Everyone knows death doesn't usually last in the world of Supernatural - here are the characters who managed to come back. Hunting monsters is a dangerous business, and when you've been doing it as long as Sam and Dean Winchester have (15 seasons, to be exact) there are bound to be some deaths along the way. Indeed, Supernatural has a fairly bloody reputation for killing off characters, even big names at the very heart of the story. Fortunately, death is far from a fixed construct in Supernatural lore, and as much as the show is known for writing out characters, so is it renowned for bringing them back.
This can occur in a variety of forms. Some characters are quite literally resurrected from the afterlife, returning to Supernatural and picking up right where they left off. Others return as ghosts or spirits, unable to move on without chalking up a few more episode credits first, and some reemerge in the guise of a brand new actor or actress. There are plenty of ways to rejoin the world of the living in Supernatural, and while some unlucky souls have stayed dead, just as many (if not more) have come back.
The following characters must've returned to the show's present day after their Supernatural death scene. This rules out alternates, flashbacks, time-traveling, close-calls, visions, and impersonators. But even with these restrictions in place, plenty of characters have popped up again in Supernatural after kicking the biblical bucket.
Dean Winchester
Both of the Winchester brothers have been infamously hard to kill in Supernatural, but the problem isn't so much getting them to the afterlife, but keeping them there. Dean has endured a litany of deaths during his hunting career, especially if you include season 3's Groundhog Day-style episode. Dean's most notable demise, however, came in Supernatural's season 3 finale, when he was dragged to hell as payment for making a deal with a crossroads demon. Dean remained dead for 4 months before God ordered Castiel to bring him back to life. Given a second chance, Dean has experienced further brushes with the afterlife over the subsequent 12 seasons, but fortunately for the innocent people of the American mid-west, none of them stuck.
Sam Winchester
Like his brother, Sam has been a regular guest in Supernatural's afterlife, but has proved just as tenacious as Dean at clinging to the land of the living. Sam's most significant death came in Supernatural's season 2 finale, when he was stabbed by another of the demon's blood children created by Azazel. Dean revived his brother using the aforementioned crossroads deal, and this would ultimately result in his own trip beyond the veil. Since being revived by the power of demonic contract, Sam has avoided dying thanks to the intervention of Michael in season 5, and more recently, Lucifer during a trip to the Apocalypse World in season 13.
Castiel
Castiel might be an angel, but since he began riding with the Winchester brothers, Misha Collins' character has experienced almost as many deaths as Sam and Dean, making him truly one of the family. Cass has been decimated by both Raphael and Lucifer, and then caused his own downfall by absorbing the power of the Leviathans, but he was resurrected by God on each occasion. Knowing Chuck's true intentions, Castiel was likely deemed an important character in God's ongoing Winchester "story." Although God has since revealed his true colors, Castiel was able to dodge death again in season 13, this time thanks to the power of Jack.
Mary Winchester
Compared to the main trio, Mary's journey through life and death is far less of a roller coaster. The Winchesters' mother struck a deal with Azazel as a young woman, but when the demon came to collect some years later, she valiantly tried to protect her son, and this resulted in Mary being caught in a blazing inferno. Mary's death was the motivation for John and his sons to enter the hunting life, and both Sam and Dean longed for their mother's return. After helping The Darkness reunite with God, Amara returned the favor by bringing Mary back from the dead, and the Winchesters would hunt as a family for several seasons until Jack inadvertently killed Sam and Dean's beloved mother.
John Winchester
John Winchester has defied death on two separate occasions in Supernatural via two vastly different methods. John first died in 1973, before he and Mary were married. Mary couldn't bear to lose the love of her life, so she made a deal with Azazel for John's revival - something she later tried to renege on at the cost of her own existence. Many years later, John Winchester gave his life to Azazel willingly in order to save Dean after a car crash, and the character has remained dead ever since. John's big return came in Supernatural's season 2 finale, when he helped his sons kill Azazel in ghost form before ascending to Heaven. Jeffrey Dean Morgan reprises his role as Sam and Dean's father in Supernatural season 14, but this is a past version of the character who jumped forward in time.
Bobby Singer
Bobby's Supernatural death was a heartbreaking moment, and one that many fans felt came prematurely, with the Winchesters' surrogate father still having much more to offer. Bobby died after taking a bullet from the Leviathan leader posing as Dick Roman, but was in no mood to visit the afterlife just yet, and went on to become a vengeful spirit during the final third of season 7, until Dean managed to perform the necessary rite. Even then, Bobby would return to Supernatural during an episode set in Heaven. Before his actual death, Bobby had already been resurrected by Castiel in season 5 during the climactic confrontation with Lucifer.
Jack
As the nephilim son of Lucifer, Jack is a prized commodity in the world of Supernatural, with angels and demons alike looking to get their grubby hands on him. But it's the Winchesters who have grown closest to Jack, trying to raise him with their own values and morals. Harboring immense power, Jack does begin to go off the rails in season 14, killing Mary Winchester and forcing the entire world to only ever tell the truth, and this is revealed to be part of God's plan to break Sam and Dean. When Chuck's plot fails and the Winchesters wise-up to his scheming, God effortlessly smites Jack where he stands. Fortunately, the nephilim has a secret ally - Death herself. Billie brings Jack back from the dead, as she believes he is the only one who can possibly stop God.
Billie
Billie isn't just responsible for bringing Jack back to life in Supernatural, she also managed to come back from the brink herself. In Supernatural season 10, Dean makes the bold decision to kill death with his own scythe, ending the original incarnation of the character played by Julian Richings. Unbeknownst to the Winchester brothers, this means that the next reaper to die will be granted the afterlife's top job, taking Death's place in the non-corporeal chain of command. Thanks to Castiel, that lucky reaper ends up being Billie. Instead of dying permanently by Castiel's blade, however, Billie comes back as the new face of Death, and while she understandably harbors a grudge against the Winchesters, she's more often their ally than their enemy.
Rowena MacLeod
Many of the characters who have come back in Supernatural have relied on the power of either Heaven or Hell to do so, but the irrepressible Rowena MacLeod employed her own wisdom to beat the call of the afterlife. A powerful and morally-loose witch, Rowena makes a brief alliance with Lucifer in Supernatural season 11, which inevitably ends in The Devil's betrayal, but while it looks like Rowena has paid the price for seeking hellish power, she has an ace up her sleeve - a Resurrection Seal. Essentially a video game "try again," Rowena's magic seal means she can regenerate from being killed, and she pulls this trick on Lucifer twice. Rowena is finished off permanently by Sam Winchester in Supernatural's final season, but continues to appear after becoming the Queen of Hell.
Kevin Tran
Like Bobby Singer, the prophet Kevin Tran has extended his Supernatural career thanks to the perks of being a ghost. The ability to interpret the word of God came to Kevin unwillingly and, it's fair to say, ruined his life. Instead of studying for a promising career and living peacefully with his mother, Kevin becomes the Winchester's go-to guy for translating ancient relics, and that comes at a steep price. Pushed to the edge of sanity by the brothers' demands, Kevin is eventually killed by Gadreel in Supernatural's ninth season. However, the character subsequently returns as a ghost on several occasions, making amends with the Winchesters and reuniting with his mother. An alternate version of Kevin is also introduced in the Apocalypse World.
Charlie
Felicia Day's Charlie Bradbury is one of the few major Supernatural characters who has stayed dead since she was killed at the hands of the Styne family, but she did manage to elude death once before. During Supernatural season 9's bizarre Wizard of Oz episode, Charlie was killed by the Wicked Witch of the West, taking an attack that was meant for Dean. Fortunately, the angel Gadreel was on hand to bring Charlie back to life, otherwise the character might've died even earlier than she ultimately did.
Jo Harvelle
Jo was an inexperienced rookie hunter and part of the Roadhouse crew alongside her mother, Ellen. Harboring an immense crush on Dean Winchester, Jo was determined to prove herself in the hunting world and struck out on her own, but typically, it was associating with Sam and Dean that resulted in the demise of both Jo and her mom. In Supernatural season 5, Jo heroically saved Dean from being munched by a Hellhound, and was fatally injured in his stead, succumbing to her wounds with Ellen by her side. Jo's ghost returned two seasons later as a witness in Dean's "trial" and the pair buried any lingering feelings of guilt.
Eileen Leahy
Introduced as another legacy hunter in Supernatural season 11, Eileen has been "in the life" since childhood, losing her hearing as the result of a banshee attack. Befriending the Winchester brothers (Sam especially), Eileen returns in season 12 for another joint mission, but was later killed by the British Men of Letters' premier assassin, Arthur Ketch, who was in control of a Hellhound. Sam and Dean mourned for Eileen and got their revenge by taking down the shady organization from across the Atlantic. Eileen is one of many ghosts set loose upon the world after Hell's gates opened in Supernatural's season 14 finale, and after making contact with Sam, he found a way to bring her back to life in a bathtub, resurrecting himself a girlfriend.
Lilith
Lilith was Supernatural's main antagonist through seasons 3 and 4, and a cog in the grand plan that was Lucifer's escape from The Cage. As the first demon The Devil ever created, Lilith was a powerful leader among Hell's denizens and sacrificed herself for the sake of her creator. Although it was Sam Winchester who dealt the final blow with his psychic powers, this was all part of Lilith's design. After an absence of over 10 seasons, Lilith made an unexpected return in Supernatural season 15, played by a completely different actress. Lilith was resurrected by God to act as his messenger, but doesn't last long before a returned Michael turns her to dust.
Samuel Campbell
Samuel Campbell was Mary's father, and therefore the grandfather of Sam and Dean Winchester. A born and bred hunter, Samuel was killed by Azazel in 1973 when the yellow-eyes demon first began targeting young Mary and would remain deceased for decades, until Crowley brought him back in Supernatural season 6. Seeking the key to opening purgatory, Crowley hired a legendary hunter to do the legwork for him, and promised Samuel his daughter would be revived if the mission was a success. Working with the remaining Campbell clan, Samuel masquerades as an ally to the Winchesters, but Sam is eventually forced to shoot his own grandfather, sending him back to the afterlife.
Supernatural season 15 continues with "Last Holiday" October 8th on The CW.