Once upon a time was host to many classic stories and characters throughout its seven seasons, but some of these characters were repeated and reused throughout the series, such as Rapunzel, Jack and Hansel, and Gretel. During its run, the show also featured two different variations of Cinderella. The first variation is played by Jessy Schram and appears in four episodes in the series' first six seasons. She was a more stereotypical version of the princess, with a blue dress, blonde hair, big ball and glass slippers.
The second variation of Cinderella (Dania Ramirez) was written as the new main princess to Once upon a timeof final season, which was a soft reboot. She is much more hardcore, demonstrating strong fighting and self-defense skills. In her first scene, she punches Henry (Andrew J. West) in the face and steals his motorcycle. She is willing to do whatever it takes to avenge her father's death and get revenge on her evil stepmother and stepsister. Additionally, she serves as the main love interest, soon becoming Henry's wife and mother of his son in Once upon a time.
Once Upon a Time Season 7 Was a Soft Reboot and Needed a Popular Princess
Snow White was the main princess of Season 1, so the reboot needed a different princess
The first season of Once upon a time works well because it's about the timeless love story between Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas). When the series' seventh season was revealed to be a soft reboot, it became clear that they would need a popular prince or princess to be the center of the story. Once upon a time eventually decided to choose Cinderella as the new classic main princess the show would be based around. Cinderella's entire life is shown, from how she falls in love with Henry, to what happened to her family.
When Lady Tremaine is defeated in episode 11, Cinderella is cast aside.
Although it contains some elements from the original story, the character's arc seems forced. The love story between her and Henry is rushed, and even her hatred for her evil stepmother feels contrived and unbelievable. When Lady Tremaine (Gabrielle Anwar) is defeated in episode 11, Cinderella is left aside and Gothel (Emma Booth) becomes the main villain of Once upon a time. The first season worked because Snow White was the main princess; season 7 should have kept the same formula with Cinderella.
Once Upon a Time Used the Multiverse to Explain Its Two Cinderellas
There are countless universes in Once Upon a Time with different versions of each character
Not much time is given to explain why there were different variations of these characters. There's a scene in the first episode of season seven where a young man Henry (Jared S. Gilmore) explains that he found many different books in the Sorcerer's mansion with different versions of the characterslike a French Snow White. He then goes on his own journey to find his story. This suggests that there is some sort of multiverse with many different versions of established characters.
The fact that Season 7 includes the wish realm from the previous season also lends support to Henry's multiverse explanation, as the wish realm is a universe created by Emma (Jennifer Morrison) when she wished she wasn't the Savior. Either way, it's clear that the multiverse exists within the Once upon a time universe, it's a shame there hasn't been much thought or explanation about what it means or why it exists, or why it specifically created two versions of Cinderella (and other characters).