For 15 seasons of Supernatural, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) saved the world as hunters of things that go bump in the night. They met and faced off against demons, vampires, gods, goddesses, and everything in between. Usually, these characters were introduced as part of their hunts in classic “monster of the week” stories. But sometimes, a character was so important that they received a full-fledged entrance scene that let the viewers know they meant business. There are five that made a big impact on viewers.
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5.) Amara
In season ten, Dean had the Mark of Cain. The Mark turned the person bearing it into a bloodthirsty killer. It had already turned Dean into a demon once. Desperate, he turned to Death to send him to a place where he could never hurt anyone ever again. But Sam couldn’t let that happen. So he worked with the powerful witch Rowena (Ruth Connell) to find a spell to remove the Mark of Cain. But the Mark had a purpose no one except the Archangels knew. God had a sister, played in the series by Emily Swallow, referred to originally as the Darkness and later as Amara. She didn’t want the world created, so God locked her away with the help of the Archangels. Her existence was lost to time, with the angels (except for one) and demons believing she was just a myth. The Mark was her binding agent, originally placed on Lucifer, then transferred to Cain and later to Dean.
When the Mark of Cain was removed, she was released in one of the coolest scenes of the series. She burst from the ground all around Sam and Dean as a huge cloud of black smoke. As it came towards them, Sam and Dean tried to flee, but their car got stuck and was consumed by the smoke. That was how the season ended, and then season 11 picked up right where that cliffhanger left off. Ending with black fog consuming the landscape was one of the most ominous ways to close the season and set up the new big bad the audience would get to see in season 11.
4.) Arthur Ketch
At the end of season 11, when God and the Sun almost died, a foreign monster-control group decided the American hunters were becoming too dangerous to be left to their own devices. In came the British Men of Letters as one of season 12’s two main antagonists. They were the UK chapter of the secret society that Sam and Dean were part of. They were ruthless. No supernatural death would go unpunished, whether it was intentional or accidental. Even the good monsters were killed by them. They wanted to take control of the United States, and they even tortured Sam and Dean in an effort to accomplish that goal. The Winchesters, along with almost all of the American hunters, did not take kindly to this interference.
In an effort to mend fences and clean up their messes, the British Men of Letters sent over their top agent, Arthur Ketch (David Haydn Jones). While he appeared a couple of times without showing his face, his full introduction came in episode eight. Sam, Dean, and Castiel were facing arrest by the Secret Service, who were told by the President of the United States (who was possessed by Lucifer) that they were going to try to kill him. Ketch had been following them and stepped in to stop them from being arrested. In an introduction literally designed to make him look cool, he pulled up in an expensive car with jazzy music playing, stepped out, and used a rocket launcher to blow up the agents’ vehicle. The blast knocked most of them unconscious, and he knocked out the last one and told Castiel (Misha Collins) to wipe their memories before finally introducing himself. While most big character introductions went for epicness, his was very suave, and it worked perfectly. It almost makes you forget about the innocent girl he killed… almost.
3.) Chuck Shurley as God
Chuck Shurley (Rob Benedict) was introduced in the episode “The Monster at the End of This Book,” a bit of unintentional foreshadowing for how the series ends. He portrayed himself as a prophet and the author of the in-universe Supernatural books that were based on episodes of the series (under the pen name Carver Edlund). Supernatural really knew how to do meta stories! In truth, Chuck the prophet was a cover. He was actually God, and used Chuck to hide amongst humanity and escape the drama of celestial life, while using Sam and Dean as his playthings.
When Amara was freed and preparing to destroy the Earth, Chuck returned (but was still in hiding) to write his autobiography with the help of Metatron, his scribe. He was going to let Amara destroy all of creation rather than fight her. Thankfully, Metatron was able to convince him to take action. Amara had sent a fog through a town that was killing everyone. Chuck forced the fog away and healed all who it had affected, including Sam. He went to town and began helping people, and in doing so revealed himself to the Winchesters. All of this was set against Chuck singing the song “Fare Thee Well.” It was a beautiful way to basically reintroduce his character to Sam, Dean. and the audience, and show him as the powerful but caring being responsible for all of existence. Fans had waited for years to finally learn the truth about Chuck and his big reveal in season 11 did not disappoint.
2.) Castiel
Season four of Supernatural introduced angels, the powerful winged warriors of Heaven. At the end of season three, Dean Winchester was killed by a Hellhound, and his soul was dragged to Hell, where it remained for four months. Then suddenly, he awoke buried. He clawed his way back to the surface. Something had pulled him out. It left a big handprint on his arm, and when it tried to make contact, it was so loud it shattered windows. Dean and Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver) performed a ritual to make the culprit show itself. And show itself it did.
Into the barn walked Castiel, the angel who had gripped Dean tight and raised him from perdition. The roof panels began to shake, and the angel burst through the doors and walked towards them in a shower of sparks as the light bulbs exploded. Dean and Bobby tried to shoot and stab him, but it didn’t even slow him down. The scene made Castiel look more powerful than anything Sam and Dean had ever come across in the preceding seasons, and the shot of him with his wings extended was incredible. There is a reason it’s one of the most iconic scenes of the series, in one of the best episodes of the series, and a prominent feature on this list.
1.) Death
At the end of season four, Lucifer was released from his cage in Hell, unknowingly by Sam Winchester. The apocalypse had begun, and immediately the Winchesters set to work looking for a way to stop it. Only one solution was found that could save the world. They needed the rings from the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death. Through the course of the season, they were able to take the ones from War and Pestilence by cutting off their fingers, and Famine’s by killing him with Sam’s demon powers. As the end of the season approached, and a showdown with Lucifer drew near, they had all but Death’s. They needed them to open a portal to the cage and shove the Devil back inside, preventing the apocalypse.
They tracked Death (Julian Richings) to Chicago. His introduction was the coolest of the series. A storm was brewing in the Windy City as a beautiful white Cadillac pulled to a stop. Death stepped out, with a nice suit, cool cane, and the final ring. As he began walking down the street, a man bumped into him. Death brushed his shoulder, and the man dropped dead. Paired with the song “Oh’ Death” by Jen Titus, it is the most chilling intro any character ever had in the series, and it perfectly sold just how dangerous the final Horseman was. Even Dean feared him, and he rarely feared anything. He would even face down God, but Death had him legitimately scared. Fans regularly cite this as the best introduction of the series, and it’s hard to argue against that.
What was your favorite character introduction in Supernatural? Let us know down in the comments.
