Only A Real Hunter Can Name These Supernatural Characters
- by Edward Cambro
- – on
- in Movies and TV
How well do you know Supernatural? To date, there have been twelve seasons, with a thirteenth currently airing. Where fans once worried that the series would be cancelled before it finished its original five season arc, the CW has made it clear that the show will probably continue in perpetuity provided that stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles want to keep making the show, and they have indicated they have no intention of stopping. Apparently, they’re making good money and they don’t hate each other, which is pretty rare for co-stars that have worked together that long.
Supernatural’s popularity has yet to wane. With almost three hundred episodes and even another presumptive spinoff Wayward Sisters coming up, there have been more characters than most people can keep tracks of. Hell, there are plenty who were just abandoned because even the writers have trouble sometimes. But you know how fans are—that barrier between devotion and obsession. To test your love for Supernatural, we’ve assembled a bunch of characters for you to identify. Some are easy; the rest—you’re on your own, hunter. Oh, and before you ask, no we’re not counting the dozens of times Sam was possessed by someone as separate characters. That would be just mean.
If you don’t know who this is, it’s going to be a long quiz
Supernatural began with a simple, clean story-arc: find dad. Armed with affordably licensed classic rock songs and a lovely 1967 Chevy Impala, the boys had to set aside their differences and find their elusive and obsessive father. Of course, they eventually found him, but that’s another problem for another time.
She was the first attempt to introduce a long-term love interest to the show
And, oh boy, did the fanbase not approve. They prefer when the boys are together, and some fans on Tumblr (naturally) wish they were TOGETHER, but let’s not go there. This character was meant to have a long arc—going from newb to hunter. Unfortunately, a combination of decompressed appearances, inconsistent writing, and immediate fan backlash caused the producers to drop the story entirely.
This is the grumpiest person on the show
That’s right. More than Bobby and more than Dean, this hunter is the grumpiest character Supernatural has ever produced. The Winchesters and Bobby at least have each other to count on—this guy just keeps loose affiliations. He went off the rails a bit, especially after his girlfriend died, and even kept Bobby at arm’s length.
Don’t fear the reaper (Baby, take my hand)
This character was introduced much later in the series. She’s a reaper who took over for Death after Dean killed him (Jesus Christ, this show). Given that the Winchesters have died and come back more than the aforementioned Savior, the Reapers—especially this one—have had enough of Sam and Dean’s malarkey. From now on, if one of them dies, they stay dead.
She is one of the most underutilized villains in series history
After introducing this ancient evil as one of the few people Crowley was afraid of, the writers took a start-and-stop approach to her appearances and storyline, which made her more of an afterthought. While she did have some intense and badass moments, there’s a sense of missed opportunity to her.
The Griffins would hate them
The series’ first recurring antagonist, this demon was related to Azazel, the Prince of Hell responsible for the deaths of Jess Moore and Mary Winchester, and the disappearance of John Winchester. However, this demon managed to stick around longer than Azazel, and is second only to Crowley as far as long-term antagonists on the show. She’s also one of the best developed, which makes it only sadder that the character is dead.
His entire arc is being angry, unforgiving, and he loves pie!
Look, we’re giving this one away. What, you more do you need from us? Is this The Giving Tree? Look, let’s just be honest about his character for a second: he’s irredeemable. In the early years, we wanted him to have a chance at a normal life; now, he’s just too jaded from all he's been through. Doesn’t mean we don’t like him, we just like Sam better.
The Bayou Vampire
When Dean was sent to purgatory, he made a friend who was a vampire. Trust us, we’re as surprised as you are that Dean made a friend, let along one who was a demon. This vamp was a decent guy who just wanted to reboot his life a bit once he got back to Earth. Dean was closer to him than he was to Sam for a while, which rankled the audience more than Sam himself.
The absentee landlord Himself
A writer who turns out to have divine power. If this isn’t the view any writer has of himself at some point, we’ll eat our shoes. While the current resolution of his arc leaves us a bit cold, there’s no denying the fun he brought to the series. While he’s had a few standout moments, we’ll always get a kick out of his reaction to the sheer amount of porn Dean has on his laptop.
Sam's first girlfriend
Their love was basically the catalyst to Sam's revenge when the horrible demon that killed Mary Winchester comes back and kills his true love. Played by Adrianne Palicki, this character, albeit minor, was a defining character for one of our leading men. Dean had wanted to leave Sammy out of the fight, thinking his life was better off, and when the demons pursued Sam, he knew there was no escape, there was no 'normal' life for either of them. Who was she?
He's an angel...just not on Buffy
You would think someone with the power and intelligence of an angel would be able to iron his clothes and shave once in a while, but who are we to judge? Hell, god isn’t even around to judge. And when he was, he didn’t even bother to bring up this character’s homeless presentation.
God's scribe
This is God’s scribe. As a writer, he is a perfect distillation of anyone who engages in the craft. He’s messy, difficult to get along with, and perfectly balances conflicting feelings of superiority and utter self-hatred. He had his moments that seemed like he could be redeemed and that he was worthy of his grace, but it was always too little too late and the boys would always regret trusting him. As far as threats go, he is both a physical and an existential one.
He’s like Bobby…but not
After Bobby’s (permanent) death, this character took over as the information-handling for the hunters in America. He didn’t appear as often as Bobby did, though he was well-respected by Sam and Dean and the hunters in the area. Of course, since nobody in the Supernatural universe can be happy, he became a werewolf.
Azazel’s first Winchester
She may just be the living embodiment of the Oedipus Complex, and also the reason why we shouldn’t never take death (or Death) seriously on Supernatural. That said, this character’s unnecessary resurrection has led to many new creative directions, and may have been worth the risk of undermining a major factor of the Winchester family story, also she turns out to be a bit of a badass! Sharing many qualities with her first born, who is this stubborn, butt-kicking hunter?
Lucifer’s first demon
Nothing’s creepier than a kid, right? She was the first demon created by Lucifer, having originally been a human he corrupted. Upon being freed from hell, she took several vessels, most notably a child, which created a moral conundrum for the boys who needed to kill her, and gave the writers a great opportunity to creep everyone out.
Who the boys wish their dad really was
The Winchester’s poor, put-upon, long-suffering surrogate father. He lost his wife to a demon, lost most of his friends to demons, and has to help every hunter from here to Kalamazoo not get captured by the FBI. But at least people thank him for his time and effort. Oh, wait, they don’t? Jesus. This poor man. With his signature 'eejit' remarks, he is about as warm and fuzzy as a Tasmanian Devil, but he did care deeply for our protagonists.
A long-suffering prophet with a Tiger Mom
Hey, who’s a great character that was killed off unnecessarily? Well, on Supernatural, that list is long, and this guy is a prime example of it. A well-needed breath of youth, this character came in at a time where most of the show’s supporting cast members had been killed off. We all figured he would go one day as well, but we hoped he’d have stuck around a little while long. We thought it would be the last we would see of this character, but SPOILER ALERT, it wasn't!
The Trickster
Here’s an opinion that borders on being a fact: Supernatural did this character better than Marvel. Part of that is because of the superior writing, the other part is knowing when to end the character before diminishing returns set it. Roguish, selfish, but surprisingly affable, we miss this character, but we’re glad he didn’t wear out his welcome.
Men of Letters’ resident serial killer
Who would have thought the Men of Letters would be so insufferable? Well, everybody, but that’s neither here nor there. When your job is to kill things that tend to look like people, it helps to have a sociopath or two on the team who can kill without remorse. I mean at least Dean has some sort of moral compass and he is still a decent guy under there. This character, not so much. Not even with a small 'love story' component added. Very small.
She’s a witch! Or a psychic or something
We’re sad this character only had two appearances. We’re sad she’s dead now, especially since the Wayward Sisters spinoff could’ve used her, but the CW is the CW. They want younger characters wherever possible. Good thing she had a really hot granddaughter she never mentioned with psychic powers even greater than her own.
Supernatural’s favorite divorcee
This character may not be lucky in love, but she adapted better than anyone has to learning that there are supernatural—hey, that’s the name of the show!—entities running around. The Minnesota sheriff’s deputy is also one of the few characters on the show who isn’t run down by depression or cynicism. It’s an interesting change of pace.
A recently introduced powerful psychic
The previously referenced attractive granddaughter of Missouri Moseley, this character believed she was going crazy rather than having visions of the future. Her father was less than pleased with the idea of her using her powers for surprisingly understandable reasons. Regardless, she’s going to be on Wayward Sisters, so, yeah, she’ll be using them shortly.
Another failed relationship for Sam!
When Dean was in purgatory, Sam shacked up with this veterinarian. Their relationship was well-handled by a series where these things are usually botched. However, the inevitable end came in typical soap opera fashion: her thought-to-be-dead husband was found out to be alive. Sam left town so the two could have a second chance.
Not a wayward sister…yet
This character was introduced in early season 12, and we’re hoping she’ll somehow be folded into Wayward Sisters, or show up on Supernatural more often. She’s a witch who doesn’t realize she’s living inside a twig doll (it’s a long, long story). Short version: she’s a cool character with a lot of backstory to draw from.
Almost as bad as Negan
There are many fathers in TV history. Some good, most bad. As the father of Sam and Dean, we’re led to believe that he is one of the good ones; why else would the boys go to such lengths for the man? Through flashbacks we’ve learned the truth: after Mary died, his obsession with killing demons took priority. He was a neglectful father at best, and a borderline abusive one at that.
He’s a depressed stuffed animal (how do you not love this show?)
The boys were investigating a functioning wishing well in a small town. Among many other strange developments, there was a large teddy bear who had achieved sentience thanks to a little girl. Unfortunately, the bear was a student of Rust Cohle and became disillusioned with life. He attempted to blow his brains out—felt went flying—but was unable to successfully kill himself.
The wayward mother of the wayward sisters
She is currently the longest running supporting character in Supernatural history. As time went on, we worried for her, but now she’s going to be the lead in the spinoff, so we’re thinking she’s fairly safe. The Sioux Falls sheriff lost her son when he was very young, and her development into a foster mother has helped with the pain of that loss.
The Good Witch
Alicia’s brother is a natural witch, and is much more powerful than he should be considering his age. Thankfully, he’s not a douche or a maniac, so he’s a damn good ally. His growing abilities are matched only by his devotion to his family. While he was too late to save his mother, he was able to resurrect his sister.
He sold his soul to “make it an even ten”
This hurts. We had grown to love the once and future king of hell. Easily Supernatural’s best developed villain, this demon made it so that we liked him even if he never did a single unselfish thing in his life…until he sacrificed himself for the Winchester brothers. Admittedly, it was done as much out of spite for Lucifer than selflessness.
This aging Rockstar manages to be more obnoxious than Gene Simmons
Rick Springfield played a rockstar (how out of character) who became possessed by Lucifer. Suddenly, parents groups around the world felt vindicated. Anyway, Big Lou enjoyed the lifestyle while searching for his long-lost son and baby mama, but also created a David Lee Roth-like rift between he and his band Ladyheart with his evil antics.
Ol’ Yellow Eyes
He was the first main villain Supernatural ever had. He was responsible for Mary Winchester and Jess’ deaths. He was responsible for John Winchester’s disappearance, and somewhat responsible for John’s eventual death. He was also trying to free Lucifer from his cage, so, yeah, not one of the good guys.
Killing her off was stupid
Season seven had its problems. Largely a rebuilding year, the show struggled to develop new supporting characters after five and six really wiped the table clean. The pop-culture obsessed ingenious optimist was a welcome addition to the dour and colorless hunters we were used to. Also, she had a Lying Cat shirt, which was nice.
Mother knows best
With a mother like her, you can suddenly understand how Crowley ended up the way he did. His mother is a literal witch, who was nearly ancient by the time she was introduced in the story. She was so powerful that even Lucifer himself needed her help from time to time. With one of the best accents in the show this witch shows just how powerful an ancient being can be, and she sure isn't afraid to get her hands a bit bloody.
She’s no angel
Get it? Because Castiel is her father…well, he inhabits her father’s body, at least. Her story is a common one. She grew up in a happy family until her father was possessed by an angel, which caused her to freak out, get captured and eventually killed by evil angels. Yes, it’s a tale as old as time. The wayward daughter (tee-hee) has become a hunter now, and is not to be trifled with.
Mark Pellegrino rules
An amazing actor takes on the exceptional role of this hoof toting being. We've seen him as a vampire before and this character, previously kept locked up in a cage for eternity, is not squeamish around death. Seeing as he is generally the leading cause of it. Not wanting to spend another day in Hell, he tricks Sam AND Castiel into letting him in and taking control of their body. For one of the most evil characters he does manage to seem almost likeable, maybe it's his fatherly charm?