Which Winchester is the true main character? Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re discussing who between Sam and Dean Winchester counts as “Supernatural”’s main protagonist.
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00:00You know, we made a hell of a team back there.
00:03Yeah.
00:04Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're discussing who between Sam and Dean Winchester
00:09counts as Supernatural's main protagonist.
00:12Since this takes a deep dive into the story, watch out for some wayward spoilers.
00:16At least we go down together.
00:18What's your Sundance?
00:20Go out swinging.
00:23Number 5. Sam. He's relatable.
00:25How does it feel to be the golden boy of your family?
00:27Nah, they don't know.
00:29I don't know. I would be gloating.
00:31Why not?
00:32Because we're not exactly the Bradys.
00:34Among the brothers, Sam has the most grounded appeal.
00:37He starts out as a college student shooting for a law career,
00:40dreams of having a family one day,
00:42and can hold a conversation with the average person.
00:45These are all ingredients of, as his brother Dean calls it,
00:48an apple pie life.
00:50So what are you going to do?
00:51Are you just going to live some normal apple pie life?
00:53Because of these qualities, Sam is the audience surrogate between the two.
00:57With just Dean's point of view,
00:58we wouldn't have had that external perspective needed to ease into the series.
01:03Other fantasy franchises like Harry Potter and The Vampire Diaries
01:07similarly feature leads who begin their journeys as outsiders.
01:11Dean might be the cool character that most look up to,
01:13but Sam is the person whose shoes we initially can see ourselves standing in.
01:18That's a trophy moment for you?
01:19Dean, I was 11 years old.
01:21This was my first real Thanksgiving.
01:23What are you talking about? We had Thanksgiving every year.
01:25We had a bucket of extra crispy and Dad passed out on the couch.
01:29Number five, Dean.
01:30His Impala is the show's framing device.
01:34There's my girl.
01:35This iconic car is prominently featured in the series
01:38as Sam and Dean's main mode of transport.
01:41But far from being just a vehicle,
01:43the Impala is part of the show's core identity.
01:45The brothers have countless memories revolving around it,
01:48essentially coming of age on the road.
01:50The Legos that Dean shoved into the vents,
01:53to this day,
01:54when the heat comes on,
01:55they can hear them rattle.
01:57These are the things that make the car theirs.
02:00Really theirs.
02:01There's even an episode from the car's perspective
02:04that portrays the protagonists' lives while on one of their road trips.
02:08Although Sam uses it when Dean isn't around,
02:10the Impala really is the older Winchester's baby.
02:13Let's not forget, it was Dean who got John to buy the Impala in the first place,
02:17with some time travel shenanigans.
02:19Come on, this is the car of a lifetime.
02:22Trust me, this thing's still gonna be badass when it's 40.
02:24The Impala pretty much is supernatural,
02:27and since Dean and baby are synonymous with each other,
02:30it makes Dean the one steering the show.
02:33Like he says,
02:34House rules, Sammy.
02:35Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cake hole.
02:39Number four, Sam.
02:40His love life has greater importance.
02:43What would I do without you?
02:44Crash and burn.
02:45None of the events in Supernatural would have happened
02:48if Sam hadn't lost his girlfriend, Jessica.
02:50He later falls for the demon Ruby,
02:52who manipulates him into unknowingly freeing Lucifer
02:55and starting the apocalypse.
02:57In Season 8, his romance with Amelia creates a wedge between Sam and Dean.
03:01In the final season, Sam and Eileen's relationship
03:04gives him hope for a normal life once again.
03:07I don't know what's real anymore.
03:10The importance given to Sam's romances
03:13adds a certain depth that his brother lacks.
03:16The younger Winchester siblings' relationships
03:18are an essential part of his character and the series,
03:21adding a human element that balances the show's fantasy outline.
03:24I know that was real.
03:27Dean's love life in earlier seasons is fleeting at best,
03:30and by the end, the show pretty much phases it out.
03:33Number four, Dean.
03:34Later seasons revolve around him.
03:36After receiving the Mark of Cain,
03:38Dean becomes the de facto lead of Supernatural.
03:41Whether it's being corrupted by the Mark,
03:44his connection with Amara,
03:45or being possessed by alternate Michael,
03:47Dean is front and center in later storylines.
03:50No.
03:51Yeah.
03:52Although Sam is never irrelevant,
03:54he mainly acts as a supporting figure in Dean's arcs.
03:57Compared to earlier seasons,
03:58Sam rarely has direct involvement in most conflicts,
04:02which could technically continue without him.
04:05I'm furious.
04:07To know that all my life I've been nothing but a hamster in a wheel,
04:10stuck in a story,
04:11and you know whose fault that is?
04:13Chuck's.
04:15And it ain't just me.
04:17We're all trapped.
04:18On the other hand,
04:19Dean's actions influence the plot,
04:21and his decisions lead to the next season's story.
04:24Their dynamic becomes similar to Hero Sidekick,
04:27as Sam follows Dean's plans,
04:28even if he doesn't agree with him.
04:30The only way.
04:32Our one shot.
04:33Our last chance.
04:35You ever get tired of saying stuff like that?
04:37We don't have to like it, alright?
04:38But you and me, we gotta get it done.
04:40Number three, Sam.
04:42He's the chosen one.
04:43Supernatural was initially conceived by Eric Kripke,
04:46as a series with a five-season arc.
04:48As fans know,
04:49the original storyline revolves around the apocalypse,
04:52and who's Lucifer's hand-picked meat suit?
04:54That would be our very own Sammy.
04:57You're the one, Sam.
04:59You're my vessel.
05:02My true vessel.
05:03While the Devil's endgame is revealed much later,
05:06Sam's role is cemented in the first episode,
05:09when the demon Azazel chooses Sam to act as Lucifer's vessel.
05:13It's long-term storytelling at its finest,
05:16as Sam and Dean's adventures circle around his fate as the chosen one.
05:20I don't need soldiers.
05:23I need soldier.
05:26I just need the one.
05:28While Dean's role as the Michael Sword is revealed later,
05:31it ultimately isn't as important,
05:33since Michael simply turns to younger half-brother Adam instead.
05:36Adam isn't home right now.
05:38Well, then you're next on my list, buttercup,
05:40but right now I need five minutes with him.
05:42You little maggot.
05:43You are no longer a part of this story.
05:46Original fans of Supernatural were basically invested in Sam's story,
05:50at least until the Season 5 finale.
05:52Number three, Dean.
05:54He's closer to the supporting characters.
05:56What do characters like Castiel, Benny, Charlie, and Bobby have in common?
06:00They all preferred Dean to Sam.
06:02Despite being a father figure for both,
06:04Bobby even specifically mentions Dean as his favorite.
06:07I never told anyone that.
06:09Why am I telling you?
06:12Maybe because you're my favorite.
06:13The show might present him as a lone wolf,
06:15but Dean seems to have a more profound bond with the supporting characters.
06:19Among the two brothers,
06:20characters usually befriend Dean first, before meeting Sam.
06:24So, what, do you like him better or something?
06:29Dean and I do share a more profound bond.
06:32He's the person people open up to and feel comfortable being around.
06:35He may be rough around the edges,
06:37but Dean still provides the kind of support
06:39that makes it easy to be vulnerable around him.
06:42Out there in the real world,
06:43I'm just hacking out code and chugging coffee all day long.
06:45Now, wait a second.
06:47If it wasn't for you,
06:48we would have never been able to take down Big Roman.
06:50Out there, in the real world,
06:52you are a hero.
06:54Most main protagonists bring the rest of the cast together.
06:57In Supernatural's case, that role easily belongs to Dean.
07:01Number two, Sam.
07:03The show follows his entire life.
07:05As far as exploring every layer of a character goes,
07:08fans have seen Sam through it all.
07:10When Supernatural begins, Sam is a newborn.
07:13When it ends, we witness his final moments as an elderly man.
07:27The show concludes upon his arrival at Heaven,
07:30bookending his story from start to finish.
07:32In between, we also catch several glimpses of him as a teen and young adult,
07:36leaving no stone unturned about his life.
07:39Do you want to go in the family business, Sam?
07:44No one's ever asked me that before.
07:46Well?
07:49More than anything, no.
07:50Since Dean doesn't show up in the Season 14 premiere,
07:53Sam is the only character to appear in every episode of the series.
07:57While his older brother passes away at a younger age,
08:00Sam continues the Winchester bloodline into the next generation.
08:04From this context, Supernatural can be considered a long-running story
08:08about Sam's hero's journey.
08:10It's okay.
08:12You can go now.
08:20Number two, Dean.
08:21He's killed the most villains.
08:23Do you know who I am?
08:25After I deliver you to Michael.
08:26Expendable.
08:28Michael's not going to kill me.
08:30Maybe not.
08:32But I am.
08:33Each season of Supernatural has a big, bad, and sometimes more than one,
08:37as well as secondary, villains.
08:39The brothers work together to beat them,
08:41but Dean is more often than not the designated villain killer.
08:45His list of slayings begins with the Winchester's arch-nemesis, Azazel.
08:49That was for our mom.
08:53You son of a bitch.
08:54Following seasons, see Dean, or Dean as Michael's vessel,
08:58take down threats like Ruby, Zachariah, Eve,
09:01Dick Roman, Abaddon, Lucifer, and even Death himself.
09:05Fantastic.
09:07I think I just killed Death.
09:09Sam does have a few kills like Lilith and Alistair to his name,
09:13but these don't carry the same impact compared to Dean.
09:16The elder Winchester has also wielded fabled weapons
09:20like the First Blade, the Archangel Blade, and Death's Scythe.
09:24As the fated Michael Sword, Dean has lived up to titles like
09:28Righteous Man and the Soldier of Heaven.
09:30He might not see himself as a hero,
09:32but Dean certainly fits the description in more ways than one.
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09:53He was the original lead character.
09:55At the onset, Sam is positioned as the face of the show.
09:59Jared Padalecki also receives top billing,
10:01a spot usually reserved for the lead star.
10:03We got work to do.
10:07The mystery behind Sam's powers and his connection to Azazel
10:10is the original series outline.
10:12Sam's personal arc is about moving on from Jessica's death
10:15and reconciling with his father.
10:17We're just different.
10:20What?
10:24We're not different.
10:29Not anymore.
10:31Jensen Ackles deserves credit for making Dean stand out,
10:34but his character's initial role isn't clearly defined.
10:37Since he serves as Sam's window into the supernatural world,
10:40Dean's story is hooked to his brother's.
10:43All right, so tell me again, what are we still doing here?
10:45I don't know. I just...
10:47I still have a bad feeling.
10:49Why?
10:50There's no doubt that the duo's chemistry is the key to the show's success.
10:54However, the first season is firmly tipped in Sam's favor.
10:58Number one, Dean.
10:59His love for Sam is the driving force of the show.
11:02It's the one thing in the whole world
11:05that I can always count on.
11:12It's the only thing I've ever known that was true.
11:14The main theme of Supernatural is family.
11:17They might face monsters and beings of primordial creation,
11:20but the brothers' bond makes the show what it is.
11:23And while Sam definitely loves his brother,
11:25the reasons for Dean's existence is to look after Sammy.
11:28From selling his soul to reaching the deepest depths of hell,
11:31Dean's love for Sam knows no bounds.
11:34I had to.
11:36I had to look out for you.
11:39That's my job.
11:40Supernatural's thematic qualities
11:42would never have reached the heights it did
11:44without Dean's role as his brother's protector.
11:47This aspect ties together every arc of the series,
11:50from the premiere to the finale.
11:52The show knows this as well,
11:53as Dean's life ends with one last emotional goodbye with Sam,
11:57ushering in the end of Supernatural.
11:59I was scared.
12:01Because when it all came down to it, it was always you and me.
12:05It's always been you and me.
12:09Which Winchester brother is your hero?
12:11Let us know in the comments.
12:17Do you agree with our picks?
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