15 Supernatural Characters Who Deserved To Return For The Series Finale

After running for 15 exciting seasons, "Supernatural" aired its final episode "Carry On" on November 19, 2020. Already a bittersweet time for many thanks to the pandemic, fans lamented the loss of the long-running series. Stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles have since moved on to leading roles in other projects, including "Walker" and "Big Sky." The series finale received very mixed reviews, with some praising its accessibility for those who had stopped watching years prior, and others criticizing, well, just about everything else.

Regardless of the response, it quickly became clear that the COVID-19 pandemic was to blame for the series finale's lackluster conclusion. Originally, showrunners Andrew Dabb and Robert Singer had other plans for the climax of "Supernatural's" last episode (via Variety). Nevertheless, what we got was Sam and Dean reunited in the end, and that's about all we could hope for with the series. While the show's longest recurring guest and the boy's surrogate father Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver) made his way back for the finale episode, others were sorely missed.

While there are plenty of characters who we would've loved to see return for the final season, such as Mark A. Sheppard's Crowley or even Lauren Cohen's Bela Talbot, we're focusing more on those who might've reunited with Sam and Dean on the other side. Yeah, we'll admit it: we wish "Supernatural" had ended differently, so here's our list of the 15 people who for sure should've returned at the very end of "Supernatural."

The most obvious of this bunch, Castiel — played faithfully by Misha Collins — is a big part of "Supernatural" for the majority of the series. After the angel's introduction in Season 4, he became a hit with fans, who consistently advocated for him even after his numerous fake-out deaths. Often referred to as "the third Winchester," Cas always sticks by Sam and Dean, no matter what cosmic or primordial adversary they're up against. He even rebels against Heaven to help them beat the Devil.

Sadly, by the time Season 8 came around — halfway through the show's run — there wasn't much else left for Cas to do, save for some small character arcs here and there (mostly in Season 12). In fact, in the final season, Castiel was written off the series episodes before the finale. In a very Buffy/Angel-like moment, he says a sorrowful goodbye to Dean and gets taken into the Empty, never to be seen again. It wasn't the best way to get rid of TV's most beloved angel.

To make matters worse, Bobby mentions that Jack resurrected Castiel sometime in the five years between the penultimate episode "Inherit the Earth" and series finale "Carry On," which means that Castiel has been back for a while; he just didn't make the time to reunite with the boys. Talk about a missed opportunity and a waste of a character.

While the Winchester family (sans Adam) get their big on-screen reunion in the series 300th episode "Lebanon," which aired during the show's 14th season, a better way to bring John and Mary Winchester — played largely on the series by Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Samantha Smith — back into the fold would've been by bookending the series with the same core cast it began with: John, Mary, and their two boys. Sadly, we don't see them reunite again in Heaven, but Bobby does mention that they're happy up there.

After Mary dies in the "Pilot," John spends the rest of his life tracking down the demon that killed her. This means raising his sons to be hunters. Although Dean takes the final shot at the Yellow-Eyed Demon, John is there to help — albeit as a ghost, since he dies in his quest. Eventually, Mary is resurrected for a few years and gets to know her now-adult children, but that doesn't last either after she's accidentally killed by the boy's surrogate son Jack. At least she goes back upstairs.

With "The Winchesters" now airing on the CW, telling the story of how the young John and Mary met, there's still hope that the older versions of these characters could reunite with their sons in Heaven. Since it's possible that Dean is currently up there, tracking down all the details of their history, it seems like a no-brainer to reunite them.

Jo Harvelle is much more than just a potential love interest for Dean. First appearing in the Season 2 episode "Everybody Loves a Clown," Jo is a short-lived recurring character who appears a few more times that season, including in "No Exit," where she helps the boys defeat the ghost of serial killer H.H. Holmes. After a run-in with a demon-possessed Sam, she skips town for a while. It's not until Season 5 that Jo returns "all grown up."

In a last-ditch effort to "ice the Devil," the Winchesters join Jo, her mother Ellen, and Castiel as they travel to Carthage, Missouri to put a bullet in Lucifer's head. Unfortunately, this results in Jo's demise, as she and Ellen sacrifice themselves for the boys, but not before sharing a tender moment with Dean. A few seasons later, Jo returns as a ghost sent to condemn Dean Winchester, but after being freed from the spell she's under, she finally finds peace.

Though Jo was hated by fans initially (via TV Guide), folks came to love her by the end, with many hoping she'd return via alternate universe or time travel along the way. While it's sad that Jo never returns (and is hardly mentioned) post-Season 7 given her prominence in the show's early years, it's criminal that she doesn't reunite with Dean in Heaven, especially at the Roadhouse that bears her own surname.

The mother of Jo Harvelle and a mean hunter herself, Ellen Harvelle is the owner of Harvelle's Roadhouse in middle-of-nowhere Nebraska. Ellen is willing to give Sam and Dean a shot despite her tragic history with their father, who was there the night her husband died. They get along well enough until the boys help Jo get into the hunting business. Actually, Ellen shows up on the series more than Jo, and even aids Sam, Dean, and Bobby in stopping the Yellow-Eyed Demon's plot to unleash Hell on Earth in the apocalyptic Season 2 finale "All Hell Breaks Loose, Part 2."

Ellen and Jo return to the series in Season 5 but are soon written out again, this time permanently. After Jo's injured on the journey to kill Lucifer, Ellen stays behind and sacrifices herself alongside her little girl. Ellen returns once more the following season when the timeline is temporarily altered, erasing her death, but Sam and Dean make sure that it's put back to normal. 

Sadly, Ellen is never seen again, and though her own Roadhouse appears in the series finale, she's not behind the bar. After nearly 10 years, a reunion between the Winchesters and the Harvelles should've been a no-brainer, but sadly, 2020 had other plans.

Another one of the few characters name-dropped by Bobby Singer in the series finale, Rufus Turner is the hunter who helps train the Winchesters' surrogate father in the first place. After the death of his wife, Bobby is distraught, but Rufus picks him up and teaches him the ways of the supernatural and how to kill just about anything. After some unspoken event in Omaha, the pair splits up for years before we meet him in Season 3, though he and Bobby remain uneasy friends.

Rufus keeps coming back to the show in different capacities all the way through Season 11, which features an episode with a flashback to an old case that he and Bobby worked on around the time the series was in its fourth season. He's also shown up as a figment of Bobby's imagination as the old hunter dies in the Season 7 episode "Death's Door," but that doesn't technically count. Only appearing in a handful of episodes, Rufus left a permanent mark on "Supernatural," and we were always anxious to have him back for more.

It's easy to imagine Rufus sitting beside Bobby on the Roadhouse's porch with a glass of scotch in hand, and it would've been a hell of a way to welcome Dean Winchester into the afterlife. Here's hoping that "The Winchesters" brings him back for more.

Yes, Charlie Bradbury was a part of "Supernatural" from the time she was introduced in Season 7 basically until the end, but the original Charlie actually died a gruesome death at the hands of the Frankenstein Family during the landmark 10th season. From Season 13 onward, the "New Charlie" is actually a version of the character from another world entirely, and, as Sam and Dean learn, she doesn't love the hunter life like their old friend. In fact, she kind of despises it, at least until she finds special someone to hunt with.

The original Charlie is essentially the Winchesters' unofficial little sister. An expert hacker and a nerd-of-all-trades, the O.G. Charlie goes on some pretty crazy adventures during her tenure on the series, including LARPing with Sam and Dean and traveling to Oz with Dorothy Baum after being killed by the Wicked Witch — yes, that Oz. Sadly, Charlie is later killed for her association with the Winchesters, but don't worry, Dean avenges her death. Like all their closest allies, Sam and Dean give her a proper hunter's funeral.

Though the Apocalypse World version of Charlie becomes a recurring character in the final few seasons, the original Charlie is never heard from again. It's too bad; a heavenly reunion between Dean and the "sister he never wanted" would've been worth saving for the series finale.

One of the Winchesters' first recurring allies to die in a fiery blaze of glory, Ash is a frequenter of Harvelle's Roadhouse who often helps the boys with research while on a case. Eventually, he gets them the coordinates of the Hell Gate that the Yellow-Eyed Demon planned to use to bring his demonic army into the world. Naturally, it costs him his life, but as with many "Supernatural" characters, death is not the end of Ash. The mullet-wearing redneck returns in the Season 5 episode "Dark Side of the Moon" to help Sam and Dean navigate their time in Heaven.

Since we know that Ash is in Heaven, it would've been cool to see him haunting the upstairs version of Harvelle's Roadhouse, especially after he's seen hanging out there the last time around. Of course, this long-forgotten character didn't need to return to "Supernatural," as his arc was basically complete, but he would've been a welcome addition nevertheless. "Business in the front and party in the back" is Ash's vibe, and after so much time working the paranormal grind, it would've been nice to see him relax for a change.

Just like Ellen and Jo, Ash was a mainstay at the Roadhouse and a character who should've been associated with its triumphant return by the time "Supernatural" ended. A fan favorite who added a dash of comic relief, Ash was sorely missed in the latter 10 years of the series. There was never a character quite like him.

Of all the recurring characters on "Supernatural," Kevin Tran draws the short end of the stick. From the moment he becomes a prophet in Season 7, his life is destroyed by the Winchester world. He loses his girlfriend, his future, his mom (sort of), and eventually his life by helping the Winchesters against forces like the Leviathans, Crowley, and the angel Metatron. After his death, his ghost haunts the Men of Letters bunker. In an act of spite, Chuck sends him to Hell for some unknown reason.

When Chuck turns on the Winchesters at the end of Season 14, he releases a bunch of the souls trapped in Hell, which, unbeknownst to them, include Kevin. Sadly, it's revealed that a soul that was once sent to Hell cannot enter Heaven — which doesn't actually make a lick of sense when you consider the others who have experienced Hell before Heaven — which means that Kevin is destined to wander the Earth forever. Kevin's story is pretty tragic, and what's even more tragic is that he doesn't ever return; he's just left wandering.

With so little closure for Kevin Tran, who sacrifices literally every good thing in his life to help Sam and Dean over the years, the least the show could've done is bring him back and usher him into the paradise that he deserved. Given that Sam and Dean somehow made it to Heaven, Kevin should've, too.

A friend of Bobby Singer's, Pamela Barnes is a psychic who helps the Winchesters first make contact with the angel Castiel, which results in her eyes being burned from her sockets. Despite the loss of her sight, Pamela helps the boys a few more times after, namely to prevent the Apocalypse. Tragically, she is killed by a demon in the process. By the time Sam and Dean adventure in Heaven, they've reunited with Pamela, whose sight is restored. She reassures the boys that she's better off in death than in life.

Pamela wouldn't return to "Supernatural," at least not in the traditional resurrection or contacting the dead kind of way. In the Season 14 episode "Nihilism," Pamela returns as a figment of Dean's imagination. Here, the elder Winchester admits to thinking about her often, especially because of their role in her blindness and death. With that in mind, we would've loved to see the real Pamela make a brief appearance in the final season of "Supernatural," especially in that final heavenly reunion.

Though Pamela forgave Sam and Dean long ago, Dean — as he always does — struggled with forgiving himself and moving on from his past sins. Nevertheless, another reunion might've brought him peace given that their first heavenly encounter didn't quite stick.

One of Sam and Dean's very first allies, Missouri Moseley is a psychic from Lawrence, Kansas who befriended John Winchester after the sudden unexplained death of his wife and occasionally watched Sam and Dean when they were children. She ends up as an essential player in reuniting them with the ghost of their mother in the Season 1 episode "Home." Missouri wasn't seen for a long time after that, though she'd have an expanded role in "Supernatural: The Anime Series," which adapted the first two seasons of the show.

In Season 13, Missouri returns to help Sam, Dean, and her estranged granddaughter Patience Turner, who also happens to be a psychic. Patience was meant to star in an unproduced "Wayward Sisters" spin-off that would've united many of the women of "Supernatural" in their own series, though sadly the series never took off. Nevertheless, Missouri sacrifices herself to save her granddaughter, ending her tenure as one of the Winchesters' oldest living allies.

Admittedly, Missouri is really only important to the "Supernatural" mythology in her first appearance, as her role as a supernatural mentor of sorts is essentially taken over by Bobby Singer and Ellen Harvelle later on. Still, the Winchesters would have been happy to see her again in the great beyond.

This one might be a bit of a stretch for some, but Mick Davies gets a bad rap. A member of the British branch of the Men of Letters, Mick is tasked with working alongside the Winchesters to help reform the American hunters into something more "respectable," but along the way, he comes over to Sam and Dean's way of thinking. Of course, this pits him against his beloved British Men of Letters, who are unhappy about his loyalty to the brothers. They quickly kill him in spite.

After Mick's death, the Winchesters split from the British Men of Letters, and soon after lead a full-on assault on their compound, killing the masterminds behind Mick's murder and the other atrocities done across the country. Though he only lasts a single season on "Supernatural" — and not even that long, really — Mick makes an impact on the Winchesters and teaches them the ways of the Men of Letters, which they were supposed to have learned from their own father.

Like many of the characters on this list, Mick was at least acknowledged in the clipshow at the end of "Inherit the Earth," which officially closed out the series' mythology arc, but he never made a final appearance in the flesh. Though the Winchesters avenged his death, it's unclear what became of his soul.

Sam's first long-term girlfriend, Jessica Moore, the same one who the Yellow-Eyed Demon killed in the "Pilot," should've absolutely made an appearance in the "Supernatural" series finale. As a matter of fact, Jessica is one of the only characters who absolutely deserves a reunion with Sam Winchester following the show's 15-year run. While Jess does make her way back to the show on a number of occasions, it's always in the form of a vision, a djinn dream, or a trick of the Devil.

Of course, Jess' death is avenged by the Winchesters within the first few seasons: first in the second season finale by Dean, who kills the Yellow-Eyed Demon named Azazel, and again in Season 5 by Sam when he kills the demon Brady, a demon who supposedly pulled the final trigger on Azazel's orders. This taste of vengeance isn't enough to keep Sam from thinking about her. Even as late as Season 15's "Atomic Monsters," which is set over 15 years after the series began, Sam admits to still thinking about Jess all the time.

One thing's for sure: the best closure for Sam would've included a final reunion with his first true love. Though they don't end up together in the end, there's no doubt that somewhere inside, Sam still loves Jessica. It's just too bad we never got that final resolution.

Of all the terribly misused characters in "Supernatural," the Winchesters' other brother Adam Milligan is the worst. In his very first appearance, he's already died at the hands of a ghoul as Sam and Dean arrive too late to do anything about it. Of course, Adam is resurrected the following season, only to be used by the angels as a vessel for the archangel Michael. By the time of the final battle between Lucifer and Michael, Sam throws them all into Lucifer's Cage, trapping them in Hell.

In his efforts to get Sam's soul out of Hell, Dean attempts to make a deal with Death to revive both Sam and Adam, but Death forces him to pick only one. Obviously, Dean picks Sam, and in doing so condemns Adam to Hell for over a decade — which is over 1,200 years in Hell-time if Dean's 40 years are taken into account. Thankfully, after years of fan outcry, Adam (and Michael) return in the show's final season, but after only one episode back, the character is killed again offscreen. At least this time he's probably on his way upstairs rather than down.

While there's no actual reason that Adam would want a reunion with his brothers in Heaven given that, you know, they left him in Hell, it would've been a nice way for the brothers to all make peace with one another after all these years. As Dean says, Adam "never caught a break."

John Winchester's long-lost father, Henry Winchester, opened up the world of "Supernatural" to the concept of the Men of Letters, a paranormal secret society that Sam and Dean take over in the back half of the series. Though their father doesn't really get to know Henry, the Winchester brothers both meet and fight alongside their grandfather when he travels through time to 2013 to escape the Knight of Hell Abaddon. Though Henry dies in battle against the demon, he does so having seen the type of men his grandchildren became, making him proud of his son.

In fact, John Winchester's entire character arc on the prequel series "The Winchesters" revolves around his desire to find out what happened to Henry and why he left their family behind. Though we haven't seen these two characters reunite on screen, the "Supernatural" series finale might've been as good a time as any to bring both John and Henry back together. Of course, this might be better suited for "The Winchesters," but it doesn't make "Supernatural" fans want it any less.

As such a vital character to the greater "Supernatural" mythology, it's too bad that Henry Winchester didn't return for the series finale. As a Man of Letters and the only heroic grandfather of Sam and Dean, there's no denying that this Winchester had it all. Sadly, he lost it all, too. It's a shame we didn't get to see him take it back.

Okay, so Jack didn't have to appear in the series finale, especially given that his arc comes to a full close in the penultimate episode "Inherit the Earth," but it would've been nice to see Sam and Dean's surrogate son usher Dean Winchester through the pearly gates, or at least reunite him with his friends and family. The son of Lucifer himself, Jack is a strange character whose fate on "Supernatural" was always in question as nobody quite knew where his story would end. 

As an important character in the series' final three seasons, Jack helps Sam and Dean in their final transition into adulthood as they — and Castiel — learn what it means to be a father. Sure, Sam would go on to have his own son — named Dean in honor of his late brother — but Jack is the first "child" of the Winchester clan that Sam and Dean would truly spend time raising as a hunter. Because of the strangeness surrounding him and his inability to be compelling, fans are pretty split on the character, so it makes sense that he doesn't return in the series' final episode.

While Jack is mentioned by Bobby in the series finale — despite never having met the young Nephilim previously — as having both resurrected Castiel and remade Heaven into a true paradise, he never actually appears on-screen. Maybe that's for the best.