5 Best Once Upon A Time Villains, Ranked

"Once Upon a Time" had its fair share of brave heroes over the years, but the villains really drove the plot. Without their scheming, vengeful, power-hungry ways, the good guys would've had nothing to do. Most importantly, there would've been no Dark Curse, so no need for savior Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) to swoop in and eventually break it. Fortunately, "Once Upon a Time" had no shortage of great villains (which is fitting for a show TVLine ranked as one of the best witch TV shows).

In honor of the 15th anniversary of the premiere, we're ranking the five best villains. Most of the villains on this list carried out their most memorable (and problematic) acts of villainy during the first six seasons of "Once Upon a Time," which underwent a massive narrative overhaul for Season 7, so the bulk of this piece is based on that time period (though the series finale gets a mention). Without further ado, let's look back at the very best "Once Upon a Time" villains.

The Black Fairy, aka Fiona (Jaime Murray), appeared in fewer episodes than all of the other villains on this list, but she was one of the most important baddies. The Dark Curse that the Evil Queen (aka Regina) used to transport the fairytale characters to Storybrooke, Maine wouldn't have existed without Fiona. After learning that her newborn son was fated to die in a big future battle, Fiona scrambled to transform herself into a fairy to build a Dark Curse and keep him safe from harm.

Unfortunately, Fiona's willingness to harm her son's fairy godmother, Tiger Lily (who attempted to thwart her plans), turned her magic dark, creating the persona of the Black Fairy — and she definitely lived up to the name. As the Black Fairy, she committed all kinds of unforgivable acts, but nothing was worse than kidnapping her own grandson, Gideon, and later ripping out his heart to force him under her control and make him carry out her evil plans. So while her journey started off with a desire to protect her helpless child from harm, she became truly loathsome. Plus, she was also a very crucial connective thread to two other big bads on this list.

Zelena (Rebecca Mader), who was also the Wicked Witch of the West, comes in at No. 4. But before we dive into her misdeeds, here's a little context about her traumatic upbringing. Her mother, Cora, gave her up but later kept her younger sister, Regina, thus planting seeds of envy and abandonment in her heart. Paired with her innate magical abilities, which were further molded by Rumplestiltskin, Zelena's descent into villainy seemed fated.

Zelena's worst moments included kidnapping Snow White and Prince Charming's baby and indirectly orchestrating the death of Neal so Rumplestiltskin could be resurrected. In her most controversial moment, Zelena posed as Marian, the formerly late wife of Robin Hood (who was dating her sister, Regina). Robin Hood slept with who he thought was Marian, resulting in Zelena becoming pregnant.

The last point was especially troubling because Zelena sexually assaulted and emotionally manipulated Robin Hood. Zelena reveled in being bad, despite who or what was impacted by her misdeeds. And though she did eventually show moments of selflessness and heroism, nothing could truly wipe away some of the lengths she went to during the series.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

"Once Upon a Time" was driven by the Evil Queen's need to enact revenge against Snow White (aka Mary Margaret), whose father (the King) she'd been arranged to marry. After young Snow exposed Regina's secret about her relationship with her true love, causing him to be killed by her power-hungry mother, Cora, Regina became consumed by vengeance. She cast the Dark Curse to take away Snow's happiness (along with everyone else's).

In the time between, she hunted adult Snow, committed countless murders, and shamelessly displayed her dark magic. Of course, she was also quite ruthless and unapologetic as the Mayor of Storybrooke, despite not having initial access to her magic. While the fairytale characters were unaware of their real identities, she wielded a different kind of power until Emma Swan, the mother of her adoptive son, Henry, rolled into town and challenged her. That said, Regina also had one of the most well-developed redemption arcs of the entire show, but her evil side definitely carried many of the best storylines.

The Neverland arc was one of the best in "Once Upon a Time," and it's all because of its main villain, Peter Pan. Driven by his desire to find the heart of the truest believer to save his life, he had Henry kidnapped, setting off an epic battle that includes Storybrooke's most powerful (and a few others), who work toward his safe return. During the arc, much of which took place in Neverland, Pan proved to be cunning, antagonizing, and scarily powerful.

Pan was also entertaining. Although the audience long knew that he was going to sacrifice Henry, his charming delivery sometimes made you forget about his nefarious intentions. That's a testament to actor Robbie Kay. Although he was in his late teens when he first appeared, he held his own against actors much older and more experienced than himself. Some of Pan's most powerful scenes included Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle), who was revealed to be Pan's son whom he'd abandoned years earlier in exchange for a second chance at youth.

Rumplestiltskin, aka The Dark One, was easily the best villain in "Once Upon a Time." Between his destructive love of power, his long-running feud with Captain Hook, and all the senseless killings, Rumple was a terrifying foe. However, his Storybrooke alter ego, Mr. Gold, was also menacing, even without the dramatic flair and creepy giggles.

Even when Rumple appeared to have his hands clean, he was in the shadows, pulling puppet strings and orchestrating all kinds of mayhem to serve his personal agendas. Many storylines were influenced heavily by him, either directly or indirectly. His father was Peter Pan (known in his Storybrooke form as Malcolm), and his mother became the Black Fairy.

Rumple eventually made the ultimate sacrifice in the "Once Upon a Time" series finale in order to save everyone from the extra evil Wish Realm version of himself. Still, he wielded darkness so expertly that he was the only choice for the best "Once Upon a Time" villain.