret's husband, David, and makes the couple chamomile tea at their apartment. Without their notice, she spikes David's tea with night root, later causing the man to fight a physical manifestation of himself as his greatest fear. He manages to kill it with his own sword hilt, which Zelena magically pockets in her handbag. While leaving the apartment, Zelena gushes enthusiastically about Mary Margaret's charming husband and reassures the expecting mother that with her around, she won't need to worry about the baby.

Discovering Mr. Gold has broken out of the cellar, Zelena exerts the power of the dagger to summon Mr. Gold, which doesn't work due to Neal, in his father's body, resisting the weapon's power. Angry at the failure, she sends a flying monkey to search for him. Mary Margaret phones her, panicked about not feeling the baby move recently, to which Zelena hurries over to the apartment with groceries. She calms her down, stating it's normal for babies to move infrequently as the labor date nears, and offers orange juice. Mary Margaret brushes off the baby's current state as due to her own worries, though Zelena knows the Wicked Witch, which everyone in town is talking about, must also be giving her stress. After Mary Margaret downs all of the orange juice, she is surprised to feel the baby kick. Delighted, the dutiful midwife happily remarks that Mary Margaret could have the child any day now. Disguising sinister words in a cheerful tone, Zelena even says that she simply won't allow Mary Margaret to have the child without her. Later, she excuses herself to the bathroom and escapes the apartment through an open window. As luck would have it, Zelena disappears in time just before Emma and David discover, from Mr. Gold, her identity as the Wicked Witch. They burst in to apprehend Zelena, but she is gone. In the woods, she meets up with a stoic Mr. Gold, who is watching over the corpse of his dead son, after their bodies were magically separated by Emma. He attempts to attack her, but she subdues him with the dagger. Despite that her real persona has been exposed, Zelena claims she'll have much use for Mr. Gold's brain.

Zelena storms the town diner threatening anyone who gets in her way will have to deal with the Dark One. She announces herself as Regina's half-sister and forces her into a showdown on Main Street after sundown. Before the deadline, she catches Mr. Gold's lover, Belle, entering the cellar and attempting to guide him out of the prison. Once the girl flees, Zelena magically induces Mr. Gold to give a message to the rest of Belle's allies, David, Emma and Tinker Bell, outside the cellar, that anyone who attempts to hinder her quest to take down Regina will die. At nightfall, Zelena shows up, with Mr. Gold in tow, though Regina is absent. When challenged by Emma, who she sees as an unworthy opponent, Zelena has Mr. Gold magically fling her away. Regina arrives to the confrontation, having accepted they are sisters, but doesn't understand the grudge Zelena has against her. Zelena wickedly remarks that it's because Regina was born, and she receives a slap in retaliation. As they trade blows in magic, Zelena furiously declares that Regina had everything even though she didn't appreciate or deserve it. Eventually, she magically chokes Regina and sends her flying into the clock tower. Then, Zelena attempts to rip out her sister's heart, but discovers it is hidden elsewhere. Before taking off on a broom, she savagely promises to take everything Regina has. Locking up Mr. Gold once more, Zelena informs him that what she is planning to cast isn't a curse, but something to give herself a second chance to change her own past.

Despite her easy defeat of the savior the prior night, Zelena knows she can't kill Emma, who has powerful magic within her and could be a threat. She makes use of Hook, the sole person in Storybrooke that retained his memories from the past year, and is also aware he is in love with Emma. Devising a scheme to take down the savior, she disguises herself as Ariel, a mermaid who once sought Hook's aid in finding the man she loves, Prince Eric, only for him to selfishly choose to reclaim his ship over helping her. As Ariel, she tricks Hook into believing since the new curse, Eric hasn't returned and asks for his help locating him. They track down Eric's cloak at the pawnshop and pour a potion on it, which leads them straight to the harbor and then sinks into the water. "Ariel" pretends to be distraught; believing this is a sign Eric is dead. Overcome with guilt, Hook confesses having met Ariel during the missing year in the Enchanted Forest in which he chose to save his ship over Eric's life; hoping it would fill a void left in his heart from having to leave the woman he loved. To prove he still believes in love, "Ariel" makes him swear on the woman's name, but no sooner do the words "Emma Swan" come out of his mouth, Zelena places a curse on him. Revealing her true self, she explains that the real Ariel already found Eric on an island outside the boundaries of the curse and they are now together. Zelena also declares she has cursed him so he can kiss Emma, which will remove all of the savior's magic. Though Hook refuses, she promises to kill all of Emma's loved ones should he fail.

While distracting Regina with a visit to her house, Zelena has Mr. Gold fetch her sister's heart from Robin Hood. Then, she dolls Mr. Gold up by making him wear an extravagant suit and later sit down for a meal with her. Over dinner, she fills him in on her motives for collecting various ingredients, like David's sword and Regina's heart, in order to cast a time spell to change her own past. At first, Mr. Gold has doubts Zelena can actually do it, but she sweetens the deal by offering to take him along with her so he can be reunited with his son again. Impressed, her former teacher admits he was wrong to have not chosen her in the past and makes up for his errors by engaging Zelena in a heady make-out session. Zelena falls under his alluring spell, but not for long, especially when she realizes he is only toying with her long enough to grab the dagger. Seizing control of the weapon before he can reach it, she angrily berates Mr. Gold for his lost chance of ever seeing his son again and orders him back to his cell.

On the town roadside, Zelena awaits Mr. Gold, who drives up and unveils a kidnapped Hook inside the trunk. She warns Hook for the last time to get a move on her plan to eliminate Emma's magic, or Henry will pay the price. He fails to follow her orders and even attempts to take the boy out of Storybrooke in secret. Zelena sends several flying monkeys after them, but all are destroyed. While Henry, his memory loss cured by touching the fairytale storybook, is basking in a reunion with Regina, Zelena grabs and proceeds to choke him. Regina's attempt to defend her son is overturned when she is knocked unconscious as Zelena continues to aggressively suffocate Henry. However, she is caught off guard when Emma uses magic to scald her. This moment of distraction causes her to let go of Henry and retreat from the fight. After the battle, Regina breaks the new curse by giving Henry a kiss of true love.

After Second Curse
Proceeding with her plan to enact a time spell, Zelena takes the gold strands Mr. Gold spun and transforms it into his brain; another needed ingredient. She then has him dig a symbol into the ground of the barn. The last spell component — the baby — is missing since Mary Margaret is in labor, but also because Emma created a magic barrier around the delivery room to keep Zelena out. She catches Emma and Hook approaching the barn and quickly turns the situation in her own favor by drowning the pirate until he is unconscious; therefore forcing the savior to resuscitate him and be stripped of her magic. In doing so, Emma's protective spell fades. On her way to claim the last ingredient for the spell, Zelena subdues the Merry Men, Belle and Regina before stealing Mary Margaret's newborn son. Returning to the barn, she begins the spell only for David, Emma, Hook, Regina and Robin Hood to intervene. While everyone else is no match for Zelena, Regina overpowers her with light magic. Regina snatches Zelena's pendant, rendering her powerless without magic, and takes away the dagger as well. Simmering with rage, Mr. Gold attempts to kill Zelena for enslaving him, but Regina spares her sister's life. Imprisoned in a jail cell, Zelena grudgingly accepts her current dilemma, but fails to understand why she is still alive. Regina sympathizes with her since they both suffered as Cora's daughters and having lives they didn't want. She also knows what it's like to be fueled by vengeance and gives Zelena a second chance to reshape a better future for herself. Later on, Mr. Gold, wielding the dagger, seeks payback for his son's death by stabbing Zelena to death although she was smiling. Her body transforms into a statue, which he then shatters into pieces. Unseen to his eyes, the remains of her body turn into powder and vanish. Tucked away in the vault, Zelena's pendant airs out a greenish smoke, joining with her life force, before traveling to the barn, where it engulfs the time spell symbol on the ground.

Once the time portal is activated, and Emma and Hook have gone through into it, Zelena secretly goes with them. Upon discovering the pair are going to bring Maid Marian to present-day Storybrooke, she kills the woman and assumes her form with the help of a six-leaf clover of Oz. Thus, Emma and Hook end up unknowingly bringing her home with them. At some point after turning into Marian, Zelena uses magic to learn everything she can about her.
 * -|Alternate Timeline=

As Marian, Zelena reunites with Robin Hood, which puts a wedge in his budding romance with Regina. Deciding to honor his marriage vows, Robin Hood breaks up with Regina, who schemes to travel back in time and kill Marian. Instead, when the town is under attack by an ice monster, she saves Marian's life. While getting accustomed to town, Marian goes to an ice cream parlor with Robin Hood and Roland. There, Ingrid gifts her a free ice cream cone, which she secretly infuses with a freezing spell. After consuming the frozen treat, Marian attends a town hall meeting, where she collapses and begins freezing to death. Since true love's kiss doesn't work, Regina takes out Marian's heart to keep her from dying. Once Ingrid is defeated, Marian unfreezes, and with the return of her heart, she regains consciousness. Later, she arrives at the diner and thanks Regina for saving her life. Knowing that Regina and Robin Hood have feelings for each other, Marian states her intent to step away as she does not wish her husband to be with her out of obligation. While playing with Roland at a park riverside, she passes out from remnants of Ingrid's magic re-affecting her body. As there is no magic outside the town line, Regina recognizes Marian can only survive by leaving Storybrooke. Due to leftover fragments of Ingrid's curse, however, those who go out of town can never return. Knowing Marian will be in an unknown land outside of Storybrooke, Regina pushes Robin Hood to take Roland and depart with his wife, which he does.

After leaving Storybrooke for New York City, Zelena continues to pretend to be Marian until she and Robin Hood cross paths with Mr. Gold, who has a heart attack stemming from the poison of all his dark deeds. Robin Hood retrieves a magic elixir to heal him, but Zelena switches it out, before revealing her true form to Mr. Gold. As Zelena gleefully explains how she survived her own death, Mr. Gold suffers another heart attack that stops his heart, but the doctors manage to revive him. Later, she promises to give him the elixir if he stops trying to kill her and makes the Author write her a happy ending, which he agrees to. As Marian, Zelena confronts her husband about finding Regina's phone number on his mobile. She gives him an ultimatum to make a choice between her or Regina, and Robin Hood eventually chooses her, citing that they were once happy together and he wants to regain that happiness again. Upon Mr. Gold's return to Storybrooke, he has Regina call Robin Hood's phone, in which she discovers Zelena is alive and has been masquerading as Marian this whole time. With this shocking truth, Mr. Gold hopes to blackmail Regina into helping them with the Author. As parting words, Zelena vows she and her sister will see each other again.

Continuing to pose as Marian, Zelena comes home to find Regina revealing the truth about her to Robin Hood. When Regina threatens her, she feigns ignorance and looks to her husband for protection. After Robin Hood manages to make Regina stop, Zelena grins wickedly before pulling out the six-leaf clover and reverting to her true self. With the truth out in the open, Regina urges Robin Hood to get Roland and leave with her, but he declines. Zelena smugly states that he'll want to stay, to which Regina presses him for an answer. After a moment, Robin Hood admits Zelena is pregnant.

Taken back to Storybrooke, Zelena is imprisoned by Regina in a cell in the hospital's psychiatric ward, where she taunts her sister about being unable to kill her without making her child motherless. After obtaining magic ink from Lily, Regina brings the Author, Isaac, to the cell so he can rewrite Zelena out of existence. Learning what will happen to her, Zelena compares Regina to the same level of cruelty that Cora once showed her. As Regina takes in her words, Robin Hood walks in. Backtracking against her plan to hurt Zelena, Regina considers how they are each their own worst enemy, before deciding she will move forward with Robin even if her sister remains in the picture.

After Isaac rewrites new lives for everyone, he sends Zelena and every former Enchanted Forest native to an alternate reality inside his book, Heroes and Villains.

|-|During Alternate Reality= After Isaac rewrites everyone's stories in the Heroes and Villains book, Zelena becomes Robin Hood's bride-to-be, as they plan to marry soon. One day, she enters a tavern to find him talking to a famed thief, Regina, who she gushes over upon meeting. Zelena invites Regina to their wedding ceremony, but Regina declines, deciding to make haste since the Queen is looking for her. Following Henry's plan to reverse Isaac's stories, Regina rushes to stop Robin Hood's wedding. Sidetracked by Rumplestiltskin, Emma duels him while Regina hurries on. Inside the church, Zelena stands at the altar with Robin Hood as the officiant asks her husband-to-be if he will take her in marriage. He hesitates, briefly locking eyes with Regina, who abandons her plans of intervening in order to save Henry from being killed by Rumplestiltskin. After the ceremony concludes, Zelena walks out with her husband. He, upon seeing an injured Regina, rushes to her side. A puzzled Zelena follows, questioning him about what's going on, before noting that Regina is getting blood on her dress. Robin presses her to consider that someone is dying, but she angrily asserts that today was suppose to be her day. As Zelena's jealousy grows, the skin on her hand turns green, causing her to run off in distress. Once Henry harnesses the quill and becomes the next Author, Isaac's stories are undone and everyone returns to their old lives in Storybrooke.

Before Third Curse
As Zelena is meditating in her cell, she is visited by Regina and Hook. They explain Emma has become the Dark One and they need to take out her darkness, but to reach her in the other world, the Apprentice's wand must be used by someone with enough light and dark essence. Robin encourages her to help, suggesting if she does, their baby can live without darkness, but she snaps that the baby is hers and calls him an unwilling pawn she used to create the child. This leads to squabbling between her and Regina, prompting Hook to ask if Zelena is going to help them or not, which she finally agrees to. After examining the wand, Zelena declares they need something important of Emma's to guide the portal to its destination. Since Regina is unwilling to ever let Zelena off her leash, Hook later returns to break Zelena out so she can harness the wand. To ensure she behaves, Hook uses a potion on his hook to rip out her heart, but he is soon thrown back by a shield, as Zelena casually admits she cast a protection spell on her heart eons ago. Grabbing Hook's blade, she hacks off her left hand, removing the magic bracelet, and reattaches the hand. Finally able to use her magic freely, Zelena teleports out. Disguised as Regina, she rushes into the apartment to inform Robin about Zelena's escape, but when Robin kisses her, he realizes who she is, prompting Zelena to morph back. Zelena takes him as leverage and bargains with Regina for the wand, which she wants to use to go back to Oz and have the life she wants with her unborn child. Regina forfeits the wand, to which gleeful Zelena creates a cyclone, but her magic use drains her strength, giving Regina the chance to reclasp the bracelet on her. Taken to the diner, Zelena is bound to a chair by Robin and David, while Regina uses Emma's blanket to redirect the approaching cyclone into taking them to the Enchanted Forest.

After the diner is taken to the Enchanted Forest, some of the people present go in search of Emma, and after she is found, the group is met by King Arthur and his men, who lead them to Camelot. Zelena, along with everyone else, later enter King Arthur's castle.

At the castle, King Arthur introduces the group to his Queen, Guinevere, and he announces there will be a ball held in their honor. Zelena pressures Regina to remove her bracelet or she’ll tell Arthur that Emma is the Dark One, but Regina swiftly shuts her sister up with a magical wave of her hand, rendering her incapable of speaking, much to Robin’s amusement.

Forced to play the part of Regina's mute handmaiden, Zelena sits in Merlin's tower while her sister is researching magical remedies for freeing the sorcerer. Before Robin leaves the room to get tea for Regina, he gives her a quick kiss, as Zelena watches with disdain. After Robin is gone, Regina then restores Zelena's voice, confronting her about her prior escape attempt to Oz. She tries to reason with Zelena, stating she cannot take the baby away from Robin, but Zelena is unapologetic, wondering if Regina is going to take the baby from her, though the child is her only chance at happiness. Zelena asks why she can't have a second chance since Regina got one, to which the latter angrily recalls that she already used up two second chances, and then tells her to stop painting herself as the victim. An incited Zelena argues that while Regina may see life as fair, she herself still sees only one sister getting all the toys in the box. Regina abruptly mutes her again, cautioning Zelena to remember that she is still the Evil Queen, and that she can be far worse towards her if she wishes. Instead of that, though, Regina promises she'll ensure the baby is loved and safe, while also making sure the same won't happen for Zelena.

After the heroes free Merlin, Zelena regroups with them at the diner, where she lies down on the diner counter, while overhearing them discuss breaking into Arthur's castle. Upon hearing David suggest taking the guards by surprise at the front gate, Zelena slaps her forehead, knowing it's a bad idea. Hook goes on to say they can diverge at the wall bridge and then climb up the castle. Regina suggests she use magic to poof herself into Arthur's bedroom, to which Zelena gives an audible sneer and motions for her voice to be restored. When she is able to speak again, Zelena convinces them that their plans are garbage and the best way is to sneak in without attracting attention. She admits, during the time she was Regina's handmaiden, she was plotting an escape and did find a way out. Zelena shows them an abandoned tunnel which gives access to the castle courtyard, but it's protected by a huge metal grate and magic, hence, why she couldn't go through it. As a reward for helping them, she wants the cuff removed, but Regina decides to save that for after they return. Mary Margaret stays behind to guard Zelena, whose wrists are bound behind her back. While secretly undoing binds, Zelena weeps over no one believing she is truly trying to help, and how Regina is always winning instead of her. In the next instant, she coughs and lurches in faux pain, causing a concerned Mary Margaret to check up on her. Suddenly, Zelena gives her a hard kick with her legs, as she pulls the loose rope from her freed hands to tie up an unconscious Mary Margaret. Arthur removes Zelena's cuff, and Zelena surprises the heroes with a captive Mary Margaret, before helping Arthur enact a spell to tether Merlin to Excalibur. Once Arthur summons Merlin, he orders the sorcerer to disarm the group and send them away, and Merlin obeys, leaving only Zelena behind with Arthur.

In the forest, Zelena and Arthur wait for Emma to show and turn over the flame ember and the dagger to them, or else they'll make Merlin kill her family. Emma asks them to release her family before she gives them what they want, but she forfeits the flame ember after Zelena threatens to kill either Hook or David first. When Zelena opens the box containing the ember, however, black coils of Emma's dark magic wrap her to a tree. Arthur frees Zelena after Hook disarms him, to which Zelena poofs herself and Arthur back to the castle. As they need the help of the whole Camelot kingdom to beat the heroes, the pair go to DunBroch in search of a magical helm that can influence people into fighting for their cause. From the old witch, they learn she gave the helm to King Fergus in a deal, leading them to steal a bow that Fergus gifted his daughter Merida, as a way to locate the missing helm. After the helm is found in a river bank, Merida prevents Arthur from taking it by dueling him, while Zelena takes on Mulan, before she is promptly knocked out by Ruby's sleeping powder. When Merida's clansmen corner them, a groggy Zelena uses her magic so that she and Arthur can retreat from battle once more.

After Hook becomes a Dark One, he enacts another curse, hoping to return to Storybrooke and get his revenge on Mr. Gold. To stop him and find a way to return him to who he used to be, Emma traps Hook's memories from the last six weeks in a dreamcatcher, and she does the same with everyone else, to ensure no one remembers Hook becoming a Dark One. After putting the cuff back on Zelena's wrist, she adds the dreamcatcher into the curse brew, creating a full memory wipe. Soon, the curse spreads and sends them all back to Storybrooke.

After Third Curse
Upon arrival back in Storybrooke, everyone in the diner crashes to the floor from the impact of the building dropping on the ground, and as they get up, the group realize they are still in Camelot attire, and the last thing anyone recalls is entering King Arthur's castle. Emma, in order to keep Hook's secret under wraps, enters and professes that she will punish them for what they did to her.

Sometime after returning to Storybrooke, Zelena gets a sonogram of the growing baby, which Regina gives to Robin to view on a phone.

While Zelena is reading "What to Expect When You're Expecting" in her cell, she happily feels a kick from the baby, just as Nurse Ratched enters to bring her lunch. Zelena hopes to satisfy her craving for onion rings, but her appetite promptly diminishes after the nurse uncovers the plate, revealing green vegetables. The nurse explains she is following Regina's orders of feeding her only local, organically grown food, to which Zelena refuses the plate and shoos her off. After the nurse is gone, Emma appears in Zelena's cell, teleporting her to her house. There, Emma offers Zelena onion rings, which the redhead eagerly consumes, not knowing that Emma has put magic in the food to later accelerate her pregnancy to full-term. Zelena knows the treat is not without a catch, to which Emma offers Zelena freedom and protection from Regina and the others, in exchange for helping her use the Apprentice's wand. The redhead recalls, with much fanfare, about the ward janitor telling her that Emma ripped out Violet's heart before forcing her to reject Henry. Although she herself has committed bad acts, Zelena also knows what it's like to be betrayed by a mother and being angry about it for years. She tells Emma to prepare for a lifetime of resentment from Henry, while Emma believes Henry just needs time before he forgives her. However, Zelena cautions that some things can't be forgiven, and when she prods her about Neal's death, Emma coldly asks whether they have a deal or not. Zelena turns down Emma's offer, not wanting a bad influence on her child, and cites that she has her own problems to deal with. Emma believes Zelena will change her mind in the future, but the latter considers that she doesn't mind being alone, while the same cannot be said for Emma. Wordlessly, Emma transports Zelena back to her cell.

In the midst of reading a story to her baby, Zelena feels a hard kick in the stomach that she chalks up to child's growing strength. However, she feels another kick that turns into intense pain as her pregnancy rapidly accelerates because of Emma's dark magic, after she ate the onion rings Emma gave her. She shouts for help, causing Nurse Ratched to call in Regina and Robin, who find Zelena's pregnancy has reached full term in a matter of minutes, and she is going into labor. Zelena, seated in a wheelchair, howls in agony as the nurse wheels her into a hospital room on the upper level, where she is prepped on the bed for the birth. During this, Belle rushes in, telling them that Emma is after the baby's first cry for a spell to banish the light magic inside herself. Dr. Whale instructs her on when to push during the labor, and Zelena eventually gives birth to a healthy baby girl. As Robin and Regina meet the newborn, Zelena cannot help but comment on her sister's envy towards her for having Robin's baby. Regina looks down in dismay, but before she can respond, Emma shows up, not for the baby, but to take Zelena, who she intends to put her and Hook's darkness into and then kill to ensure the Dark One lineage is extinguished forever. Chained in Emma's basement, Zelena convinces Hook to use the enchantment on his hook to rip off her cuff, so she can regain her powers. With her restored magic, she magically switches out of her frumpy hospital gown for a stylish new outfit, and then frees Hook. Upstairs, Zelena sneaks out the back door, while Hook stays behind to get answers from Emma. Instead of leaving, Zelena finds one of Emma's dreamcatchers outside, and from looking into the memories stored inside, she discovers Emma made Hook a Dark One when he was on the brink of death. After Hook paralyzes Emma with squid ink, the redhead witch returns, stabbing Hook in the chest to prove he is immortal, and then shows him his lost memories in the dreamcatcher.

As retaliation for taking his memories, Hook steals Emma's memories so she forgets what his ultimate goal is. While Emma is weakened from the memory wipe, Zelena places the enchanted cuff on her wrist to ensure she can't use magic. Zelena then questions Hook about whether helping him guarantees he will not start trouble with her, to which he agrees he will leave her be, as long as she stays out of his way as well. Heading into the hospital, Zelena puts Nurse Ratched to sleep when she gets in her way, before proceeding to look for her baby. Zelena finds Regina waiting for her in the hallway, and when she looks into the incubator room, she discovers her daughter missing. While Zelena cries foul over Regina taking her baby because, for once, she has something her sister doesn't have, Regina expresses disgust over how Zelena got the child in the first place. Hoping to put a stop to the insanity between them, Regina takes Zelena to the loft, where Robin is tending to his daughter. Regina, whose maternal love for Henry changed her into a better person, has some hope that the same could happen for Zelena with her child. Robin, too, consents to allowing Zelena to visit and be part of their daughter's life as her mother, as long as either he or Regina are present. Zelena is then given a chance to hold her baby, whom she affectionately calls her "little green bean".

With the rise of the previous Dark Ones from the Underworld, Zelena quickly catches on that they intend to brand some of Storybrooke residents so they can gain physical bodies in exchange for the souls they sacrifice. Poofing into an alleyway, she announces to Regina and Robin of her intentions to grant herself sole custody of her daughter. When Robin reacts defensively by aiming an arrow at her, Zelena laughs at his gesture, stating that there's no point in fighting when he and Regina will be dead soon. Moments later, two Dark Ones saunter up to Regina and Robin from behind, branding their souls for the Underworld. Zelena disappears to the mayoral office, taking a seat in the chair, and begins picking out a shade of green to repaint the walls. In agreement with Robin that Zelena needs to go, Regina harnesses the Apprentice's wand, taking Zelena to the clock tower, where she summons a cyclone to take her sister back to Oz. Despite clinging onto the edge of the broken clock face, Zelena is pulled away by the cyclone's powerful winds and into the portal.

Upon her return to Oz, Zelena is approached by a dog, Toto, because he can tell she is a witch. When Ruby, Mulan and Dorothy show up, she quickly informs them that she wants no part in staying in Oz, and wishes to get back to her daughter as soon as possible. Zelena demands the silver slippers from Dorothy, and after the girl refuses, she unveils Toto in a basket, using the dog as leverage to force Dorothy's hand. Before poofing away, she gives Dorothy until sundown tomorrow to hand over the slippers, or Toto will pay the price. Once Dorothy and Ruby acquire the poppy flower, Mulan finishes a powder to put Zelena to sleep. That night, Dorothy takes the powder and decides to confront Zelena alone at the palace, but Zelena surprises Dorothy by pricking her finger with the sleeping curse. After pilfering the slippers from Dorothy, Zelena uses them to return to Storybrooke.

After coming back to Storybrooke, Zelena disguises herself as Mother Superior and walks into the nunnery's nursery room, where her daughter and baby Neal now live. Belle, who is visiting the babies, notices something off about Mother Superior, though Zelena tries to play it off, until the real Mother Superior arrives. With her cover blown, Zelena reverts to her actual self and tries to take her daughter away. As she argues with Belle about this, Mother Superior prepares to use her wand on Zelena. Suddenly, an earthquake causes a portal, which Belle falls into after grabbing Baby Hood, with Zelena jumping in to follow. Landing in the Underworld, Zelena realizes Hades is responsible for the portal, and he wants her baby for the time spell she once denied him of. Belle takes off with Baby Hood, while Zelena is unable to stop her because she has a strained ankle. She instead reunites with Regina and Robin, who set out to look for Belle. As they comb the woods, Zelena asks Robin about what he named their daughter, expressing disdain at certain names, especially Marian. When Robin retorts he hasn't had enough time with their child since he's been protecting her from Zelena, she berates him for being in the Underworld instead of with their daughter. Robin insists helping a friend and settling an example of heroism is important. To end the dispute, Regina recalls how she used to be like Zelena, only caring about herself, and that made her alone and miserable, but this changed when her enemies became her family, which is why they are in the Underworld to save Hook. After finding the baby, Zelena offers to feed her with formula. Robin relents, only because Zelena's magic isn't working, but when Zelena's magic returns, she douses him, Regina and Belle with a blast before escaping with her child. However, after realizing her own magic injured her daughter, she forfeits her to Robin, knowing she can't protect their child from Hades. When she confronts Hades, he reveals he still loves her and had created the Underworld in Storybrooke's image for her since he knows she wanted to cast the Dark Curse. Furthermore, he only wanted to get the child away from the heroes for her sake, and not for a time spell. Despite wanting to trust him, Zelena refuses his help, deciding to regain her daughter on her own.

Zelena takes a break at the diner, where she allows Regina to join her. She asks after her daughter, whom Regina confirms is fine since Robin is hiding her in the woods. Zelena doesn't believe this will stop Hades since he usually goes after what he wants. With persuasion from Regina, Zelena reveals Hades is in love with her, and she scoffs at the idea that anyone could love her. When Regina asks if she reciprocates his feelings, she doesn't answer. While Regina sympathizes with her sister's dilemma, she addresses the equally pressing matter of Hades' weakness, which she needs to know to defeat him. Zelena is upset that Regina came to her for more than just sisterly concern, though Regina affirms both are equally important to her. Zelena has nothing else to offer, and to her own knowledge, she is Hades' only weakness. Later, she receives a covered platter that contains a card with her name on it as well as withered red flower. Despite that the sender didn't leave his name, Zelena smiles at the gift appreciatively, knowing the flower is from Hades.

At her Underbrooke home, Zelena is visited by Hades, who warns her about Ruby's recent appearance in the Underworld. Knowing Ruby is likely looking for Dorothy, she grows fearful that if Regina learns what she did to Dorothy, she'll be barred from ever seeing her daughter again. Zelena wants to leave the Underworld before this happens, and she worries if she stays, she will do something she'll eventually regret. Hades tries to draw her to his side, promising to give her whatever she wants, but she sticks to her decision. He then drops the subject, and before taking his leave, he vows that, either way, he'll take care of Ruby for her. When Zelena begins using the slippers, her escape is halted by Ruby, Regina, Emma and Snow confronting her about Dorothy's disappearance. Regina talks her into redeeming herself by helping them, to which Zelena unveils in a mirror that Dorothy is currently under the sleeping curse in Oz. Only true love's kiss can break the curse, and Zelena believes it impossible, since Dorothy may have the love of the Ozians, but not true love. In a private chat with Regina, Zelena continues to be smug about what she did to Dorothy, until her sister tells her to drop the act. Regina persuades Zelena to break away from the path she is on now, starting by doing one good thing; giving up the slippers. Zelena forfeits the slippers, despite that she sees no value in Regina's pep talks, as she believes nothing will ever change for either of them. As Zelena consoles herself with drinks, Belle pleads for her to convince Hades to tear up contract on her baby, but Zelena doubts Hades will listen. While Zelena is disillusioned about her own future, believing her happy ending is not with her daughter or Hades, Belle points out she hasn't given Hades a chance yet. Belle comes to fear Hades will speed up her pregnancy, but Zelena offers her temporary solution, the curse. Later, Zelena takes Belle's advice and goes to Hades. He shows her what he's done to Dorothy's Auntie Em, who could've woken her from the curse, as proof of his loyalty to her. Zelena still fears being disappointed by Hades, but decides to accept him, stating it's a chance she has to take.

During the night, Hades takes Zelena for a drive to the outskirts of town, where they drink by an open campfire. He shows her a scenic view of Underbrooke in the distance, which she happily recalls as his gift to her. However, Hades believes she deserves much more than just a decayed replica of what Regina has, and he asks her to go to the real Storybrooke with him after his heart is beating again. When Zelena asks about his plans for the Underworld, Hades confirms he will gladly give it up, if she will be with him. She doubts Regina and her friends would like the both of them being in Storybrooke, but he explains having created headstones for the heroes, to trap them in the Underworld forever. Hades believes there's no other way, and that Zelena has to choose between the both of them or Regina. Dropping to his knees, he asks if she will make chaos with him. She, still indecisive, doesn't say yes or no to his proposal. Zelena returns to home to find Regina waiting for her, and she quickly senses that her sister knows who she's been with. Regina forbids her from seeing Hades again, but Zelena believes she can change him into a better person, like Regina did with Robin. Regina questions what will happen if she fails, to which Zelena rebuffs her concern, accusing her of never wanting a sister anyway. In a plan with Regina to erase Hades from Zelena's mind, Cora shows up at Zelena's home to reconcile with her, while Regina sneaks in from the back. Cora believes Zelena has real feelings for Hades, but in truth, she's trying to fill the hole of being abandoned at birth. Zelena receives the answers to what she's always wondered, in which Cora admits she regrets abandoning her and apologizes to her. Afterwards, Cora gets a glass of water for her, that Regina put the potion in. Zelena figures out what Cora and Regina are up to, and when she picks a fight with Regina, Cora restores the sisters' lost memories of each other. Cora encourages Zelena to believe in herself, and that it's never too late to change. After both sisters help Cora move on, Regina gives her blessing to Zelena about Hades. Zelena arrives for a date with Hades, but before she can go in, Mr. Gold confronts her for giving the sleeping curse to Belle. Though he once promised to stop trying to kill her, he goes back on it, because he wants revenge on her for causing Belle's cursed state. Pan then walks up, and after being introduced as Mr. Gold's father, he throws a bag over Zelena's head.

After Zelena is kidnapped by Mr. Gold and Pan, Hades finds a note outside the diner, in which Mr. Gold asks for the baby contract to be voided in order to secure Zelena's freedom. Hades meets with the villains at the diner, where Mr. Gold and Pan teleport in with Zelena, whose magic has been disabled with a cuff. As Mr. Gold requested, Hades rips up the contract in front of him, but before Pan allows Zelena to go, he prepares to steal her heart to revive himself. Zelena warns Pan that her heart has a protection spell, which he disregards out of disbelief that her magic is as strong as his. He moves to pull her heart out, but then, Emma arrives in from the backdoor, blasting Pan away with a spray of magic. With persuasion from Emma, Mr. Gold abandons his father, leaving Pan to retreat as well. In the aftermath, Zelena shares a kiss with Hades, unknowingly triggering true love's kiss, which restarts Hades' heart and removes his banishment. Before the portal trip home, Hades removes the heroes' names from the graves, which Zelena sees as proof that he's changed. While Emma and Hook are on a mission to obtain ambrosia, Regina convinces Robin to give his daughter to Zelena, who goes with Hades to wait by the portal. Unknown to Zelena, Hades sent Emma and Hook on a dead-end quest for ambrosia, and he put a barrier on the library to keep everyone else trapped. Zelena grows concerned when the heroes fall to arrive to the portal, but Hades persuades her that they will make it in time on their own. With that, she takes her daughter with her as she follows Hades into the portal back to Storybrooke.

Arriving to Storybrooke's Toll Bridge, Hades relishes over being in the land of the living, while Zelena worries for the heroes. He assures her again that they'll be fine, but he has doubts they won't believe he's changed. Zelena vows to help change their minds, and she then gives her daughter to Hades as a sign of her complete trust in him. Since Hades is concerned over Snow still thinking he's evil, Zelena leaves to convince her otherwise. On her way to find Snow, Zelena finds Regina and Robin, who warn her of Hades' bad intentions. Zelena doesn't believe them, and after she tells Hades about what her sister said, he suggests they have to defend themselves because the townspeople don't want them here. He shows her the Olympian Crystal, stating it is very powerful and very dangerous. As he tries to get Zelena on board with him using the crystal, Robin and Regina arrive to the office, overhearing the conversation from outside. When he talks about using the crystal so they can rule Storybrooke, Zelena instead talks about simply living in town, with a house for them and a garden for her daughter to play in. Upon seeing Emma trying to break her protection spell, she teleports outside to deal with her. Emma doesn't want to harm her, but Zelena accuses her of wanting to hurt Hades, which she sees as the same as hurting her. After knocking Emma away, she grabs Hades' story from her, discovering that she does indeed want to kill him. Zelena returns to the office, finding Regina over Robin's dead body, while Hades claims he did it to save Zelena from Robin himself. She confronts her lover about him trapping the heroes in the Underworld, and he admits to doing it so they wouldn't have to hurt anyone. Since they are at odds with the heroes now, Hades insists the only way the two of them can be safe is to create a new kingdom using the crystal. Zelena wants no part in it, but Hades reminds her again of their past bond over wanting vengeance on those who didn't believe in them. Regina knocks the crystal out of Hades' hands, and when Zelena takes hold of it, Hades encourages her to kill her sister. Instead of her sister, Zelena stabs her lover with the crystal, after Regina helps her see that Hades' love for her is not enough to change him. After Hades is dead, the two sisters, brought together by their losses, hug each other while crying. At Robin's funeral, Zelena shows up with her daughter to pay her respects. Regina sadly notes that Robin never got to name his child, to which Zelena decides the most fitting name for her is Robin.

At Robin's wake, when Snow offers comfort to a shell-shocked Regina, Zelena assures her that she will be there for her sister, as they have both lost their loves recently. After a tremor erupts in town, Hook bursts into the diner, with his presence shocking everyone except Emma, who was waiting for the right time to tell Regina. Zelena and the heroes investigate the clock tower, where they learn the tremor resulted from Mr. Gold tethering Storybrooke's magic into a piece of the Olympian Crystal. While Emma and Regina pursue Henry, who has disappeared with the crystal, Zelena uses the Apprentice's wand to create a portal so Merida, the Merry Men, and the Camelot natives can return home. Little John is concerned that Roland won't be able to say goodbye to Regina, but Zelena persuades him that her sister will understand, and that Robin would've wanted his son to grow up in Sherwood Forest. She promises to visit Roland soon, and to bring along his baby sister. Before departing, Roland bestows one of his father's arrows to Zelena and asks her to give it to Regina. Afterwards, Zelena tries to close the portal, but her control on the wand goes awry because the town's magic is linked to the crystal. She, Snow, David, and Hook are then pulled into another realm, where the wand becomes broken. They seek magic from a groundsman, Jekyll, to fix it, but he is too terrified to help them. An orderly, Poole, shows up and magically tasers them into unconsciousness, before locking them up in a caged cell. There, a warden named Hyde accuses them of working for the Dark One, and though Snow convinces him otherwise, he still refuses to let them go. While Hyde is away, Jekyll agrees to fix the wand for them if they take him with them when they return home.

As the heroes wait for Jekyll, Zelena mocks Killian for attempting to pick the lock with his hook hand. He, in turn, blames her for getting them in this mess since she couldn't control the wand properly. When she threatens to send him back to the Underworld, David intervenes to stop both of them from fighting. Jekyll frees them, however, he lost the wand to Hyde. When they reach the outside city, Jekyll provides the heroes with a backstory of this land, which is home to people of all backgrounds that have fled from various dangers. They stop by Hyde's house, where Jekyll finishes making a red serum to defeat the warden for good, but Poole makes him to ingest a blue serum that forces Hyde to manifest in the body. When Zelena's magic apparently has no effect on Hyde, the heroes flee the house. After Hyde takes the red serum to separate himself and Jekyll, the group return in time to save Jekyll. Poole tries to stop their leaving, but Zelena takes care of him with a bolt of her magic. As the heroes and Jekyll attempt to get out of the city, they run into Hyde. With magical help from the Land Without Magic, a portal opens, allowing them to return home. On return to Storybrooke, Zelena joins David as he shows Jekyll to the town diner.

Etymology

 * The name "Zelena" means "green" in various Slavic languages.

Character Notes

 * After Regina takes back her mother's old spell book from Mr. Gold, he warns her against the potential effects of the book's magic. She responds, "I don't care if they turn me green"; an early reference to the Wicked Witch of the West.
 * Zelena is featured in the title card for "Witch Hunt".
 * Zelena was born on April 15th.

Production Notes

 * The casting call for her younger self describes her as "11-13 to PLAY 12. Has not yet transformed into the evil, Wicked Witch of Oz. Wretchedly poor and despised by her father for her magical gifts, Zelena only wishes to escape her terrible fate. And then, one day, she discovers that the key to that escape may actually be in the magic he loathes so much. Giving her a chance to prove her worth, and change her life forever..."
 * The role of the Wicked Witch of the West was written specifically for Rebecca Mader.
 * Rebecca Mader's scenes as the Wicked Witch were filmed with a blue background screen rather than the typical green screen, which used for other characters during filming, because her green make-up blends too much into the green screen.
 * At least five different shades of green are used to make Rebecca Mader's skin green for her role as the Wicked Witch. Incidentally, Rebecca Mader also later stated in another interview that seven shades of green are used.

Props Notes

 * There is a bicycle with a basket in Zelena's porch, which references Miss Gulch, the Wicked Witch of the West's Kansas counterpart, from the 1939 The Wizard of Oz film, who has a similar bicycle.
 * The chest where she keeps David's sword and Regina's heart has "To: W. B S[image ends] 14-25-27th West" written on the lid.
 * Alchemical signs for the four elements are carved into the table and the stone pillars where Zelena and her fellow sister witches are gathered. Fittingly enough, the element of Wicked Witch of the West (downward-pointing triangle) is water, which is also associated with the west
 * The design on Zelena's compass is the same as the witches' table in Oz except that the colors are different. The illustration on the cover of the Book of Records has the same design.
 * The book Zelena is reading at the psychiatric ward is What to Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff.

Costume Notes

 * The dress Zelena steals from her sister is the one Regina was wearing in "Hat Trick".