The dossier
The ordinary guy in Storybrooke
Greg Mendell arrives in Storybrooke looking like a completely average tourist. However, his innocent facade masks a deeply tragic past and a terrifying, obsessive desire to destroy magic entirely in order to find his missing father.
Ethan Embry plays the role with a highly effective, grounded intensity. He provides a crucial, human perspective on the absurdly high stakes of the magical world, completely rejecting the fairy tale narrative in favor of cold, pragmatic revenge.
His arc is a fascinating subversion of the show’s premise. Greg proves that the most dangerous villains in a world of witches and wizards are often just deeply traumatized, highly motivated normal people.