Black Fairy

"Sometimes you have to choose power over love."

- The Black Fairy to her son Rumplestiltskin "All of the darkness you've ever faced is born out of one soul - the Black Fairy."

- Rumplestiltskin

The Black Fairy is the mother of Rumplestiltskin, the former lover of Malcolm/Peter Pan, and the Bigger Bad of the ABC series Once Upon a Time, serving as the hidden true main antagonist of Season 6.

She is the mastermind behind the kidnapping and corruption of her grandson: Rumple and Belle's son Gideon, and is therefore the real enemy of the heroes in the season as she kickstarted the prophecy that would seemingly lead to Emma Swan's death.

Her goal involves attacking villages and cities and placing them under her dark power. She purposely abused Gideon, hoping to turn him evil, but instead made him more determined to stop her evil and forced him to escape and decide to kill Emma Swan, believing that he would be the new Savior and have the power to stop her.

Rumplestiltskin has stated that all the darkness faced by the heroes was somehow born out of the Black Fairy's soul, meaning that she is indirectly responsible for most (or all) evil-doings in the series.

She serves as an unseen Bigger Bad in Seasons 1 and 3, and the main antagonist of Season 6, making her the hidden, but true main antagonist of the series.

She is portrayed by Jaime Murray.

History
The Black Fairy was one of the most powerful fairies of all time, but was prone to using forbidden dark arts, and so the Blue Fairy banished her from the world of fairies, but not before depriving her of her wand. However, Black's magic grew more and more powerful even without her wand, and she became the rule of an unknown realm of darkness beyond the reach of anyone but herself in which she would set up base. For the rest of her life, she kidnapped child after child and raised them to be her evil disciples.

In the Season 6 episode, "Changelings", Rumplestiltskin realizes just who his mother is and summons the Black Fairy with an incantation he'd tricked Belle into deciphering for him, and lures the evil woman in with a newborn child. Predictably, she arrives immediately, asking who summoned her, and the Dark One immediately throws Squid Ink at her, temporarily immobilizing her, as he demands some answers from her. He asks that, of all the children she kidnapped, she gave up the one that mattered most - himself. She comes to realize who he is, and explains that sometimes one must choose power over love and that he, too, must know that - having given up his son to keep his magic as the Dark One. She laughs before gaining an advantage over him and lifting him by the neck, telling him no more questions for today, and that he'd have to seek the answers by himself. With a last scathing remark of "Son", she laughs before throwing him away and flying off into the night.

In the season 3 winter finale, "Going Home", the Blue Fairy decides that the heroes need the Black Fairy's wand to stop the new curse.

In the Season 6 episode, "Wish You Were Here", Black (offscreen) intercepts Blue as she is flying away with the child Gideon to raise him away from his dark father and effortlessly defeats her before stealing Gideon. Rumple realizes that he cannot find his son Gideon's location after Belle gave him to the Blue Fairy. He attempts using the Crystal Ball but finds only Darkness. Attempting to warn Belle what has happened, they find out that Blue has been hospitalized after her encounter with Black and Gideon is missing. Rumple explains that Black has power over a realm unknown even to the Dark Ones, a realm where time works far differently. At this moment, a Hooded Figure (the villain who would presumably kill Emma Swan in the prophecy) defeats the Evil Queen in seconds, turning her into small cobra in a cage and enters the room, taking his hood off and revealing himself as an adult Gideon, saying "Hello, Mother. Hello, Father."

Family

 * Malcolm/Peter Pan (ex-lover) †
 * Rumplestiltskin (son)
 * Milah (daughter-in-law) †
 * Belle French (daughter-in-law)
 * Baelfire/Neal Cassidy (grandson) †
 * Gideon (grandson)
 * Henry Mills (great-grandson)

Trivia

 * Although the Evil Queen was the main antagonist for the first half of the season and Gideon will be the main antagonist for the latter half, the Black Fairy may be the true villain of the entire season since she raised Gideon to become the monster who would presumably kill Emma.
 * The Black Fairy is a Bigger Bad for the series because she abandoned Rumplestiltskin to be raised by Peter Pan when he was a baby, which indirectly led to Rumplestiltskin being abandoned by Peter Pan and becoming the Dark One.
 * The Black Fairy may be revealed as the series true main antagonist after the Evil Queen's reformation in Season 6, having been referred to in both Season 1 and 3 as a being of immense dark power, and now serving as the main antagonist to the heroes as of Season 6.