Zelena (Once Upon a Time)
In December 2013, Rebecca Mader was cast as the Wicked Witch of the West. She made multiple appearances during the second half of season three and was promoted to a series regular for the show's fifth season. The role of the Wicked Witch of the West was written specifically for Rebecca Mader. It was announced that the writers had chosen not to continue with Zelena's storyline and Mader would not be returning for the seventh season of the show. However, Mader later revealed that she would be returning for multiple season seven episodes.
Once Upon a Time (season 4)
Elsa is brought by accident from the Enchanted Forest of the past to present day Storybrooke in-search of her sister Anna. With help from Emma, Elsa discovers her past with the mysterious Snow Queen while Emma learns that the Snow Queen was her former foster parent who has plans to replace her long deceased sisters with Emma and Elsa with the Spell of Shattered Sight that leads to the Snow Queen’s undoing and Mr. Gold’s banishment from Storybrooke. The Queens of Darkness, which consists of Maleficent, Ursula, and Cruella De Vil, are then reformed by Mr. Gold with plans to rewrite the "Once Upon a Time" book with the help of the Author that results in the creation of an alternate reality. As Henry restores balance in the world, the Darkness is unleashed which leads to Emma making an ultimate sacrifice to secure Regina’s happiness.
The fourth season of "Once Upon a Time" was confirmed on May 8, 2014, this announcement was followed by the announcement that the first half of the season will air during the autumn of 2014, while the second half will air during the spring of 2015. In August 2014, Maleficent was reported to be the main villain for the second half of the season. Prior to the season premiere, a special aired recapping the previous three seasons, and finished up with the introduction of the Frozen storyline. The theme for the season is "Never give up on the people you love".