Showrunner Eric Kripke has really been able to let loose with The Boys, the Amazon Prime superhero series that blends the most intense gore on television with plot twists that make your jaw drop. Now, in its fifth and final season, Kripke is taking a trip down memory lane by bringing back a trio of actors from a past project.
Kripke previously served as showrunner for the first five seasons of Supernatural, which explains why Jensen Ackles, who played demon hunter Dean Winchester on the series, was cast as Soldier Boy in The Boys. In a new video posted to The Boys’ social media channels, Ackles revealed he’ll now be joined by two familiar faces: Jared Padalecki, who co-starred with Ackles as Dean’s brother Sam, and Misha Collins, who played the angel Castiel.
Supernatural became infamous for its long tenure, lasting 15 seasons on the CW. Kripke only stayed for a third of those seasons, leaving after concluding his original five-year plan. By the time the show reached Season 15, the story was clearly past its expiration date.
Sam, Dean, and Castiel were the beating heart of Supernatural, but the series finale kept them apart — Castiel sacrificed himself and was sent to The Empty (or, as it’s known in the fandom, Super Hell), Dean dies and goes to heaven, and Sam lives a long life with his family before dying and joining his brother. It’s a satisfying ending, but not necessarily a happy one if you’re part of the horde of fans who believe Castiel and Dean belong together.
This Boys appearance can reunite the actors under the supervision of the man who created the series that brought them together. Sure, Soldier Boy may not be very similar to Dean, and The Boys isn’t exactly known for its happy endings, but knowing how the show works, it’s very likely we’ll see some sort of winking reference to what came before. It may even serve as a valuable reminder that every show, no matter how beloved, needs to reach its natural endpoint.
