All 7 Versions Of Dean Winchester In Supernatural Explained

Oct. 14, 2024, 9:10 p.m.

Movies

All 7 Versions Of Dean Winchester In Supernatural Explained

0 0

Dean Winchester is one of the most beloved characters in Supernatural, but throughout the show’s 15 seasons, there have been alternate versions of Dean introduced. Dean Winchester famously died more than 100 times in Supernatural, but audiences rarely got to see a different version of the character. After going through so many traumatic and terrifying experiences, it’s not a surprise that the Dean audiences saw die in the Supernatural series finale was very different from the Dean introduced in the series pilot.

The later seasons of Supernatural introduced a multiverse, which occasionally meant audiences met alternate versions of the Winchester brothers. Despite this, even within their main timeline, audiences got to see different versions of both Sam and Dean Winchester throughout Supernatural’s 15-season run. With so many timelines and alternate versions of the Winchester brothers, here is every version of Dean Winchester in Supernatural.

7 “Original” Dean Winchester

First Appeared: Season 1, Episode 1 “Pilot”

The original or normal version of Dean Winchester is the version most fans know and love. When Sam and Dean are fighting their monster of the week, it’s normally this version of Dean that audiences see. This Dean loves his 1967 Chevy Impala, affectionately called Baby, as well as classic rock music, and pie. It’s these pillars that the audience notices most when they are missing. As the older brother, Dean tries to put on the tough guy exterior to try to shield Sam from as much as possible, especially when they are young.

Related Supernatural: 14 Things About Dean Winchester That Have Aged Poorly From his habit of punching his younger brother to his many rage-induced meltdowns, Supernatural's Dean Winchester might not be today's breakout hero.

While other versions of Dean Winchester also have some of his same attributes, the original Dean has a strong moral compass and is willing to sacrifice any and everything for his family, whether they be blood or not. In fact, Dean sacrificed himself on multiple occasions to save the people he loved. While seeing other alternate forms of Dean Winchester is fun, there’s nothing quite like the fun-loving hunter audiences got to know over the course of Supernatural’s 15 seasons.

6 Dean If Mary Winchester Never Died

First Appeared: Season 2, Episode 20 “What Is and What Should Never Be”

One of the events that forever altered Dean and Sam Winchester’s lives was the death of their mother Mary Winchester. It’s known that Mary was killed by the yellow-eyed demon Azazel when Sam was just 6 months old, and as the series continues audiences learn that Mary had made a deal with the demon in order to save her then-boyfriend John Winchester from death. Mary’s death haunted Dean specifically throughout his life, with a lot of trauma being brought back up when Sam’s girlfriend Jess died the exact same way as Mary in the Supernatural pilot.

Mary’s death haunted Dean specifically throughout his life, with a lot of trauma being brought back up when Sam’s girlfriend Jess died the exact same way as Mary in the Supernatural pilot.

It's been reiterated in different ways over Supernatural’s 15 seasons that Dean desires most for his mother not to have died. This is first visually represented in Supernatural season 2, episode 20 “What Is and What Should Never Be.” While hunting a djinn, Dean is attacked and transported to a reality where Mary Winchester never dies. Dean is seen living a very normal life with his girlfriend and living near his mother in Lawrence, Kansas. In this reality, Sam still attended law school, dating Jess, and is even engaged to her, though Sam and Dean are noticeably not close.

When things start not lining up, Dean realizes he’s been captured by the djinn, but still must choose whether he wants to remain in this life. If he goes back, he goes back to a life of fighting monsters and where both Mary and Jess aren't alive. However, if he stays, he can have a quiet, happy, apple-pie life where everyone is alive. While Dean ultimately decides to fight and return to his real life, it’s beyond interesting to see what could’ve been if Mary Winchester hadn’t died.

Mary Winchester would eventually be revived by Amara in Supernatural season 11.

5 Dean In the Future Apocalypse

First Appeared: Season 5, Episode 4 “The End”

Supernatural season 5 was the culmination of the early season’s setup of the apocalypse. Early in season 5, Dean and Sam go their separate ways, but Dean soon wakes up 5 years in the future after being taken there by the angel Zachariah. The angel explains that this is the future his friends and family will face if he doesn’t help the angels. In this post-apocalyptic future, the Croatan virus has turned most humans into zombies.

The Dean from 2009 ends up meeting his future self who is much more coarse and militaristic. Apocalypse Dean leads a group of survivors and even knocks out the time-traveling Dean to confront him. It’s evident from their interaction that Apocalypse Dean didn’t keep in touch with Sam, eventually leading to the younger Winchester’s demise. It’s later revealed that Sam gave in to Lucifer and allowed him to pose him, ultimately causing the apocalypse. Other familiar faces appear in the episode including a de-powered and intoxicated Castiel, as well as Chuck.

Related The 8 Supernatural Moments That Defined The Show Supernatural is hard to define due to an incredibly long run, and a mix of genres and stories taking place throughout, but there are defining moments.

4 French Mistake Dean

First Appeared: Season 6, Episode 15 “The French Mistake”

“The French Mistake” is a fan-favorite Supernatural episode that sees Sam and Dean get transported to an alternate reality after an attack by one of Raphael’s angelic hitman. When arriving in this reality, Sam and Dean realize they are actors “Jensen Ackles” and “Jared Padalecki” and star in a show called Supernatural. The episode is incredibly meta and pokes fun at many of the behind-the-scenes players of Supernatural as well as actors like Ackles, Padalecki, and Misha Collins, who portrays Castiel.

“The French Mistake” doesn’t depict a new version of Dean Winchester, but it sees the Dean Winchester that audiences know in a reality where he must pretend to be an actor that is pretending to be Dean Winchester. Seeing the issues that Sam and Dean run into while in a reality without magic is hilarious, especially when the angel assassin realizes that he is powerless in this reality too. Though, sadly, the fictional version of Misha Collins was killed, it makes for hilarious television and is a great example of how Supernatural consistently one-upped itself when it came to trying new things.

3 Demon Dean

First Appeared: Season 9, Episode 23 “Do You Believe in Miracles?”

Throughout Supernatural season 9 Dean struggled with having the Mark of Cain and his instincts calling him to kill. At the end of the season, Dean is killed in a battle with the wayward angel Metatron but is revived by the demon Crowley (Mark Shepperd) using the First Blade. Because Dean had the Mark of Cain he was revived as a demon. While Supernatural season 9 ended on the image of Dean’s black eyes, it wouldn’t be until season 10 that audiences got to know what was actually happening to Dean.

Dean as a demon is much like the regular Dean but without a moral compass, and much darker. While Dean always had a mean streak in him, Demon Dean had no qualms about going directly to that dark place. Dean is only saved once he takes on Sam and is captured using holy water and handcuffs carved with a devil's trap symbol. Once back at the bunker, Sam tries to cure Dean, though he eventually breaks free and attempts to kill his younger brother. Sam is only saved when Castiel arrives and overpowers Demon Dean.

2 Scoobynatural Dean

First Appeared: Season 13, Episode 16 “Scoobynatural”

“Scoobynatural” was an extremely fun episode just because it saw Dean, Sam, and Castiel get sucked into an episode of Scooby-Doo and interact with Mystery Inc. characters. Seeing these characters audiences know and love in animated form was quite hilarious, and while audiences didn’t get to see a new version of Dean, he was in an alternate reality where he looked different. Dean clearly loved Scooby-Doo as a child and knew exactly how the episode they were in was supposed to go; however, when people were actually being murdered, it was time for him, Sam, and Castiel to shine.

Dean trying to attract the attention of Daphne throughout the episode was quite hilarious, especially when considering that Daphne wasn’t a real person. However, it was Sam and Dean’s compassion about not letting the Scooby gang know that ghosts and monsters were real that made the episode a success. Dean, in particular, was set on not ruining these character’s paths. While Dean got help from Castiel’s angelic healing power, it was funny to see Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby freak out about real monsters for a moment.

1 HunterCorp Dean

First Appeared: Season 15, Episode 13 “Destiny’s Child”

In Supernatural season 15, it’s revealed that Chuck, as God had multiple different universes where he experimented with his “characters” Sam and Dean. In one of these alternate Supernatural universes, Sam and Dean are spoiled hunters who work for their father John and drive a Fiat. It’s an interesting look to see what people like Sam and Dean would be like if the world knew that monsters were real, but also if John Winchester had been a good father.

While audiences don’t see much of the HunterCorp versions of Sam and Dean, it was an interesting add-in for Supernatural’s final season. Seeing Sam and Dean be more proper and actively look down on the other versions of themselves is funny, but also because it shows just how crazy both characters' lifestyles are. Dean seems appalled that his alternate version doesn’t seem to like beer. Over the 15 seasons of Supernatural, not all the alternate Deans may have been remembered by audiences, but they were all important to inform his character growth.