From what I've heard, Rumplestilskin would have saved Emma after the Final Battle by giving her his heart if Robert Carlyle hadn't chosen to return for season 7. I was wondering which scenario people prefer.

I mostly prefer the canon one because this way, Rumplestilskin did get a lifetime with Belle and Gideon, instead of leaving her a widow and Gideon fatherless. It also got us the Rumbelle afterlife reunion scene (though maybe we'd still have that with a season 7 Belle death?). And I felt that sacrificing himself for any version of Killian had more impact because of their shared history.

However, I also feel that maybe sacrificing himself for Emma would have given his season 6 redemption more strength. It's something which came across a bit forced to me in canon, like it happened because the story was coming to an end.