Let's talk about the guy everyone forgets until they see those abs again. Fabian Regalo del Cielo. Even his name is ridiculous, right? "Gift from Heaven." He crashed into Jane the Virgin during a time when the show was basically a crater of grief. Michael was gone. Jane was a widow trying to remember how to breathe, let alone date. Then comes Fabian, played by Francisco San Martin, looking like he was sculpted out of marble and high-end hair gel.
He was the "rebound" that wasn't actually a rebound. Most fans write him off as a joke. A ditzy, shallow pit stop before the show got back to the "real" stuff. But if you look closer, Fabian was actually the most important person Jane met in Season 3.
The Hot Guy Problem
Honestly, Jane treated him kinda terribly. We're so used to seeing Jane as the "good" one, the moral compass with the flower metaphor burned into her brain. But with Fabian, she flipped the script. She objectified him. Completely. She wanted a "vagina glow"—her words, not mine—and she saw Fabian as a human vibrator with a nice smile.
It was a total 180. For three seasons, we watched Jane insist on deep, soulful connections. Then she meets this guy who likes Snapchat scrapbooks and thinks "Madonna-Whore complex" is a Google search she’s trying to prank him with, and she decides he’s only good for one thing. It was messy. It was hypocritical. And honestly? It was exactly what Jane needed to become a real person instead of a saint.
Why the "Virgin" Twist Mattered
Remember that moment in "Chapter Sixty-One"? Jane is finally ready. She’s overcome the guilt of moving on from Michael. She’s in the room with Fabian, ready to finally have that no-strings-attached night. And then he drops the bomb: He’s saving himself for marriage.
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You could literally hear the record scratch across the entire fandom.
- He wasn't doing it for religious reasons like Jane.
- He was doing it because he "wanted it to be special."
- It lasted about 33 days (which is a lifetime in Fabian-years).
This twist wasn't just for laughs. It forced Jane to confront her own biases. She realized she was judging him for the exact same thing people used to judge her for. It was a mirror. A very tan, very muscular mirror.
Francisco San Martin and the Legacy of the "Gift"
We have to talk about the actor behind the character. Francisco San Martin brought a specific kind of "earnest dimwit" energy to the role that is incredibly hard to pull off without being annoying. He had to go toe-to-toe with Jaime Camil’s Rogelio de la Vega in a "who can be more vain" contest. That’s like trying to out-sing Adele.
San Martin, who tragically passed away in early 2025, gave Fabian a soul. Beneath the layers of bronzer and the "Gift from Heaven" stage name, there was a guy who genuinely wanted to help Jane. He helped her patch things up with Lina. He actually cared about her, even when she was trying her hardest not to care about him.
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The Rogelio Factor
The rivalry between Rogelio and Fabian was top-tier comedy. Rogelio, terrified of being replaced by a younger, "hotter" version of himself, was at peak insecurity. But Fabian wasn't even trying to compete. He was just living in Fabian-land. This dynamic gave us some of the best meta-commentary on the telenovela industry within the show itself. It highlighted how the industry treats men as expendable eye candy once they hit a certain age—the same way Jane was treating Fabian in her personal life.
Why We Should Stop Calling Him a Filler Character
People love to say Fabian was "filler." He wasn't. He was the bridge. Without Fabian, Jane doesn't get to Adam. Without Adam, she doesn't get back to Rafael.
Fabian was the training wheels for Jane’s new life as a sexual being who wasn't defined by a marriage or a vow. He was safe. Because he was so "un-Jane-like"—shallow, obsessed with social media, not an intellectual peer—she could experiment with who she was without the fear of falling in love and getting her heart broken again. Or so she thought.
When he actually did fall for her, it got uncomfortable. It showed that "casual" is rarely ever just casual. The show used Fabian to dismantle the idea that you can just plug a person into a hole in your life and expect them not to feel anything. He was a person, not a prop.
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Actionable Takeaways for Your Next Rewatch
If you're heading back to Season 3, keep these things in mind to see the character in a new light:
- Watch Jane's face during their "intellectual" conversations. You can see the exact moment she decides to stop respecting him and start wanting him. It’s a dark turn for her character that the show handles brilliantly.
- Look for the sincerity. In the episode where he helps Jane with Lina, pay attention to his advice. It’s actually good. He’s smarter than the show (and Jane) gives him credit for.
- Appreciate the physical comedy. Francisco San Martin’s timing during the couch-jumping scene (the Tom Cruise parody) is flawless.
Fabian Regalo del Cielo might have been a brief chapter in the book of Jane, but he was the one who turned the page. He reminded her—and the audience—that life after loss isn't just about finding another soulmate. Sometimes, it’s just about finding your "glow" again, even if the guy helping you find it is a total goofball.
Next Steps: Pay close attention to "Chapter Sixty-Two" on your next viewing. Notice how the lighting changes when Fabian is on screen versus when Jane is alone. The "vagina glow" isn't just a joke; it’s a specific cinematographic choice that signals Jane's transition from mourning widow to a woman reclaiming her body.