Supernatural appears to be setting up a return for the Lord Almighty himself ahead of the show's forthcoming conclusion. The long-running fantasy series is currently nearing the end of its fourteenth season and recently enjoyed a 300th episode special which saw the highly-anticipated return of Jeffrey Dean Morgan as John Winchester. All good things must come to an end however, and it was announced last month that Supernatural's next hunt would be its last, bringing the story of Sam and Dean to a close with season 15.
One character who didn't make a surprise appearance in the 300th special was Chuck Shurley, better known to viewers as God. The omnipotent creator of all things was originally only ever mentioned in hushed enigmatic tones during Supernatural's earlier seasons, but was eventually revealed to be an author that Sam and Dean had encountered previously on several occasions. God was last seen at the end of season 11 walking into the unknown after an emotional reunion with his sister, Amara.
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"Game Night" provided the biggest hint yet that God's return to the series could be imminent, and with Supernatural's end now in sight, this is unlikely to be a coincidence. The episode was split into two stories, with Dean and the gang battling against the Devil and Castiel on a separate mission, teaming up with Sister Jo in an attempt to make contact with God. This angelic duo managed to track down a former acquaintance of Joshua - the only angel known to speak directly with God. This man, a down-on-his-luck trinket store owner, seemed of little help to Castiel at first, but did confirm that Joshua used some kind of device to send God a message, and that the item was somewhere within the cavernous shop. He also revealed that God never got back to Joshua, rudely leaving him hanging on "message read."
Eventually, Castiel finds the item he's been looking for and sends a heartfelt plea to God to help Sam and Dean with their adopted nephilim and Lucifer's very own spawn, Jack. Once again, God doesn't pick up but Castiel isn't too disappointed - admitting that, deep down, he only sought God's help to avoid facing the reality of Jack's soulless situation. On the surface, this short arc could be seen as nothing more than a relatively meaningless filler segment to balance out the satanic action elsewhere. However, with Castiel making a direct call to the big man himself, this episode perhaps feels more like a prelude to God's Supernatural comeback.
Such a scenario is made even more likely due to the fact that God's arc is one of the few unresolved stories left in Supernatural. With the show's end in sight, there aren't too many dangling plot threads to tie up, but God still has plenty to answer for after becoming disillusioned with both Heaven and Earth and disappearing into the aether, leaving both sides to their own devices. This has caused untold trouble, particularly for the Winchesters, who have been forced to defend Earth from a number of God's disgruntled children and would-be successors. Although God's return in season 11 did somewhat deal with the circumstances surrounding his disappearance, Chuck is still acting like a firmly hands-off Dad and hoping mankind will learn to stand on its own two feet (despite clear evidence to the contrary). This is surely something that will be addressed before Supernatural runs its final end credits.
Castiel's plea may just provide a clue as to how God will find that resolution. Many of the deity's dilemmas revolve around the disparity between angel and human, the jealousy the guardians of Heaven feel over their inferior Earth-dwellers, and God's sadness that neither race could be what he envisioned. Since Jack is part human and part angel, he is perfectly positioned to find the balance that God sought before his disappearance and Castiel's request to help the nephilim may prove too tempting to turn down.
Furthermore, the key question isn't whether God received Castiel's message (of course he did, he's God), the issue is whether or not God feels the need to respond. The Winchesters could've used some divine help on literally hundreds of occasions is Supernatural's history and only in rare and dire situations has God actually intervened - even then usually at the very last minute. As such, it's not at all surprising that Castiel's message wasn't answered immediately, but that isn't to say that God won't take action further down the line.
With Supernatural's conclusion approaching fast, it's also highly likely that the final season will raise the paranormal stakes more than ever before. With such an ambitious finale in the offing, it's only natural that God himself should show up. Whether to help the Winchesters in their final battle or to personally thank them for all the hard work and sacrifice they've been through in the name of protecting the world, a Supernatural ending without God would feel somewhat incomplete.
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Supernatural continues with "Absence" April 11th on The CW.