There are so many characters in Supernatural who are adored by the passionate fandom, but few are as big of a source of adoration as Dean Winchester. For 15 seasons, Jensen Ackles delivered terrific performances in the role, and despite some flaws in the show itself, Dean remained loved by most fans for the entire run. Not everyone is in agreement about aspects of his character, though.
Many fans have opinions about Dean that are largely unpopular, not being held by a lot of the fandom. Reddit is full of fans voicing these opinions that range from disliking Dean's story arcs to aspects of his overall character.
He Should Not Have A Legendary Status Amongst Hunters
As fans get to see throughout the show, Sam and Dean are well known amongst hunters in America, with a reputation as some of the greatest hunters ever, and the guys who have saved the world on numerous occasions. But Redditor TylerJohnson10946 believes this is unjustified, saying, "it's pure luck that keeps them alive most of the time."
Of course, Sam and Dean do get lucky with monster monologues, etc., but there is so much hunting fans do not see in the show, and no matter whether he got help from Benny or not, surviving a year in Purgatory highlights just how great of a hunter Dean is.
John Never Discouraged Dean From Being Emotional Or Affectionate
Redditor Ponies_In_Jumpers says, "The idea that he discouraged his sons from showing emotions or affection is ridiculous." They go on to say that the show treated John harshly after he left. John undoubtedly did his best and was good at heart with good intentions, but as a father, he lacked after Mary's death.
While it's true that John Winchester gets a bad rap from fans for how he raised the boys, a lot of this is justified. Despite his appearance in "Lebanon," John was still abusive to the boys, especially Dean, and very much encouraged them to have a stiff upper lip.
Castiel Deserves Better Than Dean
Dean and Castiel is undoubtedly the most popular and most debated romance in the Supernatural fandom. The flawed yet excellent characters have a unique and beautiful connection for 11 seasons of the show.
But Redditor Slytherin111 says that, in her opinion, not only is Dean not bisexual but that even if he was, "Castiel deserves better than someone who treats him poorly part of the time." There is no doubt Dean was awful to Cas at times, but most Destiel shippers agree that the two are pretty perfect for each other, despite their flaws.
Dean Is Too Lenient With Cas
Dean does a lot of wrong throughout Supernatural, but so does Castiel. He always has the best of intentions, but oftentimes this leads to him making huge mistakes - particularly in the middle portion of the series - and Dean lets him hear about it. Redditor Ponies_In_Jumpers says in another comment that Dean was rude to Castiel, "but probably more lenient than he should be."
But while many Castiel fans note Dean's aggression and cruelty towards Cas at points in the later seasons, most would agree that there is no doubt he is unjustified in his attacking of Cas at multiple points.
Disliking The Demon Dean & Mark Of Cain Storylines
Redditor Stephz-12 flat out says, "I didn't like Demon Dean or the Mark of Cain plot." But this is a pretty unpopular opinion. Many people have issues with seasons 6-15 of the show, but generally, fans are OK with the Mark of Cain and Demon Dean, only really disliking the latter storyline because it ended too soon.
The longest-running possession/control storyline in Supernatural kicked off in season 9 when Dean took the Mark of Cain, leading to a supremely volatile, violent, and pretty badass Dean, but what could be said was a criminally short demon Dean storyline.
Dean Fans Are Too Forgiving
Redditor TheFastPotato says they hate Dean Winchester fans because they are "sick of how they use his grief to defend everything he does," compared to how harsh they are to Sam and Dean. There may be some merit to this, as there is no doubt Dean gets away with a lot of evil things, and not everything was against his will. But so do Sam and Cas, with most fans forgiving all three for their pasts.
Each of the main characters: Sam, Castiel, Crowley, Jack, Mary, and, yes, Dean, do terrible things over the course of their run in the show, but due to the love fans have for the characters, they get forgiven more often than not.
Dean Gets Away With Everything Because Of His Charm
Redditor conundrumicus says that Dean gets away with a lot "because he has all the charm and the witty comments." Dean is unquestionably charming with so many hilarious quotes and moments, but he is far more than that, and his flaws play a significant role in the audience's love for the character, which means many would take issue with this opinion.
In fact, Dean gets forgiven by fans for the bad things he does in Supernatural for many reasons, whether it be because of his good intentions, grief, redemption, or just the overall love that fans have for the character.
Dean Judged Monsters Too Harshly
Redditor doNOTarguewithme says, "Just because they're [monsters are] different species didn't mean you should kill them." saying Dean judged them "too harshly." At the start of the show, this was definitely the case, as it was during his Mark of Cain era when he just wanted to kill.
Other than that, though, most fans agree Dean and Sam were pretty decent towards monsters, realizing they can be good and so should be allowed to live. At the start of Supernatural, Dean was very much a kill first ask questions later kind of hunter. But as the show progressed, the rules for the Winchesters developed into more of a 'monsters can be good, but get killed as soon as they cause trouble' situation.
Too Much Bromance, Not Enough Romance
Redditor thegrandwitch plainly states, "Sam and Dean are annoying as hell," believing the show has "WAY too much bromance, not enough romance."
This is an unpopular opinion about Supernatural as a whole, but also about Dean and his relationship with Sam, and one most of the fandom would disagree with. otherwise. In fact, Supernatural does offer romance, just more doomed relationships than anything else. But the truth is that the show is all about Sam and Dean, on purpose. Their relationship is the beating heart of it and why many fans get hooked on it beyond the supernatural and monster elements.
Dean Is Just A Force Of Nature Who Kills Things
Redditor Magnon believes that Dean is "just a force of nature that kills things" and that the world is lucky he is pointed at monsters. But Dean fans, especially, would fight against this comment, believing that reducing him to just a killer, like how various monsters, hunters, and God himself did, is wrong.
A lot of Dean's arc in Supernatural focuses on what he is deep down, on who he is, and defying the stereotypical opinion of him that he is a killer. While the later seasons undo a lot of his character from the Kripke-era, fans believe him to be more than simply a stone-cold killer with not much else to him.