This article is about the character from Once Upon a Time. For other articles, see Mulan.
Mulan is a character featured in the ABC fantasy-drama series, Once Upon a Time, portrayed by actress Jamie Chung. Before the Dark Curse was cast, Mulan served in the army of the Emperor. Following he curse, she banded with Prince Phillip to find Aurora, for whom Mulan develops an unrequited love.
History[]
Later Mulan encounters Belle outside the den of the Yaoguai in her home Empire. Belle lures the creature out of its lair, but it attacks and Belle runs from it. Mulan then fires an arrow at the beast, making it run away. She then goes to Belle but berates her for scaring the beast and ruining her chance of killing the Yaoguai and saving her village. She storms off into the woods, telling Belle that the best way she can help is to stay out of her way. When Belle is later accosted in Mulan's village by her former traveling companions, Mulan attacks and drives them away, saving Belle in the process, but receiving a wound to her leg. When Belle inquires as to why Mulan saved her, Mulan tells her that Belle was able to find the Yaoguai and track it in a matter of hours, while it had taken her months to do so. She asks Belle to help her track the beast, and then Mulan will kill it. Belle agrees. As they go after the Yaoguai, Mulan discovers that her injury to her leg is worse than she thought, and tells Belle that it is up to her to go and defeat the Yaoguai. Belle at first refuses, but after Mulan encourages her takes the sword and goes after the Yaoguai. After turning the Yaoguai back into Prince Phillip, Belle goes to Mulan and introduces the two of them. Belle decides to go back to Rumplestiltskin and leaves the two of them behind and thus starting their friendship.
Later at some point, Mulan joined Prince Phillip on his journey to find Princess Aurora (played by Sarah Bolger). They were on the journey when the Evil Queen cast the Dark Curse. However, the area that they were in was spared by the curse merely freezing them in time for 28 years. When Emma Swan broke the Dark Curse in Storybrooke, they continued their journey.
Mulan with Prince Phillip and Aurora.
Mulan is present when Phillip awakens Aurora with True Love's Kiss, but the reunion is cut short when a Wraith appears in the palace. Phillip fights the creature, yet is unwillingly marked by the gold medallion it wore. Mulan explains that the Wraith sucks the souls of its victims. Upon realizing this, Phillip goes to sacrifice himself leaving Mulan and Aurora behind. Mulan figures out what he's up to and goes to stop him, but is followed by Aurora. The two women confront each other with Aurora stating that Mulan has feelings for him as well. Mulan simply denies this, stating although she and Phillip fought side-by-side together many times, she has no romantic feelings for him. The two discover Phillip and his soul is sucked by the Wraith in front of Mulan and Aurora. The women carry Phillip's seemingly dead body back to the palace where Aurora slept. It is there Mulan explains to Aurora what happened while she slept. They hear a noise and find Emma Swan and her biological mother Mary Margaret Blanchard under a pile of rubble. Thinking that they were the reason for the Wraith's appearance she and Aurora take them as prisoners to a safe haven where the survivors of the curse are gathered.
Mulan with Emma and Mary-Margaret as her captives.
Emma and Mary Margaret are thrown into the pit. Mulan is seen talking to Aurora about Lancelot and then Aurora tells Mulan that she does not trust Emma and Mary Margaret. Mulan warns Aurora not to confuse vengeance with justice. Later, she is seen giving Emma and Mary Margaret weapons for their journey to The Castle. In the woods, Mulan tells the two women that they will make a camp and that they need to get fire and water. When Mary Margaret makes a fire, Aurora attacks her and the two start arguing. Mulan appears and tells Mary Margaret to not talk to Aurora like that and that she will deal with Aurora. Emma appears and fires a gun to try to protect Mary Margaret but has instead summoned ogres. The group splits up and Mary Margaret saves Emma from an ogre. Later on, Mulan tells Aurora to keep up and that it is her own fault that she is not dressed for the woods as she was told to stay in the safe haven. Emma takes pity on Aurora and gives her her jacket. When the group arrives at the castle, Mulan informs Mary Margaret that she and Aurora will keep guard at the gate. The two later go into the castle to rescue Mary Margaret and Emma from Cora, who was disguised as Lancelot. Mulan tells the others that she cannot believe she was fooled by the shapeshifter and is not sure about what to tell the survivors once they got back. Mary Margaret tells her that she should tell them the truth, that Lancelot died a heroic death. Mulan then suggests Mary Margaret becomes the new leader. Mary Margaret says that she appreciates it but cannot as she has to get home to Storybrooke with Emma and Mulan and Aurora agree to help the two.
When the four women return to their camp, Mulan is horrified to see that all of her fellow residents were killed, seemingly by Cora ripping everyone's hearts from their bodies. Aurora discovers Captain Hook beneath a pile of bodies, and Hook attempts to deceive the four of them by stating he survived Cora's attack on the camp by hiding under some dead bodies. Mulan is not buying his story and ties Hook to a tree with Emma's help and begins to walk away with the women. Hook then reveals his true identity as a shocked Mary Margaret pulls his hook out of his satchel. He states that he was working with Cora, but will now join forces with Emma and her team. Emma then cuts him free. He leads them to a giant beanstalk stretching up into the sky, with Mulan pointing a sword at his back, stating that there is a magical compass at the top, but first, they must deal with the giant. At the base of the beanstalk, Mulan insists that she should be the one to climb the beanstalk, stating she is the most experienced warrior of the four women. However, Emma overrules her but takes her aside before climbing the beanstalk. She asks Mulan about the strength of her sword, and Mulan states that it is the strongest sword in the land. Emma then asks Mulan that if she is not back in 10 hours, if Mulan will cut the beanstalk down and make sure that Mary Margaret gets back to Storybrooke. Mulan agrees and then provides Emma with ground poppy in order to knock the Giant unconscious. After Emma and Hook set off, Mulan then draws a line in the sand and sticks a stick in the sand at the end, saying to the other two women it is a way to keep track of the watches each of them should have. When it reaches ten hours, Mulan takes her sword and deals a heavy blow to the beanstalk. She is then tackled by an infuriated Mary Margaret who demands to know what she is doing. Mulan states that it is her daughter's wish. Just then, Emma jumps off the beanstalk, so Mulan does not need to cut the beanstalk down.
In the Enchanted Forest, Mulan is present when Aurora awakens from her dream. Before she can talk to Aurora, zombies attack the encampment, and Mulan runs off with Aurora in another direction, leaving Mary Margaret and Emma behind to face the zombies. Mulan and Aurora encounter more zombies in the forest, and when Mulan is tackled by one, the other two manage to grab Aurora and get away with her. Mulan beheads the zombie she is being rushed by and then encounters Emma and Mary Margaret and informs them that the zombies got away with Aurora. Mary Margaret then states that she must be put back to sleep in order to contact Henry, and Mulan reluctantly tells them that in order to do that, they need more Ground Poppy Dust. She tells them that there is a little poppy growing nearby, and from that, she can create the dust needed. As they are hacking their way through the forest with Mulan leading, a raven swoops onto Mary Margaret's shoulder. It communicates to her that if the magical compass is not given to Cora by sundown, then something will happen to Aurora. Immediately Mulan demands the compass from Emma, and when Emma does not give it freely moves to physically take it from her. Emma and Mary Margaret convince her to allow them till sundown to contact Henry and come up with a plan. If that does not work, then they will give the compass to Mulan so she can rescue Aurora. Mulan reluctantly agrees and leads them to the poppy, where she cuts it and crushes it with her dagger. She then blows the powder into Mary Margaret's face, putting her to sleep. When Mary Margaret wakes up, she and Emma discover that Mulan has taken the compass and run. Mulan is then shown running through the forest, but is stopped when Mary Margaret fires an arrow at her to halt her in her tracks. Mulan turns to face them and a distraught Mary Margaret demands the compass. When Mulan refuses, she tackles Mulan and pulls an arrow out of her quiver and presses it against Mulan's neck. Mulan still refuses to give them the compass, saying that they will have to kill her first. Mary Margaret raises the arrow just as Aurora comes around a tree and tells Mary Margaret to stop. Aurora then tells them all that occurred and asks what they are going to do next. Mulan asks if she is okay before they follow Mary Margaret and Emma.
As the group arrives at Rumplestiltskin's cell in the ruins of the palace, Mulan uses her torch to search the cell for any sign of the squid ink. After Aurora finds Rumplestiltskin's note, Mulan finds a small empty glass vial, although it may have contained ink at one point. They are then entrapped in the cell by Cora and Hook, and Cora reveals that she has Aurora's heart in her possession. After Cora and Hook leave, Mulan apologizes to Aurora for allowing Cora to get her heart. Soon after, Mary Margaret uses the squid ink in the note written by Rumplestiltskin to open the cell and allows the group to escape. At Aurora's insistence that she cannot be trusted due to Cora holding her heart, Mulan reluctantly ties her to the remnants of the jail cell. At Lake Nostros, the group arrives to find Hook and Cora about to jump through the portal to Storybrooke. Mulan, Emma, and Mary Margaret immediately attack. Mulan can battle Cora using her sword and can deflect her magic with the blade. As Mulan moves to attack Cora, Cora vanishes in a puff of smoke, and Aurora's heart nearly falls into the portal when Hook reaches out and grabs it, tossing it to Mulan. After Emma knocks Hook out, Mary Margaret tells Mulan to go and give Aurora back her heart. Mulan gives Mary Margaret her sword, saying it will deflect Cora's magic before running back to the palace ruins. She is able to put Aurora's heart back in her chest. Aurora then tells Mulan that Cora told her that Phillip may be able to be revived, and the two friends set off to recover his soul.
At some point in their quest, though through unknown means, they managed to recover Phillip's soul and revived him. The three later appear in the season finale, where they find Neal Cassidy unconscious on the beach outside the Enchanted Forest. They take him back to the palace and tend to his injuries as Mulan keeps a close watch on the stranger. Upon awakening, she asks who he is, to which the man responds with his name, Neal. Her companions, Aurora and Prince Phillip, rush over to inspect the stranger. Hastily, Aurora helps to bring water to him while Neal wonders where this is. She tells him he is in their kingdom, and further questioning prompts Prince Phillip to tell Neal they are in the Enchanted Forest. Shocked, Neal murmurs he is back, which causes Aurora to think he's a native of this land, but Mulan points out his clothes are foreign and similar to Emma and Mary Margaret's. At the mention of Emma's name, Neal realizes they are acquainted with her as well, and tries to explain he needs to save Emma from harm. In attempting to move from the bier, Neal struggles to sit up as his wound is not yet completely healed, but despite that, he is set on finding out if Emma and Henry are alright. Aurora queries if Neal is Henry's father, and goes on to fill him in on how she once met Henry in the Netherworld. She mentions having harnessed the power to walk the dream world and find others like her, and it's possible to find Henry. Neal asks if she can find Emma to let her know he is alive.
Assuming a laying spot on the bier, Aurora attempts to find Emma or Henry in the dream world. While Prince Phillip watches over her, Mulan and Neal wait at the sidelines and converse. Mulan learns Neal assumed death was imminent after falling into the portal, and from focusing his thoughts on the Enchanted Forest, that's how he ended up here. Curious about the other world, Storybrooke, she asks what it's like there. Neal starts off by saying people of that land believe the Enchanted Forest inhabitants to be fictional and exemplifies it with the Mulan animated film. Confused, she inquires what a film is, but the exchange is interrupted by Aurora's awakening.
Crestfallen, Aurora notifies Neal she was unable to make contact. However, Neal recalls his father always had plans and could have left something behind if he ever returned to the Enchanted Forest. He hopes to find such an item and use it to get to Emma and Henry by traveling to his father's castle. Prince Phillip raises the question of who his father is, and Neal admits it's Rumplestiltskin.
Mulan and Neal go on foot towards the castle. Wishing to learn more about Neal's relationship with Emma, she asks why Emma never mentioned him before. Neal confesses he broke Emma's heart by letting her go to fulfill the breaking of the Dark Curse, and after it was finished, fear of rejection kept him from coming back to her. Mulan remarks that his belief in love wasn't strong enough to overcome rejection, which Neal says is the greatest regret of his life.
Through a brief search, Neal finds his father's old cane, which he uses to reveal a hidden door in the castle. From within, Neal discovers a crystal ball. Reluctantly, he agrees magic is the only thing that can help him now and attempts to get the ball to activate by touching it, which causes no change. Mulan suggests thinking about how he feels about Emma, and that will guide him to see her.
Mulan and Aurora.
Afterward, Neal devised a plan to get to Neverland: he will use Robin Hood's son, Roland, to lure the shadow to the castle while they and Mulan lie and wait. After it appears to have failed, their plan works, and the shadow arrived for Roland. Robin managed to hold on to his son long enough for Neal to grab the shadow, and Mulan managed to force it to back off and fly back to Neverland, successfully taking Neal with it. Later, Robin Hood thanks Mulan for her help and offers her to join his band of Merry Men. Mulan appreciates the offer but urgently has to talk to someone first before it's too late. Knowingly, Robin Hood believes she means a loved one, though she smiles and replies only time will tell. She rushes to the palace to approach Aurora. After making sure they are alone, Mulan announces that she has news to share. Coincidentally, so does Aurora, who excitedly confirms she and Prince Phillip are expecting their first child. Mulan reacts with shock but quickly congratulates her. Recovering from her stupor, Mulan changes her mind about what she wanted to say and hastily states her intent to join Robin Hood's band of Merry Men. Leaving abruptly, Mulan turns to walk away with a saddened expression on her face. Later that night, Mulan arrives at the Merry Men's campsite and is greeted by Robin Hood, unaware that he's the man with the lion tattoo that Tinkerbell tried to have Regina meet back in the Enchanted Forest.
Sometimes later, Mulan became a bodyguard for hire, though it is unclear whether she is still a part of Robin's Merry Men. On one of her duty, she was assigned to protect King Fergus' daughter, Merida, for Clan DunBroch's upcoming war with the Northern Invaders. However, she's actually tasked by Fergus to keep Merida from going into battle with him. By the time they arrived at the battlefield, the clan, and the invaders were already fighting each other. They spotted a knight coming towards Fergus with a sword, but despite Merida's effort to stop him, Fergus was killed.
Mulan and Merida facing Zelena and Arthur.
Two years later, old turmoils have taken its toll on Mulan, leaving her cold and callous. She now works to collect money debts from people for her employer, until Merida found and ask her for help. Returning to the site of the old battlefield, the two had found a piece of cloak from the knight who killed Fergus. However, before they can continue their investigation, they were confronted by Zelena and King Arthur. During her search in the old witch's hut, Mulan encounters a wolf inside. Right away, she knows the wolf's identity, and after knocking over a nearby cauldron, the smoke engulfed it and revert it back to none other than Ruby. With her help, Mulan and Merida found out that Arthur is the knight who killed Fergus. As Merida faces off against Arthur, Mulan and Ruby battle Zelena. After defeating the two, Mulan and Ruby stopped by Fergus' grave to bid Merida farewell. Though Mulan admits that she is too late admit her feelings for her lost love, she is still not over it. So Ruby encourages her to join her to find other werewolves like her as a way to heal from past wounds, which she accepts.
Mulan with Ruby and Dorothy on their way to Oz.
Together with Ruby, Mulan aided her friend in her journey to find her pack. Their search took them into the woods near Oz, which Ruby is familiar with, and where they encountered Dorothy and her dog Toto. After they informed Dorothy of where they're heading, the three spotted a green cyclone, which Dorothy realized that Zelena has returned. Zelena holds Toto hostage and demands the silver slippers from the three to reunite with her daughter, in exchange for Toto's safety. To save Toto, Mulan creates a concoction that can put Zelena to sleep, but she needs poppies to complete the brew, which Ruby and Dorothy managed to acquire while having just escaped a pursuit from a couple of Zelena's flying monkeys. After completing the brew, Mulan gives it to Dorothy. As Dorothy retires to her tent to rest for the night, Ruby confides with Mulan about Dorothy's reaction at seeing her turning into a wolf. At first, Ruby worried about Dorothy's rejection, until Mulan encourages her not to hold back, as she doesn't want Ruby to make the same mistake she made.
Later, Mulan and the munchkins from Oz found Dorothy placed under a sleeping curse by Zelena. They stand vigil until Ruby returns. Using the silver slippers, Ruby and Mary Margaret were transported from the Underworld to Oz, where the former managed to save Dorothy with true love's kiss, waking her up and breaking the curse. After admitting their feelings for each other, Ruby and Dorothy seal their blossoming romance with a kiss as Mulan, Mary Margaret, and the Munchkins happily look on.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- This is the first incarnation of Mulan to be part of the LGBTQ+ community, and be interested in females.
