The Supernatural spinoff series, The Winchesters, paid off a prophecy about the Impala 13 years after it was made in Supernatural. After 15 successful seasons, Supernatural came to an end in 2020, much to the disappointment of its dedicated fanbase. However, in 2021, a Supernatural spinoff series called The Winchesters was released, following the story of John Winchester and Mary Campbell in an alternate continuity, as they fall in love while fighting monsters in the search for their missing fathers. Unfortunately, The Winchesters was canceled after just one season, following a disappointing trend seen with other canceled Supernatural spinoffs.

As a series based on traveling across America to hunt monsters, Supernatural had to have an iconic car, which turned out to be a black 1967 Chevrolet Impala affectionately called “Baby.” The Impala was bought by John Winchester in 1973, and eventually ed down to Dean sometime before season 1’s pilot. Dean uses the Impala throughout Supernatural and it has become an integral part of the show, even being described as “the most important object in pretty much the whole universe” by God in season 5. Following Dean Winchester’s surprise return in The Winchesters, this prophecy paid off.

The Winchesters Truly Made The Impala The Most Important Object In The Universe

The Impala Was The Only Thing That Could Defeat The Akrida

The Winchesters made the Impala the most important object in the universe, as it was the only thing which could defeat one of Supernatural’s most terrifying monsters, the Akrida. In the Supernatural spinoff series, John and Mary are faced with a strange insect-like monster which are a danger to all existence. The Akrida were created by God as a failsafe to wipe out creation and are not from Earth. They pose an extreme threat in The Winchesters as John and Mary run out of ways to fight the strange creatures, until Dean Winchester shows up in his beloved Chevrolet Impala.

Dean Winchester’s return in The Winchesters marks the third time he has met his parents in the past. The other two times happened in Supernatural season 4, episode 2, “In The Beginning,” and season 5, episode 13, “The Song Remains The Same.”

The Akrida are defeated by Mary driving the Impala into the Akrida queen because the creature can only be killed by something not of that world, and as Dean came from the multiverse, the Impala is not of The Winchesters’ universe. This is the second time the Impala has saved the world. Being one of the few constants in Sam and Dean’s lives, despite Supernatural’s big changes, the Impala and its memories help Sam Winchester to break free from Lucifer’s possession long enough to throw himself into the Cage with Michael, in Supernatural season 5, episode 22, “Swan Song.”

Why Supernatural's Impala Deserves To Be Considered A Character In Its Own Right

Baby Is An Important Part Of The Show

Arguably, Supernatural’s Impala deserves to be considered its own character because the car has helped define the show so much that Supernatural would not be the same without it. Dean’s affection for the car is evident as he calls it “Baby” and often threatens people that may harm it, including his own brother. Dean’s protective attitude shows that the car is important to him, likely because it belonged to his father, and it also served as Sam and Dean’s home when growing up on the road. God even talks about their childhood in the Impala in Supernatural’s “Swan Song”:

This is the stuff that's important: the army man that Sam crammed into the ashtray, it's still stuck there. The Legos that Dean shoved into the vents, to this day, heat comes on, they can hear them rattle. These are the things that make the car theirs, really theirs.

The Impala is featured heavily in Supernatural and has had two different license plates, but not much else has changed, even with Dean having to rebuild it a few times due to damage. Dean’s car was so important to him that, in season 11, there was even an episode titled “Baby,” which was told from the point of view of the Impala, and, in Supernatural’s finale, the Impala makes it to Heaven alongside the Winchesters. Supernatural’s Impala is an iconic car, but it is also an important character, therefore it seemed fitting to complete its Supernatural prophecy in The Winchesters.