Every season of Supernatural built its fan base from small and cult-like to a pop culture icon, with the ending igniting inevitable controversy. Running from 2005 to 2020, the show was led by Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester and Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester, and a lot of people didn't want to see it end.

Airing on November 19, 2020, the Supernatural season 15 finale saw the Winchester brothers defeating the final boss - God himself. The stakes couldn't get any higher. Then, in a move that some saw as anticlimactic and others saw as perfectly fitting, Dean eventually died in a run-of-the-mill vampire hunt. Sam grew old and eventually ed Dean and Bobby in heaven. Cast, crew, and fans alike have long debated the possibility of a return for Supernatural, be it in another season, a movie, or a reboot. But The Winchesters made it clear just how easy this would be.

Dean Returned In The Winchesters 2 Years After Supernatural's Finale

Supernatural Brought Dean Winchester Back

Perhaps the most important of the Supernatural spinoffs is The Winchesters, which brought Dean Winchester back onto screens two years after Supernatural ended. Developed by Robbie Thompson with Ackles serving as executive producer, The Winchesters followed a young John and Mary. However, the spinoff was seemingly deviating from canon, particularly regarding Mary's past and how much she knew about John and the threats their family would face.

But at the end, it was revealed that Dean, who was narrating the story, had been in heaven, searching for a world where the Winchesters had a happy ending. In other words, The Winchesters took place in an alternate universe. Dean had fought threats to the multiverse that he encountered along the way, proving how easily he could return to the story.

How Dean's Return In The Winchesters Improved Upon His Supernatural Ending

The Winchesters Gave Dean's Ending More Closure

Sam and Dean Winchester had a jarring ending that took many by surprise. Fortunately, despite its flaws, The Winchesters provided some more closure to it. Dean had died abruptly, and Sam's long life and eventual death were encapsulated in one episode. This may have felt like an insufficient end to a fifteen-year series, but The Winchesters was determined to add some clarity and potential to the fates of the brothers.

The Winchesters paraded as a prequel story, but in reality, it was a Supernatural epilogue.

Elaborating on Dean's time in heaven, The Winchesters confirmed that Dean was still saving the world, even after his death. This made his death easier to handle and opened up the possibility of a comeback.

Dean's Return Shows How Easily Supernatural Can Come Back For Season 16

Supernatural Can Put The Winchesters Back Into A Story Easily

The Winchesters paraded as a prequel story, but in reality, it was a Supernatural epilogue, and its handling of Dean Winchester's story proves how easily the franchise could return. Eric Kripke has said that he won't bring Supernatural back unless he has a good story for it (the Winchesters in a Supernatural season 16 or reboot. Dean, Sam, and Bobby are together again, and still a thorn in evil's side.

Supernatural writer and producer Robbie Thompson and Supernatural star Jensen Ackles were well-situated to build on the original show for a new series. They did so well, despite whatever problems The Winchesters may have had. A new season, movie, or reboot of Supernatural can explore the multiverse and what Sam, Dean, and Bobby got up to in heaven. The Winchesters is just one of many examples of how death is not really an ending in Supernatural, and how, if there were to be a new season, Sam and Dean could easily return.

Source: Collider