Deconstructing the figure of the villain in the television series Once Upon a Time

The object of study of this article is the most widely distributed fantasy series worldwide: Once Upon a Time (Kitsis & Horowitz, 2011-2018), a fiction that connects the Disney universe with folk tales and Greek mythology. The research is circumscribed to the figure of the villain, the Evil Quee...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Linares Barrones, Álvaro, Martínez-García, Ángeles
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Recursos:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repositorio:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/179931
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/179931
https://doi.org/10.5354/0719-1529.2025.76880
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Character
Villain
Television series
Once Upon a Time
Evil Queen
Personaje
Villano
Series de televisión
Reina Malvada
Descrição
Resumo:The object of study of this article is the most widely distributed fantasy series worldwide: Once Upon a Time (Kitsis & Horowitz, 2011-2018), a fiction that connects the Disney universe with folk tales and Greek mythology. The research is circumscribed to the figure of the villain, the Evil Queen, because, although there are other models of villains in the series, this character prevails in all seasons. The article focuses on a character analysis with the primary objective of investigating the transformation arc of the villain in the series. The methodology employed is of a qualitative-descriptive nature, since it goes from the review of the theories of characters, script and villainy to a content analysis that, although based on previous studies, incorporates inclusive approaches and the characteristics and functionality of the villain to the matrix, which makes it replicable for future research of this same nature. Among the main results is that the character of the Evil Queen undergoes and develops a radical transformation arc, both physically and psychologically, which results in character growth that diverges significantly from more traditional representations of villainy.