‘Once Upon a Time’ season 4, episode 12 spoilers: Expect a different Cruella de Vil

As you saw during the season 4 winter finale for “Once Upon a Time,” Cruella de Vil is now officially on the scene. In addition to Ursula and Maleficent, she is one of the Queens of Darkness who, like Rumpelstiltskin, are going to be the Big Bads for the second half of the season.

So why is Cruella even there? This is something that is certainly easy to question, given that while she is a notorious Disney villain, she is not exactly a perfect fit when it comes to the world magical creatures.

As for what you can expect from this version of the character, co-creator Adam Horowitz teased that there will be a slightly different origin for Cruella to TVLine:

“The traditional Cruella from the classic animated movie has been a jumping off point for our own rendition. If viewers watch what we have in store, you’ll see that while honoring some of the history behind the character, we’re putting a twist on Cruella’s background that involves the Enchanted Forest and a dollop of magic.”

In case you were curious, Horowitz also confirmed that we will be seeing more of JoAnna Garcia Swisher as Ariel, which makes a little bit of sense given that she and the Sea Queen Ursula have such a past. We already know that Aurora will be back for Maleficent. As for Cruella? Her enemy may be Pongo, who is Archie’s dog. We’re somewhat kidding here, but we do want to see another appearance of Raphael Sbarge on the show.

What do you want to see from Cruella moving forward into the second half of “Once Upon a Time”? Share with a comment, and head over here to read some surprising news about the ratings. Also, sign up to get some further TV magic on all we cover via our official CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC.)