Summary
Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki reflect on Dean’s death four years after the series finale. In a somewhat divisive decision, after successfully taking away the powers of the villainous Chuck and losing his hero’s armor,Dean dies unceremoniously in a fairly routine battle.It’s a striking choice that has kepttheSupernaturalseries finalein conversation since it aired in November 2020.
While speaking at Creation Entertainment’s Supernatural Convention in Austin, Texas over the weekend (viaFangasmSPNon X), Ackles and Padalecki reflected on Dean’s demise four years after the series finale. Ackles, who portrayed Dean Winchester, explained whythe ending felt fitting for his character. Padalecki, who played Sam Winchester, echoed those remarks andtouched on what Dean’s death says about the characters on a broad level. Read their quotes below:
Ackles: Yes, I am happy. I think it had to be him going out, doing what he was made to be doing, doing what he loved to be doing. But also like, it needed to be in a way where he could stay on top. Getting sick or getting debilitated in a way that made him fall down or on a deathbed or anything like that, I don’t think was as powerful as him actually standing up and looking at his brother eye to eye. So I was happy with how that worked out.
Padalecki: Furthermore, though I didn’t write it, I think it was a part of the magical juxtaposition of the characters, which is they’d done so much: they’d killed God, and they killed Satan. But at the end of the day, they were human and they were flawed. And they killed all the vampires, all the zombies, all the and rougarous and wendigos. So the reminder that these people aren’t superhuman, they’re people — I think that was a nice way to say it.
There’s More Than One Reason Why Dean’s Death Feels Unsatisfying
There’s a thematic strength toSupernaturalseason 15 and the idea that, without the protection of a higher power, the Winchesters would be at risk of dying just like other hunters. Butwhile it works on a story level, the ending leaves something to be desiredand feels anti-climatic given all the heroes have faced. That’s partially the effect Dean’s quiet death is meant to achieve, but that doesn’t compare toSupernaturalseason 5’s conclusionwith the brothers facing off against Lucifer and Michael and Sam sacrificing himself. It’s a broader issue because audiences have become accustomed to seeing either Dean or Sam approaching or crossing the line of death.
Supernaturalcreator Eric Kripke planned a five-season storyline, but with the show’s popularity, it continued for another ten years with many showrunners taking over the role.
While thematically strong, there’s an argument to be made that the monster-hunting drama far surpassed a show where people were watching for a specific plot. By its fifteenth installment,audiences were tuning in because they liked spending time with Sam, Dean, and Misha Collins' Castiel. This is partly why there continue to be calls forSupernaturalseason 16, despite a fairly definitive conclusion with the Winchesters enjoying the afterlife.
10 Things I’d Want Supernatural Season 16 To Change About The Original Show
Supernatural could be set to return for a season 16, but if it did, I’d like to see a few things done differently for the show’s return.
There isn’t any news about whether the series will be revived, but the cast and crew have signaled their openness to the possibility. The ongoing discussion also confirms why death rarely feels like a satisfying send-off for the Winchesters. Based on the show’s history, it’s been proven that there’s always more story to tell, partly because of the procedural and episodic nature ofSupernaturalat its core.
Supernatural
Cast
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.
