Once Upon A Time just kicked off its sixth season this past weekend, but we've already learned the ABC series has some surprises in store. Reports this week indicate that Sean Maguire is going to make his way back onto the drama, returning to play Robin Hood. This is kind of a big shocker, considering what happened to the character during Season 5.
Alright, so it won't be the first time that Once Upon A Time has brought back a dead character. In fact, the show spent a considerable amount of time in Season 5 heading into the Underworld where a slew of the show's original characters managed to make another appearance. Regardless, Once Upon A Time has a penchant for keeping us guessing. Creator Edward Kitsis recently reported that the ABC drama is not planning to go into the Underworld this year, so that's out as the way Robin Hood could return.
In addition, Sean Maguire told THR a while ago that he doesn't want to return in flashbacks.
I feel that if we were to have explored some of the stuff that was alluded to when I was there, I don't know how much we could cover in a flashback or something like that. I will go on record and say 'never say never,' but at the moment, it doesn't feel like something that is on the horizon.
Obviously, if the actor signed back on to the ABC drama, he doesn't have much of a choice regarding how he returns, and honestly there are only a few ways that a dead character can return to a TV series. There are of course flashbacks and dream sequences and bringing characters back from the dead via things like Lazarus Pits and underworlds. If it's a zombie series, sometimes characters get zombified. Obviously, Once Upon A Time is not The Walking Dead, but you get my gist.
EW is calling the upcoming appearance from Sean Maguire "unexpected" and "surprising." Whatever way an appearance from Robin Hood ends up happening, it's probably going to be interesting for Regina, who was clearly the most invested in Robin Hood during his time on the show. Maybe what we'll get is a dream sequence or vision or something where Robin confirms he has moved on, contrary to what Hades has said. Or maybe his return will end up being something a whole lot more bittersweet.
Currently, we don't have episode specifics on when the character will make an appearance, because the Once Upon A Time creative team is really good at their jobs. However, you can catch new episodes of the series on Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET. In addition, take a look at what TV has coming up this fall here.
