I don’t think Maleficent is dead. I don’t care what they say. Regina’s spell should have kept her alive v_v plus No Body = No Death!
They left the possibility open because they didn’t show how Hook actually escaped her. If GOAT tased her, that should have finished her off, but we dunno that that happened. If she’s still alive in whatever form down there, I’d say she should have been taken back to FTL and restored to her former self. But if SB gets reinstated, would she go back to dwelling in whatever form in the basement again? Guess that wouldn’t really matter if there’s now potential for Maleficent flashbacks from the missing year in FTL.