Emma Swan is a fictional character in ABC's television series Once Upon a Time. She is portrayed by Jennifer Morrison, and by Abby Ross as a teenager. Emma first appeared in the series' pilot as a bail bond agent in Boston, Massachusetts until she meets her biological son Henry, whom she gave for adoption 10 years before, and learns she is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Henry urges Emma to go to the fictional town of Storybrooke, Maine, to break a curse enacted by the Evil Queen and to restore the fairy tale characters' happy endings.

Morrison's portrayal of Emma has received praise, with some reviewers noting a feminist twist in the depiction of fairy tales and a strong female lead. She is loosely based on the titular character from the fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling", such as she was lost and lived without a family like the ugly duckling did when he left home and her surname "Swan" is a reference to the fairytale because the ugly duckling finally finds his real family and becomes a beautiful swan. She also may be an allusion to the character, Princess Odette (The Swan Princess/Swan Queen), from the ballet Swan Lake, as she is a princess, and her surname is Swan, which may be a reference to the ballet since Odette turns into a swan by day but human by night. She also physically looks like Odette in the 1994 adaptation of Swan Lake, The Swan Princess, and even has a necklace with a swan on it similar to Odette's.

In early stages of the conception of the character, Emma's name was Anna,^[1] and she was supposed to have three children, but she ended up having just Henry.^[2] In the original script of the Pilot, she is described as "Late 20s. Beautiful, with great strength behind classic features. But also not quite at home in her skin."^[3]

It was reported that actress Katee Sackhoff auditioned five times for the role of Emma, but according to her, the producers really wanted Morrison to play the part, and she accepted a role in television series Longmire.^[4] In the end, Morrison was hired for the part of Emma.^[5] Morrison explained her character as someone who "help[s] her son Henry whom she abandoned when he was a baby and who seems like he's a little bit emotionally dysfunctional", but noted that Emma does not start out believing in the fairytale universe.^[6] Morrison has described Emma as being like an overgrown teenager who does not know how to properly do certain things, like eating or taking care of herself; this is due to Emma not growing in a family unit. Morrison said that when she does not know what to do with Emma, she thinks, "What a 14-year-old boy would do?"^[7] Morrison has also stated that Emma is loosely based on the "The Ugly Duckling", and that Emma's last name Swan is derived from this fairy tale.^[8] According to the creators of the series, the name Swan is "very symbolic and fairy tale name and it just felt right for her and for the journey we are creating for Emma."^[9]

After Emma became the "Dark One" at the fourth season of the series, Morrison began doing research with mythology books and old fairy tale books, and looking back through the history of swans and the etymology of 'Swan' to prepare for this new trait of her character. For Morrison, it is a great opportunity to now play a villain and it is challenging for her to portray a character that is constantly evolving.^[10]

Emma is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. When Snow White becomes pregnant, Geppetto forms a magical wardrobe for her and Charming, after Rumplestiltskin informs them that their daughter is the key to breaking the Evil Queen's curse in 28 years. Emma is born shortly after and placed in the wardrobe, successfully travelling to the new land.^[11] In the real world, Emma grows up in foster care, bouncing from various families, one including Sarah Fisher's (the Snow Queen). As a teenager, Emma becomes a petty criminal with Neal Cassidy. They plan to start a new life in Tallahassee, Florida, until Neal is persuaded by August Booth (Pinocchio) to turn Emma over to the police, to protect her destiny. Emma is jailed, later giving birth to Henry,^[12] whom she gives up for adoption to give him a better life; he is then adopted by Regina Mills (the Evil Queen).^[13] After some time in prison, Emma becomes a bail bond agent.

On her 28th birthday, a ten-year-old Henry arrives in Boston, explaining Emma's origins. Disbelieving him, she returns him home to Regina in Storybrooke, who becomes worried that Emma wants to be in Henry's life. Regina's repeated warnings to leave town and keep out of Henry's life make Emma decide to stay.^[11] In Storybrooke, Emma initially wants Henry to let go of his theories of the curse, but later plays along.^[14] She moves in with Mary Margaret (Snow White), unaware that they are related, and Sheriff Graham appoints Emma his deputy as the two form an attraction,^[15] until Regina crushes his heart, causing him to die in Emma's arms.^[16] Emma is soon elected sheriff, assisting in the arrest of Mary Margaret for the alleged murder of Kathryn Nolan until she is found alive.^[17] When August Booth (Pinocchio) arrives in Storybrooke revealing her destiny of breaking the curse, a pressured Emma decides to leave the town, not wanting Henry to suffer from her and Regina's feud. Regina, however, attempts to poison Emma, though Henry willingly consumes it to prove that magic exists.^[18] Emma finally believes, but Henry is pronounced dead. However, he is awoken with true love's kiss from Emma, thus breaking the curse and allowing all residents to remember their true identities.^[19]

Emma reunites with her parents, only to fall through a portal with her mother to the Enchanted Forest.^[20] They meet Princess Aurora and Mulan who help them return to Storybrooke.^[21][22] Emma then helps Mr. Gold travel to Manhattan to locate his son Baelfire, who she discovers is Henry's father Neal.^[12] Returning to Storybrooke, Emma deals with newcomers Greg Mendell and Neal's fiancé Tamara.^[23] Emma's skeptical theories on the pair are proven correct when it is revealed they want to destroy magic.^[24] After Emma and Regina stop their trigger to destroy Storybrooke, Henry is taken to Neverland by Greg and Tamara; Emma, her parents, Regina, Hook and Mr. Gold follow them.^[25]

The team eventually manage to rescue Henry from the sinister Peter Pan,^[26][27] and return to Storybrooke.^[28] However, Pan enacts the original curse once more, forcing Emma and Henry to leave Storybrooke after Regina reverses her curse, erasing the events following its enactment. Emma's past is temporarily altered by Regina and she lives with Henry in New York City instead of giving him up for adoption.^[29] One year after the curse's reversal, Hook restores Emma's memories with a potion and the two return to Storybrooke with Henry to save her family by breaking the new curse caused by Zelena, the Wicked Witch of the West.^[30] She finds an insane Neal trapped within Mr. Gold's body. Losing his mind, Neal asks for Emma to free his father by killing himself to defeat Zelena; she reluctantly agrees.^[31] Regina later helps Emma to strengthen her magical powers, though they are removed when Zelena curses Hook.^[32] After Emma and Hook are dragged into Zelena's time portal, she accepts Storybrooke as her home, regaining her magic to re-open the portal to the present where she begins a relationship with Hook. However, unaware to her, she also brings a previously deceased Maid Marian to the future, having not heeded the warning of messing with the past.

Working with Elsa, who helps Emma to finally embrace and control her powers, Emma helps her new friend find her sister and return home while balancing the threat of the Snow Queen against her friends and family. After a period of peace, Emma begins to help Regina on her quest to find the Author of Henry's book. Cruella De Vil, Ursula soon come into town resurrecting Maleficent and working with Rumplestiltskin to find the Author of the magical tome Once Upon a Time. After Cruella De Vil threatens to kill Henry, Emma kills her, soon after learning of her parents' actions of removing Emma's potential for darkness by putting black magic within Maleficent's daughter and Emma's childhood friend Lily.^[33] After Emma returns to town, she chooses to forgive her parents and let go of her anger. However, after the darkness within Mr. Gold is freed Emma refuses to let Regina take that burden or let the town be destroyed. She chooses to sacrifice herself, asking her parents to save her and confessing her love for Hook, she voluntarily plunges the dagger into the Darkness, transforming into the new Dark One.

Jennifer Morrison has received praise for her portrayal of Emma. In a review from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, TV critic Gail Pennington had high marks for Morrison.^[34] Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times gave excellent reviews for Morrison's character: "Her Emma is predictably cynical and prickly – fairy-tale princess, my Aunt Fanny – but she's sharp and lively enough to keep audiences begging for 'just a few more pages' before they go to bed."^[35] For TVLive, "Morrison does a nice job of mirroring the viewer's disbelief of this fantastical dilemma – and Emma looks like she could become a worthy adversary for Regina."^[36] For Daniel Fienberg, "Jennifer Morrison is very good in the lead".^[37] On less favorable reviews, Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe was not enthusiastic of Morrison's portrayal and called her a "wooden lead".^[38]

Several feminist outlets were pleased with the show for its feminist twist on fairy tales and with Emma being a strong female protagonist. Genie Leslie at Feministing commented that Emma was a "badass", that she liked how Emma was "very adamant that women be able to make their own decisions about their lives and their children", and how Emma was a "well-rounded" character who was "feminine, but not 'girly'".^[40] Natalie Wilson from Ms. praised the show for a strong, "kick-butt" female lead, and for dealing with the idea of what makes a mother in a more nuanced fashion.^[39]

In 2014, Morrison and Colin O'Donoghue (who portrays Hook) received a nomination for Favorite On-Screen Chemistry in the People's Choice Awards, but did not win. In 2015, Morrison was nominated for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress but again did not win.

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