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This article focuses on the first iteration of Wonderland.
For the second iteration see New Wonderland.
For the television show, see
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.

Many people have come and gone from Wonderland. But only the most special ones ever discover what it’s truly about. [...] Finding yourself.

—The White Rabbit at Alice's wedding src

Wonderland is a world featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. It first appears in the seventeenth episode of the first season of Once Upon a Time.

Wonderland is based on the world of the same name from the novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Wonderland from the animated Disney film Alice in Wonderland, Underland from the live-action Disney film Alice in Wonderland; and also on the looking-glass world from the novel Through the Looking-Glass.

History

Before First Curse

In the Enchanted Forest, Regina is forced, on her mother Cora's wishes, to marry a man she does not love. In retaliation to gain freedom, she banishes her mother through a looking glass. Cora, arriving to Wonderland, then assumes power as the Queen of Hearts. She gains disapproval from the Red King for her use of magic, which he believes separates royals from their subjects. ("We Are Both," "Hat Trick," "Heart of the Matter")

Despite coming to Wonderland to start a life together, Anastasia and Will remain poor, eventually forging invitations into a royal ball so they can steal food. There, Anastasia makes a strong impression on the Red King, before she and Will are discovered and thrown out. When the couple reach another pitfall, they make a plan to steal jewels from the palace and return to the Enchanted Forest to sell them. In the midst of Anastasia's pilfering, the Red King suggests she marry him instead and gain the wealth she desires since love will never get her very far. She agrees, as he introduces her to the public as their new Queen, while a heartbroken Will watches. The night before the wedding, Will attempts to persuade her to not give up on their love, asking her to run away with him. Cora, overhearing the conversation, later misleads Anastasia and Will into believing they have both been stood up by the other. Lulled by Cora's maternal figure, Anastasia channels all her insecurities into gaining power by learning magic. Will, unable to cope with losing the love of his life, allows Cora to take out his heart. ("Heart of Stone," "Heart of the Matter")

At some point before or after this, Cora "borrows" the White Rabbit so she can return to Regina. The reunion doesn't go well, and Cora eventually leaves the Enchanted Forest again. ("Mother")

Upon kidnapping her husband, Henry, Cora shrinks and imprisons him in her Wonderland vault. With Jefferson's help to cross realms, Regina rescues her father and returns him to normal size with a mushroom. She then paralyzes Jefferson, leaving him in Wonderland, while she and Henry return home. Brought before the Queen of Hearts, Jefferson is interrogated about his portal hat, which he and Regina used to cross realms. He, as decreed by the Queen of Hearts, must make another hat, but after making thousands of hats, he goes mad from his obsession. ("Hat Trick")

During an unclear time period, a genie named Cyrus is transported to Wonderland due to the third and last wish of his previous master, who desires to send him to a faraway land. ("Trust Me")

Following the White Rabbit to Wonderland, Alice spends some time in this realm before going home, where her father Edwin believes she is delusional. After some years, she returns to Wonderland, seeking proof of Wonderland for her father. The Queen of Hearts, upset when Alice attempts to steal a weeping willow from her garden, brands her a dangerous murderess. Will, with his heart in the Queen's possession, is forced to become her Knave and hunt down Alice. Learning about Will's heart, Alice retrieves it from the Queen's vault and returns it to him, although she initially had plans of using him to find proof of Wonderland. As thanks, Will procures the White Rabbit for her, and as he distracts the Queen's soldiers, she flees. ("Down the Rabbit Hole," "To Catch a Thief")

Shrinking herself with a mushroom, Alice evades the guards and seeks shelter inside Cyrus' bottle. He promises her three wishes, but she later falls in love with him as does he with her. Deciding to be together, they bury the genie bottle in Mimsy Meadows, which the White Rabbit secretly witnesses. ("Down the Rabbit Hole," "Trust Me")

As the couple camp for the evening, they are attacked by bandits, with Alice sustaining a wound. While she is being healed by Mrs. Rabbit, the White Rabbit warns Cyrus not to continue allowing Alice to live such a dangerous life. To keep her safe, Cyrus trades his Lost and Found to the Caterpillar and gains a hideout in the Outlands. After Alice is well again, he takes her to the hideout, which they'll use as a temporary home after they finish their travels. ("Home")

In some manner, a sorcerer named Jafar tracks Cyrus to Wonderland and teams up with the Red Queen to separate the genie from Alice. Jafar intends to change the laws of magic, and to do so, he needs the genie bottle Cyrus is housed in. The Red Queen agrees to help as she, too, also desires to regain something only that is possible by changing the laws of magic. ("Bad Blood," "Home")

While sightseeing at the Boiling Sea, Cyrus proposes to Alice, who says yes even before he finishes his speech. Their happiness is short-lived, however, when the Red Queen throws Cyrus from the cliff, as a devastated Alice watches her lover fall past the sea's smoke to his death. In actuality, Cyrus is saved by Jafar's magic carpet and imprisoned in a lair. With nothing left for her in Wonderland, Alice returns home alone. ("Down the Rabbit Hole," "Who's Alice")

A female warrior, Jack, travels to Wonderland and saves villagers by slaying a Jabberwock. As a reward for her efforts, she is given a magic mushroom by a "wise woman."[2] ("Tiny")

When Regina promises Hook revenge against Rumplestiltskin once she casts a curse, he agrees to kill Cora at her behest. Upon gaining a private audience with the Queen of Hearts, Hook attempts to stab her with his hook, which Regina enchanted so he can remove a heart. Having taken out her own heart a long time ago, she bests the pirate, forcing Hook to admit Regina sent him. Learning the reason behind his alliance with her daughter, she reveals Regina's deception about the curse, which will erase his current memories and make him forget his revenge. Cora agrees to keep his memories intact if he helps her feign death so she can kill Regina first. Once he consents to the deal, the pair leave for the Enchanted Forest together. ("Queen of Hearts")

On the day Regina casts her curse, she chooses who to take along with her to a new land, even those not present in the Enchanted Forest. Jefferson, still trapped in Wonderland, is taken by the curse, while it is also presumed Will is as well. ("Pilot," "In the Name of the Brother")

After First Curse

Twenty-eight years later, after the curse is broken, the Red Queen coerces the White Rabbit into helping her trick Alice into returning to Wonderland. Since Alice never made her three wishes, she must so either the Red Queen or Jafar can gain ownership of Cyrus' bottle. Gaining Will's assistance, he convinces Alice to come back after claiming Cyrus is alive and in the Mad Hatter's old house. Instead, Alice finds Cyrus' pendant and believes its glow is proof he's alive somewhere. ("Down the Rabbit Hole," "Home")

With plans of searching for Cyrus' bottle, Alice falsely announces that it's buried at the Tumtum tree, hoping to mislead whoever else is also looking for it. Having already seen her and Cyrus bury the bottle somewhere else in the past, the White Rabbit digs it up for the Red Queen, who gives Jafar the fake bottle location. By the time Alice and Will reach the real burial site for the bottle, they find it gone. This causes Alice to lose faith in Cyrus' love for her until she receives a message from him, in which he asks her to leave Wonderland for her own safety, but she resolves to save him. ("Trust Me")

Needing knowledge about who took the bottle, Alice and Will search for a forget me knot, an item previously owned by the Caterpillar. In order to clear Will's debts to the Caterpillar, he and Alice agree to fetch the item from Grendel and return it to him. The two end up held hostage by Grendel after falling into one of his traps, and while they almost manage to escape, they are forced to battle a Bandersnatch sent by Jafar and the Red Queen. Instead of using a wish to get rid of the Bandersnatch, as Alice's enemies hoped she would, she uses the forget me knot to ensnare the creature. Once Will kills the beast, Grendel thanks them for saving his life by relinquishing the knot. After the pair are gone, Jafar coerces information from Grendel about Alice and Will and then kills him. Alice discovers the White Rabbit gave the bottle to the Red Queen, but before she can return the knot to the Caterpillar, Will burns it. ("Forget Me Not")

Will finds himself pursued by the Caterpillar's henchmen after not returning the knot, but he is instead abducted and imprisoned by the Red Queen after Jafar orders her to execute him for helping Alice. At first, the Red Queen wants to help him escape, but when Will dares her to try and kill him, she sets up his execution. With help from Will's old friend, Lizard, Alice saves him from death, but Jafar corners them before they can get away. When the sorcerer endangers Will's life, Alice finally uses her first wish, asking for her own death, if her friend dies. Jafar then physically tortures Alice to make her use another wish, but she stubbornly refuses. As a consequence, he turns Will into a stone statue. Meanwhile, Cyrus uses a wishbone to free himself from a cage in Jafar's lair. ("The Serpent")

In exchange for revealing Cyrus' location, the Red Queen wants Alice to retrieve magic dust from a ravine for her as a means of protection against Jafar. After solving the ravine's riddle, "the pure of heart shall make the leap," Alice falls into a cave, where a sinister version of her younger self pushes her to get revenge against the Red Queen for deceiving her about Cyrus' death. Although tempted, Alice refuses, believing the Red Queen does deserve punishment, but it won't be from her hands. The younger version of Alice then congratulates her for passing the test and dissolves into magic dust. Requiring a way to force Alice to use up her two other wishes, Jafar learns from the White Rabbit that her father is of great importance to her. When the sorcerer asks to be taken to Alice's father, the White Rabbit runs out, bumping into Cyrus in the hallway. Allowing the genie to escape, the White Rabbit then agrees to take Jafar to Victorian England. Not upholding her end of the deal, the Red Queen steals the dust from Alice and sprinkles it on Will. Before the stone completely melts away to free him, she leaves before he sees her. With only a handful of dust, Alice uses it to unveil Jafar's lair. ("Heart of Stone")

While Jafar is away in Victorian England, the Red Queen discovers Cyrus is missing and attempts to recapture him as her own prisoner. On her way to Jafar's lair, Alice treks through the Black Forest and falls under the spell of the Boro Grove’s perfumed flowers. Will shakes sense into Alice, reminding her of her mission to save Cyrus, before they both make it out. After fleeing Jafar’s lair and running into the woods, Cyrus realizes he's on a floating island with no escape except into the sea. The Red Queen corners him, but when Cyrus sees his shining pendant in the distance, his hopes of finding Alice are renewed and he dives into the ocean. ("Who's Alice")

Despite learning Alice and her father are not on good terms, Jafar disguises himself as Edwin and attempts a reconciliation with her. Still hurt over the past, Alice treats him coldly, but Will suggests he can make it up to her by helping to rescue Cyrus. As the trio make a basket out of birdbark branches to float their way to Jafar’s lair, the fake Edwin summons a dragon. When Edwin is almost attacked by the winged beast, Alice saves her father and finally forgives him. Over dinner, Alice notices Edwin does not say grace as he usually does before a meal. Realizing he is not her father, she sneaks off with Will, citing that they are going to gather firewood, though they actually leave to figure out another way to get into Jafar’s lair. Jafar then drops his disguise, fetching the real Edwin, and threatens to kill him if Alice doesn’t make a wish. Alice believes it is yet another one of Jafar’s tricks until her father moves her to tears with an apology for his mistakes and even asks her not to save him. As Edwin plummets to his death, Alice makes a quick thinking wish to send him home, as a satisfied Jafar flies away on his magic carpet. ("Bad Blood")

After washing up on a shoreline, Cyrus heads to the Outlands’ hideout, but on the journey there, he is caught by a grapevine. In the Red Queen’s garden, Tweedledee hears him struggling through the plant’s speaker. On his way to notify the Queen, he witnesses Tweedledum give Cyrus’ bottle to Jafar. Tweedledee reveals this to the Queen, who is livid at the betrayal, though the bottle Tweedledum stole was a fake one she planted as a decoy. Picking up Cyrus, the Red Queen brings him with her to grab the real bottle. Jafar, angry about the fake bottle, makes a storm cloud to hunt down the Red Queen. Following Alice and Cyrus’ brief reunion, the Red Queen urges the White Rabbit to open a portal for everyone to escape before Jafar’s storm cloud arrives. However, when Alice insists on knowing why she wants to break the laws of magic, the Queen admits she desires to have Will’s love again. Using the bottle as a shield, the Queen causes a lightning bolt from the cloud to bounce onto Will. As he begins dying, so does Alice. To save her, Will uses the third wish, which Alice had promised him, to undo her suffering. Alice is healed of her physical pain, but since Cyrus’ status as a genie is also part of her suffering, he becomes human due to Will’s wish. Consequentially, Will takes his place as genie. ("Home")

Accidentally becoming Will’s new master, Lizard allows him to use the first wish after she discovers it’s not possible to make someone fall in love through magic. Desperate to get his attention, she uses the second wish to transform into his ideal woman. Lizard admit she loves him as Will apologizes since that emotion isn’t possible for him with his heart absent. With the words “I wish”, she unintentionally asks him to feel anything for her, causing her own death as a horrified Will is forced to return to his bottle. After Lizard’s death, the Red Queen gains the bottle and makes herself Will’s next master. Upon discovering there are two other bottles in Jafar’s possession, which are required for breaking the laws of magic, Cyrus realizes the genies must be his brothers. He decides to work towards saving them while the Red Queen agrees to help as atonement for her bad deeds. Hoping to procure Will’s bottle, Jafar allies himself with the Jabberwocky. ("Nothing to Fear")

Cyrus journeys with Alice to the Well of Wonders to speak with the well guardian Nyx about undoing the genie curse on himself and his brothers. Ashamed of his past, he refuses to tell Alice anything and even insists on entering the well alone to talk with Nyx. Nonetheless, she overhears Cyrus as he relates his regrets over convincing his brothers to steal Nyx’s water for healing their mother, which is why they were cursed. Nyx considers undoing the curse only if he returns the stolen water. Although Cyrus believes his mother is long dead, the well guardian senses she is still alive. Captured by the Jabberwocky, the Red Queen’s greatest fears are used against her as coercion to make her three wishes. With Will’s tie to her broken, Jafar takes the bottle to break the laws of magic, while the Red Queen sends Tweedledum to warn Alice and Cyrus to leave Wonderland. ("Dirty Little Secrets")

When Jafar's spell fails, he suspects something is wrong with Will, especially when the Jabberwocky cannot read his fears. To locate Amara, Alice and Cyrus start an altercation with the Caterpillar in order to steal the Lost and Found. After receiving Tweedledum’s message, the pair sneak into the castle dungeon, where the Jabberwocky learns from Alice’s mind that Will is without his heart. With the White Rabbit’s help, Alice and Cyrus retrieve Will’s heart from Storybrooke, but on their return to Wonderland, Jafar steals it from them. Jafar attempts to use his staff to hurt Cyrus, but its magic somehow deflects onto the sorcerer. The weapon is then picked up by Cyrus as Jafar is forced to flee. Only after seeing the Lost and Found point at the staff, they conclude Amara must be trapped inside. Will, regaining his heart from Jafar, shares a kiss with Anastasia. Forcing them apart, Jafar kills her in front of Will ("Heart of the Matter")

After killing Anastasia, Jafar offers Will a deal to bring Anastasia back if he helps him. Cyrus and Alice discuss getting his mother out of the staff as Will arrives, asking them to let Jafar win. Back at the Red Queen's palace, the Jabberwocky realizes that Jafar will not give him the blade. Will knocks out Cyrus in order to steal the snake staff. Alice and Cyrus use the Lost-and-Found to track Will. Jafar releases Taj and Rafi to question them and to look at them. Will captures Alice and tells her to leave. He ends up saving her from the river. After regrouping with Cyrus, the Jabberwocky appears and asks for their help. Alice and Will break into the Red Queen's palace while the Jabberwocky arrives inside with Cyrus. Will provides a distraction for the guards while Alice releases the Sultan. Just in time, Jafar returns Will to his bottle. As Jafar tortures Will, Amara appears behind him. Amara and Jafar fight as Cyrus tries to escape. Alice fights off Jafar's guards. Jafar kills Cyrus, convincing Amara that they need to change the laws of magic. ("To Catch a Thief")

Amara and Jafar finish the spell. Jafar uses his new power to force his father to love him and then kills him out of revenge. While he's distracted, Amara and Alice escape with Cyrus and revive him at the Rabbits' home. Jafar pins the Jabberwocky into the dungeon wall with the vorpal blade and then revives Anastasia and forces her to love him. Jafar revives an army of the dead to kill Cyrus, Amara, and Alice. Amara and Cyrus head to the Well of Wonders to return the water as Alice goes with the White Rabbit to gather an army. Amara defeats a portion of Jafar's army. Alice is captured by Jafar's men and brought to the castle. Jafar threatens to change Alice's past so that she never meets Cyrus if she doesn't say where Amara is. One of Jafar's soldiers tells him that Amara is near the Well of Wonders. Will kisses Anastasia which breaks Jafar's spell. Anastasia then lets Alice go. Amara surrenders herself to Nyx, but is killed by Jafar before she can give the water back. Alice and the White Rabbit arrives through a rabbit hole to help Cyrus. Cyrus tries to return the water, but Jafar stops him and steals it. In result, Nyx turns him into a genie and releases Will, Rafi, and Taj. Following Jafar's imprisonment, the laws of magic are undone and all is restored. Anastasia dies as a result, but Nyx gives Cyrus and Alice water to revive her. Sometime later, Cyrus and Alice returns to Victorian England for their wedding. ("And They Lived...")

Sometime after Jafar's defeat, the Jabberwocky is saved from her fate by an unknown person.[3]

After Third Curse
Sometime later, Will and Anastasia rule Wonderland together as the White King and Queen. ("And They Lived...")

Inhabitants

Note:
^: Former inhabitants
†: Deceased inhabitants
~:Trapped Inhabitants
*: This inhabitant's status and/or current whereabout is unknown

Locations

For detailed location information, please see the Wonderland Locations category, or the list of minor Wonderland locations.

Ways to Access Wonderland

Wonderland can be accessed:

Trivia

On-Screen Notes

Production Notes

Fairytales and Folklore

Appearances

Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.

References

  1. TwitterLogo Brandon Dawane (@FanboyTheory) on X, formerly Twitter: @AdamHorowitzLA Adam, I know Regina said "all realms of story" but can you please say whether or not OG Wonderland from Season 1-6 & the spin-off was included for us Will/Anastasia/Cyrus/Alice fans? (May 24, 2018). "New Wonderland was easy to spot but it'd be great to have confirmation on OG WL." (backup link) (archive screenshot)
    TwitterLogo Adam Horowitz (@AdamHorowitzLA) on X, formerly Twitter: Yep! (May 24, 2018). (backup link) (archive screenshot)
  2. 2.0 2.1 TwitterLogo Kalinda Vazquez (@KalindaVazquez) on X, formerly Twitter: @applegirlie21 Not at all! When Jack says she slew a Jabberwocky, it meant she's been to wonderland, which is where she got the mushroom. (April 17, 2013). (backup link) (archive screenshot)<
  3. TwitterLogo star4shine (@equeenwknight) on X, formerly Twitter: @AdamHorowitzLA adam what happened to jabberwocky in the wonderland? anyone rescued her? (September 24, 2014). (backup link; original post, and the user's other posts, have been protected, so that only approved followers can see them) (archive screenshot)
    TwitterLogo Adam Horowitz (@AdamHorowitzLA) on X, formerly Twitter: @equeenwknight yes. She survived (September 24, 2014). (backup link; original post has been deleted) (archive screenshot)
  4. File:W101WalkingThroughWonderland.png
  5. File:117OffTheyGo.png
  6. File:622Wonderland2.png
  7. greener pastures. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved on February 3, 2024. “a better or more promising situation”
  8. File:101Caterpillar.png
  9. File:117MadHatterStorybook.png
  10. File:202AliceInWonderland.png
  11. File:218MadHatter.png
  12. File:404AliceAndTheWhiteRabbit.png

Notes

  1. Red Queen: Don't you see, darling? You are in prison. What do you think Wonderland is?
    - "The Serpent," Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, ABC.

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