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Peter Pan: What is this place? I don't remember seeing it from my dreams.
The Shadow: That's because it didn't exist. It was created when you made the decision to stay here.
Peter Pan: A giant skull? It's glorious!

—The Shadow to Peter Pan src

Skull Rock is a Neverland location featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time. It first appears in the seventh episode of the third season.

Skull Rock is based on Marooners' Rock from the story, Peter Pan, and Skull Rock from the Disney film, Peter Pan.

History

Before First Curse

Abandoning his son in order to gain immortality and youth, Malcolm transforms into a younger boy with the Shadow's help. Retrieving his son's left-behind doll, who was called Peter Pan, Malcolm decides to give himself the same name. Pan flies alongside the Shadow to enters a cave's upper level containing a large hourglass with sand pouring to the bottom from the top. The Shadow warns, that after all the sand has fallen, Pan's immortality will end. From then on, Pan resolves to find a way to remain immortal, and he later discovers it in a boy, Henry, whose heart can give him just that. ("Think Lovely Thoughts")

At an unknown time, Tiger Lily has an encounter with Captain Hook on Skull Rock. ("Awake")

After First Curse

Gaining Henry's trust, Peter Pan allows him to believe magic is dying in Neverland and only he can restore it. Henry is eager to help and agrees to the task, to which Pan shows him the island of Skull Rock in the nearby distance. ("Dark Hollow")

By rowboat, Henry and Pan head to Skull Rock. To keep out anyone with a shadow, except Mr. Gold, Pan draws a line on the ground just before the staircase. After Emma, Hook and Neal capture Pan's Shadow, they regroup with their party and storm the Lost Boy camp only to learn out from a captive, Wendy, that Pan has brought Henry to Skull Rock so he can take the boy's heart and maintain immorality. Once Emma, Mr. Gold, Neal and Regina reach the island, they find the barrier keeps them from progressing. Since he is shadow-less, Mr. Gold steps over the line; causing Neal to realize he was telling the truth earlier about ripping out his own shadow. Regina, taking a leap of faith for Henry, hands Pandora's Box to Mr. Gold so he can trap Pan in it. Sensing a presence, Pan has Henry wait elsewhere while he excuses himself. When Mr. Gold arrives upstairs, Pan starts a heartfelt father-to-son conversation and asks to start over as a family, but the latter refuses. Switching tactics, Pan reveals he has the real Pandora's Box, and the one Mr. Gold has is a fake. He then entraps Mr. Gold in it before telling Henry that his heart is necessary to restore magic. The boy questions what will happen after this, and Pan fibs that he'll have a great legacy but can't leave Neverland. Meanwhile, Emma and Regina combine their magic to block out the moon so they and Neal won't have shadows; allowing them to go upstairs. With Pan's magic, Henry's hand becomes enchanted so he can rip out his own heart. Before he give the heart to Pan, Emma, Neal and Regina rush in. They insist Pan is lying, but Henry is convinced by the Lost Boy that his family doesn't want him to die for a greater good. To his family's horror, Henry plunges the heart into Pan's chest as he himself dies. ("Think Lovely Thoughts")

While the concerned trio crowd around Henry's motionless body and attempt to shake him awake, Pan descends from the air to watch them. An angry Emma tries to regain Henry's heart by stabbing Pan, who teleports behind her and picks up Pandora's Box. He warns that they have no chance against him, especially since Mr. Gold, who is now trapped in the box, can't help them now. Before Pan flies off, Emma manages to nick him with her sword, which he amusingly regards as a mere tickle. With no idea what to do next, Emma asks Neal if he knows where Pan could have gone. When he suggests the Lost Boy camp, Regina irritably rejects the notion since it'd be too easy. As Regina frets over her son's current state, Emma tries to be understanding of what she is going through. Instead, Regina insists Emma, with her family and two suitors competing for her love, wouldn't understand since Henry is all she has. Seeing as she has a point, Emma backs down from the argument and allows Regina to decide what they'll do next, but the latter has no ideas. Neal notes that even before Pan received Henry's heart, he was already powerful, so it'll be difficult to fight him. However, Regina spots Pan's blood on Emma's sword and becomes convinced that they can hurt him even if he is powerful. ("Save Henry")

After Fourth Curse
After the Black Fairy's curse is broken, and all of the lands are restored, Tinker Bell is flying around near Skull Rock. ("The Final Battle Part 2")

After Sixth Curse
After Roni casts a curse to unite the realms, Skull Rock is brought to Storybrooke and now rests off the shore of Agrabah.[1] ("Leaving Storybrooke")

Trivia

On-Screen Notes

Production Notes

  • The background plate from a shot from the scene at the rocky cliff from which Skull Rock can be seen in the distance in "Dark Hollow",[3] is reused for a montage shot in "The Final Battle Part 2".[4] Skull Rock has been altered to look more decrepit and the number of stars on the night sky has been reduced; however, the identical cloud cover is a dead giveaway.

Fairytales and Folklore

  • After being captured by Tiger Lily, Hook asks her if this is about what happened at Skull Rock, and Tiger Lily answer that if this was about Skull Rock, she would have left him at the mercy of the Lost Boys – a nod to the events of the Peter Pan novel, where Captain Hook and his pirates brought Tiger Lily to Marooners' Rock (renamed Skull Rock for the Disney film) and left her there to drown in the rising tides. ("Awake")

Filming Locations

Appearances

Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.

References

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