- “Some people struggle not to be drawn in to the darkness. But ever since I was a little girl, I've said..."Why not splash in and have fun?”
- ―Cruella De Vil to Isaac Heller[src]
Cruella De Vil is a character who appears in ABC's fantasy series Once Upon a Time. She serves as a one of the main antagonist for the second half of the fourth season. She returns as a recurring villain in the second half of the fifth season.
History[]
In a realm where the timeline is a constant 1920s London, a young Cruella De Vil is being mistreated by her mother Madeline as she instructs her Dalmatians to chase her daughter, and is locked in the attic.
Fast forward to several years later, and a reporter, who is revealed to the Author but is using an alias by the name of Isaac, is paying a visit to the home pretending to seek out a story, only to have Madeline shoo him off for his callous questions. Unfortunately, Isaac returns and helps Cruella escape from the attic after she offers him an interesting story. He then takes Cruella out for a date that includes dinner and dancing. Cruella reveals to Isaac that the reason she was kept in the attic was that she knew her mother kill her father and her previous husbands; Isaac then reveals to Cruella that he was more than just a reporter and has the ability to use his pen and ink to create magical stories. Isaac proposes that they run away together, and uses his quill and ink to give Cruella her persuasion powers to control animals.
Young Cruella explains her twisted nature and murderous mindset.
Unfortunately for Isaac, his future with Cruella would later take a unique twist that will put his future in danger. When Madeline pays him a visit, and she tells him that Cruella had lied to him about what actually happened to her husbands: Cruella was the one who killed them, not Madeline, who was trying to prevent her from killing others after seeing there was no way to remedy her murderous nature. When Madeline returns home, Cruella was ready for her and eventually kills her mother by controlling her Dalmatians and command them to attack her. Isaac realizes his quill was missing and pays a visit to see Cruella, realizing, to his horror, Madeline was right. He is stunned that she used him as a means to an end, with Cruella used the skin from her mother's dogs as fur for her signature coat. The confrontation leads the two to fight over the ink, which is then spilled on Cruella, transforming her hair into the infamous black & white. As Cruella is about to kill him, Issac uses his powers as the Author to make it so that Cruella can never kill anyone ever again by hastily writing it down on a piece of paper. Enraged that she lost her ability to murder, she rants she's not done as he exits.
Cruella De Vil before the First Curse.
Receiving an invitation from the Dark One, Rumplestiltskin, to the Forbidden Fortress, Cruella De Vil arrives with her two dog companions, using her magical ability of persuasion on them, to which they react with hostility towards two strangers, Maleficent and Ursula. Rumplestiltskin desires help from all three women to retrieve a curse and give them, as well as himself, the happy endings they otherwise would not get as villains. After agreeing, they travel with him to the Bald Mountain, where each woman uses their powers to defeat an obstacle. For Cruella, she magically persuades a horde of venomous bugs to part aside for them. Once Ursula grabs the crystal ball containing the curse, it triggers the Chernabog into attacking. Admitting that he used them, Rumplestiltskin advises the women about the Chernabog, which detects the heart with the greatest evil and devours it. He then leaves, with the crystal ball, while the trio face the beast. The Chernabog attacks Maleficent, who distracts it as Cruella and Ursula climb up a crack in the ceiling. Just before the Chernabog can kill Maleficent, Ursula hoists her to safety.
Some time in the past before the Dark Curse, Cruella allied herself with Maleficent and Ursula to steal a powerful gauntlet from the evil sorcerer, Rumplestiltskin. This gauntlet is capable of revealing one's weakness, which the villains plot to utilize in order to defeat their enemies and gain their own happy endings.
Cruella uses a Dalmatian to kidnap Rumple's maid, Belle, and holds her for ransom in exchange for the gauntlet. Once the item is in their possessions, Cruella and the other reveal their scheme, though Rumple manages to steal it back, claiming the exchange was performed through ransom, and not a deal, which he never breaks. Cruella scoffs and claims he'll meet a defeat, as villains never win, yet the sorcerer retorts by claiming he always does.
As the impending threat of the Dark Curse came closer, Cruella, Maleficent, and Ursula teamed up with Snow White and Prince Charming to prevent the Evil Queen from casting it.
After the Charmings discover that their baby would be evil, and they could channel the darkness into Maleficent's child, they knock out Cruella and Ursula, who had been guarding the cave, and steal the egg from Maleficent.
Later, Cruella and Ursula confront the Charmings, who unknowingly agreed to send the egg to the Land Without Magic. During the confrontation, Ursula and Cruella tumble into the portal along with the egg. Cruella and Ursula then abandon the baby in the middle of the woods, using the magic powers of its eggshell to preserve their youth.
Cruella in the modern world.
Years later, in the modern world, it is shown that Rumple (having met defeat of his own) plans to ally himself with Cruella, Maleficent and Ursula to find the Author of the Once Upon a Time book to forcibly retrieve their happy endings. Cruella De Vil was shown married and living on Long Island under the alias of Cruella Feinberg, who just had her lavish lifestyle and items repossessed by the FBI. At Mr. Gold and Ursula's arrival, she expresses little interest in joining them and instead shows off her car. Mr. Gold and Ursula find her and offer her the opportunity to join them into returning to Storybrooke. Cruella agrees to the terms and takes them to Storybrooke in her car. Upon using Mr. Gold's cellphone, Ursula and Cruella make a deal with Regina to let them into Storybrooke in exchange for info on how to defeat the Chernabog. After the Chernabog disappeared upon being thrown over the town line, Ursula and Cruella were invited into Storybrooke. Later that night, Cruella and Ursula get Mr. Gold back into Storybrooke. That night, Cruella and Ursula meet with David and Mary Margaret, who swear the twosome into never revealing their pasts with each other in the Enchanted Forest. Ominously, Mary Margaret promises to tear out their hearts herself if they don't comply.
Cruella and Ursula secretly work with Mr. Gold to resurrect Maleficent. The women steal an ornament of Maleficent's from the pawnshop, which David and Mary Margaret believe will be used to resurrect the dead sorceress. Instead, this is only a ruse to bait the couple into venturing into the cave below the library where Maleficent's ashes reside, and after David and Mary Margaret are knocked out by Ursula, Cruella sacrifices some of their blood to Maleficent's ashes to complete the spell that proceeds to morphs her ashes into her undead form, then her dragon form before restoring her to life.
While Mr. Gold, Regina, and Maleficent were searching the Sorcerer's mansion for the door that the Author was behind, Cruella was left to guard August. She was knocked out by Mary Margaret. Cruella managed to slip away after witnessing King Poseidon returned Ursula her singing voice. After catching up to Mr. Gold, Regina, and Maleficent, Cruella De Vil told them that Emma and Mary Margaret rescued August. She also told them her suspicion of Ursula being the mole, unaware that she has left Storybrooke with her father.
Cruella puts Maleficent to sleep.
While driving, Maleficent teleports in front of the car. Maleficent confronts Cruella as to why she lied to her about her daughter Lily and tell her that she was dead. Cruella simply tells her that she's a terrible person and left her in the woods to die, callously stating she isn't "mother material". She tells her that Ursula and herself took her dragon egg to absorb the magic and keep themselves youthful. Furious, Maleficent tells Cruella her death will last for days and turns into a dragon to kill her. However, Cruella uses her powers to put Maleficent under her control and tells her to rest as today is the day she gets her happy ending now that the Author is here. Cruella then pays a visit to Isaac to make up for lost time and to offer him a deal, as Gold does not know that they knew each other as Isaac catches on to her deception, and since Isaac knows that Cruella has no power to kill anyone, Cruella, who tells Isaac that there are other ways to "skin an author." She finds a way to make it happen via kidnapping Henry by using a controlled Pongo. She then forces both Emma and Regina to do her bidding by making the mothers kill Isaac or else Cruella will kill Henry. The women and Hook searches the woods just in time for Henry to escape from the woods and it's Emma who finds Henry, but Cruella makes an empty threat by holding Henry at gunpoint. She then tempts Emma's patience to see if she will do it, reminding her that heroes never kill. Not knowing that the Author has made it so that Cruella can no longer kill, Emma use her powers to kill Cruella by knocking her off the cliff.
She is later buried by Mr. Gold and the Author.
Her spirit is sent to the Underworld, unable to move on, having unfinished business. There, she begins a relationship with the brother of Prince Charming, Prince James.
When the heroes journey to the Underworld to save Hook, Emma sees Cruella in her car drive past them.
Cruella is chosen as the new mayor of the Underworld after Cora is fired. She redecorates the mayoral office with dog statues and Dalmatian-spotted curtains. Regina realizes that a good way to find Hook would be to get all the schematics of the Underworld buildings. Assuming they are in the office of the Underworld's city hall, Regina sends Robin and Henry to get them, as Henry knows the office. After they arrive, Robin discovers the office is locked, and opens an air vent for Henry to crawl through. Unbeknownst to Henry, Cruella is waiting for him in the office. She tells him that she misses the real world, and since Henry is the Author, he can send her back to the world of the living. When Henry tells her he broke the pen and is unable to do so, Cruella tells him that the pen was a living entity, and when he broke it, it was sent to the Underworld. When Henry asks her why he should help her, Cruella explains that by bringing her back to life, he would make Emma no longer a murderer.
Cruella talks with Regina in the Underworld diner.
Later, Cruella tries to flee the Underworld diner, but Regina stops her, curious to know more about the cemetery. Cruella tells her to use her magic, but realizes that Regina is having trouble using it in the Underworld. Cruella invites her to sit so they can chat. Regina asks her if everyone who has a grave in the Underworld is actually there. Cruella tells her no, that most of them are passing through, and provides her with a map of the cemetery plots, explaining to Regina that she has access to them, as she is mayor now. She explains that there is a key to interpreting whether the person whose name is listed on the headstone is present in the Underworld: If the headstone is upright, they are still in the Underworld; if it is tipped over, they have moved on to a better place; and if it is cracked, they have moved on to Hell. She is also seen wearing a doe fur in her meeting with Regina, but neither confirms nor denies it belongs to Bambi's mother.
When David (Prince Charming) is looking about the sheriff's office, Cruella arrives with champagne and starts flirting with him, acting as though she thinks he's James. David is able to block her advances before Cruella admits that she knew all along that he is David. She then tells David about James' anger for him, about how their mother chose David and not James.
After Hades decides to remove all evidence of hope from the Underworld, he requests to have all the phone booths that allow Underworld residents to talk to their living relatives removed. As mayor, Cruella oversees their destruction. When David and Hook attempt to contact David's son back in Storybrooke, and see that the booths are being ripped out, they protest. Henry asks if Cruella's doing this because he refuses to write her back to life. She tells them that it wasn't her decision to have all the phones removed, and they figure out it was Hades. David tells her to tell Hades that it will take more than that to discourage them. Cruella offers them a choice that she can look the other way as they make one last phone call while she has Henry write her back to life. David refuses the offer, and she tells Claude, the man working on the booths to rip out the phone.
Cruella and James.
Cruella realizes that since Henry will not bring her back from the dead, she needs to find an alternate method to return to Storybrooke. She decides to kidnap Zelena's daughter to use as leverage against Hades as he is in love with the Wicked Witch. She and James decide to have the late prince switch places with David, in hopes they can take the child. After James successfully imprisons David, and has his niece powerless as a hostage with Robin Hood, Cruella meets him in the forest to take the baby. She punches Emma, telling her it was payback for killing her (though to be fair, Cruella provoked her own demise), then telling her reasons for wanting the baby. Knowing they won't just hand the baby over, Cruella and James decide to take Emma and Robin to the Underworld harbor, hoping to push them over the docks into the River of Lost Souls. As they are about to push them over, David and Hook arrive. Cruella tries to grab a gun, but Hook takes it first, saying she wouldn't be able to use it anyway. She runs off and takes cover beside a large box on the dock, watching the ensuing fight between David and James. She helps James during the fight, reminding him of the knife he has hidden in his sock. As James tries to stab David, he is thrown into the River. Cruella then flees the area.
Cruella teams up with the Blind Witch.
When a portal to Storybrooke is opened, the heroes can leave the Underworld for good. When Cruella finds out that Hades is also leaving for Storybrooke and that the Underworld will need a new ruler, she changes her mind on being written back to life, instead chooses to stay and rule the Underworld and keep the heroes there as punishment. As Henry begins writing everyone's unfinished business, Cruella approaches the table. After she reveals her plan to the heroes, Regina tells her that it would be impossible for Cruella to keep them there, as her magic can only "make a dog roll over and beg." Cruella agrees, but then the Blind Witch appears, saying she has the right powers, revealing her alliance with Cruella. She blasts them into the Underworld Library and blocks the door with magic, before she walks off with Cruella, who says that eternity is going to be nice after all.
To make sure no one can complete their unfinished business and stay in the Underworld, she takes the Underworld edition of the storybook, and throws it in the River of Lost Souls. As she is enjoying a martini at the diner, Hook approaches her, accompanied by a newly deceased King Arthur, and asks her about the phone booths that were torn down, as he needed to contact Emma back in Storybrooke. She tells him there is nothing left of them, as she had them destroyed. Hook then asks her where the storybook is, and she tells him that she threw it in the River.
At some point, King Arthur takes control of the Underworld away from Cruella and becomes its new ruler. Cruella wakes up in a bar only to be greeted by Mordred, the owner, she asks him for several different drinks, but he refuses believing she has had one too many, she then compliments his skin and asks that she make him into a coat, which he disagrees. Cruella then asks Mordred if he has any ideas of what to do next with their deaths, and Mordred suggests taking Arthur's throne back from him together, as he had planned when he was alive, but Cruella responds with "And how did that work out for you?", he then suggests that they seek redemption, which Cruella also rejects believing that she is incapable of doing good. Mordred then remarks that it is her darkness that makes minor villains look good, and that they should just stay in the Underworld together, which she misinterprets as being the source of darkness that makes goodness possible, making her the hero of the story. She then decides to celebrate by asking for champagne which Mordred decides to give to her, she then asks why she was in the bar in the first place, to which he states that she was celebrating the 50-year anniversary of Arthur becoming the leader of the Underworld, she then wishes Mordred a Happy Anniversary as he walks away.
Cruella in the wish realm.
In the wish realm, another version of Cruella exists. This version was sent by the Wish Realm version of Rumplestiltskin to stop Henry and Regina in exchange for new furs and permission to kill the very people he's after. Cruella challenges Henry to a sword fight and loses and is then teleported into a dog cage where she is forced to reveal the whereabouts of Jacinda and Lucy and how to free them. Later, when Henry is looking for enchanted ink so he can use the author's pen, he approaches Cruella and uses the pen to extract the ink from her hair, leaving it completely white as she swears vengeance on him.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Cruella was granted the magical ability of persuasion. The power on the show is displayed as green smoke from her mouth, which in the film, Cruella constantly exhaled due to her smoking cigarettes.
