At essence, the story of Supernatural has always revolved around its male protagonists Sam and Dean Winchester. That’s something which is unlikely to ever change but for every wayward son, there’s an equally strong wayward daughter!
Over the years, the Winchesters have come face to face with tons of courageous women. Many of them haven’t had the longevity we’d hoped for but Supernatural has proven time and time again that female characters can be more than just damsels in distress.
With Supernatural’s twelfth season set to premiere later this week, we’ve decided to take a look back at twelve of the show’s fierce and fabulous ladies. It’d be impossible to rank them in order of best to worst so we’ll list them alphabetically.
(This article contains spoilers up to and including Supernatural’s season 11 finale.)
Abaddon
Portrayed by: Alaina Huffman
Information: All hail Abaddon! She may have been chosen by Lucifer to become a Knight of Hell aeons ago but that wasn’t enough for her. Abaddon wanted to be Queen of Hell and she was more than happy to fight Crowley for the title. We love how unapologetically evil she was. Abaddon was always power hungry but her attempts for royalty proved unsuccessful when she was killed in season 10. Brandishing the Mark of Cain, Dean brought on Abaddon’s death by stabbing her with the First Blade.
Amara (The Darkness)
Portrayed by: Emily Swallow (Adult)
Samantha Isler, Yasmeene Lily-elle Bal and Gracyn Shinyei (Younger)
Information: When it comes to unstoppable forces, it doesn’t get much scarier than The Darkness. Otherwise known as Amara, she’s the sister of God and she has catastrophic powers beyond belief. After being trapped away in a cage for millions of years, Amara was out for revenge. She fed on souls to build her strength and nearly brought on the end of the world itself just to spite her brother. We have to applaud her determination. With the help of Dean Winchester, The Darkness eventually managed to reconcile with her brother and she restored his health to reverse the destruction of the universe.
Charlie Bradbury
Portrayed by: Felicia Day
Information: Where do we begin with Charlie? We loved everything about her. Like us and many viewers of the show, she was a self-confessed geek who was obsessed with everything fantasy and fiction. Charlie was the nerdy little sister that Sam and Dean never had. Her adorable personality and hilarious one-liners always made the Winchesters smile and, in turn, put a smile on our faces too. As the seasons went on, Charlie got tougher and tougher but she sadly met her tragic demise at the hands of Eldon Frankenstein in season 10. We’re still completely heartbroken about that.
Claire Novak
Portrayed by: Kathryn Newton
Information: As the daughter of Castiel’s vessel Jimmy Novak, it’s no wonder Claire went off the rails when she was younger. Her father sacrificed his life for an angel and her now deceased mother was missing for years. Claire’s rough upbringing only made her stronger though. She’s undeniably brave and fiercely independent so with more experience, she has the potential to become an extremely competent hunter. Having suffered so many hardships, Claire often finds it hard to let her defensive barriers down but she’s currently found a loving home with Jody Mills and Alex.
Donna Hanscum
Portrayed by: Briana Buckmaster
Information: No-one else can make us laugh quite like Donna Hanscum can. After being introduced in season 9, the doughnut-loving sheriff quickly became a fan favourite. Donna has encountered many malevolent creatures and entities including: fat-eating Pishtaco, a gang of vampires and a killer ghost. With three cases under her belt, Donna is now excited to be considered an official hunter. The bubbly sheriff’s friendship with Jody Mills is incredibly heart-warming and we live for their moments on screen together.
Ellen Harvelle
Portrayed by: Samantha Ferris
Information: Without a doubt, Ellen was one of the strongest characters to ever have graced our screens on Supernatural. She was a complete badass. As well as being incredibly devoted to her daughter Jo, Ellen also treated Sam and Dean like two of her own. She adored the Winchester boys and they adored her back. Refusing to let Jo die alone and attempting to stop Lucifer, Ellen detonated a bomb and paid the ultimate sacrifice. Just thinking about the heart-breaking moment brings tears to our eyes.
Jo Harvelle
Portrayed by: Alona Tal
Information: Jo will always have a special place in our hearts. At a very young age, her father Bill died and she decided to embrace the hunter life in his memory. As such, Jo was raised mainly by her mother Ellen so it’s no surprise that she was such a tough individual. We miss the good old Roadhouse days. Jo may sometimes have wanted more independence than Ellen allowed but the pair were totally inseparable. In order to save Dean, Jo risked her own life. Her fatality was the tragic result of a hell hound.
Jody Mills
Portrayed by: Kim Rhodes
Information: It’d be an understatement to say that Sheriff Jody Mills has gone through some hard times. She lost both her son and her husband, she nearly died herself at the hands of a Leviathan and Crowley also tried to kill her with a hex bag. Jody’s a fighter though and she refuses to be intimidated by anyone or anything. She’s smart, she’s caring and she’s quite frankly awesome. On more than one occasion, Jody has been a valuable ally to the Winchesters and she now spends her time looking after Alex and Claire. She may not be their biological mother but she’ll do anything to protect them.
Mary Winchester
Portrayed by: Samantha Smith
Amy Gumenick (Young Mary Winchester)
Information: We couldn’t compile a list of Supernatural’s greatest female characters without including Sam and Dean’s mum Mary Winchester. She may have died in the very first episode but she’s appeared on screen various times in flashbacks and even as a spirit. Mary was raised by her parents as a hunter so she’s far from weak but after meeting John, she wanted to settle down and have a normal life. Unfortunately, that wasn’t meant to be and she was killed by Azazel six months after Sam was born. The beauty of Supernatural however is that deaths don’t always have to be final. Those who’ve watched the season 11 finale will know that we can expect to see lots more of Mary Winchester in Supernatural’s twelfth season. We can’t wait.
Meg
Portrayed by: Rachel Miner (Seasons 5-8)
Nicki Aycox (Seasons 1 & 4)
Information: Over the course of Supernatural, Meg developed in ways we could never imagine. In the earlier seasons, Meg served under both Azazel and Lucifer. She was incredibly malicious and played a huge part in Jo and Ellen’s death. There’s no way we could be on her side but after finding a common enemy in Crowley, Meg ended up teaming up with the Winchesters and she even sacrificed her life for them. After everything, she somehow became one of the most lovable demons on the show which was a huge turn around. Meg also had a crush on Castiel, or Clarence as she liked to call him, and the chemistry between the two characters was just perfect.
Rowena MacLeod
Portrayed by: Ruth Connell
Information: We honestly think that Rowena may have cast a spell on us! The sassy witch. who’s also the mother of Crowley, is easily one of our favourite female characters. Whether she’s lusting over Lucifer or recruiting members for her Mega Coven, Rowena is usually up to no good. With the Book of the Damned firmly in her possession, she’s a force to be reckoned with. Having said that, she has mutual enemies with the Winchesters so she’s often teamed up with them for the greater good.
Ruby
Portrayed by: Genevieve Padalecki (Season 4)
Katie Cassidy (Season 3)
Information: If we were to describe Ruby in one word, we’d use the word: traitor. In order to free Lucifer from his cage, she completely betrayed Sam and even made him addicted to drinking her demon blood. Ruby made out that was she was on Sam and Dean’s side but she was actually working for Lilith all along. Once 65 out of 66 seals on Lucifer’s cage were broken, Ruby manipulated Sam and persuaded him that killing Lilith was the right thing to do. In actual fact, killing Lilith broke the final seal and Lucifer was finally free. Once Sam found out Ruby’s true intentions, he restrained her and Dean killed Ruby using her own knife. Ruby may have been evil but she was a fantastic character.
Special mentions also have to go out to: Bela Talbot, Pamela Barnes and Sarah Blake. All three characters had so much potential and they very nearly made the list.
Supernatural will return to The CW on the 13th October. In total, the season will consist of 22 episodes and new adventures will air on Thursday nights. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for the Winchesters next. Long may Supernatural’s success continue!
Which women do you love from Supernatural? If you could bring any female character back, dead or alive, who would you choose? Let us know over on Twitter @CelebMix!