They say two things are inevitable: death and taxes. If you ask the Winchester brothers, they’d probably tell you at least one of those things is avoidable. The other tends to follow them around like a plague.
Having died a few times themselves, their deaths don’t really hit viewers as hard now. For Sam and Dean, death is just a quick rest stop on the way to a goal. So we won’t highlight the deaths of the Winchester brothers here because, while some of the ends they’ve met over the years have tugged at the heart strings, we’ve learned that death is one of the few things that can’t keep these two down. The same seems to ring true for Castiel, though Cas and Misha fans all over the world probably felt that angel blade through the heart at the end of season 12.
This is all about the people whose deaths–while maybe not entirely permanent–are unforgettable and unforgivable.
Here are seven Supernatural deaths that still make us cry:
7. Kevin Tran
Kevin was one of the most lovable characters to ever exist on Supernatural. It makes sense since he was portrayed by the equally lovable Osric Chau. His innocence turned into snarky annoyance over the course of fulfilling his destiny and it just kept getting better. Unfortunately, Kevin sealed his fate when he gave Dean a spell that would allow him to speak with a human possessed by an angel without the angel knowing. The human was Sam and he was possessed by the angel Gadreel. Gadreel caught wise and killed Kevin, burning his soul from his body.
We did get Kevin back in season 13, but he was a twitch version from the apocalypse world. He didn’t last long, though. He died after he used himself as a suicide bomb against Jack, Mary, and the angel hunters.
6. Bobby Singer
Surrogate father to the boys, Bobby Singer was the grouchy old guy that everyone knows and loves. He’s the kind of guy who is always there when you need him, though you better believe he’s going to complain about it. This was right up until he took a bullet from Dick Roman. On the brink of death, Bobby manages to wake up long enough to write down the numbers he’d taken from Dick’s office. He smiled at the boys and affectionately called them idjits.
The hope on Dean’s face is probably one of the most heartbreaking things about this because it melts the second Bobby passes out and the heart monitor flat-lines. The last memory Bobby has is of the boys arguing over movie snacks. He watches until the memory fades away and I’m still not okay about it.
It should be noted that Bobby is another character that returned via Apocalypse World last season, and while the Winchester boys did not exist in this world, it seems that this version of Bobby has taken a shine to them already. And while we are glad to see this beloved character return, it doesn’t make his death hurt any less.
5. Crowley
Crowley was a complex character, leaning towards chaotic evil but slowly moving his way to chaotic good and becoming a fan-favorite along the way. The King of Hell had a rough fall from the throne and ended up becoming a Winchester ally. As most of their allies end up realizing, being friends with the Winchesters means you eventually have to partake in a kamikaze mission to help them. When the spell to trap Lucifer required a life, Crowley took his own, but only after telling Lucifer off (which was quite enjoyable).
To be honest, there wasn’t really a whole lot left for the character of Crowley, so it was a fair end. Unfortunately, I feel like his sacrifice was overshadowed by the death of Castiel that quickly followed in the same episode.
4. Charlie Bradbury
Charlie was another fan-favorite character who also returned to us last season. When Charlie first came on our screens, she provided representation for the LGBTQ+ community that was sorely missing from Supernatural at the time. She died valiantly, but her death was not taken well. Unwilling to give the Styne family the Book of the Damned, she sent all her translated information to Sam and Dean in an email and, immediately afterward, smashed her computer (which seemed superfluous but was great for drama). All she had on her was a knife as she faced down Eldon Styne. We don’t actually see her death, but Sam and Dean finding her dead body bloodied in a bathtub was nearly as bad. Her return last season was well received by fans, but it will still be hard to move past this one.
3. Gabriel
Twice! Twice now we have lost this lovable angel/trickster. Both times, he was murdered by one of his brothers. First was Lucifer, bag of dicks that he is, stabbed him. Though to be fair, Gabriel had planned to do the same to him, but Lucifer is the devil so…
Eight years later, we learn that Lucifer only killed a copy of Gabriel and that our adorable Gabe was able to escape. Unfortunately, his plan didn’t end well when he was caught by Asmodeus and made into nothing more than a grace-dispenser. We were allowed to have him alive for ten episodes. Ten episodes! Then that angel threw himself on the proverbial blade for the Winchesters (as angels do) and died at Michael’s hand.
Hoping we get to see AU Gabe or something because we need this snarky, dirty angel.
1. & 2. Ellen and Jo
This one… this one is hardest for me to get through. Running from hellhounds, Jo goes back to save Dean and ends up getting attacked herself. Claws cut through her side, leaving her losing blood at an alarming rate. Holed up in a hardware store, she comes to terms with the fact that she isn’t going to make it much quicker than Dean, Sam, and Ellen do. She tells them to build a bomb and then the door will be unchained so the remaining hellhounds can come in. She’ll sit there with her finger on the button to blow them up, buying the others more time to get to the devil.
Building the bomb takes too long and Jo is barely holding on. Ellen chooses to stay, saying that someone has to let the dogs in and Jo can’t move. She unchains the door, removes the salt line, and turns on the propane. Wrapping an arm around Jo, she tells her that she’ll always love her. Jo tries to respond, but passes away in Ellen’s arms. With her daughter gone, Ellen succumbs to the tears, but keeps telling Jo it’s okay, kissing the top of her head.
When the hellhounds come in and she feels the breath of one against her hair, Ellen pushes the button on the bomb, blowing the hell out of the hardware store and the hellhounds.
Knowing that those two are probably in a heaven together that looks like the Roadhouse is the only thing that gives me any peace about this.
With the introduction of the AU last season, we could still see new versions of our favorite characters come back, like we have with Kevin, Charlie, and Bobby.
Do you agree with this list? What deaths leave you a snotty, crying mess every time you re-watch them? Let us know in the comments!