Here are all the times Sam and Dean died in ‘Supernatural’
After an eternity in hell, the CW has finally decided to put Supernatural out of its misery. While at its peak, the show was the dark, twisted, fantasy TV show we all adored, it’s been crawling to the finish line these past few seasons. Just like the Winchester brothers themselves, the show has had the life punched out of it, and needs to be taken off life support.
It’s a miracle the show has stayed on this long, considering how often our dear protagonists have died. Even though Sam and Dean are still kicking it, they definitely should not be. Even in a show like Supernatural, with demons and angels running amok on Earth, it should come as no surprise that the humans are immortal too.
As Supernatural continues its journey to the end, it’s time to recount all the times our dear brothers kicked the bucket. While the immortals surround them, the most immortal of them all is the Winchesters. Because they have died a lot.
Dean Winchester (Jenson Ackles): 114 Times
More like Dead Winchester amirite? Dean is the winner when it comes to which one dies more by ease. Granted 106 of his deaths are from season 3 episode “Mystery Spot” thanks to the trickster himself, Gabriel, but Dean still has a large number of deaths over his younger brother.
“In My Time of Dying”
Right off the bat in season 2, we get Dean’s first death. At the end of season 1, Sam, Dean, and John are left severely injured after a truck driver (possessed by a demon) crashes into the Impala. Once we return, Dean figures out he’s not actually alive, but a ghostly figure who’s waiting to be reaped. John makes a deal with the devil to return Dean to his body by sacrificing himself.
“Mystery Spot”
Gabriel (Richard Speight Jr.) came up with some very interesting ways to kill Dean within this episode. Whether it was getting hit by a car, crushed by a desk, choking on sausage, or getting electrocuted by a razor, Dean found a way to never break the time loop. Even though it looks like he dies permanently at one point, Gabriel returns Dean to the present day and back to Sam.
“No Rest for the Wicked”
Getting mauled by a hellhound is definitely one way to go, especially when you’re getting mauled by one in hell. In his race to destroy his contract with Lilith, Sam and Dean team up with demon Ruby, but in the end, none of them are strong enough to defeat Lilith. But unknown to Sam (and future Destiel shippers), a certain angel is about to come and save Dean.
“Death Takes a Holiday”
While not technically a death, Dean does leave his body to astral-project with Sam. Pam helps the brothers astral-project but ends up getting attacked. While she pulls Sam back before she gets injured, Dean is left hanging until Castiel reaches out to him again in the spirit world and helps Pam get enough energy to pull Dean back into the real world.
“The End”
Does it still count as a death if it’s a future version that never happens? We’re going to count it as such anyway. In this post-apocalyptic episode, Dean meets future Dean who’s dead set on killing Lucifer. But Lucifer ends up snapping future Dean’s neck before he can achieve his goal. When Dean goes back to his present time, he and Sam agree to prevent that future from happening.
“Dark Side of the Moon”
After spending so much time in hell, it’s time the boys got a true taste of heaven. Based on this episode, Dean’s version of heaven is hanging out with 13-year-old Sam, lighting fireworks and partying all night on the Fourth of July. As he tries to reunite with Sam, Dean relives several key moments in his life, until he finds out the truth: the apocalypse will happen no matter what either brother does. At that moment, the boys are returned to Earth.
“Appointment in Samarra”
Again with these technical deaths that aren’t really deaths! Dean just really likes dying huh? When Dean wants to try and save Sam’s soul from hell, Dean goes to Dr. Robert to get him to kill him. While Dean is dead, he makes a deal with Death: he’ll be Death for 24 hours if Death will get Sam’s soul out of hell. Of course, this death isn’t permanent, and Dr. Robert revives Dean after a few minutes of death.
“Survival of the Fittest”/”We Need to Talk About Kevin”
How about a nice trip to purgatory you guys? In the season 7 finale, Sam and Dean finally kill Dick, but when Dick explodes into a pile of goo, Dean and Cas are nowhere to be found. Turns out, they managed to get teleported to purgatory. This doesn’t get resolved until the beginning of season 8, when Dean gets out thanks to some help from vampire Benny, who escapes with Dean.
“Do You Believe in Miracles?”
Any Supernatural fan knows this moment by heart. The moment Dean stopped being human and became a pure demon. Metatron takes Dean away from everyone using the angel blade, yet somehow Sam still wants to blame this on Crowley. When Sam summons him, Crowley gives Dean the First Blade, telling him he wants Dean to see, hear, and feel everything he does. When Dean wakes up, his eyes are pitch black.
“Red Meat”
Another episode of Dean killing himself to talk to a reaper and getting revived by a doctor. Proof that the show has gone on so long it’s just repeating itself at this point.
“First Blood”
According to Dean, prison is “worse than hell”, so it’s no surprise they took death over being incarcerated. Both Sam and Dean makes a deal with Billie to die and be revived to help them escape prison. Billie’s plan is successful, but when she tries to get her end of the bargain filled, Castiel stabs her.
“Advanced Thanatology”
Same deal as “Red Meat” and “Appointment with Samarra”. God, please end Supernatural now.
Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki):
Little Sammy Winchester doesn’t have as high of a death count as his brother, but he’s got some of the more emotional deaths. Unlike his brother, he doesn’t just die for the fun of it to go to the spirit world (most of the time). If Sam dies, it’s going to be a trip.
“All Hell Breaks Loose: Parts 1 & 2”
Like we said, if Sam dies, it’s not gonna be pretty for anyone. In the season 2 two-part finale, Sam and Dean get stuck in a Hunger Games-like competition with all of Azazel’s children, last man standing style. Sam and Dean hold their own until it’s Sam and Jake left. It looks like Sam has Jake on the ropes, but with what little strength he has left, Jake stabs Sam fatally in the back.
Dean spends his last moments with his brother cradling him in his arms until he dies. Fueled by his loss, Dean then summons a crossroads demon to bring his brother back. They strike up a deal: Sam is revived, but Dean gets only one more year to live in return.
“Wishful Thinking”
Thankfully, Sam doesn’t die again until season 4, when he is anti-climatically struck by lightning. While visiting a town that has a magical wishing well, Sam and Dean realize while the well does grant wishes, it ends up twisting them thanks to a cursed coin. They find the perpetrator who threw the coin into the well to change it, but his wife ends up wishing for no one to take her love away from her husband. Sam ends up a casualty of this wish until the wishes are undone.
“Death Takes a Holiday”
Both Sam and Dean astral-project to try and find out why no one’s able to die in this town. With the help of town resident Pam, they are able to get some answers from the last person to die in the town. However, Pam ends up getting attacked while the brothers are still projecting, so she pulls Sam out. Before she can pull Dean out, she is stabbed, and ends up using the last of her strength to save Dean.
“The Song Remains the Same”
Sam dying is probably not the thing you remember about the episode where Sam and Dean meet younger versions of their parents. But at the end, fallen angel Anna who wanted to kill Mary and John to prevent Sam and Dean’s birth critically injures Sam with a cracked pipe. Michael ends up coming and possesses John to defeat Anna, and heals Sam.
“Dark Side of the Moon”
Just like Dean, Sam gets shot by the hunters that break into their home, and ends up in heaven. Sam gets to relive his favorite Thanksgiving with the family, but then slowly it becomes clear the memories focus on Sam leaving Dean, and everyone else leaving Dean behind. When they return to Earth, Sam and Dean’s relationship is left a bit dicey.
“Swan Song”
And now we get to arguably the most important moment in Sam’s arc. To put an end to his battle with Lucifer after Lucifer possesses him, Sam lets Lucifer repossess him so San can lock Lucifer in his cage forever to stop the apocalypse. While Sam is successful, leaving Dean broken, Castiel ends up breaking Sam out of the cage as a favor for Dean, but Sam doesn’t reveal he’s alive until a year later.
“First Blood”
We get a few seasons of Supernatural without a Sam death, mainly because Dean’s out being a mess, but then we come back to season 12 where the boys are locked in prison. Billie revives both brothers to help them escape prison, and ends up getting stabbed by Castiel right before midnight so the Winchesters didn’t have to fill their part of the deal.
“Beat the Devil”
A nice trip to Apocalypse World can’t be too bad right? Wrong. Because apparently Apocalypse World now has vampires! After being ambushed in a tunnel, Sam ends up bitten and his lifeless corpse gets dragged off by the vampires. Lucifer brings Sam back to life, but only if he’ll lead him to Jack and say Lucifer saved him to make Jack like Lucifer more.
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The 15th and final season of Supernatural airs on The CW Thursdays at 8pm.
