Hook Has a Dad! And 6 Other Things We Learned at ‘Once Upon a Time’s NYCC Panel

Storybrooke’s resident baddie-turned-heartthrob is getting a little more backstory. At New York Comic Con‘s Once Upon a Time panel Friday afternoon, showrunners Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis revealed that casting is currently underway for the role of Killian/Captain Hook’s father.

But that wasn’t the only big reveal at the panel, which featured series lead Jennifer Morrison and included a screening of this Sunday’s episode. Here’s what else we learned.

A major character is not what they appear to be

In this week’s episode, one character will reveal their true colors in a moment that’s sure to shock fans. Brace yourselves.

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Yes, there’s more Merida

While the Pixar princess won’t appear in this Sunday’s episode, she’ll be back next week. She’ll also be a focal point of a special two hour episode airing November 15, in which she’ll go on an adventure with two characters fans will be ecstatic to see again: Mulan and Ruby.

That bromance has arrived

Much of the new episode centers around the budding relationship between Charming and Arthur, which the producers have been teasing since well before the season began. It was worth the wait.

Emile de Ravin’s destiny is up in the air

The actress who plays Belle recently announced she is pregnant. But when the producers were asked if that would be written into the show, they were coy. “We’re very very happy for her,” said Horowitz. “The one thing I can say is Eddie and I promise not to deliver the baby.”

The second half of the season will be “hell”

Once splits seasons into two distinct stories, so expect something totally new come March. When asked to describe that second half in one word, the producers responded with “hell.” Paging Hades?

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You can thank Jennifer Morrison for that badass Dark Swan costume

The actress revealed she had a lot of input into the look, using images, poems, articles and fairy tales for inspiration. She and the producers shared many ideas back and forth over the web tool Dropbox. “We could have been an ad for Dropbox,” quipped Morrison.

More News From Comic Con: Sneak peeks, panel reveals and what’s ahead on your favorite shows