‘Once Upon a Time’ season 5 spoilers: Rebecca Mader, Sean Maguire now series regulars

This has turned out to be quite the day for “Once Upon a Time” news! Earlier, we found out officially that we are going to be seeing more characters from King Arthur’s court beyond Merlin, including the very king himself. Now, we are learning that two other recurring guest stars are getting an exciting promotion to series regular.

Let’s start with one that has been a long time coming in Sean Maguire as Robin Hood. We were honestly surprised to see Michael Socha get a promotion last year and not Maguire, given that Robin seems to be endgame at this point for Regina. (We’re still not sure what the plan is for Will in Storybrooke.) Robin’s story has been incredibly complex, including learning that Maid Marian has actually been dead for some time last season, and she was ultimately replaced by Zelena disguised as her.

Speaking of Zelena, Rebecca Mader has also been promoted! While it was entirely convenient that Zelena managed to go back in time rather than actually die at the end of season 3 (we legitimately thought she was a goner going into last season), we are happy to have her around now. She’s a complicated adversary and someone who heightens the stakes for Regina and some other characters.

For the time being, though, it still feels as though Emma Swan is going to be the Big Bad for at least the first half of the fifth season, as she more or less absorbed the power to become the new Dark One after Rumpelstiltskin harbored it for so many years.

What do you think about these two separate promotions? Share some of your thoughts / reactions right away with a comment, and head over here to get some other news related to the show! Also, you can sign up now to get some further TV updates on all we cover, sent right to you via our official CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC.)