‘Once Upon a Time’ season 3 spoilers: Mr. Gold as Rumpelstiltskin

Isn’t it fascinating to know that for every villain, there is an even bigger villain out there? That is one of the many things that is worth examining on the upcoming season of “Once Upon a Time,” especially when it comes to what is going to be a very interesting relationship between Robert Carlyle’s Rumpelstiltskin and Peter Pan.

We’ve had an opportunity to check out the full sneak peek shown off at the D23 Expo today, and there are a few interesting things about it worth noting. For one, “Mr. Gold” is actually dressed as Rumple, which is fairly interesting just from the standpoint of watching someone try to act like their former selves, even if they are no longer in the same sort of place that they once were emotionally.

Meanwhile, Rumple makes it pretty clear that he feels Peter Pan is an equal to him, and if the two parties do face off, there is no guarantee at all that he is going to live to see the other side. Yet, for whatever reason, Rumple is fine with taking advantage of the opportunity to try and ruin as many of the Lost Boys as he can along the way.

The mystery that we do imagine that everyone will be talking about for some time with Rumpelstiltskin is a small doll, one that seems to have a very strong, haunting impact on him. It’s rather difficult to know just what the meaning is for this yet, but there is obviously a much deeper connection between these two characters than what has been explored just yet, and that will be revealed a little bit more in time.

There were also some other details revealed at the Expo this past weekend, including some developments for Ariel, Ursula, and some other new characters.

Photo: ABC