7 things you didn’t know about ‘Supernatural’

Photo Credit: Supernatural/The CW Image Acquired from CW TV PR

How much of a ‘Supernatural’ fan are you? Only the most devout members of the SPN Family will know every single one of these facts.

Supernatural will air its 13^th season in Oct. That’s 12 years of mystical, devilish, and Winchester goodness. 12 years of the family business saving people and hunting things. But did you know how it all started? Did you know creator Eric Kripke’s original plans?

Here’s a look at 7 things you likely didn’t know about Supernatural until now.

It was all about American urban legends

The first couple of seasons give away the original intentions of the show. While many fans believe that the show was originally going to last five years, there were actually only three seasons considered. And they were all supposed to involve urban legends and American myths. That’s right; there was originally no Heaven and Hell storyline.

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Despite what looks to be foreshadowing in Season 2, the angels were never supposed to come into the show. Kripke didn’t want that element, but later changed his mind.

The original idea was to create a story about travelling the country, telling the myths, legends, and stories from different races, groups of people, and local areas. It was about the ghost stories, setting up the ability for the monster of the week style of shooting. It worked, but we can’t deny that the show just wouldn’t be what it is today without the angels, the devil, and Castiel.

In fact, the original idea wasn’t going to be about two brothers on the road at all. It was going to be about two journalists looking into the urban legends and stories around the country.

Castiel was never supposed to be a main character

Despite Castiel raising Dean from perdition, the character was never supposed to be a main one. He wasn’t supposed to be the one that the Winchesters called all the time. That honor was supposed to go to the angel, Anna.

Kripke’s plan never quite worked out, and not because he has this thing for killing the women off in the show! The fans flocked around Castiel immediately (his entrance did it for me) and fans wanted to see more. They took to him more than they took to Anna, so Kripke decided the original plan needed to be changed.

Supernatural was and is a show that listens to the fans. When Castiel was killed off in Season 7, he was brought back later because of the fans. So, really, Season 4 was just part of the journey that made the show what it is today.

Photo Credit: Supernatural/The CW Image Acquired from CW TV PR

Dean originally drove a Mustang

Baby is not a prop, as Jensen Ackles shared. Well, Baby was nearly not a Chevy ’69 Impala. It was almost a ’65 Mustang. Who could ever imagine Baby being a Mustang?

Kripke had to create a pitch that was close enough to what the show would become. That pitch meant the type of car had to be mentioned, and the creator just wasn’t a car guy. In the end, he found out that a Mustang wouldn’t be the way to go, but an Impala was better. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

Another reason the Impala was chosen was because the trunk was big enough to fit a body in. Sure enough, that reasoning has been used multiple times!

The Winchesters were almost the Harrisons

While “Winchester” is now a household name for the SPN Family, fans nearly had to call the brothers the Harrisons. To top it off, Sam was going to be called Sal. In the end, Kripke decided to change it and we’re certainly glad he did.

Why Harrison? Kripke wanted to create a nod to Harrison Ford and this was supposed to be the way to do it. It would also work since Dean had that devil-may-care attitude that Han Solo did in the original Star Wars movies.

Sam’s first name changed first, since the name Sal just didn’t seem appropriate. Then the team learned there was already a real Sam Harrison living in Kansas, so the surname had to change too.

When the name Winchester was decided, the name of the brothers’ dad had to change. He was originally going to be called Jack, but there was a Jack Winchester living in Kansas at the time. The name John was settled and we have the three characters we know and love today.

Photo Credit: Supernatural/The CW Image Acquired from CW TV PR

John Winchester was supposed to burn on the ceiling

John’s name wasn’t the only thing changed for the pilot. The original script’s ending was supposed to be completely different. In fact, the whole script was supposed to be completely different but we won’t quite get into that. After all, pilot plots can change.

The most important change was how Jess ended up on the ceiling. That was supposed to be the Winchesters’ dad, but Kripke decided to give Sam a similar storyline to his father. There are also some theories that Jess was supposed to be a demon to lure Sam to Azazel.

The team wanted Kristen Bell to play Ruby

The first Ruby was played by Arrow’s Katie Cassidy. Relatively fresh on the acting scene, Cassidy definitely delivered on the role, despite her character’s storyline getting cut due to the 2007/2008 writer’s strike.

However, Cassidy wasn’t first choice for playing the role. Ruby was actually created with Kristen Bell in mind. She turned down the role, as she took up the role of Elle Bishop in Heroes instead. The role had to be recast.

The FBI badges have to be fake

We all know that Sam and Dean have fake FBI badges, but did you know they aren’t even replicas of real FBI badges? It’s illegal to impersonate an federal agent, and that includes for TV purposes. The badges have to be adapted, so don’t actually say Federal Bureau of Investigation on them.

While on the subject of the badges, we all know that the names are usually from popular culture. Dean and Sam have opted for band member names, movie character names, and even Game of Thrones character names (Martell and Stark). Did you know where the names for some of the demons have come from?

Alastair and Crowley were created in homage for English occultist Aleister Crowley. Lilith was named for Aleister’s real daughter, not Lilith from Jewish mythology as many fans believe.

Next: When will 'Supernatural' Season 13 premiere?

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