Three actors from Jensen Ackles' Dean Winchester, giving a direct response. Over the course of its 15-season run, the Winchester brothers had a bevy of romantic partners and potential love interests. But for a show that was fundamentally about two brothers fighting against angels and demons alike, there was little room for Sam or Dean to have a normal life. Still, around the series' mid-point, there was one relationship that came close to representing normalcy for Dean.

During an episode of the Supernatural: Then and Now podcast, hosted by recurring guest stars Rob Benedict and Richard Speight Jr., who respectively played Chuck and Gabriel, Supernatural's Cindy Sampson was the guest. Sampson appeared in a total of 11 episodes of the series, starting in season 3 and continuing until season 6, as Lisa Braeden. The actor was asked about whether Dean was actually the real father of Lisa's son, Ben (played by Nicholas Elia), and Sampson responded that she believes that Dean is. The quotes are included below:

Benedict: So we know that this is the call for the writers. But did you ever play Lisa as if Ben was Dean son? Is the biker story just a story Lisa made up to protect Dean and Ben is really his son?

Sampson: Absolutely.

Benedict: Yeah, yeah. That would make sense.

Speight: That was my take on it, I always assumed.

Sampson: Why would I subject to my son to that lifestyle? I already know everything I need to know. And what are, like, I don't really believe in coincidences.

What Ben's Real Identity Would Mean For Supernatural & Dean

Lisa Has Said That Dean Is Not The Father

Lisa assured Dean that Ben is not his son, despite their brief fling in the late 1990s and the timeline matching up. Series creator Eric Kripke, who was the showrunner when Ben and Lisa were introduced, also confirmed to Eclipse Magazine in 2008 that Lisa was telling the truth. He responded to the possibility by noting: “I can say for a fact that he’s really NOT Dean’s kid.”

The show does have fun with the idea that Dean could be the father, highlighting the fact that Ben looks and behaves similarly to Dean. And, in the end, Dean does become something of a father figure to Ben for a time during the early episodes of Supernatural season 6. Given that Sam is back from the dead, and Dean is back to monster-hunting with his brother, Dean realizes he would ultimately be putting both Lisa and Ben in constant danger.

Dean asks for Ben and Lisa's memories to be wiped after a particularly life-threatening incident, and neither character appears in Supernatural beyond season 6 albeit they receive a few scattered mentions. Although it is canon that Ben is Lisa's son and that Lisa was being truthful, it adds an extra layer of tragedy if he was. Plus, it makes for a better story.

Our Take On Lisa & Ben's Importance To Dean

They Got A Bad Deal

Supernatural spinoffs haven't been successful despite several attempts, likely because viewers are most invested in the characters played by Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and Misha Collins. If they aren't going to be front and center, then it may not be worth diving into the Winchester universe again. It is important to acknowledge that, while also leaving the door to the possibility that a spinoff focused on Ben might be interesting.

Supernaturnal ended in November 2020, having aired 327 episodes.

There are currently no active plans to bring back Supernatural. But a spinoff premise could do a lot worse than revisiting Lisa and Ben. Unlike most reboots, where younger characters are routinely paired with returning faces, there's actual history between Lisa, Ben, and Dean that would create an interesting conflict that might just be worth exploring.

Source: Supernatural: Then and Now