Supernatural creator and former showrunner Eric Kripke recently revealed that Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester's signature car, a 1967 Chevrolet Impala, nearly ended up with James Bond-like weapon attachments to defend against the evils of the world that the brothers inhabit. While this obviously never came to fruition, the car itself - nicknamed Baby by Dean - has remained a main staple in the series throughout its soon-to-be 15-season run. In fact, Padalecki and Ackles recently gave away a replica of the Impala at SDCC 2019.
Starting in 2005, Supernatural has remained one of the most consistently popular shows on The CW (though it launched on The WB) and a huge part of modern pop culture. While Kripke originally planned for the show to run 5 seasons (he stepped down as showrunner after the conclusion of season 5), the show's popularity and devotion from fans and its stars alike kept it running way beyond that. With the show set to end after season 15, however, it seems like the right time to look back at what could've been for Supernatural. During a recent question and answer session, Kripke did just that.
While talking about his newest show, The Boys, during a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), Kripke talked about how emotional it was for Supernatural to finally be ending. When asked for a standout memory related to the show, Kripke revealed that the Winchesters' Impala nearly had James Bond-like weapons, such as oil and salt, to fend off the various monsters in the world. Elaborating on why that never happened, Kripke said:
"Nothing crazy, but here's a factoid. In the pilot, we explored adding James Bond style switches to the Impala dash -- to release oil, or salt. We might have even shot it. But then we realized that was stupid."
On paper, adding in Bond-like weapons to fend off supernatural creatures probably seemed like a good way to initially draw in viewers for a brand new show. Luckily, Kripke and the rest of the crew realized early on how silly that idea was, and considering the serious nature of Supernatural during its early years, it probably would've been a clash of styles that very well could've alienated its potential fanbase. Regardless, the Impala still ended up as an important part of the show, with one episode in season 11, titled "Baby," even taking place entirely inside of the Impala.
Kripke's emotional farewell to the show, as well as revelations of what could've been for Supernatural, is truly a sign that the long-running series is finally coming to an end. While that's certainly sad for its fans, the fact that it's lasted as long as it has is a testament to how unique and special the show was to everyone involved. Still, it might've been cool to see the Impala shoot salt rockets at some ghosts, even as a one-off reference to the original idea.
Supernatural season 15 premieres October 10 on The CW.
Source: Eric Kripke/Reddit