John Winchester (Supernatural)
John Eric Winchester is a fictional character on The CW's series Supernatural and the protagonist of the comic book spin-off series Supernatural: Origins. Developed by series creator Eric Kripke, the character is mainly portrayed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. John is the father of Sam and Dean Winchester, the show's protagonists.
| John Winchester | |
|---|---|
| Supernatural / The Winchesters character | |
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as John Winchester | |
| First appearance | "Pilot" (2005) |
| Last appearance | "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" (2023) |
| Created by | Eric Kripke |
| Portrayed by | Jeffrey Dean Morgan Matt Cohen (young) Drake Rodger (young; The Winchesters) Nels Guloien (child) |
| Voiced by | Takaya Hashi (anime, Japanese dub) Alain Goulem (anime, English dub) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Hunter Former mechanic Former Marine |
| Family | Henry Winchester (father) Millie Winchester (mother) |
| Spouse | Mary Campbell |
| Children | Dean Winchester (son) Sam Winchester (son) Adam Milligan (son) |
| Nationality | American |
| Duration | 2005–2010, 2013, 2019, 2022–2023 |
| Rank | Corporal |
Seeking revenge after his wife Mary was killed by the demon Azazel, John Winchester became a hunter and raised his two sons to fight the supernatural. John disappears early in Supernatural, and the first season revolves primarily around Sam and Dean trying to find him. Morgan was also filming episodes of Grey's Anatomy while the first season of Supernatural was under production, and future appearances of the character were hindered by his busy schedule. While Morgan's portrayal has been praised, fans and critics were generally frustrated toward the character for keeping so many secrets.
On December 12, 2018, it was announced that Morgan would return for the show's 300th episode, "Lebanon", reprising his role as John Winchester.
On March 21, 2022, Drake Rodger was cast as young John in the spin off sequel series The Winchesters.