What Has Mark Sheppard Been Doing Since Leaving Supernatural?

The ending of the hit CW show "Supernatural" left a gaping hole in not only the hearts of fans but also in the hearts of the actors. Stars Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, responsible for playing Dean and Sam Winchester respectively, have each pursued different projects since, but still maintain the brotherly bond they developed while on the demon-fighting show for fifteen years. While the Winchester brothers are front and center in "Supernatural", there tons of other characters and actors who also said some sad goodbyes to the show and the adventures involved. Whether they were present for a few seasons, or just a few episodes, "Supernatural" is well known for its endless onslaught of guest stars playing either victims, demons, witches, vampires, or whatever other fantasy adversaries the Winchesters had to face that season. 

One such character was the demon Crowley. Crowley was known as King of the Crossroads and also the honorary King of Hell when Lucifer was unable to hold the post. From his arrival in the fifth season onward, Mark Sheppard, who brought Crowley to life, was the hilarious enemy turned ally until his departure during Season 12 in 2017. Unfortunately, Sheppard doesn't share the same sentiment as his co-stars do; after a poor write-off for his character, Sheppard declared he would never return to the show due to unhappiness with how Crowley's final moments were handled. 

Here's what Sheppard has happily been up to since he left "Supernatural" behind.

The onscreen DC Comics universe has been slowly but surely building itself up over the past few years. With many new TV series debuting and new heroes being introduced to the screen for the first time, audiences can indulge and interact with the universe much more than they could before, and DC's "Doom Patrol" is one such change agent. 

With three seasons available and a fourth one soon to be released, "Doom Patrol" follows a group of characters who have received superpowers after experiencing sad events. The group includes Jane (Diane Guerrero), Rita Farr (April Bowlby), Vic Stone (Joivan Wade), Larry Trainor (Matt Bomer), Cliff Steele (Brendan Fraser), and their leader Chief (Timothy Dalton). Mark Sheppard joined the team as Willoughby Kipling, a powerful ally who is old friends with Chief. While Willoughby was born back in the 1400s, he's an immortal who finally met Niles Caulder, better known as Chief, in the 1990s. 

Together, they face the Cult of the Unwritten book and defeat them for a time. Due to their bond, Willoughby comes to the Doom Patrol's aid, putting his talents as an occult detective, chaos magician, and member of the Knights Templar to good use. One downfall of Willoughby is fighting dirty; he is willing to do anything to keep himself and other people safe, even if it reaches a morally grey area that sometimes meets with objections by other members of the Doom Patrol. 

Most recently for Mark Sheppard, he joined The CW's Western crime series "Walker: Independence," a spinoff of "Walker", ironically starring Jared Padalecki, Sheppard's costar from "Supernatural," as titular character Cordell Walker. The show started airing in October 2022, and has its first season well underway, lending to many twists, turns, tension, and a potential love story. 

"Walker: Independence" is a prequel that follows one of Cordell's ancestors, Abigail Walker (Katherine McNamara). The story begins with tragedy when Abby witnesses the murder of her husband while they're traveling to Independence, a town where Abby's husband was meant to be the new sheriff. When Abby makes her way to the developing town, she is surprised and frightened when she runs into Sheriff Tom Davidson (Greg Hovanessian), who has replaced her husband. Abby enlists Hoyt Rawlins (Matt Barr) to help her, as she believes Sheriff Tom is her husband's killer. 

Sheppard arrives as Nathan Hagen, who owns a hotel and seems to be very happy with the recent appointment of Sheriff Davidson. With a few more episodes left to be aired in the season, audiences will get a closer look at Sheppard's character's intentions. Though many fans may miss Sheppard's portrayal of the delightfully evil Crowley, he's been doing pretty well for himself since his character's unfortunate demise.