When Zelena first swept into Once Upon a Time, green with envy and brimming with magical fury, few could have predicted the transformation she would undergo. As the Wicked Witch of the West, her past was steeped in bitterness and betrayal. But over the course of the series, we watched her peel away those layers of resentment to reveal a woman capable of love, sacrifice, and redemption. Zelena’s story is one of the most dynamic arcs in Once Upon a Time, and her journey from villain to complex heroine deserves its own spotlight.
Zelena’s story began long before she ever picked up a broomstick. Abandoned by her mother Cora and raised in the Enchanted Forest by adoptive parents, Zelena grew up feeling unloved and unwanted. Her powerful magic quickly set her apart, but instead of it bringing her joy, it fed her sense of isolation. When she eventually discovered her true lineage and the life her sister Regina had been given, envy consumed her. That envy turned into bitterness, and that bitterness turned into vengeance.
Choosing the path of darkness, Zelena embraced her title as the Wicked Witch of the West. Her hatred for Regina and desire to rewrite her own fate drove her to tamper with time, align with dark forces, and commit unspeakable acts. And yet, despite all her wickedness, there was always a vulnerability simmering beneath the surface—a part of her that still longed for love, family, and identity.
Zelena’s slow path toward redemption didn’t come easily. After her first defeat, she returned more dangerous than ever, eventually giving birth to her daughter, Robin. This child became a turning point for her. For perhaps the first time, Zelena had someone who loved her unconditionally, and she began to see herself through a different lens—not as the wicked one, but as someone who could do better.
Her road to becoming a better person was jagged and imperfect. She still made mistakes. She struggled to let go of her pain. She didn’t suddenly become a hero—but she began to try. Her evolving relationship with Regina, from hatred to sisterhood, was especially poignant. They fought, clashed, and rebuilt their bond one fragile moment at a time.
Zelena’s eventual sacrifices—giving up her magic to save others, risking her life to protect her daughter, and choosing to trust her sister—showed just how far she’d come.
In Season 7, the characters were sent to Hyperion Heights under a new curse. Stripped of their memories, they lived false lives in a modern world. Zelena became Kelly West, a fitness instructor with a biting sense of humor and an edge that felt familiar even without her magical past. She lived in California and had a seemingly ordinary life, trying to protect her daughter and navigate her complicated emotions—all without knowing who she truly was.
But even under the curse, Zelena’s protective instincts and inner strength remained intact. When she began to awaken to her real identity, it was clear that her time as Kelly had softened her edges and allowed her to experience motherhood in a different way—one less haunted by her past. Though Zelena’s wickedness was rooted in abandonment, her life as Kelly showed her what it was like to build something stable and real, even without magic.
When her memories returned, she didn’t revert back to her old self. Instead, she embraced both sides—Wicked and redeemed. She didn’t pretend she’d always been good, but she used her experience, pain, and resilience to help defeat the ultimate evil: Gothel.
Zelena is proof that redemption is messy, and that change doesn’t happen overnight. She didn’t get a fairy tale romance (though she did find love and loss along the way). Her happy ending looked different—one filled with self-acceptance, maternal love, and sisterhood. She learned to define herself not by her pain, but by her power to rise above it.
She never stopped being fierce, sarcastic, and confident—but she turned those traits into strengths instead of shields. In many ways, Zelena is one of the most relatable characters in Once Upon a Time. She’s been hurt. She’s made terrible mistakes. And yet, she never stopped wanting to be better.
So yes, she was wicked. But she was also brave. And in the end, she was wonderfully human.
