Queen Regina

"I shall destroy your happiness... if it is the last thing I do."

Queen Regina, more commonly known as the Evil Queen, is one of the main characters of Once Upon a Time, as well as the series' main antagonist. Filled with a deep hatred for Snow White ever since a tragic incident years ago, Regina makes it her life's mission to destroy the happy endings of the former and everyone else in the fairytale world. Her hatred for people led her to create the dark curse which sent all fairytale characters to a small town named Storybrooke. There she lives as Mayor Regina Mills, the stern adoptive mother of Henry Mills who sets out to stop his birth mother and Snow White's daughter, Emma Swan, from breaking her curse. Once the curse is broken, Regina finds herself in a vulnerable state and goes on a path of redemption to win back Henry's love.

Before the Curse
"Since when do I care about anyone else's happiness but mine?"

As a young woman, Regina's mother, Cora, finds herself locked in King Xavier's castle after she claimed to be able to spin straw into gold. When all hope seems lost, she's approached by Rumplestiltskin, who offers to show her how to spin straw into gold in exchange for her first born child, a daughter, who he says will be quite important. However, this deal is changed by Rumplestiltskin, who suggests having his own child with her so they can run away together. Cora accepts this new deal, but deceives Rumplestiltskin by deciding not to run away with him. She stays with the king's son, Prince Henry, and has her child with him. When Cora's daughter is born, she holds her up in front of her people and states that her name is Regina, for one day, she will be queen. The people then all bow down before Cora which makes her smile as it means she's finally gained the power she craved for a very long time.

Regina grew up as a kind woman who developed a love for her family's stable boy, Daniel. Daniel taught Regina how to ride horses, but her mother frowned upon this. One day, as Regina meets with Daniel, Snow White rides past on an out of control horse. Regina chases the girl down and saves her life. The King hears of this and proposes to Regina; Cora accepts on her behalf. A worried Regina tells Daniel of this and they decide to run away together. However, Snow sees the two lovers and runs away. Regina catches her and begs her to keep the relationship a secret as she's in love, Snow agrees to this. However, Snow is later tricked by Cora into telling the secret, so Cora kills Daniel in front of Regina, ensuing her marriage to the king. During a wedding dress fitting, Snow tells Regina that she revealed her relationship with Daniel, unaware he'd been murdered. Regina manages to contain her anger, which her mother compliments. After this, Regina grows a strong hate for Snow, wishing she'd died on the horse.

During the build up to her wedding to King Leopold, Regina tries to leave on her horse, but a barrier spell conjured by her mother stops her. Cora tells Regina that she cannot leave unless she is accompanied by Leopold. Later, while brushing Snow White's hair, she finds a necklace given to her by Daniel. When she asks where it came from, Regina imagines revealing her hatred to Snow and strangles her, however, in reality she says she doesn't know. Regina later reveals her growing hatred to her father and she asks how her mother became the way she is. He tells her of a man who gave her the book of spells and taught her the dark arts. Regina steals the spell book off her mother and summons the owner, Rumplestiltskin. He reveals that they have met before when she was younger. Regina seeks help from Rumple, so he gives her a portal to an "annoying world", to which she can banish her mother. During a fitting for her wedding dress, Regina uses magic against her mother to push her through the portal. Regina seeks Rumple to return the spell book, but he lets her keep it and convinces her to let him teach her the dark arts, as she loves using magic.

Soon after, Rumplestiltskin begins to teach Regina the ways of the dark arts. She seems to be learning the arts well, but when she's asked to kill an innocent unicorn, she refuses, disappointing her master. When asked what's holding her back, she later visits the preserved corpse of Daniel, unwilling to let go of him. When she's later asked why she wants to learn the dark arts, she tells Rumple, after much hesitation, that she wants to bring Daniel back from the dead. Rumple tells her that is isn't possible, as dead is dead. He then refuses to teach her anymore so long as she lives in the past. After Regina witnesses a conversation between Rumple and a man named Jefferson, Jefferson offers to help her bring back her beloved with help from Victor Frankenstein, a man from another realm. They later visit the man whom examines Daniel's condition, stating it's ideal for his experimental procedure. He tells Regina he hasn't yet been successful as none of the hearts he uses are strong enough. The three visit Cora's vault and take one of the many magical hearts she has stored. Later on, as Dr. Frankenstein performs the procedure on Daniel, Regina and Jefferson watch from outside. However, the procedure fails and Frankenstein claims the heart wasn't strong enough. Regina is devastated and finally says goodbye to Daniel, realizing he can't be brought back. Regina finds Rumpelstiltskin teaching a new apprentice, so to prove she's now ready to learn, she rips out the apprentices heart and crushes it, killing her. It is later revealed the failed procedure was faked to make Regina finally able to move on.

As Regina dines quietly to herself, she is approached by Rumplestiltskin, who points out that she didn’t come for her magic lesson. Regina begins to reconsider the lessons, stating she doesn’t want a dark future. She adds that she needs freedom as she’s trapped in a loveless marriage and living with a stepdaughter she despises. However, Rumple tells her that her fate is sealed to be dark. Later, an upset Regina goes to her bedroom balcony and bangs on the railing, but she ends up falling to the ground, however, she’s saved by a fairy named Tinker Bell. The next day, Regina tells Tinker Bell of her lost love and loveless marriage, so the fairy vows to help her new friend find love. Regina isn’t so sure about this, so Tinker Bell asks her to believe in her. Tinker Bell steals pixie dust and visits Regina, asking if she wants to fly with her. The reluctant queen finally accepts, and the two fly across Neverland, following a trail of pixie dust to Regina’s apparent true love. The trail takes them both to a tavern, where Tink points out that man with a lion tattoo is her true love. She then leaves the queen to it; however, Regina becomes afraid and decides to not talk to the man. Tinker Bell later visits Regina to find out how her meeting with her love went, but Regina lies and said it went horribly, calling her a bad fairy. Tink notices Regina was afraid, but the queen insists she wasn’t before telling Tink to leave.

One day, King Leopold returns to his palace accompanied by the Genie, someone Regina finds to be a way out of her loveless marriage. During the King's birthday speech, Regina is upset when he comments on his love for Snow and his late wife. The Genie attempts to cheer her up by giving her a mirror so she can see herself as the fairest in the land. During the next few nights, Regina writes in her diary how she had found love again, but this is unfortunately found by the king and she's locked up in her room. She requests aid from her father, who gives the Genie a box of Agrabahn vipers to take to Regina. As she prepares to kill herself using the snakes to escape her pain, he offers to kill the king instead. He does just this and uses the snakes to kill King Leopold. When the Genie comes to give Regina the news, she explains how the vipers were found and the Genie is being accused of the murder. He realizes he was set up, so Regina drops her act and explains she never loved him, she just used him. To punish Regina, the Genie uses his wish given to him by Leopold to be forever by Regina's side. He thus becomes trapped in any mirror near Regina for all eternity.

Regina uses the Magic Mirror to find someone suitable to kill Snow White and he suggests she recruit the Huntsman. Regina has her guards bring the huntsman to her and she makes a deal with him; if the Huntsman kills Snow White, the killing of wolves in the kingdom will be outlawed. He agrees. Whilst the huntsman goes into the forest to kill Snow, Regina changes her palace to look dark. When the huntsman is finally given the chance to kill Snow, he cannot bring himself to kill her. He instead kills a deer and then brings this heart to Regina as proof. As Regina is about to place Snow's heart in her heart vault, she realizes it isn't a human heart and discovers she had been deceived. Angered by this betrayal, Regina drives her hand into the Huntsman's chest, taking out his heart so that he will never feel again. As Regina squeezes the Huntsman's heart, she tells him that he is now forever her pet and that he will share her bed with her whenever she chooses. Regina warns him that he will never cross her again, and if he does, she would kill him.

After Snow White's escape, Regina begins to search the villages in her kingdom so she can find her step daughter. When there is no sign of her, she gathers the villagers and asks for information while also claiming Snow is evil. When nobody tells the queen her whereabouts, she has the entire village murdered by her guards. After returning to her palace, Regina wonders why the villagers are loyal to Snow and not her. She calls forth Rumple and asks him, but he points out that they’ll always be afraid of her. Regina then asks to be transformed into another form so she can find Snow White in secret. Rumple does this, but states she will have no magic while in the other form. While in her other form, Regina enters a village to begin her search. When she sees villagers express their hatred for the queen, she tries to stop them, but ends up getting caught by her own guards. Snow saves Regina from them and then takes her to the woods to assist her wounds. Whilst under Snow's care, Snow tells Regina, whom she believes to be a simple peasant, about Regina saving her life as a child, but doesn't state who saved her. Later on, Regina, seeing the kindness in Snow, contemplates forgiving her, so she asks Snow if she'd forgive Regina if given the chance. Snow says she would, but changes her mind when she discovers the deceased villagers. Snow finally realizes that the peasant is Regina and threatens to kill her, but doesn't and the queen escapes. Regina later visits Rumple to be changed back. She understands now she won't ever be loved, so decides to punish her kingdom and become "the evil queen".

At some point, Regina's father, Henry, is kidnapped by the Queen of Hearts, because the Queen of Hearts believes that Regina is a threat to her power. Regina gets help from a man named Jefferson to take her to Wonderland, where her father is being held captive, using one of his magical hats. When they enter, Jefferson warns her that if two enter, two must exit. Regina and Jefferson find a maze leading the the entrance of the Oueen of Hearts' castle. They manage to fight their way through the dangerous maze and to a small building filled with boxes. Regina retrieves one and her and Jefferson run back to the looking glass. However, Regina uses the contents of her box to get her father back, and, as the looking glass can only take two, Jefferson is left behind, meaning that he has to break his promise to return to his daughter.

Whilst serving Rumplestiltskin, Belle begins to bond with him and he eventually gives her permission to go into the town for some items. Whilst walking down the road, she runs into Queen Regina who is riding in her carriage. She asks to walk with Belle for a while. While walking, the Queen asks Belle who she is fleeing: master or lover. By Belle's silence the Queen learns that Belle is fleeing her master-lover. Belle states that she could love him but for the darkness that has taken root in him. The Queen informs Belle, to her delight, that true love's kiss can break any curse. Belle returns and tries to break his curse with true loves kiss, but he stops her when he learns of her encounter with Regina. He assumes Regina set Belle up to make him lose his powers and then locks her away.

After Belle defeats the Yaoguai, a deadly monster who tormented a village, she leaves her companion to begin her search to find Rumplestiltskin. As she looks down on the village she saved, she states that she's coming back for him. Regina, who is riding by with her guards, overhears this and sarcastically states it's sweet that she's still fighting for true love, even to the bitter end. After being asked how she was found, Regina explains her former companions, including a man named Claude, gave away her position. She then orders her guards to arrest Belle. As she's being locked up, Belle insists that she can break Rumple's curse and save him, but Regina states she already tried and failed. She adds that Rumple is beyond saving and then says she's saving Belle a lifetime of pain and misery. As they head back to the palace with Belle captive, the prisoner states she'll never stop fighting for Rumple. Shortly after capturing Belle, Regina comes to Rumplestiltskin and informs him that Belle was turned away by her father and she committed suicide, however, this was was a lie.

Whilst riding through the Enchanted Forest one day, Regina kidnaps a Woodcutter and when his children, Hansel and Gretel, come looking for him, she makes a deal with them. She offers to help find their father if they will retrieve something for her. She takes them to the house of the Blind Witch, a house made of sweets, and explains to them that they need to retrieve something that will help her defeat a powerful enemy. She tells them that no matter how tempted they are, they cannot eat anything in the house. After a death defying experience, the children manage to escape with the item, a poisoned red apple. Impressed, Regina offers for the children to come and live with her, but they refuse, calling her a horrible person. She then banishes Hansel and Gretel to the middle of the forest and she tells their father, whom she had imprisoned in her castle, that they can be together when they find each other.

After taking a potion to make herself fall out of love with Prince Charming, Snow White becomes angry and full of blood lust. She thus decides to kill Regina. After getting a special bow from Rumplestiltskin, Snow White heads off to kill the evil queen. On her first attempt Prince Charming gets in the way and tries to stop her, because if she kills Regina, she will become evil too. He tries to break the spell that Snow is under by kissing her, but it doesn't work and she just pushes him away. As Regina rides through the forest in her carriage, Snow almost kills Regina but Charming gets in the way, hurting himself. He explains that Snow will turn evil if she kills Regina. Snow and Charming kiss again and this time the spell is broken. However, shortly after the kiss, King George's men arrest Prince Charming. Snow White tells him she will find him.

King George decides that Prince Charming is to be beheaded. Seconds before he is due to be executed, Regina shows up at the King's castle. Regina offers the king a trade and he accepts, trading Prince Charming for all the riches that King Midas would have given King George. Regina then locks Prince Charming up into a cell and as she leaves, hints that she is going to poison Snow White with an apple. Regina finds Snow White and shows he a poisoned apple that will entomb her in her own body. Regina explains that if she eats it, Prince Charming will live. Snow sacrifices herself eats the apple, much to the pleasure of Regina. The poisoned apple rolls down a hill and into a portal made by Jefferson and Regina in Storybrooke, which she uses in hopes of poisoning Emma. Prince Charming eventually escapes Regina's castle with help from the Huntsman. However, as he runs away, Regina transports him to the Infinite Forest so he cannot find Snow White and break the spell.

As Regina tends to her apple tree in the garden of the Dark Palace, she is approached by Claude, who is carrying the Magic Mirror. She is infuriated to have been disturbed, but the Mirror explains that she hasn't been yet, and then shows her images of Charming and Snow together, having woke the latter up. When Snow tells her prince to take back the kingdom, Regina evilly says that they’ll see about that. Regina visits a small village where Snow is rallying an army against the queen, but mocks it when they all run away in fear of her. Regina proposes a deal to Snow, she asks her to give up her claim to the throne and she’ll allow her, the prince and the dwarfs to live in exile for the rest of their lives. She states that is Snow refuses; she’ll kill a peasant every day until she accepts. As she begins choking a girl, Snow charges at the queen with a sword, causing her to disappear into smoke. Regina returns the next day to see if Snow has complied with her offer, and is angered to discover she refuses to leave. The queen begins the choke Grumpy, and knocks the other dwarfs to the floor. Snow charges at Regina, swinging her sword, but the queen disappears, releasing the dwarf. The princess then turns around and swings her sword again, but the queen appears in its way and gets cut on her cheek. Snow states that the kingdom is hers and she will fight for it, causing Regina to say she’ll see her on the battlefield. She then teleports back to her castle, causing everyone to cheer and celebrate.

As Regina watches a village burn in the distance, she is approached by her guards, who announce that Snow and Charming have taken over King George's Kingdom. Regina demands for her guards to keep the couple apart long enough for her to get revenge on Snow. She later finds Snow in the forest and is offered parley or her surrender. Regina refuses both and attempts to kill Snow, but she's stopped by the Blue Fairy and she's taken prisoner, to be executed. Before her execution, she's visited by her father, who begs his daughter to prove she can change. Later, as she's about to be executed, she's offered last words to die with a clean conscience, but she uses these words to claim she regrets not causing more pain and the death of Snow. Snow calls off the execution, realizing Regina was once good and she hopes to rehabilitate her. She is then tested by Snow, who lets Regina free. However, she uses this chance to attempt to kill Snow, but she's caught and as a result she is banished to forever live alone, unable to hurt Charming or Snow. Later, on the day of the royal wedding, she's visited by Rumplestiltskin, who suggests a way that she can hurt the royal couple, by taking them to another land. Knowing he means the Dark Curse, Regina readies her carriage to crash the wedding and give out a threatening message.

Just as Prince Charming and Snow White say "I do" and kiss at their wedding, everyone in the church is startled by the sound of doors opening Regina enters, sarcastically saying "Sorry I'm late". She walks towards the married couple and two guards try to stop her, but she uses her magic to push them aside. Charming tells her she has lost and she won't ruin their wedding day. Regina states she doesn't want to ruin their wedding and states she has brought them a gift. She tells them that everyone will soon lose everything they love because it will be taken away from them. She says she'll destroy everyone's happiness if it is the last thing she does. As she leaves the church, Charming calls out to her and then throws a sword in her direction. However, she simply dissipates in smoke just as it's about to hit her, leaving everyone at the church to fear her vague warning.

After transporting out of the wedding ceremony, Regina takes the Dark Curse from Maleficent, her best friend, by threatening to kill her beloved pet Unicorn. Regina attempts to enact the Dark Curse. However, she finds out that it didn't work the way it was supposed to because she had to sacrifice the heart from the thing she loved most. As Regina fumes around her castle, her father suggests asking Rumplestiltskin for help. She does so, and visits Rumple in his prison cell. He tells her to sacrifice the thing she loves most, but Regina explains she killed her best steed. Rumple angrily tells her that isn't good enough and tells her to sacrifice the thing she loves most. She is counselled by her father, and she tells him about her meeting with Rumplestiltskin. He realizes that he is the thing she loves most and tries to persuade her out of killing him, but she thrusts her hand into his chest and she removes his heart as she whispers an apology. He drops the floor, dead.

Now knowing that she can enact the Dark Curse, Regina seeks out to kill her mother, Cora, before she enacts it. When Captain Hook breaks into Regina's palace, he finds Belle's cell and attempts to kill her when deciding she's useless. However, Regina stops him, claiming Belle is a valuable chess piece. She reveals that she knows who he is and why he's come from Neverland. She then claims to be able to help kill Rumplestiltskin if he does something for her. A short while later, Regina reveals her plans to enact the Dark Curse and says it'll take everyone to a land without magic, so Hook will be able to kill Rumple. Regina tells Hook that he'll have to kill someone she doesn't want following her to the new land, her mother Cora. She prepares Hook by enchanting his hook so it can rip out a heart and then sends him to Wonderland via Jefferson's hat to kill Cora. When Hook arrives in Wonderland, he decides to work with Cora, so when he brings back her body, she only acts dead as Regina mourns her. She tells her mother that love is weakness and she doesn't want any weakness in the new world. The next time she tries to enact the Dark Curse, she succeeds.

After Regina enables the Dark Curse, she rides to Snow White's castle in her carriage with the curse not far behind her. Regina arrives at the castle with the curse. Regina finally arrives at the castle with her guards, whom kill several of the Prince's guards. They soon spot Charming and attack him, wounding him. He manages to send his newborn daughter to the land without magic, and then he collapses. Snow White finds her husband on the floor, injured, and Regina enters. Regina asks where the child is, and Snow explains she got away, stating Regina will lose. However, as the curse finally arrives at the castle, Regina doesn't seem to care at all. As the curse prepares to send everyone to a land without magic, Regina tells Snow White she will finally get her own happy ending. When Snow asks where they are going, Regina replies "somewhere horrible". Regina is then transported to the small town of Storybrooke in Maine, USA, where she lives under the name of Regina Mills.

Early Life
After the curse arrives in the modern day world, creating the town Storybrooke and bringing the inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest with it, Regina awakens on the morning of October 23, 1983 in her bed. She looks out her bedroom window and is pleased to see the curse worked, bringing her happy ending. She soon leaves for Granny's Diner, and on the way she runs into several familiar faces. Once at the diner, Regina is shocked to see two people who aren't from her world, Kurt and Owen. Threatened, she asks Graham, the sheriff and her love toy, to keep his eye on them. From then on, Regina relives the same day over and over again, but was the only one aware of this repetition, as everyone else was cursed. Eventually, she becomes tired of the same day and tries to seek help from Mr. Gold, but he appears to be cursed too. Feeling lonely, Regina decides to invite Kurt and Owen around for dinner. During dinner, Regina and Owen bond and she seems to develop maternal feelings for him. She then tries to persuade them to move to Storybrooke, but Kurt refuses. Later, Billy tells Regina that Kurt took his car, so she controls Graham into arresting Kurt so she can keep Owen for herself. However, Kurt overhears this and a chase ensues. Owen's father is soon arrested by Graham and Owen attempts to escape. Regina stops him, but after realizing she can't force him to love her, she lets him go. He then runs away from Storybrooke, searching for help. When he returns with the police, the town is missing, as it is cloaked by a magical barrier. However, Regina can see from the inside, and she seems heartbroken over Owen's tragedy.

Eighteen years after the Dark Curse was enacted, Regina adopts a baby boy whom was born in a jail cell to Emma Swan and later given up for adoption. Regina names the young boy Henry Mills, in honor of her father whom she had to kill in order to get the Dark Curse to work. ("Pilot"/"The Thing You Love Most")

Season 1
"You have no idea what I'm capable of."

After Henry Mills, a young boy who believes Regina to be an evil witch that cursed everyone in his town, ran away from home to find his biological mother, Emma Swan, he soon found her in Boston, but she decided to return him home. After obtaining his address from Archie Hopper, Henry begs her not to take him home because Regina is evil and doesn't love him. However, as Regina sees Henry stood outside, safe, she runs to him and embraces him. Henry explains that he found his real mother and then runs inside. Shocked, Regina invites Emma inside for some a drink where she explains she had no idea who his real parents where. When Emma mentions the Fairytales Henry told her, Regina seems to have no idea what she's talking about and then soon invites Emma to leave her house. When Henry runs away again, Regina arrives at the police station to inform Sheriff Graham; there she's shocked to find Emma in a jail cell. The three then work together to find Henry and they discover that Henry used his teacher, Mary Margaret Blanchard's credit card to track down Emma. When she confronts Mary, she insits that Henry stole her card. Regina soon realizes that Mary Margaret gave Henry his Fairytale book and leaves angrily. When Emma finally returns Henry to Regina, she tells Emma not to be a part of Henry's life or else she'll "destroy her".

As the clock in Storybrooke begins to work again, Regina confronts Henry about some missing pages in his story book, but he says they've always been missing. When the town clock chimes, Regina heads outside to investigate. She soon discovers Emma stayed in Storybrooke so approaches her with apples from her childhood tree, reminding her to leave. However, this just encourages Emma to stay even more. Later, whilst admiring the apples on her tree, Regina is approached by Sidney Glass, the local newspaper editor, and he tells her that he found little about Emma's past. Frustrated, Regina tells him to find something or she'll "dispose of him". Later, Regina comes to see Henry at school. She takes him aside and tells him that Emma has been arrested and that she's a con woman trying to take advantage of them. Henry doesn't believe it but Regina insists that she's just trying to protect them. After being bailed by Mary Margaret, Emma chops down Regina's cherished tree, horrifying her. Emma and Regina meet up to call a truce and Regina states Emma wants to take Henry, but Emma insists she just wants to make sure he is okay. When Emma says she thinks Henry is crazy, he overhears her and she realizes Regina had set her up to upset Henry. Whilst tending to her tree, Regina is approached by Mr. Gold and he torments her psychologically.

When comatose patient David Nolan begins to show signs of movement, Dr. Whale calls Regina to tell her of the situation, stating Mary Margaret was involved. When David goes missing, Regina is called as she is his emergency contact. She is shocked when Emma arrives with Henry, as she realizes he lied to be with her. When Emma offers to help find David, Regina tells her to "stay out of it" and she takes Henry back. When David is returned safely to the hospital, Regina brings his wife, Kathryn Nolan, to prevent him and Mary Margaret getting together. When Kathryn explains how she and her husband lost contact with each other, Emma approaches Regina and says the story sounds fake. Regina mentions that she checked over some tapes and they showed David mentioning Kathryn's name on several occasions. She tells Emma the couple can be happily reunited now and after saying not being with your love is the worst curse imaginable, she leaves.

When Regina and Emma discuss Henry in the local diner, the former states that she is no longer worried about the latter, as she lives a transient lifestyle, so will soon be out of their lives. Later on, at home, Regina leaves for a council meeting. Before heading out, she tells Henry to stay home; but of course he disobeys and leaves anyway. After another adventure with Emma, Henry quickly returns him in just in time, as Regina also returns from her meeting. Regina enters Henry's room to tell him not to leave his shoes lying around as someone could get hurt; meaning Henry got away with sneaking out. Later, after being offered a Deputy Sheriff job by Graham, Emma calls him and asks if the is still open. She asks if Regina is going to be happy, to which Graham shrugs off. Meanwhile, Regina dresses and leaves someone's house, which is alluded to be Graham's house. She speaks to him as he is in the shower, and we learn Regina is sleeping around with Graham.

When an earthquake shakes the peaceful town of Storybrooke, an old abandoned mine collapses. Regina is one of the first on the scene and when she arrives she notices Emma is there to investigate. She tells her to leave as it's the town's business, but Emma reveals she is now deputy sheriff, displeasing Regina. When Henry arrives she notices a piece of decorative glass on the floor. When Henry asks what it is she pockets it and tells him it's nothing. She tells Henry to wait safely in the car and orders Emma to do her job. She then threatens Archie, Henry's therapist, to do his job better as it isn't working. When Archie asks what he should do, he tells her to crush his delusions of the Fairytales. When Henry goes missing, it becomes apparent that he went inside the mine. Archie goes in to find him, but when another earthquake blocks off the entrance, Regina begs Emma to help her. When all hope seems lost, Regina begins to freak out and snaps at the rescue team. Emma calms her down and then finds a way inside to help Archie and Henry. When Henry is only just saved, Regina embraces her son. She is then approached by Archie, who tells her that he will treat Henry his own way or else he'll testify against her in a custody battle for Henry. Later on, Regina drops the piece of glass down the shaft...revealing it to be part of Snow White's glass coffin.

Regina attends a surprise "Welcome Home Party" that is held for David Nolan, the comatose patient that was recently released from hospital. During the party, his wife, Kathryn, becomes upset and confides in her friend, Regina, that she feels like she hasn't got her husband back, as he doesn't remember anything. Regina empathizes with Kathryn and states that she lost a lover. She tells Kathryn she's lucky David is alive and she should embrace it. Regina later approaches Mary Margaret and warns her to stay away from David as he left his wife and is in a fragile place and she risks ruining many lives. Ignoring her warning, Mary Margaret and David arrange to meet at Toll Bridge. Whilst on his way, David asks Regina for directions. She does, but gives him the wrong ones as she realizes who he is visiting and sees it as an opportunity to stop them being together.

After being turned away by Emma when he makes a move on her, Sheriff Graham turns up at Regina's house late at night as he needs to "feel something". After making sure that Henry is asleep, he grabs Regina and kisses her. When asleep in bed, Graham has images in his head about hunting. Concerned that he's remembering his past, Regina tells him it's just a dream and he should ignore them. When Emma and Graham are led to a cemetery, they enter a crypt which supposedly belongs to Regina's deceased father. Regina turns up, demanding to know what the two are doing. Neither of them tell her and it soon becomes apparent to Regina that Graham likes Emma more than her. As she tries to go to him, he tells her their relationship is over, as he feels nothing with her. Regina blames Emma, but Emma blames Regina as both Henry and Graham are unhappy. The two then fight, but it is broken up by Graham. After they both return to the Sheriff's office, Regina goes inside the crypt and takes a box, which contains the Huntsman's heart. She takes the heart into her hand and then crushes it until it turns to dust; ultimately killing Graham who had just fully remembered his past in the Fairytale World.

With Graham now deceased, the town of Storybrooke is in need of a new Sheriff. Emma, the deputy sheriff, is in the Sheriff's office looking at the badge, intending to get the job. Regina arrives and tells Emma she intends to give the position to Sidney Glass as Emma doesn't deserve it. She then fires Emma, making it seem impossible for her to become sheriff. Mr. Gold offers to help Emma become the sheriff of Storybrooke, as they both share Regina as an enemy. Whilst announcing Sidney as the new sheriff, Emma interrupts her and states she hasn't got the power to appoint a sheriff, just a candidate. Emma announces that she will run for sheriff as well. Regina later visits Mr. Gold as she knows he helped Emma run for sheriff; she tells him he's backing a losing horse. In attempt to make Emma lose the race, Regina publicises Emma's juvenile records. When Emma finds out, she visits Regina in her office, but they're stopped when there's a massive explosion and the building sets on fire. Regina hurts her ankle and begs Emma to help her. Emma saves her and takes her outside where she looked after by medical staff; however, the whole town see Emma as a hero now. When the voting day comes, Emma wins and Regina reluctantly appoints Emma as the new sheriff.

After Henry is tricked into stealing some candy from a shop by Ava and Nicholas Zimmer, Regina is contacted. Regina arrives and expresses her disappointment in Henry. However, she soon realizes that Ava and Nicholas were the ones responsible for the theft. Emma soon turns up to investigate the minor crime. Regina tells her to mind her own business, but Emma reminds her she's the sheriff. After it becomes apparent that Ava and Nicholas are orphans, Emma makes it her job to track down their father. She asks Regina, the person who reported them to Social Services, for any information, but she says there's no record of their father. She then announces the children will be put in separate foster homes and orders Emma to take them to their destinations. Emma is not happy with this arrangement and continues to track down the children's father, but Regina reminds Emma they need to be at their new homes by the night. Regina later watches with Henry as Emma takes Ava and Nicholas out of Storybrooke to Boston.

When a new neighbour arrives to Storybrooke, Henry approaches the mysterious man and asks him some questions. Regina sees Henry talking to the strange man so runs up to them, as she is worried. However, as she arrives the man drives away on his motorcycle, leading Regina to ask who he was. Later on, at a shop, when Mary Margaret bumps into Kathryn Nolan, revealing she's buying a pregnancy test, Regina tells her to stay out of her and David's personal business and tells her to keep it quiet. Curious about who the mysterious newcomer is, Regina asks Emma to find out his identity, as she had never seen him before, worrying her. Later on, when David and Mary Margaret run into each other at Granny's Diner, they both tell each other that they have been trying to avoid each other. David soon announces that Kathryn isn't pregnant and then the two kiss. However, unknown to them, Regina is sat watching the two people from a car across the street.

Regina comes looking for Henry when he has a therapy session with Archie. She finds him with Emma at their secret meeting place, "The Castle". When she notices the poor shape of "The Castle", she tells Emma that she needs to be more responsible now that she's sheriff, as people could get hurt. Regina soon orders the demolition of "The Castle", much to the displeasure of Henry and Emma. When Emma argues against Regina, Regina tells her to learn her place in the town or she won't be in it. After being supposedly fired by Regina, Sidney teams up with Emma to dig up dirt on her. They visit her office and plant a bug under her desk. When they discover she and Mr. Gold had been meeting in the woods secretly, they break into Regina's office again, but Regina arrives and sends the two away. It is then revealed that Regina had in fact been meeting with Mr. Gold so she could create a new playing area for Henry and the other children of Storybrooke. It's then revealed that Sidney is actually working with Regina and he "teamed up" with Emma to make her seem like a bad guy accusing an innocent woman. Regina tells Sidney she doesn't know what she'd do without him.

After watching Mr. Gold repossess a truck belonging to Moe French, Regina approaches Gold and tells him they need to talk about something. When he says it'll have to wait, she tries to intimidate him into talking. However, Gold repeats it'll have to wait and then asks her if he could "please" leave. When Mr. Gold is arrested for assaulting Moe for taking something from his house, Regina shows up and gives Emma permission to go away with Henry so she can be alone with Gold. He asks if Regina has what she wants and she says she does. He then realizes that Regina put Moe up to the burglary. She tells Gold she just wants him to tell her his name. He replies "Mr. Gold", but then she asks what his name is elsewhere. He then replies "Rumplestilskin" and then addresses Regina as "Your Majesty", confirming they're both aware of their past identities. Regina returns the thing she took off Gold, a chipped cup. Gold then tells Regina that nothing between them will change. Later, Regina visits the psychiatric ward in the basement of the hospital. She looks through one of the doors, watching Belle's counterpart locked in a cell.

To apologize for destroying Henry's book by ordering the demolition of his jungle gym, Regina gives Henry a present in hopes that it will cheer him up. When he doesn't seem to be much happier, he explains that he misses Emma. Kathryn suddenly shows up, crying, and tells Regina that David has decided to leave her. Annoyed, Regina calls Mary Margaret a home wrecker, confusing Kathryn. Regina reveals that David and Mary Margaret have been having an affair, angering Kathryn as she thought Regina was her friend. Later, Kathryn goes to see Regina to apologize for what he said. Kathryn admits she and David were never in love and that she has never been in love. Kathryn says she is moving to Boston alone and tells Regina that she wrote a letter telling David and Mary Margaret to be together, which upsets Regina. Regina then sneaks into David's house to take the letter that Kathryn had left for him so that she can burn it once she gets home.

After Kathryn Nolan went missing from her car whilst trying to leave Storybrooke, Sidney began investigating her disappearance and asked Regina to find Kathryn's call history for her phone. When she gets the information, she calls Sidney up telling them it could be very useful. The phone records show that Kathryn had called David a short while before she went missing, contradicting what David had told Emma earlier, making him seem guilty. Emma refuses to believe the evidence at first as she knows when people are lying. However, Sidney tells her that evidence doesn't lie, but people do. Regina later visits Emma in her office and tells her it has been twenty-four hours since her friend went missing and asks if she has found any information. Emma says she found something, but isn't sure of it. Regina asks what she found, but Emma refuses to tell her. Regina angrily tells Emma that if she is covering for someone and not doing her job, then she will replace her.

When Emma Swan and Ruby find David Nolan unconscious in the middle of the woods in Storybrooke, he is brought to the Hospital where Dr. Whale tends to him. Because she is still listed as his emergency patient, Regina is called into the hospital. When she arrives, she is angry to see Emma there with David. She angrily asks if David has a lawyer present or if Emma even read him his rights. Emma explains that David isn't under arrest, but they are just talking instead. Emma then asks what Regina is doing at the Hospital, so Dr. Whale explains that she's still his emergency contact, angering Emma. David states he thought that Kathryn was his emergency contact, but Regina reminds him that she is currently unavailable because she is still missing. When she says that she hasn't been found yet, she says it with a tone that blames Emma. Regina tells Emma to stop tying to place blame and find Kathryn instead. Emma explains that there is a lot of Maine to search, but Regina angrily tells her to branch out her search.

When Mary Margaret is arrested under the suspicion of the murder of Kathryn Nolan, Emma takes her into questioning and Regina is present to ensure that Emma does not show any favoritism to her friend. Mary Margaret admits to owning the box that the heart of Kathryn was found in, but insists it was stolen off of her. Regina tells Mary Margaret that she knows what it feels like to be in her situation as she has lost someone very deer to her and it took her into a very dark place. She says it changed her as a person. Emma takes Regina out of the questioning room to stop her. Regina asks how she knows she didn't kill Kathryn. She explains there would be signs of a theft if the box was stolen and reminds her Mary Margaret is a woman who had her heart broken, which can make a person do "unspeakable things". Later, David visits Regina in her office, insisting Mary Margaret couldn't have killed Kathryn as he knows her. Regina supposes he doesn't and says evil is made, not born. David says she doesn't know anything about evil, but Regina explains that she knows that evil doesn't always look evil and it can be standing right in front of you, implying herself.

One morning, Regina shows up at the Sheriff's office and seems slightly surprised to see Mary Margaret in her cell, reading a newspaper. They both coldly greet each other. Mr. Gold, who is also at the office, tells Regina that his "client" isn't seeing any visits, to which Regina replies "of course not". He then takes her out into the corridor, where Regina angrily asks what Mary Margaret is doing in the cell. Mr. Gold explains that she came back. Regina reminds Mr. Gold that he said their plan was going to work, that she would take the key they left for her and she would go. Mr. Gold explains that Mary Margaret did leave, but states Emma Swan is more resourceful than they thought. Gold tells Regina to fear not as Mary Margaret is still guilty of murder, meaning she might get what she wants. Regina states she better get what she wants. She tells Gold that she only made a deal with him because she wanted results. Gold tells her she will get results, and then she angrily walks out of the Sheriff's station.

Regina visits Mary Margaret in her jail cell offering her a chance to confess to her crimes and thus save the town from the "messiness of a trial". Mary Margaret insists she didn't kill Kathryn and then asks why nobody believes her. Regina lists the reasons and then tells her to confess again, as either way, she's leaving. Mary Margaret notices Regina's pleasure, and then asks what she ever did to make Regina hate her so much. When Mary Margaret agrees to speak with the D.A. about Kathryn, Regina watches and smiles when she yells that she wanted Kathryn "gone". When Emma and August find a shard from a shovel at the scene of Kathryn's murder, they sneak into Regina's garage and they find a broken shovel which the shard fits onto. When Emma returns the next morning with a search warrant, she enters the garage, but the shovel is now fixed. Emma insists Mary Margaret is a good person, but Regina explains she's a liar and a murderer, and she shall pay for the crimes she has committed. Regina visits Mary Margaret in her cell again, and says she is going to enjoy her being sent away forever. Crying, Mary Margaret says she didn't kill Kathryn and she doesn't deserve her punishment. Regina states she knows Mary didn't kill Kathryn, but insists she does deserve it.

When Kathryn is found alive and well, Regina is upset about Mr. Gold breaking their deal. He claims he never broke it as "something tragic" did happen to Kathryn. Mr. Gold reveals that he has broken only one deal in his life, and it wasn't this one. Regina realizes that Mr. Gold set her up and that all the evidence such as the forged DNA test will trace back to her. Regina questions why he made the curse in the first place, and he tells her to figure it out. Emma confronts Sidney about a bug she found, planted by him and accuses him of being in love with Regina. Later, Mr. Gold watches August speed off on his motorcycle and follows him behind in his car. Regina meets Emma at the sheriff's station under the pretense of giving her a confession. Then she calls Sidney in, who goes into detail about everything because he had hoped he would get his job back by kidnapping Kathryn. Emma doesn't buy his confession and asks to speak with Regina privately in the hallway. She is furious Regina is having someone else take the fall for her actions. Emma says that Regina tried to take away a person she loves, so now she will take away someone Regina loves. She vows to get her son, Henry, back.

August Booth installs a lock on Mary Margaret's door to keep Regina out. Emma Swan tells them that she is going to hire Mr. Gold to build a case against Regina. Later, Mary Margaret confronts Regina about framing her for the murder of Kathryn, but says that she forgives her. Regina tells Mary Margaret that if she does that it will leave a giant hole in her heart. When Emma asks Gold to help build a case against Regina he declines. Regina convinces David Nolan to come around her house for supper. Regina and David finish eating and he cleans up the dishes. David asks how she found him and she tells him she was working late, forgot her phone and headed back to the office and found him on the side of the road almost frozen to death. She goes in for a kiss but David backs away. David leaves and an upset Regina smashes her mirror. When Henry is lying in bed, Emma calls him and asks if he wants to get away from Regina. He accepts and they both get in her car to leave Storybrooke.

Whilst sleeping at night, Regina has a nightmare about all the residents of Storybrooke remembering their former selves and teaming up together to attack her. When she wakes up, she checks on Henry, who has covered his bed to make it look like he is there. Regina notices the curse is weakening so confronts Mr. Gold, who doesn't seem to bothered about this fact. Regina realizes Gold wants the curse to be broken, and then he suggests she leave town, as when it is broke, the residents will be looking for blood. Regina seeks Jefferson for help. She asks him to use his hat, stating she has a bit of magic left, so they can deal with Emma. She takes Jefferson to her father's crypt. After using magic to get the hat working, they retrieve a poisoned apple that Regina used on Snow White. Regina then bakes a turnover with the apple in hopes of getting Emma to eat it. However, this plan goes horribly wrong when Henry sacrifices himself in an attempt to stop Emma.

After being poisoned by Regina's turnover, Henry is taken to the Hospital in Storybrooke. Emma goes with him and she soon realizes that Henry was telling the truth about the fairytale characters. When Regina arrives to see Henry, Emma attacks her. Emma accuses Regina of poisoning Henry and Regina sadly confesses. She explains that magic is unpredictable, so Emma asks what to do. Regina says they should seek help from Mr. Gold, who also knows about magic. When they confront Mr. Gold, he admits to having a bottle of true love that he smuggled from the Fairytale Land. He tells Emma that she must retrieve it from his and Regina's friend, using her father's sword. Regina takes Emma to a secret elevator in the Clock Tower, and Emma goes down to kill Maleficent for the potion. As Emma heads back up the elevator, Regina is tied to a chair and gagged by Mr. Gold. Gold takes the potion off Emma, to use it for himself. Regina then gets a call from the hospital claiming Henry has died. Regina is distraught and breaks down into tears. Emma's kiss wakes Henry up and the Dark Curse is broken. Regina retreats to her house and before leaving, tells Henry that she truly loved him. Whilst at home, Regina notices that Mr. Gold has successfully brought magic into the real world, and she smiles.

Season 2
"I want to redeem myself."

Now remembering their pasts, Dr. Whale and an angry mob arrive outside Regina’s house to kill her. Regina comes outside with a smirk, asking if she can help them. Whale tells Regina her smirk won’t last as she’ll soon be dead. Regina steps outside and threatens the crowd with her magic, but when she tries to use it, she is powerless. Whale tries to strangle her but is stopped by Emma, Snow and Charming. They decide to lock her up in the sheriff’s station where she tells her saviors their former land is gone. She is soon visited by Rumplestiltskin, who uses a marker on her to be devoured by a Wraith, a soul sucking creature. Regina becomes worried when her mark begins to strengthen, hinting the arrival of the Wraith into Storybrooke. When the Wraith finally arrives at the sheriff’s station, it rips into Regina’s cell with ease and then it begins to suck her soul. Charming arrives just in time and stops it momentarily by hitting it with a chair. Snow then scares the monster off with a flamethrower. After being promised to be kept alive, Regina suggests sending the creature somewhere else, so they use Jefferson’s hat to send it to an unknown place. The hat doesn’t work at first, but with a touch from Emma, Regina regains her powers and the hat takes the Wraith away, but Emma and Snow are taken too by accident. Regina tries to kill Charming but it stopped by Henry, who tells her to leave him alone until Snow and Emma are saved.

Charming visits Regina to ask her about Jefferson’s hat. Realizing the magic that she used on him was an anomaly, he uses this to blackmail her into telling him about the hat. She then tells him when she gets her magic back, she will get Henry back. Whilst on her way to meet Rumple, Jiminy tries to talk to Regina so she can understand herself, but she states she knows who she is. When she finds Rumple, she blackmails him into giving him her old spell book by revealing she knows that he is “up to something”. While watching her hold the book, Rumple tells Regina she does look like her mother. When she arrives home, Regina uses the spell book on an apple tree to give life to the rotting fruit. The use of the spell book gives Regina her magic back. With her new power, she arrives at the town hall and attacks people until she takes Henry home with her. When Henry tries to escape their house, she uses a barrier spell on him, making him a prisoner. She tells him that she does it because she loves him. Realizing she is becoming like her mother, when Charming arrives to take Henry, she gives him up without a fight, insisting she wants to redeem Henry’s love and not force it out of him. Charming says she can redeem herself by telling him if the Enchanted Forest still exists; she admits it does. Later, Regina contemplates burning the spell book, but decides to keep it.

When Henry approaches Jefferson, he is told that if he wants help to bring back Snow and Emma then he should ask his mother if she has anything in her vault. Henry is surprised to hear that the vault is in Storybrooke. Later on, after being asked to leave the mayors office, Regina is packing up her things when she gets a call from Henry. She tells him about being asked to leave the office and then he asks to meet up with her. Overjoyed, she tells him the packing up can wait and then she agrees to meet him at Granny's Diner in ten minutes. With a genuine smile on her face, she leaves to go meet her son. However, as she leaves the office, Henry shows up as he was hiding in a back room. He heads straight to a filing cabinet and pulls out a ring with many keys attached to it. When she is stood up at the Diner by Henry, Regina heads back to her office to discover that her keys have gone missing. She realizes what Henry has done, so she calls Prince Charming to bring him back to safety, as he is most likely to listen to him. Charming finds Henry inside the vault and saves him just in time as he is about to be killed by poisonous vipers.

Regina reluctantly visits Dr. Hopper for therapy sessions to help her cope with not using magic, as it's been a difficult two days. However, the session is cut short when Dr. Whale enters, demanding to be sent back to his land, despite Regina explaining she can't. Archie asks Regina if there's anything holding her back from moving forward, so she tells him about her lover, Daniel, and that she preserved his body in her family mausoleum. Slightly distressed, Regina leaves, but one her way home, she sees Daniel stood on the sidewalk, but when he disappears, she thinks she's being haunted. The next day she visits the mausoleum, but is horrified to find his body and one of her hearts missing. Knowing exactly what's happening, she visits Dr. Whale, but finds him with his arm torn from his body. She asks if he brought Daniel from the grave, so he admits that he did, but he's a monster. Regina later takes Whale to the doctors where she is approached by Charming. She reluctantly tells him Daniel has returned, but then they fear Henry may be in danger at the stables, as that was Daniel's last memory. Once they arrive at the stables, they narrowly save Henry's life. Charming tries to kill Daniel, but Regina begs him to let her talk. She does so, but is attacked. Daniel snaps out of his rage when Regina confesses her love to him. However, he is in pain, so begs she let him go. When Daniel becomes a monster again, Regina uses her magic on him, ridding him forever. She tearfully says goodbye to him. Later on, Regina visits Archie and confesses to have used magic.

When Prince Charming get an emergency call, he calls Regina and asks her to look over Henry, who has been having nightmares. Henry has another nightmare about being in a room with fire, so Regina wakes him up and comforts him. Confused and scared, Henry asks why she’s there, so she explains about the emergency call. When Regina reveals she knows about the nightmares, she tells Henry everything is okay and grabs his hand comfortingly. However, he pulls it away in pain. They both look at his hand to reveal a burn. Concerned, Regina calls Mr. Gold for assistance. He tells them that it’s not a dream, but a side effect of the sleeping curse. Gold mocks Regina for knowing so little about the curses she enacts. But she explains her victims were not supposed to wake, so she did not care about what happened to them. Gold tells them that when put under the sleeping curse, the souls is taken to a netherworld until the curse is broken. But in sleep, victims find their way back to that world. Regina says the other world is tormenting Henry in his sleep, so asks for something to stop that. Gold cannot do that; however, he gives Henry something that will allow him to control his actions in that world. Suspicious, Regina asks what Gold’s price is, but he tells her there isn’t one as it is for Henry.

Regina and Charming are both sat watching over Henry as he sleeps. When he wakes up after another encounter with Aurora, he reveals that Snow and Emma are still alive, but they need help defeating an opponent, Cora. Regina visits Mr. Gold at the diner and tells him of this news. He doesn’t seem interested in helping, but Regina points out that he has a weakness now, Belle, and she is in danger of Cora. The two then team up with Charming and prepare to send Henry back to the netherworld to give Aurora information on how to stop Cora. When Henry wakes up, he is badly burned as Aurora was awakened before her soul was ready. However, Gold heals Henry with magic. When he points out Henry will soon be ready to return, Regina refuses to let him go back, and Charming agrees. Charming offers to go instead. But this means he has to be put under a sleeping curse. Regina prepares one with the ingredients in Gold’s shop and Henry approaches her. She reveals that she hasn’t been using magic, as she promised, just on a few occasions. Henry points out she’s using it to help people. She then comforts a worried Henry that Snow and Charming will find each other. Regina then poisons a spinning wheel needle with the potion and Charming pricks his finger on it, becoming cursed. When he doesn't wake up, Regina assures Henry that everything is all right, but she and Gold know their plan has failed.

Rumplestiltskin points out to Regina that they should prepare themselves at the Well, as that is where the portal leads to, and stop Cora from entering Storybrooke, because they don't know who will show up. Regina is reluctant, because it is endangering Emma and Snow, as they may arrive through the portal and she doesn't want to betray Henry. However, Gold points out that it would all seem like a terrible accident. Regina finally agrees, but only because she wants to protect Henry. They head down to the mines and there, Gold collects the magic from the diamonds to power the Fairy Godmother's wand. As the Well, the two of them concoct a spell, making it so that if anyone were to pass through it, they would be killed. After the dwarves find the diamonds gone, they tell Ruby and Henry, and they all assume Regina has betrayed them. Ruby and Henry head to the well to stop them. Henry begs his mother to believe that Snow and Emma will pass through the portal, but Regina says she cannot take that risk as Cora would destroy everything she loves, including Henry. Henry tells his mother that if she wants to change then she should prove it by having faith in him. Regina agrees and then breaks the spell by absorbing the magic. A few minutes later, Emma and Snow exit the portal and after being told how they were saved, they thank Regina. Later, everyone heads back to Mr. Gold Pawnbroker & Antiquities Dealer so Snow can awaken Charming. Regina watches, rolling her eyes. They all then leave for Granny's Diner, but Henry doesn't invite Regina, saddening her. Gold points out that one day she may be accepted fully by them and be invited to meals.

Emma invites Regina to her and Mary Margaret's welcome back party, but when she arrives, her reception is very cold. After spending most of the party alone, she leaves, but it stopped by Emma, who explains why she invited her. When Emma reveals that Archie told her about Regina's therapy sessions, Regina is angered. The next day she confronts him about this, but there argument is observed by Ruby. Later on, Cora, in the guise of her daughter, "kills" Archie in front of his dog, Pongo. When his body is found by Emma and Ruby, Regina is taken into questioning. She claims she didn't kill him and states to have been home all evening, Emma believes this. They use magic to extract Pongo's memories and discover that Regina truly strangled Archie, although it was Cora in disguise. They then confront Regina and reveal their knowledge of the murder. Regina is horrified when she learns Henry will be taken away from her completely. Emma angrily states that Henry is her son and Regina will never see him again. Blue suddenly appears and attempts to trap Regina with magic, but she defends herself. She then tells Emma she won't keep Henry from her and she pushes her away using magic. After Emma states Regina will never change, she uses her magic to teleport away. Later on, she watches from her car, crying, as Emma tells Henry about Archie's death and how Regina was responsible.

Cora is seen in Regina's house and is going through her daughter's things. She steals a clay tile from Henry that was given to Regina. Later, Henry is seen walking into Regina's vault and finding his mother, saying that he knows she was framed for Archie's death. Regina wonders how he knew and it turns out Henry is Cora in disguise, she reveals herself as says she knows because she did it. Regina is shocked to see her mother again and Cora explains that she knows why she tried to have her killed, and it's alright. Regina tells her that she thinks it's not alright as her mother wanted her broken, Cora states that she merely wanted her daughter to be receptive but Regina refuses to argue. She wants to take her mother among the townspeople to prove her innocence and Cora obliges to go with her. In the car, the evil witch reveals that something is irritating her before pulling out Regina's clay tile, given to her by Henry and containing his hand print. Regina is angry with her mother for going into her house and taking one of her most treasured possessions. Cora points out that as long as Emma and her parents are in town, Henry will never truly be Regina's. Cora asks what Regina really wants and her daughter says that she wants her son back. When Cora apologizes some more, Regina forgives her, asking her how she plans to return Henry to her. Cora says that she has a few thoughts.

Regina arrives at Mary Margaret and David's apartment, much to their surprise, to tell them that she had nothing to do with poor Dr. Hopper's death. They say that they know as Archie is alive and was kidnapped by Cora. Regina, pretending to be hearing of this for the first time, demands to see her son as she can protect him, but Mary Margaret explains that he's gone out of town with Emma and Gold. Regina is furious that no one ran this by her. She is next seen near the docks approaching Hook who explains that he lost the shrunken giant from his ship. He goes on to mention that upon seeing David, the giant became quite murderous. Regina states that a murderous giant with a vendetta against the prince is just the distraction they need. Regina soon discovers Anton, the giant, in the town's woods. He warns her to stay away, not liking humans and threatening to kill her. Regina merely laughs this away, saying that she hears he's in town to kill someone and she can help, not being such a fan of the prince herself. Anton is intrigued and Regina hands him a bar of magic mushroom, one that will make him grow larger and return to his former glory. Anton takes the mushroom and eats it, he grows to his former size and Regina tells him to go find the prince and kill him as the effects of the mushroom shan't last forever. However, this plan is an apparent failure when David ends up saving Anton's life and the giant shows them a new way to grow magic beans so that they may return home.

Regina sadly tells her mother that Emma left town with Gold and took Henry with her, but Cora assures her daughter that her son will be safe. Hook overhears this and is happy to hear the Dark One has left town as this means e's powerless and can be killed, but Regina explains to him that if any one of them leave town, they'll lose their magic. Cora then states that with Gold gone, they can search for the one thing that can actually kill him within Storybrooke - his dagger. Regina goes to see Belle in the hospital and asks her if she can help her find something that belongs to Mr. Gold, but after Belle says she doesn't know him, Regina uses a spell to make Belle fall asleep, then uses magic to take a paper out of Belle's bag that has a note containing the numbers to a book in the library. She then begins to search in the library alongside Cora and Hook, however, they do not find the dagger where Belle's paper indicated. Instead, they find a map, one that Hook is able to translate in order to discover the location of the dagger. Once he does this, Cora reveals her plan to betray the pirate and knocks him out with magic. Regina is confused as to what her mother is doing and Cora explains that with the dagger, they shall control the Dark One meaning that they will be able to order him to slaughter Emma, David and Mary Margaret, making Regina blameless and Henry hers. Regina finds this plan a little extreme, but, wanting Henry back, she follows along with her mother nonetheless and the two of them begin to follow the map to the dagger.

Regina and Cora are seen in the woods by Mary Margaret as they are digging up some earth in search of the Dark One's dagger. Not being able to find it, Cora tells Regina that Hook must have lied to them about the dagger's location but that she shall be able to reconstruct the map herself, and once she does, she can make Rumplestiltskin kill anyone Regina wants. Shocked at this, Mary Margaret meets Regina at Granny's Diner, telling the queen that she has one last chance to be good. However, Regina refuses to accept this and tells Mary Margaret that she has one last chance to not get in their way, before leaving. Mary Margaret and David are soon told the dagger's location by Gold, who's in New York with Emma, and find it within one of the hands of the Storybrooke clock. Once they retrieve the dagger, they are met by Regina and Cora who have Johanna, Snow's beloved maid, hostage. Regina rips out Johanna's heart, telling Mary Margaret that her maid shall die if she does not hand over the dagger. After hesitation, Mary Margaret gives Cora the dagger and Regina returns Johanna's heart to her body, however, before leaving with her daughter, Cora waves her hand and causes Johanna to smash through the clock face and fall down to the pavement, killing her. When they return to Regina's house, dagger in tow, the mayor asks her mother why she never told her about her history with Snow's mother, which was revealed during their confrontation with Mary Margaret and David, and Cora tells her daughter that it wouldn't have changed a thing, before it also unravels that Cora orchestrated everything to ensure that Regina would become the queen.

Regina and Cora listen into Mary Margaret and David's phone conversation, however, after being called "wicked" by them, Cora knocks the phone tap off the table, breaking it. Noticing that Rumple's name is disappearing from the dagger, Cora realizes that he's dying, explaining that if he dies without being stabbed with the dagger, all of his power will just boil off into the air. She then decides that she must find Rumple and stab him with the dagger, becoming the Dark One herself. Regina and Cora make their way over to Gold's shop where Emma has cast a protection spell, however, the two witches cast a fireball together and the spell is broken with ease. They are met inside by Charming, Bae and Emma, all of which are armed with swords, with Rumple hiding in the back room. Cora knocks Charming out but Emma and Neal make their way into the back room with Gold, sealing it off with invisible chalk and thus casting a protection spell. Cora tells Regina that someone is after her heart, which is in the family mausoleum, and requests that Regina go stop them. Her daughter obliges and leaves, and Cora attempts the break the protection spell surrounding the door leading to the room containing Gold. After a long while, she finally succeeds in doing so. At the mausoleum, Regina runs into Mary Margaret, who is holding the heart. The latter convinces Regina that her mother will never love her unless she has her heart. A reluctant Regina takes the heart, unaware that it's cursed, and puts it back into her mother as she's about to stab Rumple. Cora begins to laugh and smile, her emotions and love for her daughter returning, however, she soon collapses. As she dies, Cora tells her daughter that she doesn't need power as she would have been enough, which breaks Regina's heart. Just after, Mary Margaret comes running in, telling Regina to stop, but it is too late, Cora is dead and Regina knows that Snow is to blame.

As Regina mourns over her mother’s death in her family mausoleum, she is approached by Mr. Gold, and is insulted by his presence. He professes that he merely came to pay his respects to Cora before placing a rose on her coffin. Regina begins to talk about how she plans on killing Snow for killing her mother, but Gold tries to tell her vengeance will get her nothing, especially not Henry. However, Regina assures him that she will have everything. Regina later takes a curse from her vault, a curse that makes a person think they love another, when this is discovered, they deduce that she plans on using it on Henry. After being told by Neal and Emma that they're going to take him to New York to be safe and away from Regina, Henry runs away in an attempt to destroy magic. Meanwhile, Regina breaks into Emma’s apartment to kill Snow, but she’s stopped by Mr. Gold, who is acting as her guard dog. Greg finds Henry in the woods and calls Regina to tell her of her son’s whereabouts. She finds him at the well and manages to stop him. After a deadly confrontation involving her, Emma, Neal and Charming, Henry begs everyone to stop fighting. Regina then promises not to use the curse on Henry and burns it with magic. Later on, Snow White visits Regina’s house and begs for her to end their feud, for her to kill her. Regina rips out Snow’s heart, but after noticing she’s turning it dark herself, she puts it back in, stating Snow will destroy herself and the family she loves.

Regina is seen in Granny's Diner going to sit opposite Greg Mendell, who's enjoying an apple pie. Regina reveals that she is the one who bought it for him as a thank you for saving Henry the other day, but he tells her that it was no trouble at all as he's a sucker for a kid in trouble. The mayor states that Greg seems familiar, but he assures her that this is the first time they have met. She proceeds to leave the diner, and on her way out, she bumps into Mary Margaret, to whom she recommends a dish called "darkened sole" as a reference to the princess' currently blackened heart. Later, Greg walks into his bedroom at Granny's Bed & Breakfast to find that Regina is there waiting for him carrying the braided key chain that he gave to her as a child, having realized that he is in fact Owen Flynn. Regina wonders why he's in town and Greg reveals that he plans on finding his father. Regina assures him that his father left shortly after he did, but Greg refuses to believe this, saying that people don't just disappear. She tells Greg that he'll be checking out soon, and he asks her what will happen if he doesn't, to which Regina replies that he will learn that people actually can just disappear.

Regina approaches Gold in the park as he watches Neal and Henry bond over a sword fight and she wonders what's going on. Gold reveals to her that his son is Henry's father, something which deeply upsets Regina. The mayor then goes to the hospital where she formally introduces herself to amnesiac Belle before handing her a charmed matchbook to a club in town, causing the girl to "remember who she is". Gold finds Belle, who is now known as Lacey, a party girl with loose morals, and confronts Regina over the matter, who tells Gold that the only way to get Belle back is through true loves kiss, but that Lacey apparently doesn't feel the same way about him as he does about her. Gold is livid and leaves and Regina later sees Emma sitting down on a bench and asks her why Neal's in town. Emma assures Regina that he's merely getting to know his son, before accidentally saying something which leads Regina to believe that she's hiding something. Later, Regina watches as Mary Margaret and David drive home from somewhere mysterious and uses magic to trace the tire tracks to where they've been. She discovers an invisible barrier where lies rows of crops where the dwarfs have been growing magic beans.

Regina disguises herself as a fisherman at the docks and overhears that Mary Margaret and David plan to use the beans to return home and leave her behind, something which she is not happy with. The next morning, she approaches Henry and tells him that she plans to enact a trigger within the curse, a "fail-safe", that will destroy the town and kill everyone. Henry is strongly apposed to the idea and so she wipes the conversation from his mind before being approached in her office by Captain Hook, who straightaway admits that he's been sent there by Greg and Tamara to trick her. She tells him about her fail-safe and that it will end up killing Rumplestiltskin, and so he agrees to help her retrieve it. The two of them go down the library elevator using magic and into the caves beneath the building. Hook wonders why it's a two-man job and Regina explains that she needed him as a distraction before pushing him down some cliffs to Maleficent, who, due to a spell, is able to reform as a screeching zombie-type thing. As this is going on, Regina retrieves a pouch from Snow White's coffin which contains a large black diamond - the fail-safe. She returns to the surface where Hook is waiting for her, having been saved by Greg and Tamara, who are waiting also. She tries to use magic to defend herself, however, she soon discovers that the cuff she took from Hook in the caves is rigged with machinery that is blocking her magic, making her powerless, thanks to Greg. He explains that he's a man on a mission, and Regina presumes that it's to find his father, however, he reveals his true aim to be something secret, before ordering Tamara to "bag" Regina. Tamara then places a bag over Regina's head and kidnaps her.

Regina is strapped down at the town cannery by Greg and Tamara, still unable to use magic. Greg interrupts Hook's taunting of Regina when he strolls in with a machine and attaches electrodes to her head and arms. He asks her where his father is, but she refuses to tell her. He then hits a button on his machine which painfully electrocutes her. Meanwhile, the Charmings search for Regina, and Mary Margaret receives a potion from Gold that enables her to experience everything that Regina is experiencing, unfortunately for Snow, that includes the torture. During one of these electric sessions, Regina asks if they have any idea who they're dealing with, but she is met by the same question from them as they explain that they work for an organization that hopes to cleanse the world entirely of unholy magic. She is tutored some as Mary Margaret's potion wears off and she reveals Regina's state and that the place she's in smells of sardines. Emma, Neal, David and Mary Margaret then investigate the town cannery as Greg gives Regina one last chance to reveal his father's whereabouts as he vamps his machine up to dangerous amounts. Regina tells him that Kurt died soon after he was captured, and an angered Greg tortures her. As Regina comes closer to death, the machine is shot by David as he and Mary Margaret walk in. Greg runs away and the Charmings untie an unconscious Regina before taking her back home with them and having Mother Superior nurse her back to health. After Regina wakes up, she tells the Charmings that Greg and Tamara still have the black diamond which acts as a trigger able to wipe Storybrooke off the map and kill all of its inhabitants, and they plan to use it.

After recovering from being tortured, an aching Regina gets out from the bed in Mary Margaret's apartment just as the Charming family enters. Regina and Henry embrace, glad each other are safe. Suddenly, they feel the trigger has been activated, but Regina cannot think of a way to stop it, despite Emma's demands. Regina then suggests slowing down the trigger with her magic and before she goes, she says goodbye to Henry, apologizing for everything. When Emma and Regina find the trigger, the former realizes that the mayor is going to sacrifice her in order to save everyone else. After other's hear about Regina's bravery, they all decide to risk themselves to save Regina by throwing the trigger through a bean portal. Snow, Charming, Henry and Emma find Regina and plan to through the bean, that they managed to get from Greg and Tamara, down a portal. However, they soon discover that Hook stole the bean off of them. When all hope is lost, the five embrace and hug each other. However, Emma comes up with an idea and decides to strengthen Regina's magic by adding hers, and together they both disable the trigger, saving Storybrooke. The joyous occasion is soon interrupted when they discover that Henry has been taken by Greg and Tamara. The two villains take him through a bean portal just before Regina and the gang can save him. When all hope seems lost, Hook turns up with his ship and the stolen bean and along with Emma, Snow, Charming, Hook and Rumple, Regina travels to Neverland in order to save her son.

Season 3
Regina arrives to Neverland with everyone else via the portal and as they sail towards the island, she talks to Hook, about their plans to save Henry. They then wonder if villains get happy endings, to which Hook says he hopes so. A short while later, when Rumplestiltskin announces that he's going to find Henry alone, Regina tells him they agreed to find him together. Shortly after Rumple vanishes, a swarm of mermaids attack the ship. Everyone tries to fight them off, but when it becomes clear that there's too many, Regina uses fireballs to scare them away. One mermaid however is taken captive and Regina attempts to question it to learn about Peter Pan. When the mermaid refuses to talk and uses a horn to signal for help, Regina threatens to torture it for information, but she's stopped by everyone else. After failing to persuade Charming to kill the mermaid, she takes matters into her own hands and turns it to wood. After the mermaids death, a large storm summoned by it approaches. During it, Regina and Snow have a cat fight, which causes the storm to only worsen. Emma gets their attention by jumping into the water. Regina tries to rescue her, but is unable to see her so states its too risky to use magic. Charming jumps into the water instead and rescues Emma, with help from everyone else. The storm calms and then the group make their way to the mainland. Once there, they decide to work together with their skills to save Henry.

As the group walk through the jungle to a ridge, Regina complains that she could've teleported them, but Hook explains there are dangers everywhere, so he should lead the way. When they make it to the top of the ridge, Regina points out that they can’t see anything as the jungle is overgrown. Hook tells the group to gather their strength so they can move around the jungle, something Regina dislikes. After Emma is given a map to find Henry by Pan, Regina suggests using magic to unlock it, but Hook insists they follow Pan’s rules or it could end badly. As Emma tries to discover who she really is, Regina points out that she needs to realize she’s the saviour, but it doesn't work. Growing impatient, she casts a spell on the map and it begins to lead them towards Henry; the group begin to follow it. As they make their way through the jungle, they come across one of the Lost Boy’s camps, but it’s empty. However, this is because it’s an ambush set up by Pan, who is unhappy that they cheated. Regina and the group fight the Lost Boys until Pan calls it off, giving them a warning. When Emma finally gets the map working, she shows Hook, and he works out the best route for them to travel to Henry, but says it won’t be easy. Regina asks what will happen if she disagrees, but Emma points out that their best chance of finding Henry is working together. Regina tells the saviour that she better be right.

Regina and the gang trek through Neverland, following the map to Peter Pan’s camp. However, they notice they’re going the wrong way, so Regina accuses Emma of getting them lost, but Hook explains he moved the camp. A frustrated Regina tells them they should just use magic, but Hook tells her there will be defences against it. Hook then tells the group they can use the help of Tinker Bell, who Pan trusts, however, upon hearing this name, Regina looks distressed. As she makes her way to Tink’s house, Regina drops her handkerchief, which is picked up by the fairy herself. She then tries to convince Emma to find Henry another way, suggesting both their magic, which is strong, however, she declines. As the group get closer to Tink’s house, Emma realizes Regina has a past with Tink. Regina refuses to talk about it and tells her to go on without her, claiming the fairy would refuse to help them if she knew she was here. However, Tink finds Regina alone and puts her to sleep, taking her prisoner. She wakes up in a cave, bound. Tink reveals that she knows why she’s in Neverland and refuses to help after what she did to her. Regina asks if the fairy wants to kill her, stating it won’t be easy as she knows she doesn’t have magic anymore. Regina reveals she has magic, but Tink threatens to use dreamshade on her. Regina rips out her dark heart and gives it to Tink, giving her the option to kill her by hand instead of poison. Regina later confesses to being afraid of being happy, as being angry is all she felt she was. She then points out that Tink is making the same mistake she did, choosing revenge over hope. After contemplating this, Tink gives Regina her heart back, but refuses to help. Regina and Tink later meet up with the rest of the gang and she explains that the fairy doesn’t have magic. However, Tink decides that she will help them, just the once. They all then head back to camp to figure out their plan. Tink later tells Regina that her previous choice was selfish, as she ruined the life of her true love.

As the group go over Tinker Bell's plan on how they'll break into Pan's camp, Regina assures them they'll be able to take out the Lost Boys. However, Tink warns them of the poison on their arrows. When Tink asks for the escape plan, nobody has one, so Regina says they'll figure it out, however, Tink states nobody leaves Neverland unless Pan allows it. A frustrated Tinker Bell leaves the group and heads home. Hook reveals that only one man has left Neverland without Pan's permission; Neal. He then leads the group to a hidden cave that Bae used to live in. When they enter, they discover old drawings on the wall that Bae made, hoping they can find a clue as to how he left. As they search the cave for the clues, they come across a home-made map that Bae created using a coconut. Hook points out that he's certain it's a map as when he and Bae spent time together on his ship, he taught the boy how to navigate using the stars, stating they're looking at the product of this. Regina asks if Hook can read it, but he explains that he cannot as he taught Bae to conceal his maps using a code. A saddened Emma points out that the only person who can read the map is dead.

Origins
The character of Queen Regina is based upon the main antagonist of the popular fairytale known across most of Europe, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", the best known version being the Bavarian one collected by the Brothers Grimm. The generalized version of Snow White tells of a beautiful princess who is depicted as living under her wicked and vain stepmother, a Queen (Regina) who forces Snow White to slave labor, fearing that one day her beauty would become greater than hers. After many years, the Queen's magic mirror confirms Snow White as being the "fairest of them all", which causes the Queen to cast Snow White out and send a huntsman to kill her. Unable to do so, the huntsman helps Snow White escape into the forest. Snow White stumbles upon the home of the seven dwarfs, who happily aid her. This is the story that the 1937 film adaptation by Disney presents, and the one followed most closely by Once Upon a Time. However, there are many variations of the original tale. In some of these variations, the dwarfs are robbers, while the magic mirror is substituted with dialogue with the sun or the moon. In an original variation, the Evil Queen was actually Snow White's jealous mother; however, the role was changed to stepmother later on to tone the story down for children. The name "Regina" was chosen as it means "Queen" in Latin, Italian and Romanian. In original variations of the story, she was simply referred to as the Evil Queen or Wicked Stepmother. Several other adaptations of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" have been made over the years.

Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the character.