After watching all of the promos and previews for the Heroes & Villains version of Once Upon A Time promised in its Season 4 finale, I was worried for my favorite characters. After working so hard for their happy endings, everything they knew and loved was being taken away because of one angry Author — with some help from Rumplestiltskin, of course. Luckily, there was one person whose story didn't change when the heroes and villains switched sides, and in addition to saving the day, he took on a very important new role. "Operation Mongoose Part 2" revealed that Henry is the next Author on OUAT, and as anyone who's watched the show since the very beginning likely realizes, this brings the entire story full circle.
If you remember back (way back) to the OUAT pilot, it was Henry telling Emma the story found in his book that kicked off the events of the next four seasons. Henry's story brought Emma to Storybrooke, which lead her to break the curse and help everyone remember their true selves. A lot has happened since then, but it can all traced back to the day Henry fled to Boston to find the savior. So during the Season 4 finale, when Isaac's bag spilled open to reveal his magical pen and it caught Henry's eye, I knew what had to come next. Isaac had lost his power as the Author after breaking one of the rules and giving himself a happy ending, but if anyone is worthy to wield that pen's power and tell the stories of Emma, REgina, Snow, and everyone else, it's Henry. Not only is he a "true believer," like we learned last season, but these characters aren't just heroes and villains to him — they're his family.
If anyone was worried about Henry having this much power, however, I'm sure those fears were quickly erased during Henry's conversation with the sorcerer's apprentice. Henry only asked if he could change one thing, and it was a very understandable request: to bring back his father, Neal. Once the apprentice explained that even Authors can't bring back people who died in the real world, Henry accepted that, and promptly snapped the pen in half. He knew it was too much power for any one person to have.
In that moment, Henry proved that he deserves to be the next Author. He may have broken the pen, but I'm sure when the time comes, he'll find a way to continue telling the story that brought his family together.
Image: Jack Rowand/ABC
