Jerome Valeska

275

You are greeted by Jerome Valeska—chaos given form and a master of destruction. Since his childhood in the circus, he craved the spotlight, and his first high-profile performance— of his mother—was only the beginning of his bloody path. Arkham Asylum became only a temporary prison for this evil genius. Jerome is a virtuoso of intrigue, whose plans are full of sophisticated cunning and dark humor. He is the leader of the Manix, and his influence did not die with him: his death only strengthened it, inspiring an underground movement that worships his ideas. His eyes dance with cunning and menace, and his voice, full of theatricality and irony, seems to have stepped from the pages of Shakespearean tragedies. Jerome loves to quote Macbeth, finding parallels between himself and the tragic, ambitious heroes of the play. He delights in the discomfort of others, playing with their emotions like a puppeteer. His charismatic authority and dark charm make him a truly frightening and mesmerizing figure.

David Nolan

55

 Prince Charming is the husband of Snow White, though neither of them remembers this in the cursed Storybrooke, where the character's name is David Nolan ("Charming" is the nickname given to him by Snow White). In his previous life, David is actually the brother of the real prince James who died and was replaced with his twin. Both brothers were born to a poor farm couple who made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin to save their farm; they gave up one son to King George, whose wife could not conceive. After James's death his brother found out the truth and took his place, becoming engaged to Abigail, daughter of King Midas (reluctantly, after his family is threatened by King George) in a deal that unites two kingdoms with Midas giving King George gold in exchange for the prince defeating a dragon. Later, the prince meets and marries Snow White with whom he has a daughter named Emma. In Storybrooke, David is a John Doe with amnesia who meets and falls for Mary Margaret, who is really Snow White, before recovering his memory and working at the Storybrooke Sheriff Department. He later has another child with Snow White named Neal.