Caution: Spoilers ahead for the Supernatural season 14 finale
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Supernatural delivered a shocking season 14 finale that not only wrapped up the current run, but unleashed the ultimate villain ahead of the show's forthcoming final season. Life is never simple for Sam and Dean Winchester, and the brothers' recent adventures began with them facing down the apocalypse-world version of the archangel Michael, who had nestled himself among the pies and Led Zeppelin riffs of Dean's mind.
Faced with an impossible villain, the Winchesters' only hope was Lucifer's nephilim son, Jack. The boys had taken the devil's half-human spawn in as one of their own but, ironically, the battle against Michael made Jack himself turn bad and the rogue youngster went on to kill Sam and Dean's mother - a big no-no in the world of Supernatural.
Supernatural season 14 was also punctuated by the shocking news that Supernatural is ending after season 15. A message from the central trio of actors - Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and Misha Collins - confirmed the show's conclusion was imminent, and after the latest episode, viewers now have some idea of what that final chapter will look like.
The Supernatural season 14 finale picked up where last week's installment left off, with Jack popping out of his box in a rage, knocking back Castiel and the Winchesters and flying off into the unknown. Clearly in a state of angst-fueled confusion, the nephilim takes a cue from Liar Liar and compels the world to only ever tell the truth. Naturally, this causes chaos but as Sam and Dean frantically search for Jack, Castiel's message to God from earlier this season is finally answered.
God, just like Dean, wants Jack dead and creates a firearm that's powerful enough for the job, albeit at the expense of the user's own life. Sam and Castiel, meanwhile, still believe the boy can be saved. This all leads to a dramatic climax where Jack realizes the error of his ways and kneels down ready to be executed, only for Dean to solemnly toss aside the gun. God reacts badly to this turn of events and it quickly transpires that the omnipotent creator of everything has been playing the Winchesters and Jack for his own amusement all along - and could have resolved the situation easily had he chosen to. God's desire for a good story - from his human life as "Chuck" the writer - led to him engineering a dramatic real-life situation at the Winchesters' expense.
Never ones to be messed with, Sam and Dean are none too pleased at God's heartless attitude and Sam even goes so far as to try and shoot the Almighty one. Needless to say, it doesn't work and God closes out Supernatural season 14 by killing Jack and emptying the contents of Hell onto Earth, as Motorhead's "God Was Never On Your Side" plays out in the background. Fascinatingly, this isn't the first time that the song has been used by Supernatural, suggesting this twist was always part of the overall plan.
Obviously, the Winchesters' immediate problem when Supernatural season 15 begins will be fighting back the various ghosts, ghouls and undead that have seemingly been released - no doubt coming across some old foes in the process. Beyond that, however, it appears that the show's final villain will be none other than God himself. Logically, it could be argued that this was the only possible ending for Supernatural - a show that has previously featured the Devil, God's sister and every variety of demon imaginable in the role of villain. The final season is expected to be the most dramatic, high-stakes story yet, so God is perhaps the only logical choice for an antagonist.
Dean's refusal to kill Jack could also offer a hint as to how season 15 will play out. A major running theme throughout Supernatural has been a constant dissent between Sam and Dean, with one brother usually taking an overly-aggressive stance and the other acting as a voice of reason. Dean's realization that he couldn't shoot Jack without any input from Sam or Castiel is a strong sign that the whole team will be on the same page in Supernatural's final season. There will be no time for brotherly bickering or arguments over whether or not the end justifies the means; this will be a unified battle against the most powerful being in existence.
Luckily, it appears the heroes will have a little help from beyond, as Jack wakes up alongside both the Empty and Death, who God had earlier prophetically accused of meddling where she didn't belong. Whether this mighty team-up will be enough to topple God himself remains to be seen, but the battle will no doubt make for a thrilling conclusion to the Supernatural story.
Supernatural season 15 is expected to premiere in late 2019.