Ruby Lucas, also known as Red Riding Hood or simply Red, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. She is portrayed by Meghan Ory. During the first Dark Curse, Ruby was taken to Storybrooke. Her gallery is here.
Biography
Background
Living in a town with an overprotective granny who constantly insists that Red wears her hooded cloak, the only excitement in her life is her boyfriend, Peter. They live in a town which, under the full moon or 'wolfstime', is terrorized by a bloodthirsty unstoppable wolf. When Red and her friend, Snow White, discover wolf footprints that lead to her and Granny's house, Red remembers that Peter came to her house the previous night and they decide that Peter is the wolf. They chain up Peter, and Red decides to stay with him when he turns, but he doesn't turn. It is revealed that Red is actually the wolf, and she slaughters and partially devours Peter. She is returned to her human form when Granny weakens Red's wolf form with silver and they put the red hooded cloak over her, which is enchanted so that it can stop Red from turning into a wolf. After Red realizes that she is the wolf, Granny tells her and Snow to run away before the angry mob arrives.
Red and Snow become close friends, even when Red finds out that Snow is a fugitive running from Queen Regina. When Red discovers an entire pack of werewolves, along with her mother Anita, she almost parts ways with Snow until the Queen's guards find them and start attacking the werewolf pack as well. Anita blames Snow for the death of one of the werewolves, Quinn, and tries to kill her but Red's wolf form pushes Anita's wolf form over and accidentally impales Anita. They bury Anita, and Red tells Snow that everyone has tried to get Red to choose between being a human and being a wolf, and Snow has been the only person who thought it okay to be both. Red manages to control her wolf form, which becomes helpful when fighting armies.
Season 1
When Regina unleashes the first Dark Curse, everyone including Red is transported to Storybrooke, where she is a waitress at Granny's Diner who wears rather revealing and skimpy clothes. Although she has a flirtatious personality and wears inappropriate clothing, Ruby is revealed to have a low self-esteem and argues with her granny often. However, when she works at the sheriff's station for Emma Swan for a short while, Ruby finds a human heart while going on an investigation for Emma which horrifies her. After this, she makes amends with her granny and starts wearing more and more appropriate and modest clothing. It is revealed that although the Dark Curse held back her ability to turn into a wolf, she could still use her sensitive smell and hearing.
Season 2
After the first Dark Curse is broken, Ruby reunites with Snow, now with their memories intact. When Rumplestiltskin brings magic back to Storybrooke, Ruby once again becomes a full-blown werewolf and begins to turn into a wolf under the full moon. George uses this to his advantage and frames her for the death of Billy. Ruby, not able to fully control the wolf and remember what happened the night before, believes that she killed Billy until it is proven that George was in fact responsible for the murder. Ruby manages to retain control of her wolf form, once again finding her red cloak which stops her from transforming.
Season 3
When the second Dark Curse hits Storybrooke, everyone is transported back to the Enchanted Forest, including Ruby. As they head for Sherwood Forest, Ruby talks with Snow White about how much it is like old times, except instead of running from Regina they are running with her. She seems to be a bit wary as to whether or not Regina can be trusted. When the third Dark Curse sends everyone back to Storybrooke, Ruby resumes her life there. She accidentally serves Henry - who has lost his memories of Storybrooke - cinnamon in his hot cocoa, a trait which he enjoys. When Henry asks how she knew, Ruby tells him that it was just a lucky guess. Ruby later attends Snow and David's celebration at Granny's Diner for their newborn son, Neal.
Season 5
It is eventually revealed that shortly after the celebration at the diner, Ruby uses a magic bean to return to the Enchanted Forest in an attempt to find the werewolf pack that she once belonged to, but fails to locate them. She is trapped in wolf form by the Witch, who keeps her as a guard dog of sorts, until Mulan frees her and Ruby befriends Mulan. The two travel to Oz and meet Dorothy. Ruby finds herself falling in love with Dorothy, but Dorothy disappears and Ruby desperately tries to find her. After travelling via cyclone, Ruby ends up in the Underworld, where she is briefly reunited with her friends from Storybrooke and learns that Zelena put Dorothy under a Sleeping Curse. Ruby returns to Oz with Snow, and awakens Dorothy with true love's kiss.
Alternate Timeline
Red helps Emma escape Regina's castle, and transforms into a wolf to defeat some of Regina's knights.
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
When Alice, Cyrus and the White Rabbit arrive in Storybrooke, Ruby drives past in her car, listening to music.
Family/Relationships
- 7 great-uncles (deceased)
- Great-grandfather (deceased)
- Anita (deceased mother)
- Widow Lucas (maternal grandmother)
- Wolf (deceased maternal grandfather)
- Dorothy Gale (girlfriend)
Status: Alive
Trivia
- Ruby is based on the titular main character and the wolf from the fairytale Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf from the story Peter and the Wolf, and alludes to Rose-Red in the fairytale Snow-White and Rose-Red.
- During the first Dark Curse, Ruby wears a lot of revealing outfits and she has low self-esteem. However, as the curse weakens and Ruby finds a human heart while helping Emma, she matures a lot and starts wearing more modest clothing.
- When she is looking for other jobs, Henry suggests that she has a job which involves carrying things around in a basket. Also, when she delivers food to the mines, she is carrying it in a basket. This is a reference to the original fairytale.
Appearances
- S1, E01: "Pilot"
- S1, E02: "The Thing You Love Most"
- S1, E03: "Snow Falls"
- S1, E04: "The Price of Gold"
- S1, E05: "That Still Small Voice"
- S1, E07: "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter"
- S1, E08: "Desperate Souls"
- S1, E10: "7:15 A.M."
- S1, E12: "Skin Deep"
- S1, E13: "What Happened to Frederick"
- S1, E14: "Dreamy"
- S1, E15: "Red-Handed"
- S1, E16: "Heart of Darkness"
- S1, E18: "The Stable Boy"
- S1, E19: "The Return"
- S1, E20: "The Stranger" (flashback)
- S1, E21: "An Apple Red as Blood"
- S1, E22: "A Land Without Magic"