Supernatural has seen many prominent characters come and go, with some even being recast, and the fantasy series has featured over 140 creatures.
Sam and Dean hunting creatures was essentially the premise of the series when it first kicked off. Back then, Supernatural followed a "creature of the week" format, seeing the two brothers travel all over the United States in Dean's car, investigating unusual incidents and devising methods to take down these monsters. But while this worked for the show, Supernatural didn't last 15 seasons by maintaining the same course year after year. Unsurprisingly, changes were made along the way.
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10 Dean Winchester Abandoned His "Samulet" And Leather Jacket
Dean's Iconic Look Changed Over The Years
Dean Winchester’s iconic appearance in Supernatural’s early seasons included a slightly oversized brown leather jacket and a strange amulet which he wore all the time. In season 3’s “A Very Supernatural Christmas,” it was revealed in a flashback that Sam had intended to give the supernatural amulet to their dad as a Christmas present. However, when he failed to show up, the younger brother decided that Dean should have it instead.
Dean has been wearing the supernatural amulet since 1991 and continues to wear it up until season 5’s “Dark Side Of The Moon,” where he throws it away after Castiel (who has been using it to search for God) proclaims it “worthless” and Dean realizes Sam’s happiest memories didn’t involve him. Furthermore, Dean’s iconic leather jacket was prevalent in early seasons as it was implied that it belonged to John Winchester. However, its usage fades out over time, and the jacket is no longer worn past season 6’s first episode, except in a few flashbacks.
9 Supernatural Stopped Being A "Monster Of The Week" Show
Supernatural Would Have Run Out Of Monsters
Season 1 of Supernatural had a different feel to other seasons because it followed a “monster of the week” format. Season 1 followed an anthology-like structure which meant that each episode had a separate monster hunting case which didn’t link to any other, despite the underlying investigation, as the Winchester brothers look for their father by retracing his steps in his journal.
Future seasons fell out of this format, with each episode gradually building up to an encounter with the season’s “big bad,” which required the episodes to build upon each other in of background information and lore. The move away from the “creature of the week” format was a big change and is most likely what contributed towards Supernatural's success, as the show would have eventually run out of new monsters and the show would have gotten old very quickly.
8 Sam & Dean Became Father Figures To Jack
The Brothers Struggled With John Winchester
Supernatural goes beyond being a simple dark fantasy series, because the brothers’ bond and their family-like team drive the story forward. The prominence of family was established from the first season, with Sam and Dean searching for their missing father despite their grievances with him over his questionable parenting choices. John’s absence has affected the Winchesters throughout the show, with Dean particularly struggling without a father-figure to lean on, especially after they lose Bobby Singer in Supernatural season 7, who thought of them as his own.
Sam fell out with John before Supernatural's pilot because he wanted to attend college and have a normal life, while John believed Sam had a duty to hunt monsters with his family and find their mother's killer.
However, season 13 threw Sam and Dean a curveball in the form of the naïve newborn nephilim Jack Kline, who Castiel had vowed to protect. Castiel unfortunately dies before he can raise Jack and so, for the first part of his life, Sam and Dean have to step up to become father figures in Cas’ place. This was not without incident, as Dean initially hated Jack and blamed him for Cas’ death, and there was no doubt some internal struggles considering his own parentage.
7 Supernatural’s Established Monsters Meant Less Lore Research
Sam And Dean Can Focus On Hunting
Previously established monsters in Supernatural benefited later seasons as it meant that Sam and Dean had to perform less research for lore. Prior to season 1, Sam had been out of the monster hunting game for a few years in order to pursue a degree in law at Stanford University, and Dean had been hunting with his dad, who most likely shouldered the bulk of the research. Therefore, when Sam reed Dean to continue their “family business,” the Winchester brothers were a little clueless and had to research everything.
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While the researching element of the earlier seasons was done to fill in the audience on what each Supernatural monster is and how they can kill it, it became a little repetitive. However, with numerous monsters of the same type cropping up all the time, audiences began to recognize what they were, and less explanation was needed. This meant Supernatural could focus on the exciting drama which builds up its seasonal monster instead of researching all the time which made a change.
6 Supernatural’s “Team Free Will” Got Bigger (And Smaller)
Many ing Characters In Supernatural Were Killed Off
One of the most pervading themes in Supernatural is Sam and Dean's fight for free will, and as other characters ed, the group became known as “Team Free Will”. Since season 1, Team Free Will has grown with many characters ing. However, monster hunting doesn't come without repercussions, and many characters have also been killed off (although sometimes Supernatural’s characters are resurrected).
Team Free Will Character |
Season Of Death |
|---|---|
Ash |
2 |
Jo Harvelle |
5 |
Ellen Harvelle |
5 |
Bobby Singer |
7 (also returns in ghost form and flashbacks) |
Kevin Tran |
9 (also returns in ghost form) |
Charlie Bradbury |
10 |
Rowena |
11, 12, 15 (resurrected multiple times and is now Queen of Hell) |
Crowley |
12 |
Mary Winchester |
14 (also died pre-show) |
Team Free Will got bigger over the series as the Winchesters encountered more people, however, the team grew notably in the lead up to season 5, as many hunters and monsters ed Sam and Dean in preparation for the Apocalypse. Unfortunately, not all characters survived the Apocalypse arc, with characters such as Ash, Jo Harvelle, and Ellen Harvelle being victims of this biblical war. Other notable characters such as Bobby Singer and Charlie Bradbury were killed in later seasons despite being arguably the best characters in Supernatural.
5 Sam & Dean Stopped Encountering The Police & FBI
The Winchesters Seem To Get Away With Everything
A large part of seasons 2 and 3 had Sam and Dean on the run from the FBI Agent Victor Henriksen, as the brothers had become wanted for a string of murders and grave desecrations. Supernatural's FBI storyline brought an exciting element to the show because Sam and Dean had to fight monsters whilst avoiding law enforcement, further exemplifying their status as unlawful heroes.
Well, what we have here is a failure to communicate. 'Cause we're not trapped out here with you. You're trapped out here with us. - Dean Winchester
Season 7 sees a Leviathan version of Sam and Dean causing enough trouble to get the FBI involved, and eventually they are both killed, leading the FBI into thinking the Winchester brothers are both dead. Police interactions and arrests are basically obsolete by this point in the show, and there are no interactions with the FBI until season 12’s “LOTUS” in which they are arrested for trying to assassinate the president (who is secretly possessed by Lucifer). However, this is also brushed under the rug pretty quickly.
4 Over The Years Supernatural Became More Serious
Supernatural Took A Dark Turn
Supernatural became more serious over the years as the stakes began to get higher, especially as season 15 had Sam and Dean fighting God. In the early seasons of Supernatural, Sam and Dean smiled a lot more, partly because they had not died and been resurrected yet, and both their souls were still intact. However, the show took a toll on the main characters, and the traumatic experiences shaped Sam and Dean into more serious figures.
The dark fantasy show often used comedic filler episodes in order to alleviate growing tensions in the seasons. These episodes produced some of the best and most memorable episodes in Supernatural, with fan favorites such as “Mystery Spot”, “Yellow Fever”, “The French Mistake”, “Dog Dean Afternoon," and “Scoobynatural.” While later seasons do contain some funny episodes, season 14 and 15's heavy natures makes them less prominent, and the show takes a serious turn.
3 Supernatural's Later Seasons Relied Heavily On Celestial Beings
Castiel's Introduction Had Baggage
Since the introduction of Castiel in season 4, angels have played a big part in Supernatural’s story, marking a huge change from the early seasons. The celestial beings caused the apocalypse in season 5 and were a big part of season 9 and 13’s plot. However, the angels are far from angelic in Supernatural and have caused a lot of trouble for the Winchesters over the years, sending them into alternate realities, torturing them, and hunting them down.
I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from Perdition. - Castiel to Dean
The reason that the last few seasons of the show featured angels heavily was possibly because they were a resolution to Supernatural’s stakes problem, which saw the show struggle to top their previous season’s enemies. This unfortunately meant that other Supernatural monsters were less prominent and Sam and Dean's typical enemies, like ghosts and demons, became less frequently encountered. Another reason for Supernatural’s reliance on celestial beings was because, as the angel friend of the Winchesters, Castiel’s storyline often featured his heavenly siblings.
2 Sam & Dean Gained A Base Of Operations
The Men of Letters Bunker Became The Winchester's Home
One of the most famous pieces of iconography in Supernatural is Dean’s car, affectionately called "Baby". Originally belonging to John Winchester, Dean inherited the car and has used it since the pilot episode. As hunters, Sam and Dean are required to travel around the United States to pick up cases, and the 1967 Chevrolet Impala has been a constant in their lives, even featuring in flashbacks. The Impala is like a home to the Winchesters as they have never settled down in one place, often staying in motel rooms across the States.
Dean did briefly live with Lisa Braeden while he believed Sam was in Hell, but he never fully settled in.
However, in 2013, Sam and Dean found the Men of Letters bunker, a secret bunker located in Lebanon, Kansas, which houses supernatural objects, spells, and books. This was a treasure trove for any hunter as the bunker contained rare texts and previously unknown information about various monsters. The Winchesters made it their base of operations and the bunker became the first stable home they had lived in since their mother's death when they were children.
1 The Winchester Brothers Became Friends With Monsters
Sam And Dean Went Back On Their Original Philosophy
In the early seasons of Supernatural, Sam and Dean often operated in a black-and-white manner; if it was a monster, it was to be killed without question. The Winchesters lived by a “shoot first, ask questions later” philosophy which had kept them alive so far. However, they have both encountered cases that fall into a gray area. A season 7 flashback revealed that Sam once refused to kill a kitsune, Amy Pond, as he believed she was good. Years later, when Amy started killing people to save her son, Dean found out and killed her, although he let her son live.
A similar situation happened to Dean when he encountered Benny Lafitte, a vampire Dean bonded with in Purgatory and helped to be resurrected in the real world. This goes against Dean’s philosophy shown in season 7 and Sam was understandably upset. However, the Winchesters have made friends with numerous monsters over the years (including Castiel, Rowena, and Crowley), which goes against their monster hunting profession and marks the biggest change since Supernatural's season 1.
Supernatural
- Release Date
- 2005 - 2020
- Network
- The CW
- Showrunner
- Eric Kripke
Cast
Sam Winchester
Dean Winchester
WHERE TO WATCH
Supernatural is a television series that follows brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, who were raised by their father to hunt and combat supernatural entities after losing their mother to a demonic force. Traversing the American landscape in their '67 Chevy Impala, they face numerous paranormal threats.
- Writers
- Meredith Glynn, Davy Perez, Raelle Tucker, Cathryn Humphris, Brett Matthews, Nancy Won, John Bring, Ben Acker, Daniel Knauf, David Ehrman, James Krieg, Trey Callaway
- Seasons
- 15
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