With a newSupernaturalprequel dubbed The Winchestersindevelopment, here's John and Mary's history and backstoryexplained.After 15 seasons ofSupernatural,it's clearthe Winchesters aren't youraverage suburban couple. Since John and Mary met in the 1970s,they've been attacked by angels, tricked by demons, and even resurrected by mystical forces. Between the memory wipes and the time travel, it can get a little confusing. While most of the big moments in the couple's decades-long historyare explainedin episodes ofSupernatural, thereare still plenty of blanks forThe Winchestersto fill in.
The story ofthe Winchesters doesn't start with their meeting.John and Mary each come from a long line ofsupernatural soldiers. Although John never knew the full details of his heritage, his father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all members of the Men of Letters, a secret society dedicated to researching the supernatural. After John's father went missing in 1958 (hunted by the demon Abaddon),he grew up thinkinghis father had abandoned him.Mary's family, on the other hand, were renowned hunters, including her father Samuel Campbell and her mother Deanna. Marygrew upas a hunter, helping keep the world safe from monsters.
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Eventually,John and Mary eachended up inLawrence, Kansas, where they presumablymet andbegan dating. John, having served in the Vietnam War as a U.S. Marine, returned stateside to work as a mechanic, while Mary kept hunting. At one point inSupernatural, it's mentioned thattheir romance was orchestrated by angels to ensure Dean and Sam would be born, despite the Winchester brothers not featuring in original plans."They couldn't stand each other at first,"saidan unnamed cupid.By 1973, however, the twowere a happy couple planning to get married. Cue the supernatural interference.
Mary Makes A Deal WithA Demon
The earliest chronological appearance of John and Mary Winchester inSupernaturalis season 4, episode 3, "In the Beginning," at which time the twowere already dating. It wasduringthat year, 1973, that Mary encountered a strange hunter going by the name Dean van Halen who, of course, was actually Dean Winchester. Together,the twotracked down a demon making deals in Lawerence, inadvertently drawing its attention. The demon, Azazel, became fascinated with Mary and later killed both her parents. After also killing John, Azazel promised to resurrect him in exchange for permission to enter Mary's house in 10 years. Mary agreed,got engaged to John, andswore off hunting for good.
The Winchesters Are Attacked By Angels
Five years later, in 1978, John and Marywere a happily married couple living together in Lawerence, Kansas, as shown inseason 5, episode 13, "The Song Remains the Same." Mary had just become pregnant with Dean when the couple was again visited by time travelers.That time, it was Anna and Uriel, angels bent on killing John to prevent the apocalypse. Asthe Winchestersfought for their lives, John was possessed by the archangel Michael, who sent the other angels running. Michael wiped John and Mary's memories to ensure history stayed on track.
In the subsequent years, Mary and John started a family. On Jan. 24, 1979, Dean was born. By 1980, however, Mary had started hunting again, albeit for a brief period of time.In season 12, episode 6, "Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox," it's revealed she killed a werewolf she'd been tracking for a while, saving the life of a boy named Asa Fox. Mary presumably returned to Lawerence later, giving birth to Sam on May 2, 1983.
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Mary WinchesterDies Trying To Protect Sam
Six months after Sam's birth, on Nov. 2, 1983, Mary Winchester died. Ten years after her demon deal, as promised, Azazel entered her home and poisoned Sam with demon blood. Although Mary tried to stop the demon, he burned her alive. John, who is oblivious to the supernatural world, witnessed her death, triggering a lifelong obsession with hunting.
John Winchester Starts Hunting
Following Mary's death, John went to a local psychic (Missouri Mosely) and discovered the truth about the supernatural. Having learned about hunting, John embarked on a mission of revenge,planning to kill the demon that murdered his wife.John traveled the whole country, amassing knowledge and making connections with other hunters like Bobby Singer and Bill Harvelle.As Sam and Dean grew up, he also taught them how to hunt.
In the fall of 2002, John got a shocking phone call from former girlfriend Kate Milligan, who told him they had a son together, now 12. After meeting Adam Milligan, John visited him sporadically, keeping his existence a secret from Dean and Sam. By 2005, Sam and Dean were adults and John was hunting on his own. Supernaturalseason 1, episode 1, "Pilot" started with John going missing during a run-of-the-mill case in California.
During another season 1 episode,the Winchester brothers also discovered Maryhad become a ghost in their childhood home following her death. During the huntof a poltergeist in theKansas house, the ghost version of Mary appeared to saveDean and Sam from death. Later on, the brothers eventually discovered Johnwentto ground to follow a lead on Azazel, staying away from his sons in an effort to keep them safe. John eventually rejoined Dean and Sam to hunt Azazel. In season 1, episode 22, "Devil's Trap," John was possessed by Azazel before Sam shoots him (nonfatally) with the Colt. On the way to the hospital, John, Sam, and Deanwere hit by a semi-truck.
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John Winchester Dies To Save Dean
Supernaturalseason 2, episode 1, "In My Time of Dying," opened with Dean in a coma. Desperate to save his son's life, John summoned Azazel andmade a deal with the demon — he sacrificed his life and soul so Dean would live. Dean and Sam eventually avenge their parents, killing Azazel in the season 2 finale, "All Hell Breaks Loose, Part 2." Dean even gets an assist from John, who emerges fromHell, where time passes differently,as a ghost, fights Azazel and then ascends to Heaven in peace.
Mary Is Resurrected
Supernaturalseason 12 continued the show's history of shocking resurrections when writers brought Mary Winchester back to life. Mostly absent from the early series, Mary's reappearance in the season 11 finale shocked audiences.The Winchester matriarch was brought back to life by the Darkness as a "reward" to Dean for helping hermake peace with her brother God (another storyline thatcould be found only on Supernatural). Mary struggled to reconnect with her sons during season 12 but eventuallyreconciled herself to the fact that hunting was in her blood.
Mary briefly worked with the British Men of Letters before her relationship with them came back to bite her. After being betrayed by Arthur Ketch, Mary abandoned their cause and rejoined the now-older Dean and Sam. The family's reunion didn't last long, however. During the season 12 finale, "All Along the Watchtower," Mary tackled Lucifer into an alternate universe and was trapped there. Dean and Sam made multiple attempts to rescue her during season 13 before finally succeeding, bringing Mary, Jack, and many "Apocalypse World" humans back with them to their reality.
Winchester Family Reunion
In season 14, episode 13, "Lebanon," the Winchesters have a true family reunion when John is briefly transported to the bunker. Thanks to an enchanted object that grants wishes, John ismoved from 2003, prior to the start ofSupernatural, to the current day.John reunited with Mary on the 300th episode,and the show sawthe first-ever Winchester family dinner before John returned to the past.
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Mary Dies (Again) In A Tragic Accident
John and Mary do eventually get a happily ever, meeting in Heaven. Shortly after their mystical reunion, inSupernatural season 14, episode 17, “Game Night,” Mary is killed in a tragic accident. Jack, while soulless, loses control of his powers and lashes out at Mary when she tries to bring him back from the edge of power-madness, killing her. Although Jack and the Winchesters make multiple attempts to resurrect her, they eventually have to admit she's gone for good, especially after Castiel discovers she's at peace."She's with John, and there's no sorrow. There's no guilt. Just joy,"he says after a visit to her Heaven. TheSupernaturalseries finale, "Carry On," reconfirmed that John and Mary met again in Heaven.
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