Sunday, July 22 was our final day at San Diego Comic-Con 2018. We actually got some time to relax on Saturday night, and got a decent night’s sleep. It was around 7:30am when we woke up on Sunday morning. I decided to check Twitter to see what the status of the Hall H line was.
As had been the case all week, there were still wristbands left at the 7:30am cutoff time. However, according to one tweet, a volunteer had said there were only about 500 D wristbands left when they stopped handing out the wristbands. The only panel we planned to attend on Sunday was the Supernatural panel, which was the first panel of the day in Hall H, at 10:30am. So we decided we should go ahead and get up, pack up everything in the car, check out, and head down to the line. By the time we did all that, it was about 8:40am when we got in line, which extended to the port-a-potties along the marina at that point. After all the line condensing, walking through the metal detectors (were they even on, or just set at a really low setting?), and loading up in the chutes, we finally made it into the room at about 10:25am. Just in time!
Over the years, it has been a tradition for us to go to the Supernatural panel, even at times when we weren’t caught up, because it’s always a fun panel. Last year was the exception, when we decided to get in line for The Gifted mutant gene DNA screening instead. Sadly for us, Kansas decided to show up and play Carry On Wayward Son and we missed it! We were kind of hoping for a repeat performance this year, but no such luck.
The panel kicked off with a highlight reel from last season, which ended with a clip from Season 14 — even though filming just started last week! In the clip [spoiler alert if you’re not caught up through Season 13], Michael (who is now using Dean’s body) visits a Muslim man named Julian. The two have never met, but Michael tells Julian, “You’ve read all about me.” Julian guesses that he’s God, but Michael answers, “No, but close.” Then Julian guesses that he’s Gabriel, to which Michael responds, “No, the other one. The better one.” When Julian asks him why he’s there, Michael says it’s to ask him a question which he has also traveled around asking others the past several weeks: “What do you want?” Michael tells him that if he could have anything, name it. Julian responds, “Peace and love.” This causes Michael to chuckle, and he says that’s not really what humans want, it’s just what they say they want. Otherwise, the world wouldn’t be the world. Julian tries to insist that is really what he wants, but Michael knows about Julian’s past, saying that if Julian really wanted peace, he wouldn’t have left Syria, abandoning his loved ones to die. And if Julian cared about love, he wouldn’t have cheated on his wife, causing her to leave him, which resulted in Julian living in this “rat hole.”
Following the clip, Richard Speight Jr. and Rob Benedict, who play Gabriel and Chuck/God, came out on stage to moderate the Supernatural panel for the third year in a row. They reminisced about how Kansas came to the panel last year, but since Kansas couldn’t be here this year the two sang the Kansas song Dust in the Wind for us instead. They ended by saying, “Suck it, Kansas!” but quickly apologized, saying they actually love Kansas.
The panelists then joined the stage, which included executive producers and showrunners Robert Singer and Andrew Dabb, executive producers and writing team Eugenie Ross-Leming and Brad Buckner, and cast members Alexander Calvert (Jack), Misha Collins (Castiel), and finally the Winchester Brothers themselves, Jensen Ackles (Dean) and Jared Padalecki (Sam).
Jensen Ackles talked about what it’s been like for him to portray Michael instead of Dean, saying, “There’s not a whole lot going on for Dean right now. He’s kind of sitting shotgun while Michael is driving.” It was challenging for him to play someone completely different, but it has been exciting and fun. Jared Padalecki jumped in, saying this was the first time he had seen the clip shown earlier, and it gave him chills. As for Michael’s look, Ackles did confirm that there was a bit of collaboration, pointing out that he is a big fan of the show Peaky Blinders, and he was able to get the “timeless” look that he had been hoping to have for Michael. Knowing what was coming, Ackles had made sure to pay attention to what Christian Keyes had done with the character of Michael last season. He had also asked Keyes for advice on something to keep in mind to make sure that the continuity stays intact. Ackles then demonstrated what Keyes showed him he does: he stood up and threw the bottom of his long blazer back with a flourish. “I’ve been nailing that ever since,” Ackles commented.
Andrew Dabb spoke about writing for the character of Michael in Dean’s body, commenting that Dean is still in there, but not at the forefront. Although some of Dean’s mannerisms may slip through occasionally, Dabb also pointed out that Dean is a funny character and pop culture savvy, but Michael is not, and joked that this has become a problem for the show, because they try to give more jokes to Misha, but “that has not worked.”
As for Sam, Padalecki said that he has taken on more of a leadership role without Dean around, and has not shaved in awhile. Sam has to take what he has learned and pass it on to the Apocalypse World hunters, who are all living under the same roof. He joked, “It’s the new Brady Bunch.”
Castiel is taking on more of a hunter role, which Misha Collins described as a “roll up his trenchcoat sleeves moment” for him. He’s also taking Jack under his wing, as he is going through some of the same things Cass has gone through in the past. Collins pointed out that he and Alexander Calvert look exactly alike and asked if it will later be revealed that Castiel is actually Jack’s father. However, Singer responded, “I don’t think they look anything alike.” Speight expressed his opinion that the two look related, and that “it’s creepy.” Calvert commented, “Wait till I start wearing a trenchcoat.” Padalecki joked, “Can you talk in a really boring voice?”
This was Calvert’s first Comic-Con panel. He spoke about how Jack not having powers is a big adjustment and struggle for him. Additionally, Calvert apparently puts up with a lot of playful abuse on set, which Speight has witnessed as well.
Regarding Michael’s agenda for this season, Buckner commented that that’s on their list of things not to reveal. However, Buckner did tease that one of the big questions is who is Michael going to use for his support system for whatever he’s going to do to Earth? Buckner did confirm that Michael does have a plan, though, and that we will see him recruiting for “Team Michael,” which will unfold very quickly within the first few episodes.
Collins commented that he seems to take a lot of abuse on this panel year after year. When the moderators brought up the fact that Castiel and Jack will be working closely together this season and asked if Collins and Calvert were excited about that, Collins said he was, but Calvert responded, “No. Working with Misha Collins is almost as bad as working with Jared and Jensen.”
Collins then took the opportunity to call upon a couple of volunteers from the audience to pass out voter registration cards. He also mentioned that if you don’t live in California, you can go to Vote.org.
Calvert went on to talk about how the driving goal this season is to get Dean back.
As for whether we could expect to see the return of any old favorite characters this season (with big hints from the moderators about wanting to see their own characters), Dabb confirmed that we will see Jody Mills, and teased that we may be seeing other members of the Wayward family as well. Additionally, Rowena will be back. In fact, Ruth Connell, who plays Rowena, was in the audience, and they had her stand. Padalecki asked about the return of Ruby — who is played by his wife, Genevieve Padalecki, also in the audience.
Benedict brought up the fact that the show will hit 300 episodes this season, and that it will actually fall on the 13th episode. Singer commented that Dabb has a plan, but he hasn’t let him — or anyone — in on it. Singer did reveal that he is directing it though, and that he would like to know what he is directing, but Dabb won’t tell him.
Going back to the question of whether Ackles had any input on Michael’s wardrobe, Singer revealed that anytime there’s a period piece costume, such as Western, or the 1930s, Ackles has very specific input, such as, “Give me that hat, I want that coat, you have to make that special for me.” Basically, his input is, “Do it the way I want, and I’ll be happy.” However, Ackles pointed out that it’s not just the time traveling wardrobes that he provides input for. He pointed out one wardrobe in particular: the dodgeball gym coach. This caused a lot of cheering. “So, you’re welcome,” Ackles said. Collins brought up the cowboy/Western theme episode, and pointed out that Ackles was more excited than his character about the cowboy hat! They then had a good laugh about the “carnival” hat that Collins had to wear that episode.
The panelists then each addressed what they think it is about the show that keeps it engaging for fans. Buckner spoke about the characters continuing to evolve, as well as the fact that characters keep getting added to the show that we are getting to know and love. Ross-Leming brought up the theme of redemption. She also talked about the writers pushing themselves to find new ways to explore the characters, and that the audience likes that journey. Calvert said it was the brotherhood and family aspect. Ackles talked about the show revolving around one central character: the car. “And the brothers that ride inside of it,” Padalecki added. Padalecki went on to say that it was because of the fans, as well as because the cast and crew of the show feel like family. Collins agreed that it is because of the fandom, pointing out that because the show has been on for so long, there are people who have literally grown up watching the show since they were children, who are now college graduates. He talked about the people on the show feeling like a real family, saying, “We have formed real emotional bonds, and the audience can’t help but do the same with the characters on the show.” Dabb praised the versatility of the actors and their ability to do whatever you throw at them. Singer pointed out that whereas other shows accelerate their plot, Supernatural “slow rolls” their plot over the course of the season, because they are able to rely on character development. He thinks the show has lasted this long is because “we don’t rush it” and instead take the appropriate time to tell the story.
A couple of audience members were also given the opportunity to ask questions.
One question was about the life lessons the panelists would take with them when the show comes to an end. Padalecki talked about the fact that he was 22 when he started the show, and is now 36, and married with 3 kids. Since then, he has learned to treat life like it’s long, and to take things slow, rather than rushing things like FOMO or YOLO. Ackles said that he has learned things from everyone on stage, and that he considers Singer a mentor. However, one of the things he wants to take with him at the end is the car, saying, “When they yell ‘Cut’ there’s just going to be a dust cloud.”
The other audience question was which sci-fi monsters they would want to go up against. Collins answered, “Donald Trump.” Singer replied, “Misha, that’s even too scary for us.”
The panel then wrapped up in its traditional way: with a gag reel from the season that just ended.
Season 14 of Supernatural premieres on CW on October 11 at 8/7c.
Although this was our final panel at SDCC 2018, we still had a couple other things to check out before we left — starting with the Ready Player One offsite! Click here for our recap and photos of our experience there.
You can view more of our photos from the Supernatural panel at SDCC 2018 below:
