Supernatural: Who Plays Ruby And Why Was She Recast?

"Supernatural" has one of the biggest casts of recurring characters of any genre show from its era. This is because the series primarily follows only the two central characters, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles), meaning that, like with "The X-Files," having a bevy of side characters who come and go is essential.

One of the most memorable recurring characters from the series early days is easily Ruby (Katie Cassidy/Genevieve Padalecki). The character appeared in Season 3 of "Supernatural" to seemingly replace the demonic Meg (Nicki Aycox/Rachel Miner), who had disappeared at the tail end of Season 2. As such, she fulfilled the same role as Meg in that she could occasionally be an ally but was generally seen as a villain.

However, she also followed Meg's example in another way when her role was recast with a different performer. Of course, in the series, these developments were explained away by the demon simply choosing to possess a new host. Behind the scenes, though, the actor said that the switch-up happened because Warner Bros. wasn't sure where her "Supernatural" character was going.

While Eric Kripke, who created "Supernatural" and served as its showrunner for the first five seasons, cited budgetary reasons for Katie Cassidy's exit, both accounts could be true. For instance, Warner Bros. might not have been sure about where Ruby was going because of budgetary issues and may have been considering dropping or killing off the character as a result.

Either way, however, Cassidy was given the option to stay or go after Season 3, and she chose to leave to take on a role in the CBS murder mystery "Harper's Island." Though the show only lasted for a single season, it's clear that there was no bad blood between Cassidy and The CW, as she was later cast as Black Canary in its Arrowverse.

As for Genevieve Padalecki, whose last name was Cortese at the time, she played the character in Season 4 of "Supernatural," becoming more than just an in-show love interest for Padalecki's Sam. While the brothers eventually learned her true intentions to bring Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino) to Earth and killed her, she has since married Padalecki and currently works with him on another CW series, "Walker."