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I spent decades hunting down the men responsible for what happened. I killed one of them with this very blade. And when I was finished, all I was left with was an empty heart and a bloodstained harpoon.

—Captain Nemo to Hook src

Captain Nemo is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. He débuts in the sixth episode of the sixth season. He is portrayed by guest star Faran Tahir.

Captain Nemo is based on the character of the same name from Jules Verne's novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island, and Captain Nemo from the Disney film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

History

Before First Curse
Nemo is the captain of the Nautilus, and while he is away on a sea voyage, his family is killed by several unknown assailants. Swearing revenge, he eventually tracks down and kills each person involved in his family's deaths, and he murders at least one of them with a harpoon. He comes to regret his actions after realizing how empty his life had become because of only living for vengeance, and later saves a young boy, Liam, who became orphaned after someone killed his father. Liam wants revenge on his father's killer, but Nemo convinces him to let it go, as he does not wish for Liam to go down the same path as him. As Liam stays with him, Nemo eventually develops a close father and son relationship with him. ("Dark Waters")

During First Curse

After the Evil Queen enacts the Dark Curse, time freezes in many places, but Nemo takes Liam outside the curse's bounds, allowing the boy to age and eventually become his first mate on the Nautilus.[1]

During a search for a key that will open a portal to a land known to Nemo as the Mysterious Island, Nemo's harpoon, the same one he used to kill one of his family's murderers, somehow becomes enchanted and allows him to track down Hook. Nemo passes himself off as a crewman on Hook's ship, where he purposely stalls the vessel in order to kidnap him aboard the Nautilus. Knowing about Hook's quest to kill the Dark One for taking away his family, he openly suggests that what Hook needs is a family, not revenge. Hook joins Nemo and Liam on a treasure hunt, in which he is almost dragged away by a kraken, only for the captain and first mate to save him. After finding a chest with a key to the Mysterious Island, Nemo invites Hook to come with him to this new world, with the promise that he will never have to lose family again. Instead, Hook sees a familiar looking knife, the same one he used to kill his father, and that it belongs to Liam, who is revealed to be his half-brother. When Liam finds out the truth, Nemo encourages him to be stronger than he was by not seeking revenge. Liam refuses and then tries to stab Hook, but Nemo takes the hit instead. As Liam holds a dying Nemo, Hook escapes off the ship. Nemo luckily survives, but only by reaching the Mysterious Island, where his story becomes paused. ("Dark Waters")

After Third Curse

By Mr. Hyde's will, Nemo is taken from the Land of Untold Stories to Storybrooke, where his story becomes unpaused, causing the stab wound he had before to reform. While he is close to death in the woods, David discovers him and sends him to the hospital for surgery. Liam, believing Nemo died after arriving in Storybrooke, attempts to kill Hook in retaliation. Hook knocks him out, and while Liam is recovering in the hospital, he and Hook make peace. Meanwhile, Nemo's surgery goes well and he is wheeled into the room, where he reunites with Liam. ("Dark Waters")

After making a full recovery from his injuries, Nemo decides to resume travelling the seas with Liam and his other crewmen on the Nautilus. He says goodbye to Hook at the docks and praises him for taking his advice about giving up revenge in favor of making a family. Hook confesses to Nemo about his past catching up with him because of something he did that has hurt the family of the woman he loves, Emma, yet he cannot bring himself to be honest with her about it. Nemo tells him that guilt is as bad for the soul as revenge is, and that keeping the secret to himself will eat him up. He advises Hook to either be truthful with Emma or simply forgive himself without telling anyone about the secret. Hook is unsure if he can do either, however, Nemo suggests that, no matter what, he has to make a choice in the end. As the Nautilus crewmen are moving supplies onto the submarine, Nemo is approached by Hook, who asks to join him on his sea voyage, in order to find himself again and be the man that Emma needs him to be. One night the Nautilus is set to leave, Hook goes below deck to tell Nemo that he's changed his mind and wants to work things out with Emma. Nemo gives his blessing to Hook, which Hook echoes in return, but suddenly, an alarm goes off indicating the submarine is submerging underwater. Gideon reveals himself as the culprit and briefly apologizes to Nemo for messing with the Nautilus, however, he simply can't have Hook in Storybrooke with what he has planned for Emma. ("Page 23")

As the Nautilus sinks underwater and is transported to the Enchanted Forest, Hook looks to Nemo for assistance with getting back to Storybrooke and to Emma, but the captain reveals Gideon used the last of their kraken blood for their unplanned trip and there's none left for creating a second portal. Hook then demands they hunt down a kraken as soon as possible. They succeed, but it does significant damage to the Nautilus before it escapes. The kraken later attacks a rowboat containing Aladdin and Jasmine. Hook arrives on the Nautilus in time to harpoon the beast, but in doing so, sends it to the bottom without retrieving its blood. The full extent of the damage wasn’t known until later when the seal shaft explodes and they start sinking. Nemo begins to accept that they will go down with the Nautilus, but Jasmine uses one of her genie wishes to bring everyone to safety on a nearby island. At shore, Nemo and Liam leave with the other crewmen to salvage the Nautilus, but not before bidding a final farewell to Hook. ("A Wondrous Place")

Trivia

Etymology

Character Notes

  • Nemo's original land has never been established by the writers.[2]

Production Notes

  • The casting call describes him as "the hardened leader of the Nautilus submarine, who's a zealous believer in a cause that takes him from 20,000 leagues under the sea to the destiny that he won't let anyone prevent him from achieving".[3]

Props Notes

Costume Notes

Appearances

See also

References

  1. TwitterLogo Justine D. (@Lady_Junky) on X, formerly Twitter: @AndrewChambliss Can you explain us when the flashback happens? And how Liam is so old? How is that possible? Please (October 30, 2016). (backup link) (archive screenshot)
    TwitterLogo Andrew Chambliss (@AndrewChambliss) on X, formerly Twitter: it happened during the Dark Curse. Liam aged because, as he says, Nemo took him outside the bounds of the curse's magic (October 30, 2016). (backup link) (archive screenshot)
  2. TwitterLogo Justine D. (@Lady_Junky) on X, formerly Twitter: Did you ever establish from which land or world Nemo is coming from? EF or somewhere else please? (March 26, 2017). (backup link) (archive screenshot)
    TwitterLogo Brigitte Hales (@InkTankGirl) on X, formerly Twitter: His original land? I don't believe we did. (March 26, 2017). (backup link) (archive screenshot)
  3. Abrams, Natalie (August 26, 2016). Once Upon a Time casts Captain Nemo. Entertainment Weekly. “The Dallas and Warehouse 13 alum will play the hardened leader of the Nautilus submarine, who’s a zealous believer in a cause that takes him from 20,000 leagues under the sea to the destiny that he won’t let anyone prevent him from achieving.”
  4. 4.0 4.1 File:522InMyBook.png
  5. File:606YourLifeFamily.png
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  10. File:407WelcomeToMyKingdom.png
  11. File:417OffWithHisHat.png
  12. File:516OzGuard.png
  13. File:618ToRemindThem.png
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