 | This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (January 2020) |
| Emma Swan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Once Upon a Time character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Promotional photograph of Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Jennifer Morrison (Adult) Abby Ross (Teenager) Mckenna Grace (Child) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2011–2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | "Pilot" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | "Leaving Storybrooke" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Main character (Seasons 1-6) Guest star (Season 7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Adam Horowitz Edward Kitsis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Book appearances | Reawakened: A Once Upon a Time Tale | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spin-off appearances | Once Upon a Time in Wonderland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Emma Swan is a fictional character and the protagonist of ABC's television series Once Upon a Time. She is portrayed by Jennifer Morrison as an adult, by Abby Ross as a teenager, and by Mckenna Grace as a child. Emma appears in the series' pilot as a bail bond agent in Boston, Massachusetts, until she meets her biological son Henry, whom she gave up for adoption 10 years before. She learns she is the long lost daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming[1] who gave her up shortly after her birth 28 years ago so she wouldn't die at the hands of Regina Mills, also known as the Evil Queen. Sadly, she doesn’t learn this vital information until the beginning of season two. Henry tells Emma of her true identity; she is the prophesied “Savior” and is destined to break the Evil Queen’s curse, saving the fictional town of Storybrooke, Maine,[2] and restoring the residents’ (all cursed fairy tale characters) happy endings.
Morrison described her character at the beginning of the first season as "broken, damaged and worldly."[2] During the fourth season finale, "Operation Mongoose," Emma absorbs the power of the Dark One into herself to save Regina.[3] In order to successfully create a dark version of Emma, Morrison explained that "In order to build Dark Emma, I've been doing a bunch of research there with some of their mythology books and old fairy tale books and just looking back through the history of swans and the etymology of 'Swan'" and explained that Emma's rate of evolution "challenged [her] on a daily basis."[4] Emma became the primary antagonist of the fifth season's first half, until the end of the season's eighth episode when it is revealed that she was never actually evil and was an anti-villain during that time.
Morrison's portrayal of Emma has received praise, with some reviewers noting a feminist twist in the depiction of fairy tales and a strong female lead. She is loosely based on the title character of the fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling," a swan which was lost and raised by ducks, before finding its birth family and recognizing its true nature, while her Dark One side is loosely based on Odile the Black Swan from the ballet Swan Lake. It is revealed in the Season 6 episode "Tougher Than the Rest" that she chose the last name Swan when she was young after a friend mentioned that story.
- ^ Sparks, Lily (September 28, 2012). "Once Upon a Time Q&A: Jennifer Morrison Drops a Few Hints About Season 2". TV.com. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
- ^ a b Jeffery, Morgan (October 20, 2011). "'Once Upon a Time': Meet the cast of ABC's new fantasy drama". Digital Spy. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
- ^ Ratcliffe, Amy (May 10, 2015). "ONCE UPON A TIME: "OPERATION MONGOOSE" REVIEW". IGN. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
- ^ "Once Upon a Time season 5 news: Jennifer Morrison is looking forward to playing Dark Emma; Casting call out for Rumplestilskin's mother". vinereport.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2015.