No matter if you’re a Swanfire or Captain Swan shipper (and shout out to my Swan Queen and Mad Swan peeps out there too) the simple truth is this: any romantic arc Emma could’ve had would’ve been better if Neal had been left alive.
The curse couldn’t have been cast without him going to the land without magic.
Emma wouldn’t have ever gone to Storybrooke, let alone had Henry in the first place.
If Regina had never been able to cast the curse and adopted Henry, she might’ve spent the rest of her life sad and in pain.
Hook never would’ve gotten out of Neverland and gone on to even be with Emma.
Neal was the heart of the show. Once Upon a Time has three protagonists: Emma Swan, Regina Mills, and Rumpelstiltskin. Three characters who are all parents that would do anything and everything for their children. Three characters who, whether they realize it or not, are all connected to Henry and, tangentially, Neal. With Neal in the picture, we saw Gold get his redemption, Regina finds her happily ever, Emma is reunited with her family. When Neal died, he took the heart and soul of Once Upon a Time with him.
Any romantic arc Emma had after him would’ve still been good if he had been left alive. Neal isn’t the type of person to cling to his ex. He makes it clear he loves her, but after Neverland, she isn’t sure if she wants to be with him. And Neal would’ve accepted that. But they killed him, instead of letting them coexist and parent together. Neal’s death undid seasons worth of Rumpelstiltskin’s development just so they’d have an easy villain to write. Neal’s death stole Henry’s father away from him, and he didn’t even get to properly mourn him. Neal’s death was just a steppingstone to continue Emma’s love life. If he had to die, then let him die a hero. Let the other characters remember what he sacrificed for them. Because he was loving until his last breath, and it hurts no one remembers that later on.
