When it comes to the protagonists of Supernatural, Sam Winchester is considered the sensitive brother in contrast to the aggressive Dean. Although Sam was in more situations that placed him in a negative light, having to deal with things like being Lucifer’s vessel, soulless, and starting the apocalypse, he’s actually the friendlier sibling between the two.
Still, being a nice guy doesn’t mean he didn’t have any bad traits himself, as even elements about his characterization that were good led to bad things happening on more than a few occasions. All in all, his weak and strong aspects might be an even split.
BEST: His Forgiving Nature
There were so many times that Sam was done wrong that it would’ve made sense for him to hold grudges. Instead, he always overcame any feelings of anger or resentment to be a forgiving person at heart. By the end of the series, Sam had reconciled with just about everyone that had wronged him.
His forgiveness of Castiel for his inadvertent role in Mary’s death is his most admirable act, with some fans pointing out how he’s a better friend than Dean, as the latter held Castiel responsible. Sam also overlooked Jack’s mistake in taking Mary’s life, something that allowed Jack to live with his guilt.
WORST: Making It A Habit To Challenge His Father Over Everything
To some degree, Sam was justified in questioning John, since he had the habit of asking too much of his sons. However, Sam also took things way too far on most occasions. So much so that he had just had a screaming match with John right before his dad died.
This led to Sam harboring a lot of sadness over how he left things with his father, as he could mainly remember the arguments he had with him and felt guilty when he realized that John hadn’t been nearly as hard on him as he had with Dean.
BEST: Being Compassionate To Everyone
No matter if it was a friend or a stranger before him, Sam made sure to be compassionate to the other person’s problems. Unlike Dean, who either didn’t care or didn’t bother with it, Sam would approach the person to talk about their situation.
It was this kind of display of compassion that gave Jack the feeling that he was safe at a time when he had no parents and Dean treated him like a monster. Sam was this way with Castiel as well, especially when he assured Castiel that he was grateful for the latter’s efforts in Season 6, even if they had brought further problems.
WORST: Keeping His Feelings Bottled Up
Despite Sam’s habit of talking to others about their problems, he didn’t really practice this himself. Instead, he chose to keep these things to himself rather than confront them in a healthy way. Although he wasn’t destructive about it like Dean, Sam’s knack for suffering in silence didn’t do him any favors.
He never got over this trait either, as the series finale showed that the old Sam used to sit in the Impala and weep over his memories of Dean instead of sharing this grief with his wife and son.
BEST: Being The Voice Of Reason
Whenever there was a conflict going on, Sam could be counted on to be the mediator. He never lost his cool, nor was he one to sit idly around. Sam was proactive in getting issues to simmer down, making him the voice of reason every time.
This was best displayed when he confronted Dean with the fact that Jack had lost his soul to save them at a time when Dean wanted to kill Jack because he was soulless. Dean preferred to use force to get his way, while Sam ensured things didn’t escalate.
WORST: Only Helping When People Ask Or If It's Necessary
Most of the storylines that Supernatural fans have hated involve the protagonists acting like villains or being apathetic. Sam displayed these traits when he wasn’t directly involved in something, only helping out when he was approached.
Despite knowing his brother Adam was suffering in Hell, Sam didn’t help him get out and met Adam again when the latter had resurfaced, which was when he admitted he was wrong. The same happened with characters like Kevin, whom Sam effectively abandoned to Crowley and rescued when he found out about Kevin’s whereabouts through Dean.
BEST: Very Rarely Giving Up
There were some times in the last few seasons when Sam almost gave up, but by and large, he remained resolute that there was a way to win. It didn’t matter how powerful the foes were or if the odds were massively against the Winchesters’ favor, Sam remained optimistic for the most part.
This was in great contrast to Dean, who was famous for always throwing his hands up and claiming he was tired of the fight. Had Sam not been there to push Dean, the two wouldn’t have come away with the win all those times.
WORST: Being Trusting To A Fault
Just about all of the worst decisions made by Sam have to do with his habit of placing too much trust in people. The biggest occasion was when he believed Ruby’s lies of killing Lilith, which ended up making Sam the reason why the apocalypse started.
Sam also trusted Nick to be a good guy, only for Nick to betray him and almost bring Lucifer back to life. On the occasions when Sam did realize his trusting nature brought a lot of negative impacts, he would retreat to a depressive state, as he didn’t know how to be more cynical like Dean.
BEST: Having All-Round Skills As A Hunter
While many believe Dean is stronger due to the villains he has taken down, it’s actually Sam that’s the better hunter. That’s because he covered all the aspects of the job, whether it was the research, the patience of scoping out targets, recon jobs, and the actual fighting.
Had it not been for Sam, it’s more than likely that Dean would’ve been killed in action long before, as Sam was the brains behind their operation. He was just as capable as Dean in combat, making Sam an all-arounder in the hunting game.
WORST: Letting Dean Boss Him Around
It was funny at first how Sam let Dean call the shots, but it ended up making him very weak-willed by the final seasons. Sam became so used to being bossed around by Dean that he never got the final say and even had to go along with Dean’s villainous plans like attempting to kill Amara or trapping Jack in the Ma’lak box.
Eventually, Dean got in the habit of this practice as well, as he routinely shot down Sam’s morally sound arguments and did only what he wanted to do. A lot of problems could have been solved had Sam had the guts to overrule Dean, but he lost the ability to argue with his older brother.