10 Things About Supernatural Everyone Always Gets Wrong

Eric Kripke’s Supernatural remains one of the world’s most popular fantasy TV shows, so it has generated some common misconceptions for itself over the years. Running over 15 years from 2005 to 2020, it is the longest-running American fantasy TV series to be shot in live-action. Also heading up Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys, Kripke can lay claim to this impressive accolade after 15 seasons that sometimes confused as many viewers as it captivated. With Supernatural’s season 15 safely behind it, it’s easy to see what many fans get wrong about the show.

Although Supernatural may have had its final season, its legacy is far from over. Fans still discuss the show and its ending at length, while some of its points of controversy may never find a final consensus with viewers. But some misunderstandings can be perceived consistently in the fandom and beyond it. After all, Supernatural is no niche endeavor. It is big enough to have made quite a name for itself, even among those who have never watched it. And some people just can’t help making incorrect assumptions about it.

10

It Is Cheesy Network TV With Little Merit Or Credibility

Supernatural Is A Fun Guilty Pleasure But Actually Terrible

Outsiders to the fandom can sometimes perceive Supernatural as something of a guilty pleasure, which just isn’t true. As longtime fans of the series know, it is successful because it is good. As The Boys demonstrates, Kripke always had a knack for being ahead of the curve as a showrunner. And Supernatural season 1 was so ahead of the curve. Global TV had never seen a dark fantasy steeped in so much Americana.

Supernatural hit every spot, it was hard not for fans to remain loyal. It was the serialized horror and fantasy that TV was missing, provided the depth and philosophy of religious undertones, had the focus and simplicity of two main characters, and the escapist joy of a road story. There was nothing not to love. And the show reeled fans in with its conspiratorial plotlines, extended via season-end cliffhangers.

9

Crowley Left The Show At The Right Time

Crowley’s Character Was Ready To End

As many Supernatural fans will say, Mark Sheppard’s character rapidly became one of its best bits, but Crowley left Supernatural too early. The English actor brought some gruff London spirit to the gorgeous rolling plains of the show’s American scenery, and it worked. Crowley was a truly lovable villain and earned many fans’ undying loyalty when he became a hero. Watching Crowley’s journey from villain to hero was one of the highlights of the show.

Crowley’s redemption was one of the best examples of character development in modern TV.

Unfortunately, Crowley left Supernatural on bad terms. Crowley died in the season 12 finale, sacrificing himself to seal Lucifer in Hell. This was, in many ways, a great end to his arc. Crowley’s redemption was one of the best examples of character development in modern TV, so it made sense for him to make the final sacrifice. However, the character had a lot more life left in him and Mark Sheppard agreed. He believed the show had been trying to write him out for a while.

8

Dean Winchester Was The Show’s Ladies’ Man

Dean Was Supernatural’s Romeo

A common misconception about Supernatural is that Dean is its leading ladies’ man. This belief exists among zealous fans and casual fans of the show. Dean Winchester had many love interests on Supernatural, but not anywhere near as many as his brother, Sam. Dean earned himself this reputation by being the flirt of the duo. Dean embodied a few stereotypes, all of them subverted at some point, and one of them was a red-blooded American male.

Dean was a gun-toting, Chevy-driving hunter who operated best on the job and on the road.

He made romance a game, and it was hilarious to watch him chasing skirts every season, especially knowing that he actually had minimal skin in the game. Dean was a gun-toting, Chevy-driving hunter who operated best on the job and on the road. Dean’s flirting was a cover-up for a deep-seated fear of intimacy and pushing away real love, to a certain extent, out of fear he would harm people close to him. Logically, Sam Winchester actually had more love interests than Dean in Supernatural.

7

“Carry On Wayward Son” Plays During Every Supernatural Finale

Supernatural Always Closes To Kansas

Supernatural may well be the reason millennials know Kansas, but their epic “Carry On Wayward Son” did not actually tie off every single season. The American rock band released the track in 1976, and it fit right into Supernatural’s soundtrack. Dean’s music taste was flawlessly chosen and soundtracked the show, which was one piece of evidence that led some to argue that Dean was the show’s main character.

Sam and Dean were the ultimate rebels, but their ultimate rebel anthem actually played in the penultimate episode of season 1.

However, the show’s soundtrack symbolized its premise. Supernatural was the story of two lonely brothers out on a lonely road, physically and metaphorically. And biker movies were Kripke’s supporting inspiration, with the culture evoked by the Hell’s Angels scattered across famous movies from the ’50s and ’60s. Hard rock went hand in hand with this tone and aesthetic. Sam and Dean were the ultimate rebels, but their ultimate rebel anthem actually played in the penultimate episode of season 1.

6

Eric Kripke Had A 5-Season Plan For Supernatural

Supernatural Was Meant To End On Season 5

Some hold the belief that Supernatural was meant to end in season 5, but it is definitely not so clear-cut. While Eric Kripke did create a rough five-season plan, it was not necessarily supposed to signify the end of the show. It was more the natural development of a long-running arc and the necessary planning to ensure all contracts could be maintained where necessary. However, Kripke’s planning was loose in all kinds of ways.

The last episode of Supernatural season 15 was released on November 19, 2020.

The Kripke era of Supernatural certainly constituted its first five seasons, and after that, Kripke handed the reins to Sera Gamble. But Kripke always played it by ear, to a certain extent, allowing for fan feedback to manifest itself and for storylines to be flexible. As Kripke said to Collider, “When you start a show, the plans are not set in stone.” The writing room worked out the show’s demon and angel structure as it went along.

5

No One Ever Dies For Good

Death Is Never Final In Supernatural

Some critics of the show have mentioned that no one ever dies for good in Supernatural. It is easy to see how this misconception could develop, and rumors of it could spread beyond the borders of the show’s fandom, developing into a reputation. However, it is the Winchester brothers in Supernatural who kept coming back to life, not everyone else. And this served a special purpose, steeped as the show was in religious myth. As a show about the afterlife, it made sense for Sam and Dean to have to explore the depths of heaven and hell.

Supernatural can be streamed on Netflix in the U.S. and Amazon Prime Video in the U.K.

Naturally, this involved a few deaths along the way. Plus, exploring the afterlife was the world’s best plot device, allowing for numerous tragic death scenes that pulled at the heartstrings and made perfect season or episode closers. Some characters made it back to Supernatural as ghosts, memories, or visions. However, many important characters really did die very final deaths in the end, including Jo, Ellen, Bobby, and Charlie.

4

Dean Was Confirmed To Be In Love With Castiel

Dean Definitely Returned Castiel’s Feelings

Although many things about Dean and Castiel were relationship goals, the two weren’t quite the couple that they clearly should have been. The show teased romance between Dean and Castiel in certain places, but it didn’t suggest outright that Dean had feelings for Castiel. The show even acknowledged the fandom’s rabid shipping of the two together in season 10, episode 5, when Dean was enlightened about the Destiel ship on the show.

Sera Gamble, Castiel actor Misha Collins, and Dean actor Jensen Ackles were all aware of the fan response to Castiel and Dean. The show never quite went explicit with Castiel’s declaration of love for Dean in season 15, which could have been brotherly. However, it certainly looked like a lot more. Even Collins called it a “homosexual declaration“ when he spoke about “Destiel going canon” (YouTube). Dean was more subtle. He certainly had some intense staring matches with Castiel but could have just as easily considered him his best friend.

3

There Is One Main Character Of Supernatural

Either Sam or Dean Is Actually The Protagonist

There is an ongoing debate in the Supernatural fandom about who is the main character of the show, but the truth is that the show has always been about Sam and Dean, never one or the other. There would be no Supernatural without Sam or Dean. Likewise, there would be no Supernatural without a constant give and take, and each brother becoming the focal point in turn. Duality has always been central to Supernatural’s success.

Not only were Sam and Dean two sides of the same coin, Michael and Lucifer were, too. Sam was Lucifer’s vessel, Dean bore the Mark of Cain, both brothers died to keep the other alive, and there was a balance generally maintained from seasons 1 to 15. Sam was not the main character of Supernatural and neither was Dean. They both were. If anything, Dean’s car was the main character, with viewers spending more time with it than probably any other single thing on the show.

2

There Will Never Be More Supernatural

Supernatural Is Over Forever

Although Supernatural ended on a high in season 15, it is a common misconception that that signified the last ever season of Supernatural, for good. However, cast and crew have both discussed the possibility of more Supernatural. Supernatural often seemed as if it had given fans its last and breathed its last breath, but it was the gift that kept on giving for 15 years. Kripke told Collider that if “there was something out there that really surprised” story-wise, he would be open to more seasons.

Meanwhile, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles expressed their enthusiasm for a season 16 numerous times. Another season, a reboot, or another Supernatural spinoff series does seem likely, even despite The Winchesters getting canceled after one season. Padalecki commented, mysteriously, in 2023 to Collider that “There are some conversations regarding that conversation that are being had,” so season 16 may just be waiting on everyone’s schedules to align.

1

Supernatural’s Later Seasons Aren’t Worth Watching

Supernatural Stopped Being Good After Season 5 Or 6

Along with the idea that Supernatural was only meant to run for five seasons, categorically, it seems that some believe Supernatural is only worth watching up until around this point. This may be a misconception held by more casual fans, since diehard fans will have watched each season many times over. The reality is that some seasons may have flagged in quality, but never for longer than a few episodes, and Supernatural was only just getting started in season 5.

The entire show had so much more to offer than this. In fact, some of Supernatural’s best material was in its later seasons. It is well worth sticking around to find out just how much deeper into heaven and hell’s intrigue the show went. Finding out about Chuck alone made the wait worthwhile, turning religious stories on their head in a most delightfully subversive way. Supernatural season 15 may have been Ackles and Padalecki’s best venture yet, and fans can only hope there is more to come.

Source: Collider, YouTube, Collider, Collider