‘Once Upon A Time’ Spoilers: Who Will Agnes Bruckner Play, And Which Disney Creature Is Coming?

Once Upon a Time fans certainly have a lot to look forward to when the show returns on March 1 — there will be new characters, the return of a few familiar faces, and the unleashing of an iconic Disney creature. Be forewarned that many spoilers lie ahead.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the most recent tidbit of Once Upon a Time news involves the casting of Agnes Bruckner (Private Practice) as a character with a three-episode arc. TV Line speculates that she might be playing a mysterious new character named Autumn, a woman with a “penchant for troublemaking” who “easily wraps others into her schemes.” However, she’s not all bad — like many Once Upon a Time characters, she just wants to be loved.

Some TV Line fans are also speculating that Agnes Bruckner might be playing the adult version of Lily, Emma’s former friend who had a mysterious star scar on her hand. As the Inquisitr previously reported, Lily is going to appear on the show sometime in the future. It’s also possible that Agnes will be playing Hook’s mother. Once Upon a Time is going to explore more of the pirate’s past during the second half of the season, so perhaps viewers will get to meet his parents.

It’s looking like Captain Swan fans will be seeing plenty of Jennifer Morrison and Colin O’Donoghue together when Once returns, but producer Adam Horowitz has revealed that Hook will “have to fight to protect Emma’s heart.” Horowitz didn’t clarify what this comment means exactly, but perhaps the Savior’s ticker will be in danger after an encounter with an iconic Disney creature.

Spoiler TV recently shared a scan of a TV Guide article about the midseason premiere of Once Upon a Time, and it describes how Emma and Regina (Lana Parrilla) will unleash a beast that will profoundly affect the Savior in some big way.

“Regina, who has reclaimed her job as mayor, and Emma will inadvertently release a prominent creature from Disney lore. But, unlike the snow beast from Frozen that terrorized Storybrooke last fall, executive producer Adam Horowitz says, ‘this monster is not just about wanton destruction. It will lead to a startling revelation about Emma—something that will be huge news to the audience.'”

Unfortunately, Horowitz didn’t reveal what this creature is. Could it be Chernabog, the mountain-sized winged beast from Fantasia? Or will Once Upon a Time simply turn Maleficent back into her dragon form? The TV Guide article also teases that Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) will have a huge secret that’s “slowly eating them alive,” so perhaps it has something to do with the revelation about Emma.

In addition to introducing new characters and creatures, Once Upon a Time will be reintroducing a few familiar faces. These include Ariel (JoAnna Garcia Swisher), Pinocchio/August Booth (Eion Bailey), and Wicked Witch Zelena (Rebecca Mader). One behind-the-scenes photo shows Zelena filming scenes with Robin Hood’s wife Maid Marian (Christie Lang), so it will be interesting to find out what their connection is.

Hypable recently shared the plot synopsis for the midseason premiere of Once Upon a Time, which you can read below. It looks like Hook and Belle (Emilie de Ravin) will be doing a little bonding, which is probably a good thing considering their rocky past. Meanwhile, whatever Emma and Regina unleashed is going to be extremely evil, and Gold (Robert Carlyle) is going to team up with two of the Queens of Darkness to devise a plan to get back to Storybrooke.

“With Gold banished from town, the residents of Storybrooke attempt to resume their normal lives. Hook and Belle search for a way to release the fairies from the Sorcerer’s hat, while Emma, Henry and Regina continue to look for clues that could lead them to the Author. But when a terrifying darkness descends on the town, Emma and Regina are forced to confront the true nature of evil. Meanwhile, in New York, Gold and Ursula (Merrin Dungey) enlist Cruella De Vil (Victoria Smurfit) to join their cause.”

Once Upon a Time returns March 1 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

[Image credit: Jason Kempin/Getty]