On Supernatural, brothers Sam and Dean Winchester are the stars of the show, but there would be no Sam and Dean without their parents John and Mary. John and Mary loom large over everything the brothers do, from their dedication to hunting to their commitment to family. Even though they’re gone for major parts of the show, John and Mary maintain a place in the boys’ hearts and minds. They think about what their parents were like and what actions they would take — and they dream about the way things might have been had their family’s lives never become entangled with the supernatural. Sam and Dean were forged in loss and it was the original loss of their mother when they were young that set the foundation for their lives moving forward.
Yet, John and Mary had lives of their own, full of ups and downs, hopes and dreams. Their life together wasn’t always easy but it was as normal as they come. And it was exactly what they both wanted.
While Sam and Dean's early childhood represented what could have been for them, the truth of their parents’ lives was actually much more complicated. Throughout Supernatural, fans have learned about the ways John and Mary fought for the life they wanted — and rose above difficult circumstances, often while being tracked by demons, to live in peace — at least for a while.
Here are 25 Crazy Revelations Behind John and Mary’s Relationship.
THEY DIDN’T LIKE EACH OTHER AT FIRST
Years after they are both gone, Sam and Dean meet a cupid who informs them that John and Mary couldn’t stand each other when they first met. A cupid had to be called in to make sure they fell in love, and after he worked his magic, they were the perfect couple.
However, the story John told his sons about how he met their mother was a little different. In that story, Mary ran into John on March 23, 1972 after seeing a movie, knocking him down in the process. To make it up to him, Mary took him to get a coffee. After talking and discovering John liked Led Zeppelin, John asked for her number. The rest is history. Of the two stories, John, Mary, and their sons, clearly prefer the second one.
THEIR RELATIONSHIP WAS PREORDAINED
The fact that a cupid had to get involved to ensure John and Mary fell in love made it clear that someone had a vested interest in them getting together. According to the cupid that Sam and Dean met, the pairing of John and Mary was a very big deal in heaven.
The couple’s relationship was a top priority to the angels upstairs because it was imperative that Sam and Dean were born. As a result, heaven was willing to do whatever it took to make sure John and Mary paired up. As the cupid says, they’re “a match made in heaven.”
MARY’S FATHER WASN’T A FAN OF JOHN
Although Mary was in love with John and knew he was planning to propose, her father was never on board with the relationship. John was well aware of Mary’s father’s disapproval and believed it was because he was a small-town mechanic from a family of mechanics. However, Mary insisted that it really had nothing to do with John — her father was just protective of her.
Later, it becomes clear that Mary’s hunter father’s objections stemmed from John being a naïve civilian. Both Mary’s parents believed John couldn’t protect or partner with Mary against mystical forces, leaving them both vulnerable. Not to mention making him odd man out with their family.
JOHN WAS A VIETNAM VETERAN
John was a corporal in the Marines and served in the Vietnam War. He met Mary after he got home. Unlike many that served in the war, however, John’s time in Vietnam didn’t seem to negatively impact him.
In fact, even after what he saw in the war, John stayed optimistic and still believed in love. Mary describes him as “everything a hunter isn’t.” It isn’t until years later when Mary is taken from him that John'a attitude completely changes and he becomes the paranoid, gruff individual who raised his sons to be hunters.
THEY MET THEIR SONS BEFORE THEY WERE BORN
Dean was zapped into the past to help his parents in 1973 and again in 1978. Sam ed him the second time. As a result, the pair met John and Mary before they were even born. In 1973, Dean never reveals his relationship to the couple. He poses as another hunter — by the name of Dean Van Halen — to gain their trust.
In 1978, the brothers travel to the past to save their parents from an angel. While Mary recognizes Dean, John doesn’t, so over Mary’s objections, Dean introduces himself and Sam as Mary’s cousins. Later, in an effort to make Mary understand the stakes of the situation, Dean reveals to Mary that he’s her son.
MARY KEPT HER HUNTER BACKGROUND FROM JOHN
Mary was raised by a family of hunters. Her father, in particular, was a dedicated hunter and he moved his family around constantly in pursuit of the next case. In the process, he taught Mary about different demons, how to defend herself against them, and how to take them out.
Yet, when Mary’s family ended up in Lawrence, Kansas and she met John, she decided to keep her background as a hunter a secret from him. In John’s naivete about the supernatural, she saw the possibility of a life she never had, and she had no desire to spoil that by revealing the truth about monsters and demons.
JOHN BUYS THE IMPALA OVER THE VAN HE PROMISED MARY BECAUSE OF DEAN
It’s hard to imagine Sam and Dean without their ’67 Impala. It’s the car they’ve relied on their whole lives. Dean even affectionately refers to it as "Baby." Before it was Dean’s, however, it belonged to John. Had Dean not been there in 1973 when John went to buy his car, he might have made a very different purchase.
Disoriented at being thrown into a different time before he was even born, Dean nonetheless has the presence of mind to notice that John is planning to buy the van. John implies that he promised Mary he would, but Dean easily steers him in the direction of the much more appealing Impala.
MARY USES HER HUNTING SKILLS TO PROTECT JOHN
Despite desperately wanting to leave the hunter’s life, Mary showed time and again that she had a knack for it. John may have been a Marine, but it was Mary who stayed vigilant to what was going on around her at all times.
She showed this skill when Dean was brought to 1973 to help his parents. In an effort to stay inconspicuous, Dean followed the couple from a distance. Mary noticed, however, and confronted Dean, landing a few kicks and punches before he could explain his good intentions. Mary was always willing to put herself in the line of fire to protect both herself and John.
JOHN’S PROPOSAL TO MARY IS INTERRUPTED BY A DEMON
On a case with her father and Dean in 1973, Mary is over-powered by the yellow-eyed demon. Although she escapes, she’s badly shaken up by the experience. She calls John to take her away and he drives her out to the waterfront to propose.
As he shows Mary the ring and professes his love, they’re interrupted by an angry rapping on the car’s window. It’s Mary’s father, who drags her out of the car. What the couple doesn’t realize is that Mary’s father is possessed by the yellow-eyed demon, giving his actions a very different meaning than if it was just Mary’s father objecting to his daughter marrying John.
MARY SAVED JOHN’S LIFE BY MAKING A DEAL WITH A DEMON
When the yellow-eyed demon interrupted John’s proposal to Mary, he gets extremely rough with her. Unaware that he’s taking on a demon, John tries to intervene to prevent Azazel from hurting his girlfriend. The demon responds with intense force, mortally injuring John’s neck and leaving Mary devastated.
Azazel offers Mary a deal: if she agrees to let him enter her house in 10 years, he’ll bring John back to life. As long as Azazel isn’t interrupted, no one will get hurt. Unable to live without John and not wanting to be alone, Mary agrees and John wakes up in her arms.