‘Once Upon a Time’ season 4 spoilers: Is Rebecca Mader appearing in flashbacks, after all?

When we saw a promo for the upcoming April 12 episode of “Once Upon a Time” in “Heart of Gold,” there was one thing that caught our eye. Not only did we learn that Rebecca Mader was returning as the Wicked Witch Zelena, but it appeared almost that she could be coming back into the present.

Was that all meant to potentially mislead us? We’re starting to wonder more now after seeing the synopsis released for this episode. There is specific mention of the character in the present, but we get a good sense of her in the past as we learn more about how Robin Hood factors into the story of this installment:

“Emma is still reeling after learning the truth of her parents’ history with Maleficent, but she must focus on finding the Author, who is running loose in Storybrooke, before Gold does. When Gold’s quest for his happy ending grows more urgent, he blackmails Regina into helping him. In a Fairy Tale Land flashback, Robin Hood learns what it means to be an honorable thief when he accepts a proposition by Rumpelstiltskin to travel to Oz to steal a valuable magic elixir from the Wicked Witch.”

While we’d still be happy with Zelena in the past, we would find it so much more interesting if the show finds a way to even temporarily bring her into the present. If nothing else, this gives us a chance to see her inflict some serious chaos. She has no motivation to work with any particular character, and may instead opt to just try to make the world burn a la a Batman villain. We’re down for that.

As for Robin Hood, hopefully having more insight into him is a welcome sign that we are going to see him in Storybrooke again after he left with Marian and his family earlier this season.

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