Jeffrey Dean Morgan Officially Returning to ‘Supernatural’

It looks like Jeffrey Dean Morgan is trading in his baseball bat for a colt revolver, as he’s once more preparing to hunt monsters and demons with his two favorite sons. That’s right, John Winchester is officially returning to Supernatural.

The CW announced on Wednesday that Morgan would be reprising his role of John Winchester, father of Sam and Dean, in Supernatural‘s upcoming 300th episode. The actor portrayed the character for a total of 12 episodes over the course of the first couple of seasons. The last time John appeared on the show was during the Season 2 finale back in 2007.

“We’re incredibly excited to have Jeffrey back for this milestone episode, and think fans will love what we have planned for his character… and a few other guest stars,” said executive producer Andrew Dabb.

If you recall, John was pretty much the focal point of the first two seasons of Supernatural, as the show began with Sam and Dean trying to find out what happened to their father. After the trio had finally reunited, Dean was on the verge of death, and John made a deal with a demon to save his son’s life. John made one more appearance at the end of that same season, when his spirit helped Sam and Dean defeat the Yellow-Eyed demon.

While it would normally be tough to believe a dead character would return out of nowhere, Supernatural has proven time and again that the grave is no obstacle. Popular characters like Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver) and Mary Winchester (Samantha Smith), Sam and Dean’s mother, have found their way back over the years, so there’s no reason John couldn’t do the same. Fans of the show have been calling for his return for some time, though there was never any indication as to whether or not he ever would.

In the decade-plus since Morgan last appeared on Supernatural, he has taken on several different roles in both TV and film. The actor was widely recognized for playing dying patient Denny Duquette on Grey’s Anatomy, that is until he took on the role of the bat-swinging, foul-mouthed villain Negan on The Walking Dead. Morgan has portrayed the character on AMC’s zombie drama for over two years now.

John Winchester’s Supernatural return will take place during the 300th episode, which is called “Lebanon” and will air Thursday, February 7th at 8 pm ET on The CW.

Are you excited for Jeffrey Dean Morgan to return to Supernatural? Let us know in the comments!