While it's true that the primary focus of Once Upon a Time Season 5 is centered around Emma and her Dark One journey, she apparently isn't the only Big Bad this fairytale series is gearing up to introduce to our Storybrooke comrades. Because, despite his outer charm and heroic appearance, we're being given the distinct impression that King Arthur is actually evil on OUAT and has a villainous agenda of his own that he plans on carrying out. And while his motives are still somewhat unclear, his ultimate goal seems to be connected directly to rescuing Merlin. For whatever reason, Arthur didn't want David to get his hands on that magical toadstool, which would allow them to communicate directly with Merlin. Could this be because Arthur is actually an impostor?
Hear me out on this one, you guys. We know that Merlin somehow found himself to be trapped inside of an enchanted tree, but we know very little about how he actually got that way in the first place. What if Arthur was the one who put him there? Normally, this wouldn't make sense, considering the close relationship that's always existed between Merlin and Arthur. But what if this Arthur that we've come to know isn't actually the real King Arthur, but instead someone who is pretending to be him?
I know, it's a pretty big theory pill to swallow. So if you're still having a hard time wrapping your mind around the idea, maybe Sunday night's episode synopsis of "The Broken Kingdom" will help convince you otherwise:
"In [light of] Rumplestiltskin return, Emma takes her chance at the taking of Excalibur, while King Arthur's real identity is revealed."
Just think about that last line for minute: King Arthur's real identity is revealed. Doesn't that sound like he's not who he appears to be? I don't know about you guys, but in all the stories I've been told, Arthur isn't the kind of guy who goes around killing his loyal followers (RIP that guy in the Storybrooke jail cell), which implies that either a.) he's being possessed, or b.) he's a wolf dressed in Arthur-like clothing.
This would also explain why he wouldn't want anyone to be in direct contact with Merlin, especially if knows who Arthur really is. Perhaps Arthur has a twin brother like David, who decided that he wanted to claim Camelot as his own, so he trapped Merlin (and maybe even the real Arthur) inside the tree for safe keeping. Then again, this could be a case of body-swapping. Maybe this man is physically Arthur, but internally someone pulled a Freaky Friday spell on him in order to get in a position of power. (Did that idea just blow your mind?)
Either way, it's clear that there's much more to this mysterious character than meets the eye. I've got my eye on you, Arthur (if that's even your real name), and it's only a matter of time until your secrets come bubbling to the surface.
Images: Jack Rowand/ABC (2); zombi3sims/Tumblr
