Originally Posted by
Inseriousity.
This little imp aka Rumple's father Malcolm (!)
Vanquished by the Dark One, in the middle of Storybrooke's Main Street. (Then again, Rumple seemingly died during that skirmish as well, and he was ultimately resurrected....)
Cora killed the noble knight back in The Enchanted Forest, prior to posing as him to dupe Snow and Emma
Upon swimming to Storybrooke as part of the plan to rescue the "Nevengers,"
Had her own life snuffed when Mary Margaret used a magic candle to save Gold.
The fallen fairy/Regina's onetime wingman
After Sleeping Beauty (unwittingly) broke her heart, she joined up with the Merry Men...
David's adoptive father/onetime father-in-law (it's complicated!!!) Presumably serving time for the murder of Billy the tow truck driver, for which he tried to frame Ruby.
Representing the greatest untapped potential in a character, the con man for so long was separated from first love Emma - first by the Dark Curse, then by circumstance and his seeming fatal plunge through a portal. Even "reunited" in Neverland, where he was at first held prisoner by Pan, their time spent together was sparse. Similarly, Baelfire and the long-distraught Rumplestiltskin never enjoyed much father/son time, until, well....
"mad" Rumple in fact had his son's soul inside of him. Knowing that Storybrooke could best benefit from Rumple's survival, Neal "split apart" from his dad, sacrificing his life to save others, dying in his dad and Emma's arms.
LMAO when you read these plots, it makes this show sound so stupid.