Supernatural's long-awaited series finale not only said goodbye to Sam and Dean Winchester, but also bid adieu to some of the fans' favorite supporting characters and moments with cameos and familiar Easter eggs. Some references were obvious and even expected — the reprise of "Carry on Wayward Son," for example — but others were a little harder to spot. Here's every cameo, Easter egg and reference in the final episode of Supernatural.
CW's long-running horror show began in 2005 as a show about two brothers hunting monsters. As Sam and Dean Winchester travelled across the nation, they encountered a variety of supernatural threats, including vampires, shapeshifters and ghosts. Later, the show expanded to include demons, angels and higher cosmic powers like God and the Darkness. Season 15 followed the Winchesters' battle against God as he tried to end all creation.
The penultimate episode of Supernatural, "Inherit the Earth," tied up most of the loose ends in the series. Having already pulled the plug on destiny, a powered up Jack is able to defeat God and reduce him to nothing more than a powerless human. The nephilim then becomes the new God, restoring Earth and all its people and leaving the Winchester brothers to drive off into the sunset. The series finale, "Carry On," picks up with Dean and Sam in the bunker as they live their life freely. After a mundane break, the brothers pick up on a vampire hunt that ultimately results in Dean's death. Dean goes to Heaven, where Sam eventually joins him after living a long and happy life.
Heavenly Reunions
In one of the few cameos of Supernatural's series finale, Jim Beaver made his final reappearance as Bobby Singer, greeting Dean in Heaven. Beaver made several appearances as a ghostly Bobby following the character's death in season 7, and later as an alternate version of Bobby starting in season 12. But fans have always had a special place in their hearts for the original Bobby, who first appeared in season 1 as a surrogate father to the Winchester brothers.
Bobby's surly attitude and his refusal to let Dean or Sam Winchester get away with self-sacrifice made him an invaluable mentor to the brothers. His love and loyalty for Dean and Sam withstood all the trials of the hunting life, proving that "family don't end in blood." Bobby's reunion with Dean in the series finale is a touching scene in which the old hunter reprises his role as a guide, introducing Dean to Heaven and welcoming him into his reward. Bonus: Bobby meets Dean at Harvelle's Roadhouse, an old meeting point for hunters owned by Ellen and Jo Harvelle.
Interview With A Season 1 Vampire
In a surprise cameo referencing the first ever episode of Supernatural with vampires, the Winchesters' old enemy Jenny reappears as the leader of a vamp pack in Canton, Ohio. Jenny first appeared in season 1, episode 20, "Dead Man's Blood" as one of two vampires to escape the Winchesters' wrath. Having apparently survived the intervening years of war between Heaven and Hell, Jenny's now built up a posse, made a costume change and taken on a leadership role. Her gloating doesn't last long, however. As soon as Jenny's occupied with taunting Dean, Sam decapitates her. The moment is a great callback to one of the iconic monsters of the series, whom Kripke originally excluded because of their affiliation with Supernatural's predecessor on WB, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Offscreen Cameos
Although some of the most beloved characters from Supernatural didn't appear on screen in the series finale, many were name-checked in the final episode. Rufus, Castiel, Jack, Mary and John all made offscreen cameos as people living happily ever after in Heaven. According to Bobby, after Jack rescued Cas from The Empty, the two rebuilt Heaven, tearing down the barriers between residents and allowing them to live freely. Unable to be separated even in death, Bobby's longtime hunting partner Rufus lives only a few miles away, while John and Mary have their own house elsewhere in Heaven. There's speculation that reunions originally planned for the series finale were prevented by the coronavirus pandemic. Still, even if we didn't see them, at least we know that some of the most tested and tried hunters reached peace in the end.
Dean Still Loves Pie
Dean Winchester's limitless love of pie is a well-known trait for the hunter that was first introduced in early seasons of Supernatural and later became a running joke throughout the series. Dean first explicitly expresses his love of the baked good in season 2, episode 21, "All Hell Breaks Loose: Part One," when he demands Sam pick him up a slice at the local diner, only to watch his brother vanish into thin air. Dean's love of pie is later stymied by demons, Leviathans and brotherly antics. The final episode of season 15 shows Dean finally realizing his lifelong dream of having all the pie he can eat at an Akron Pie Fest. Having retrieved six slices of pie in a variety of flavors, Dean retreats with his prize to a peaceful bench, only to be disturbed by Sam, who also realizes a lifelong dream by throwing a piece of pie in Dean's face.
Vamp-Mimes
Dean Winchester's proclivity for discovering and naming new monsters has only appeared in a few episodes of Supernatural over the years, but it makes a hilarious reappearance in the series finale when Dean attempts to convince Sam that the monsters they're hunting are vampire mimes, a.k.a. "vamp-mimes." Other mashup names invented by Dean include the octovamp/vamptopus (season 7, episode 14), vampirates (season 8, episode 5), and werepires/ghoulpires (season 11, episode 4). As always, however, his inspired and creative monikers are met with a long-suffering look from Sam.
FBI Aliases
Dean and Sam use dozens of pseudonyms over the years as they investigate unnatural murders and fatal accidents in Supernatural. When posing as FBI agents and government officials, they often use rock aliases such as John Bonham or Robert Plant, both members of Led Zeppelin. The final episode of Supernatural revives this tradition with an apparently old alias of Dean's, Jon Bon Jovi. In a heartbreaking moment, Sam picks up a cell phone after Dean's death to find a local law enforcement officer asking for "Agent Bon Jovi" — perhaps because Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki have each confessed to being big fans of the rock band. (Plus, in a nod to the actors' adopted hometown, the call comes from Austin, Texas). "Agents Singer and Kripke" also make an appearance in the final episode, referencing two of the tour-de-forces behind the show — creator Eric Kripke and writer, director and producer Robert Singer.
Saving People, Hunting Things
Season 1 of Supernatural gave fans and newbies a convenient way to summarize the premise of the series with the show's unofficial motto: "Saving people, hunting things. The family business." The line is first spoken by Dean in season 1, episode 2, "Wendigo," as he's attempting to convince Sam to return to hunting. It quickly became a catchphrase, with producers often using it in episode intros and recaps. The line was also sometimes referenced by Sam and Dean Winchester themselves as they reflected on the nature of hunting. When Dean is fatally wounded in the final episode of Supernatural, he reuses the phrase, telling Sam that he's accepted the fact that he's dying in the line of duty. "Saving people, hunting things, it's what we do," he says.
Dean's final words to his brother continue in the series finale of Supernatural as he tells Sam that he's proud of what he's accomplished. Recalling the pilot episode, Dean reveals that he stood outside Sam's door for hours before approaching because he wasn't sure how Sam would respond to seeing him again. He assures Sam that while it's always been him and his brother (against the world), Sam can go on without him. Finally, in a nod to a longtime message of the show and Jared Padalecki's charity campaign, Dean tells Sam to "always keep fighting." Cue the tears.
Dean's Other Other Cell
The Winchester brothers have always had a lot of cell phones to keep up with in Supernatural — burner phones, law enforcement phones, phones handed down from Bobby and John. Dean and Sam tend to keep the phones charged at all times just in case someone calls for help. They've been seen in the glove compartment of the Impala and in the bunker. With those cell phones come a variety of voicemails, including one iconic message from Dean in season 5, episode 12, "Swap Meat" in which he says, "This is Dean's other, other cell so, you must know what to do." The final episode of Supernatural recalls that moment by showing Dean's "other, other cell," labelled in Sharpie, another tearjerker moment after Dean's death.
El Sol
Heaven wouldn't be Heaven for Dean Winchester without a cold bottle of beer. Fans might find the particular brand seen in the final episode of Supernatural familiar, however, seeing as how it's appeared in past episodes. Angels first conjured up the perfect microbrew — El Sol — in season 5, episode 22, "Swan Song," when Zachariah presents Dean with a cooler of beer and his favorite burgers from childhood. The brand has also made appearances elsewhere, such as in season 2, episode 20, "What Is And What Never Should Be." In the series finale, Dean finally reveals that the ale tastes like "the first drink I ever shared with my dad."
Carry On Wayward Son
"Carry On Wayward Son," a classic 70's rock ballad by Kansas, became the unofficial theme song of Supernatural during the early seasons of the show. The song was first used in season 1, episode 21, "Salvation," and subsequently used to introduce the final episodes of each season starting with season 2, episode 22, "All Hell Breaks Loose: Part Two." The rock beat and apt lyrics bring back a feeling of nostalgia and finality for many fans, who know there's something dramatic in store when it begins to play. Instead of beginning the final episode of the series with the iconic melody, however, writers held the song in reserve. "Carry On Wayward Son" starts playing about midway through the episode as Dean drives off in the Impala in Heaven, with the older Winchester commenting, "Love this song," before heading onto the road. The song returns as a controversial pop remix later in the episode when Sam joins Dean in Heaven.
Anti-Possession Tattoos
Tattoos to ward off demonic possession first appeared in Supernatural's season 3, episode 12, "Jus in Bello." Under attack by a horde of demons, the Winchester brothers reveal that instead of wearing protective charms, their identical devil's trap tattoos will prevent them from being possessed. The tattoos reappear throughout the series, with the symbol making its final appearance in the series finale, on the lower arm of Sam's adult son Dean, revealed as he comforts his father on his deathbed.