After 10 Years, I Still Can't Believe Once Upon A Time's Most Mistreated Character Never Got Justice

Despite only appearing in a handful of episodes, it is clear to me that Maid Marian was the most mistreated character in Once Upon a Time. In every episode she appears in, something bad happens to her – whether it's being held captive, suffering from an illness, or losing her life. Not only was she mistreated, but Marian also died twice. To top it off, eventually, both her murderers ended up in some kind of romantic relationship with her husband, Robin Hood (Tom Ellis and Sean Maguire).

What's worse than this is that the character never got any kind of justice. Both of her killers got off scot-free and were even rewarded and welcomed by the heroes in the series finale. Even by the end of the show, when Robin Hood was killed, his soul was completely destroyed and obliterated, so she wasn't even reunited with her husband in the afterlife. It was one of my biggest issues with Once Upon A Time that we never saw Marian being happy – a jarring dissonance in a story ostensibly about hope and happy endings.

Maid Marian Is Probably The Most Mistreated Character In Once Upon A Time

In Every Episode She Appears In, She Faces Some Kind Of Injustice

Maid Marian's mistreatment was evident from the outset. In her very first episode, Marian was only in one scene, showing her dying from some kind of illness, before Robin Hood saves her life with a magic wand. The next time the character is mentioned, four episodes later, it is revealed that she has somehow died. Through a series of flashback scenes over multiple episodes and seasons, it is shown that The Evil Queen, who later went on to be in a romantic relationship with Robin Hood, executed Marian for hiding the whereabouts of Snow White.

This trend continued as Once Upon A Time developed. In season 3, Emma Swan and Captain Hook go back in time, and while they are there, they break Marian out of the Queen's dungeons the night before her execution, saving her life. When their backs were turned, The Wicked Witch (The Evil Queen's sister) killed Marian and took her form, posing as her for the better half of the fourth season. This shows that Marian was merely used as a pawn in the show, used to show the pain and suffering the villagers of the Enchanted Forest endured by the hands of The Evil Queen.

I'm Still Mad About Maid Marian's Second Death In Once Upon A Time

It Caused More Pain And Suffering For Marian

For me, the most egregious example of Marian's mistreatment remains her second death. In the episode "Heart Of Gold" it is revealed that Marian has been dead since the season 3 finale episode, and since then, every time we have seen Marian in present day, it has been Zelena, The Wicked Witch, disguised as the character. Zelena didn't even know Marian, she just knew that by ending her life, it would help her get revenge on Regina, so Zelena just used her as an object to get what she wanted. Although it made for a brilliant storyline, the second death of the character, immediately after her rescue, was completely unfair and cruel.

While she was disguised as Marian, Zelena re-entered the marriage with Robin Hood, resulting in them leaving Storybrooke and having another child until she was found out. Although it wasn't really Marian in season 4, when Zelena was disguised as her, she was still unfairly treated. In season 4, episode 1, she was almost killed by a giant snow monster, in the third episode, she was cursed and almost frozen to death, and in the episode "Heart Of Gold" she was mugged in New York. Anyone would think the character was cursed with bad luck – even before you factor in the fact that she was already dead.

It's Disappointing That Maid Marian Never Got Justice In The ABC Series

After The Fourth Season, The Character Wasn't Seen Again

Custom Image by Ana Nieves

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Following the reveal of Zelena taking her appearance, Marian wasn't seen again on the show. It's a shame that we never got to see the character be happy or at the very least get some kind of justice for all of the wrong-doings she endured at the hands of others. It would have been interesting to see Marian pop up in The Underworld in the show's fifth season, so Regina and Zelena would have to face the consequences of their actions.

Even if it was just for a short storyline with Robin, it would have been interesting to see a reunion between Robin and Marian in The Underworld and how that would have affected Regina's relationship with Robin. Unfortunately, the character never got any kind of justice in the course of the show, as she was just used as a device for Once Upon a Time to create storylines out of her pain and suffering, despite being a good-hearted character. This consistent misfortune makes her the most ill-treated character to appear in the show.