Over its fifteen seasons, Supernatural crafted a slew of incredible episodes and stories that are fondly remembered by fans and will continue to be for years. So many of these high-quality episodes happen to fall to the season finales, which, so often at the very least, delivered shock and some emotion, a lot of which came from the closing cliffhangers.
Character deaths, the reveal of the next season's big bad, a sticky situation for Team Free Will, or simple iconic shots/scenes are among the collection of season finale cliffhangers that kept fans chomping at the bit for the series' next season.
The Darkness Is Released In "Brothers Keeper"
Especially in hindsight, this cliffhanger is not anything overly spectacular, but there is no doubt it is surrounded by a lot of shock and awe and is better than the likes of Michael's Newsie-esque freeze frame.
The whole end of the episode sees Dean choose Sam, again, and actually kill Death, deciding to use the Book of the Damned to remove the Mark of Cain, in turn unleashing black clouds that seem to be setting a course for chaos, this being Amara, a.k.a the Darkness.
The Boys Are Ready To Hunt In "All Hell Breaks Loose"
Undoubtedly the most simple cliffhanger on this list comes in season 2. There is no situation of danger for the brothers, no individual massive character released, and no death for the brothers.
It sees many, many souls from hell released Azazel dead and a satisfying John Winchester moment. Sam and Dean closing the trunk of the Impala gets audiences so pumped for season 3 and all of the beings of Hell they will go on to hunt.
Cas & Crowley Are Dead & Jack Is Born In "All Along The Watchtower"
From the beautifully simple to a season climax and cliffhanger that was action-packed, season 12 has a finale that has so much going on with a lot of important events for the final seasons of the show.
Not only does Crowley die, but Cas also dies, Lucifer and Mary are trapped in the alternate world, and, of course, Kelly gives birth to Jack, who is a fully grown individual. Jack's glowing eyes and sinister smile close out the season, and it leaves fans with so much to unpack and so many questions, such as is Jack the next big villain or is Jack on the hero's side.
Sam Is Out In "Swan Song"
It is pretty universally believed that the season 5 finale "Swan Song" is not only the best Supernatural season finale, but one of the best episodes of the show in general, showing the potential of the series at its peak and satisfyingly ending the Kripke-era.
Of course, despite initial plans, the show went way beyond Kripke's time as showrunner, which is made clear at the very end of the episode when Sam stands outside of Lisa and Dean's home, staring in at them, shockingly having escaped Hell.
The Impala Is Totalled In "Devil's Trap"
There are a plethora of incredible music moments throughout the series, from the boys singing "Wanted Dead or Alive" and "Night Moves" to Asia's "Heat of the Moment," playing on Wednesdays. One of the show's best songs, in general, is "Bad Moon Rising."
In what is such a quick, startling moment, while Sam is driving Dean to the hospital with John also in the Impala, they are charged through by a huge truck that Azazel is driving. The bloody, battered bodies of the Winchesters is a harrowing way to end the first season and set up drastic changes for the show, leading to the introduction of demon deals, as well as John's death in place of Dean.
Lucifer's Cage Is Opened In "Lucifer Rising"
One of the most significant cliffhangers in the show came at the end of another packed episode at the end of season 4, building perfectly towards what many believe is the show's best season.
Sam does some awful things in this episode, but in the climax, Lilith dies as well as Ruby, and another major moment is Castiel choosing Dean over the angels like Zachariah, who reveal they want Lucifer free. Of course, the cliffhanger moment comes when Lucifer's cage opens, and Sam and Dean look on, petrified of what is coming.
Dean Is In Hell In "No Rest For The Wicked"
The demon deals mentioned earlier did not end with John as far as the Winchester boys go, with Dean making a deal to save Sam's life just like John did to save his.
Dean got one year of life to live with Sam, and despite everyone's best efforts to stop this, Dean is torn to shreds by Hellhounds, and fans get the haunting final image of Dean screaming for Sam chained in Hell. Another interesting cliffhanger aspect of the episode is Lilith's inability to kill Sam.
The Heroes Are Surrounded In "Moriah"
Undoubtedly the best of the season finale's and cliffhangers of the final five seasons of Supernatural fittingly comes in season 14, leading into the show's final ever season after a fifteen-year run.
The episode sees Chuck reveal his true colors as a puppet master and someone who is pretty much evil. There are multiple aspects to the cliffhanger; first off, there is Jack dying going to the Empty and meeting Billie, who tells him they need to talk. Then there is Chuck telling the heroes this is the end of the story. The most significant aspect of the cliffhanger is Chuck unleashing the souls from Hell as zombies, including villains of the boy's past such as The Woman in White and the Killer Clown surrounding them in what looks like a hopeless situation for the heroes going into the last season.
The Angels Fall In "Sacrifice"
For years there have been issues taken by some fans with the state of Sam and Dean's co-dependent relationship, with "Sacrifice," once again seeing Dean put Sam's life ahead of arguably the greater good (closing the gates of hell forever).
Of course, whether fans have an issue with that or not, it does not change the fact that the episode has an utterly gorgeous final few moments as Castiel, Dean, and an almost broken Sam look up to the sky to see angels falling from heaven thanks to Metatron. The finale also leaves questions about Crowley, who was so nearly made human. The heart-to-heart between the brothers as Dean convinces Sam he does not need to die is a top-tier brotherly moment between the two.
Deanmon Is Born In "Do You Believe In Miracles?"
Is "Do You Believe In Miracles" the very best season finale Supernatural offered to fans over its fifteen seasons? Absolutely not, "Swan Song," "All Hell Breaks Loose," "Moriah," "Lucifer Rising," and arguably others are ahead of it. Its cliffhanger and final image are legendary, though.
The episode is by no means bad, it is actually a good finale, and so much of its memorability comes from the phenomenal final scene. Crowley talking to Dean is one of his best moments, and after telling Dean the story of Cain and saying to him, "Let's go take a howl at that moon," audiences are treated with the goosebump-inducing moment of Dean opening his eyes as a demon, as a Knight of Hell. Even though Deanmon was short-lived, this moment is one of the show's most iconic.