Supernatural is nearing its 300th episode, making it one of the longest television shows to ever air on primetime television. While the show's first five-season storyline was carefully envisioned and brought to life by creator Eric Kripke, who now is an Executive Producer on the show, the following nine seasons have been left to the imaginations of several new showrunners.
The fantastical elements of the show have allowed fan-favorite characters to perish and then be brought back to life nearly half a decade after their demise, while series regulars have had their true identities hidden for years. There's no plotline that is beyond the realm of possibility. Viewers have delighted in predicting future plotlines, and every-so-often, their investigative skills lead to fan theories that are completely true. The Winchester brothers would be proud.
While we patiently await Supernatural's upcoming milestone episode and the plot twists it will inevitably entail, the show's passionate fanbase has been busy trying to discover what will happen leading up to the fourteenth season finale — which has been rumored to possibly be the show's last. Below, you'll find some of the best confirmed Supernatural theories over the years, and even more "so crazy, they might be true" ideas from the deepest corners of the internet.
With that said, here are the 8 Supernatural Fan Theories That Were Confirmed (And 13 That Should Be). Be careful: there will be many spoilers.
Should Be: The Gods Are Tulpas
Redditor Sweptile noted that some gods in Supernatural are more powerful than others because they gain their energy from the number of believers they have on Earth. This is similar to the Tibetan concept of Tulpas, which are said in the show to be something that is materialized and gains strength as more people meditate on it.
Sweptile theorized that the gods are effectively Tulpas whose strength directly correlates to the number of followers they have on Earth. While "A Very Supernatural Christmas" alludes to this trend being caused by sacrifices made to these gods after humanity begun worshipping them, sacrificial rites are no longer commonplace, meaning this upper hand would no longer exist if it was simply power coming from human sacrifices, giving more weight to the Tulpa theory.
Should Be: Adam Will Be The Final Big Bad
Adam Milligan is still trapped in the Cage, much to many viewers' chagrin. After being pulled out of his personal Heaven to help Michael only to be trapped in Hell, fans believe the character deserved better than being left to suffer in season six. Adam hasn't been seen since, and he hasn't been mentioned since the series' 200th episode.
One theory positions Adam's final return as the last Big Bad of the series, after his abandonment leads to a growing anger towards his half-brothers that turns Adam into a demon with the powers of an Archangel. Some changes to the lore would have to be made for this to work, but Adam deserves a huge storyline after nearly ten years in Hell.
Confirmed: Chuck Is God
After a five year absence, Chuck Shurley returned to Supernatural in the 200th episode, "Fan Fiction". Many fans thought that his sudden disappearance after the season five finale was because Chuck was actually God. While his divinity wasn't confirmed until season eleven, first revealing his true form to Megatron before re-introducing himself to the Winchester brothers, fans were prepared for the reveal from the moment the showrunners decided to bring back the prophet.
Chuck's absence is explained by his decision to stop "enabling" humanity and seeing if taking a backseat would finally allow them to find their way. Unfortunately, after leaving Earth with Amara at the end of the season, Chuck has gone back to his hands-off approach to humanity, to the Winchesters' dismay.
Should Be: Dean Is God
It's been confirmed that Chuck is God, but in Supernatural, nothing can be that easy. Redditor LudovicoSpecs believes that the original five-season arc run by Eric Kripke intended to imply that Dean Winchester is God. Here, Chuck represents Kripke leaving the show and his planned plot, and is only a prophet, evidenced by the fact that gospels are written about God and the Winchester Gospels follow Sam and Dean.
This Redditor has compiled extensive examples from the show to support their theory, but the general theory is that Dean doesn't know he is God and has erased his own memory in order to allow humanity to have free will and fully benefit or suffer as a consequence of their decisions. Even after Kripke left, it would be interesting for Supernatural to have really been building to this all along and using Chuck as a red herring.
Should Be: Sam Didn’t Resurrect Jessica Because He Still Feels Guilty
One theory by Reddit user Proserpina addresses the fact that Sam has never tried to resurrect his college girlfriend, Jessica, whose passing at the hands of a demon instigated the show's first storyline. With another huge milestone coming as the show reaches its 300th episode, it would be fitting to explore Sam's current feelings about Jessica's demise after all this time.
Proserpina thinks that Sam has never looked into bringing Jessica back to life even after learning more about resurrections because he feels responsible for her passing and doesn't think that he deserves to have her return to him. After all this time, Jessica couldn't return to her family or her life, but her tragic fate could still be rewritten.
Should Be: The Winchesters Have Horrible Luck Because They Broke A Ton Of Mirrors
You have to admit that the Winchester brothers have horrible luck. They're constantly passing away and being resurrected, their bodies are continuously taken over by various celestial beings, and they always lose the few people they care about in various (but consistently horrifying) ways.
This hilarious theory connects the Winchesters' bad luck with the season one episode "Bloody Mary", when the brothers had to smash a ton of mirrors in order to defeat the titular mythic monster. Dean's joke about 600 years of bad luck might have been pretty close to the truth in a universe where most superstitions end up validated, from rabbit feet to Cupid's arrows. Speaking of rabbit feet, maybe Dean and Sam should stock up.
Should Be: Bobby Has No Memory Of The Winchesters
A Redditor named Petrichor02 considers this theory as more of a head-canon because of a lack of evidence, but it should be confirmed all the same. Bobby Singer's punishment in Heaven for causing chaos while on Earth was having his memory of the Winchester brothers erased. Bobby is one of Supernatural's longest-lasting characters, even after his passing in season eight, and acted as a father figure to Sam and Dean during his run on the show.
Bobby is now happily in Heaven, supposedly with his soulmate and wife Karen, but it's odd that he would never return in spectral form to help Sam and Dean, both of whom he cares about so deeply. Having no memory of the boys would explain his absence while still maintaining his happiness and integrity.
Should Be: John Winchester Was Possessed By The Archangel Michael
We've known for a while that Dean is Michael's one true vessel, and we're finally getting to see how that will manifest itself in season fourteen. An interesting theory found at a con and retold by wesleysays on Reddit believes that John Winchester was being possessed by Michael because he had said yes when he was younger, and he thinks that is the reason that John treated Adam so differently than Sam and Dean.
According to this theory, John was building Sam and Dean into perfect vessels, but not Adam, explaining why the Winchester half-brother remembered their father in a way that departs from what we know about the family patriarch. It would be an interesting way to redeem Sam and Dean's father.
Confirmed: Dean Became Michael's Vessel
The longstanding theory that Jensen Ackles would finally get to play a character other than Dean and that it would, more specifically, be Michael was confirmed in the final episode of the last season. Both Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins have played at least three characters in addition to their primary role, but Ackles had only played variations of Dean for thirteen seasons.
When the co-showrunner Andrew Dabb told EW that Dean would be playing a character from "many years ago," the obvious choice was Michael, who was a "long time coming" like the character Dabb teased. It has been nine years since the idea was originally introduced in season five, proving that patience is really a virtue.
Should Be: The Show Will End With Season 14
This is a controversial theory to support, especially because Supernatural is so beloved and long-running. It's hard to remember a time before it was on our television screens, back when Padalecki was better known as "Dean" than Sam.
In a 2016 interview to EW, Ackles and Padalecki explained that they don't think about the show beyond milestones, and the pair said that the 300th episode was the next one in their sights. These comments made some fans think the stars might call it quits after the fourteenth season, and with Ackles finally taking over the role of Michael that started in the last year of Eric Kripke, this might be the full-circle moment current showrunners and producers have been looking towards.
Confirmed: Gabriel Didn't Pass Away In Season Five
In 2017, a user on Amino quoted a theory by Richard Speight Jr., the actor who portrays Gabriel on the show, who thought Gabriel was still alive after a season nine appearance that was supposedly a Metatron ruse. Speight Jr. wondered why Metatron wouldn't just appear, and it turns out that the actor's speculation was correct.
Gabriel was found alive in season thirteen after heavy hinting in the hilarious "Scoobynatural" episode that the trickster formerly known as Loki was back to his old tricks. Gabriel became a big part of season thirteen and remains a living character to this date, even if his current appearances are few and far between. We hope they bring back the Trickster.
Confirmed: Jimmy Novak Has Been Deceased Since Season Five
Season five was the last time the show was primarily in the hands of Eric Kripke, which meant that many of the banner decisions that he made with a shorter lifespan in mind had to be reversed in order to maintain the longevity of the franchise.
Redditor geekerjoy1 explained in 2013 that Jimmy Novak, the original inhabitant of Castiel's vessel, passed away after his body exploded in seasons four and five. When Castiel becomes human, there's no sign of another soul in his body, which means that Jimmy has been released and is now enjoying his reward in Heaven. This was confirmed by the series, more or less, and now the body of Jimmy Novak is entirely Castiel's to use.
Confirmed: The Archangel Michael Returned
When the Archangel Michael first appeared on the show, it was in the form of John Winchester, appearing to Dean Winchester, his one true vessel. Later, he possesses Dean's half-brother, Adam Milligan, instead. When Adam gets trapped in the Cage with Michael still possessing him during season five's final battle with Lucifer, the Archangel disappeared from the show for seven seasons.
Fans never believed that we had seen the last of Michael, and after a reappearance from an alternate world in season thirteen, Dean fulfilled his destiny as Michael's vessel in the season finale. After nearly a decade between appearances, Michael's long-awaited return confirmed theories that had been swirling online since his first exit from the show.
Should Be: John Never Went To Heaven
Jeffrey Dean Morgan himself wants John Winchester to return to Supernatural. The John Winchester actor is very close friends with Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, and in 2015, he said wants to come back as soon as there's more room in his schedule, especially if Ackles directs.
In 2016, Reddit user CrazyPlato pointed out that John wasn't seen in season eight when the brothers took a trip to hell or when Ash went to Heaven in search of the Winchester brothers' parents. CrazyPlato thinks that John is using the Impala as an anchor because he's had it since the early 1970s and that the desire to watch over his sons has made him into a restless spirit.
Should Be: Cas Will Return To Full Power
We all know that Castiel hasn't been operating at peak angel capacity for a long time. When we first met Cas in season four, he was a force of nature. After becoming human multiple times, doing a whole ton of dumb stuff, trying to become God, getting beaten by the Leviathans, and losing his mind in season seven, Cas hasn't been the superhero we once knew for a long time (about seven years, to be exact).
Now that Dean has become a vessel for Michael, one theory speculates that Castiel's divine powers might be the only thing that can save Dean and defeat Michael. It's about time we see our ancient celestial warrior back in action.
Should Be: The Winchesters Have Been Deceased Since "Swan Song"
When we first heard this theory, it seemed just as dumb as the old "it was all a dream" trope seen on other long-running shows like St. Elsewhere. We wouldn't still be watching Supernatural if we didn't care about Sam and Dean, so why would we want them to be deceased?
Redditor FTWinchester explained that if the brothers passed away in the final Eric Kripke-era episode, every episode since then would be taking place in their heaven because hunting together is when they're happiest. This would account for their unbelievably regular passings and resurrections, and for anything post-Kripke that messed with the show's originally-planned big picture narrative. Plus, after this long, it's hard to imagine an ending to the show that could satisfy fans, so doing something that's guaranteed to make people talk might actually be the best route of action.
Confirmed: Lucifer Returned (And Might Again)
In 2014, one Reddit theory summed up what a lot of people were speculating about Lucifer finally returning after the huge plotline revolving around his appearance resulted in only one season of the son of Darkness appearing on the show. Crowley did some good work for the demonic king, but fans had been waiting for Lucifer to return since season five when he finally came back in full form in season eleven. Good things come to those who wait.
Lucifer remained a big part of the show until he was supposedly defeated last season, but after his liquid skeleton awakened in the Empty in season fourteen, another appearance from Lucifer in Nick's vessel is very possible.
Confirmed: Charlie Came Back in Season 13
Supernatural has a great habit of finding ways to bring back fan-favorite characters. Most Supernatural theories seem to either be about how the show is going to end or which beloved (or love-to-hate) character is going to be the next to reappear.
Executive producer Jeremy Carver told TVLine that characters would be returning in surprising ways in season eleven, leading to a slew of conjectures across the web. Bustle thought that the character, who passed away in season ten, would be one of the lucky few to be resurrected in 2015, but they weren't proven right until season thirteen, when she was, in fact, brought back in a very surprising way. Who would've thought that the boys would run into so many old friends in a post-apocalyptic alternate universe?
Should Be: Amelia Never Existed
Apparently, no one liked all of the season eight flashbacks to Sam's life with his ex-girlfriend Amelia. This isn't a drag on Amelia herself, per se. She seemed perfectly nice. Sam leaving Dean to rot in Purgatory because of some weird former promise was probably more of the problem, and when a psycho-kinetic man who could cause dreams to influence reality was introduced, Screenertv thought that Sam might have created Amelia to cope with his loneliness after Dean's departure.
This is a much sadder series of events than the current canon, but all of the filler scenes describing their relationship could have a much better pay-off if Sam's mind was just playing tricks on him. This could also be tied into Sam's recurring PTSD.
Confirmed: There Was A Musical Episode
We were surprised when Grey's Anatomy decided to do a musical episode, and they had Sara Ramirez as their ringer. When the 200th episode of Supernatural was a gender-bent meta-musical, fans were quite surprised. Supernatural can get campy, they even crossed over with Scooby Doo last year, but an episode with songs about slash fanfiction was farther than I ever thought the writers would go.
Bustle, however, was not surprised at all, since they publicly predicted a musical episode the same year that the fan fiction episode aired. Granted, there's was more of the demonic-possession, Metatron messing with everyone variety theory. Still, props to them for seeing that one coming in any capacity, even if they were a little off-base.
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Are there any other Supernatural fan theories that were confirmed or should be? Sound off in the comments!