Dean Winchester

Dean is a human, hunter, and a member of the Men of Letters with his younger brother Sam. His mother was Mary Campbell who was killed by the demon Azazel, leaving their father John Winchester to raise them with his obsession to find his wife's killer. Bobby Singer took the position of surrogate father to both he and Sam during and after John's schooling which turned his sons into hunters. Dean is close to the angel Castiel after he brought him back from Hell, although this was because he was destined to be the archangel Michael's vessel, to which he persistently declined. Throughout the Supernatural series, Dean has died twice; the first was by Hellhounds (later resurrected by Castiel), and the second was by Metatron. Due to the Mark of Cain he'd undertaken to be able to use the First Blade, when killed by Metatron, Dean returned hours later as a demon, a Knight of Hell who was only loyal to himself. Upon finding this out, Sam cured his brother by injecting him with purified blood, but Dean still bears the mark and it's only a matter of time before he turns into something irreversible.

Early Life
""You feel sorry me, huh? Don't feel sorry for me. You don't know anything about me. I save lives - I'm a hero. A hero!""

- Dean Dean was born on January 24th, 1979. Mary Winchester, Dean's mother was killed by the yellow eyed demon when she interrupted him feeding demon blood to his younger brother Sam, who was only six months old at the time. John, their father, came in time to see Mary pinned to the ceiling, bleeding and suddenly consumed in flames. He gave the infant to Dean as the nursery burned down along with the rest of their home. John left their home in Lawrence, Kansas, with Sam and Dean before Dean's fifth birthday.

Consumed by his desire to find the thing which killed his wife, John became a hunter and raised his boys to be ones too. At the age of six or seven, Dean was taken shooting for the first time, using bottles as target practice. He was taught how to play poker, hustle pool, and apply for fake credit cards. These skills are what Dean and his brother have to use to pay for food and motel rooms when their father leaves them to fend for themselves.

Season 1
During the first season, Dean's history with his father expresses that he was always idolising John and has been working with him ever since his brother Sam left to go to Stanford. He was and continues to be a hunter of the Supernatural, but when his father doesn't come back from a hunting trip, he seeks out Sam to help him find him.

Their primary goal remains finding their father but also to track down the demon which had killed their mother and Sam's girlfriend Jessica Moore. Towards the end they come across a gun known as The Colt which can supposedly kill anything; they plan to use it on Azazel but that plan fails when he possesses John and Dean is unable to bring himself to shoot his own father. After the skirmish with Azazel, Sam is forced to drive both Dean and John to the hospital. Unfortunately on the way there the three of them are badly injured when a truck driven by a demon-possessed driver crashes into them.

Season 2
All three of the Winchesters survive the wreck but Dean was severely injured and on the brink of death when his father makes a deal with Azazel to exchange his life for Dean's. This plagues Dean for the first half of the season and he has difficulty coming to terms with the guilt he feels, knowing what his father had done.

In All Hell Breaks Loose - Part 1, Dean arrives just in time to see his brother Sam being killed by Jake Talley, another 'special child' like Sam. Despite Dean's pleas for his brother to stay with him, Sam dies in his arms. Dean is overcome by sorrow and desperation as he has lost both his father and brother, so he drives to a crossroad and makes a deal with a demon to bring his brother back in exchange for just one more year with him.

At the end of the second season, Dean confronts Azazel and kills him with the last bullet in the Colt. However during the battle, the gates of Hell were opened and hundreds of demons escaped.

Season 3
""You're alive, I feel good for the first time in a long time. I got a year to live... Sam, I'd like to make the most of it, so what you say we kill some evil sons of bitches and we raise a little hell, huh?""

- Dean Following on from the deal he made to save Sam, Dean decides to spend his last year committing as many hedonistic acts as he possibly can whilst Sam looks for a loophole and a way out of the contract. Over the course of the season, the brothers encounter a British woman named Bela Talbot who acquires magical objects and sells them at a profit. At one point she steals the Colt, leaving the brothers weapon-less when the Hellhounds come for Dean.

After an incident involving a hoard of demons at a police station, the brothers learn of a demon named Lilith who wants to kill Sam because he was supposed to lead the demon army, and who also holds Dean's contract. But, despite learning this, Dean cannot find a way out of his contract and is killed by Lilith's Hellhounds after he, Sam, and Ruby seek to kill her first.

Hell
Even though Dean was only in Hell for four months, he explained to Sam that it felt like forty years; time in Hell passed differently than up on Earth. Whilst in Hell he was tortured by a demon named Alistair and every day he was given the option to come off "the rack" and torture souls instead. Dean had managed to deny him for thirty years until he finally gave in. This marked the breaking of the first seal on Lucifer's cage. He continued torturing souls, which he claimed to enjoy, for ten years until he was pulled from Heaven by an angel named Castiel.

Season 4
The premier begins four months after the end of season three with Dean mysteriously coming back from the dead. After digging his way out of his own grave, he goes off in search of answers, eventually summoning the thing which resurrected him in a warehouse. Dean attempts to shoot it but nothing works. The creature reveals itself to be an angel named Castiel and says that God asked him to bring Dean out of Hell because he has plans for him. Later on, when Castiel appears in a dream to Dean, he tells him that he must stop Lilith from breaking the sixty-six seals to free Lucifer and bring about the apocalypse.One of the seals which the brothers manages to save is the death of two reapers. Alistair traps and kills one of them but Sam is able to save the other, and the angels appear to capture Alistair.

Since Dean was Alistair's 'student' in Hell, Castiel and Uriel press him into torturing the demon in order to find out who has been killing angels. Whilst attempting to find out such information, Dean learns from Alistair that he was the first seal to be broken. ("The first seal shall be broken when a righteous man sheds blood in Hell. As he breaks, so shall it break.") Through this distraction, Alistair is able to break free of the Devil's Trap and is close to killing Dean and sending Castiel back to Heaven when Sam arrives and uses his demon-blood abilities to torture Alistair into revealing he doesn't know who has been killing the angels; he kills him thereafter.

Dean reveals later on in the season that he knows of Sam's abilities and he confronts him about it whilst they are driving to Bobby's house. Sam is locked in the panic room there as they hope to detox him of the demon blood. Whilst Sam is going through painful withdrawal symptoms, Dean requests Castiel's help; he swears and oath to serve God and the angels if it means that Sam wouldn't have to kill Lilith. Sam is released from the panic room by Castiel and is tracked down to a motel room by Dean, who gives him an ultimatum: "If you walk out that door, don't you ever come back" -- Sam leaves.

After this confrontation, Sam learns of where Lilith is going to break the final seal, but at the same time, Dean is held captive by Zachariah. Castiel is convinced to help Dean again and informs him that if Sam kills Lilith, that would be the final seal broken. He releases Dean who rushes to stop Sam but it's too late; Sam has killed Lilith and opened Lucifer's cage.

Season 5
The fifth season picks up straight after the forth's finale with Dean and Sam being transported onto a plane by an unknown force in order to escape Lucifer as he breaks free from the cage. It is then revealed by Zachariah that Dean is Michael's vessel and is about to force him to say yes to him when Castiel saves them.

The brothers search for a way to kill the Devil and stop the apocalypse. They meet up with a demon named Crowley who gives them the Colt and the location of Lucifer. Unfortunately when they confront Lucifer, who is performing a ritual to summon Death, the Colt fails to kill him and Castiel flies them away before the horseman makes his appearance. It begins to dawn on Dean that God doesn't care about the fight with Lucifer, and he changes his mind about becoming Michael's vessel. Sam and Castiel convince him otherwise by asking for more time to find another way to stopping Lucifer.

Throughout the season, the brothers face the four horsemen of the apocalypse and win by severing the finger which wields a ring -- the source of their power. It is revealed that the four rings are the key to opening Lucifer's cage. The boys come up with a plan which involves Sam saying yes to Lucifer then jumping in the hole. Unfortunately he loses the battle against Lucifer upon giving consent and vanishes, leaving Dean alone to consider his next move. He finds out the location of Michael and Lucifer's battle and travels there to attempt to reach Sam once more. Lucifer is on the brink of beating him to death when he's overcome by Sam. They open the cage and Sam jumps in, pulling Michael in with him.

In the end, Dean keeps the promise he made to Sam and returns to Lisa and Ben to live his life with them, unbeknownst that Sam watches on from outside, having been released from the cage.

Season 6
One year later, Dean is still living with Lisa and Ben, having a normal life and seems somewhat content. However he begins to notice supernatural events occurring around the town and has an implausible encounter with Azazel, who is revealed to be nothing more than a hallucination caused by a Djinn. Dean is pulled out by none other than his brother Sam, who reveals to him that he's been alive for a year now, much to Dean's chagrin of not being told.

Dean becomes increasingly uncomfortable with Sam and takes matters into his own hands. He calls upon Castiel who confirms that Sam has no soul, and when he was resurrected, his soul was left behind in the cage with Michael and Lucifer. Whilst on a case, it is revealed by Crowley that he is using the Alphas to locate Purgatory, and that he also has Sam's soul and unless the boys co-operate, he will throw Sam back in the cage where he'd pulled him from. The brothers reluctantly agree to help.

When Dean becomes tired of working for Crowley, he convinces Sam to help him find him. The two call upon Castiel and even have the assistance of Meg. Before they leave for the prison, Castiel talks to Dean about it not being such a good idea retrieving Sam's soul. He believes that Sam will be broken beyond repair if they force his "mutilated" soul back in. Dean refuses to believe this and assures him that they will deal with any complications that arise.

Sam's soul is returned to him when Dean makes a deal with Death. Though he fails what Death asked from him, the horseman still agrees to give Sam his soul back with an added bonus of a mental wall which would keep out all memories from the cage. Sam doesn't want this but he's chained to the cot in the panic room and Death appears to force his soul back into him. A week passed with Sam unconscious and Castiel expressing concern that he might never wake up, but to their surprise, Sam is up and about, claiming to not have any recollection past jumping in the cage. Both Dean and Bobby agree not to try and "scratch at the wall" by telling Sam anything which had happened since then. Castiel, however, tells Sam about him being soulless, and Sam apologises for this to his brother.

Later everyone begins to question Castiel, everyone except Dean who still believes in the angel. However Castiel accidentally gives himself away and is captured by them and questioned. Dean attempts to reason with him and asks him to stop what he's doing, but demons come and Dean is forced to flee. Castiel, now free, visits Dean but the two's relationship breaks after their talk. After Castiel's leave, Dean receives a call from Ben but the line is taken over by Crowley who requests them to stop or he will kill Ben and Lisa. Dean refuses to back down and begins the hunt to find them; he begins torturing demons but one attacks when the Devil's Trap is broken. Castiel comes in and saves them but Dean says he doesn't want anything to do with him. Balthazar is the one who willingly gives the location of Ben and Lisa to the brothers.

Sam and Dean rescue Lisa and Ben, but Lisa is badly injured so Dean drives her to the nearest hospital. Castiel appears and heals her, and upon Dean's request, removes all memories she and Ben have of Dean. A week later Sam, Dean, and Bobby go looking for Dr. Visyak, who previously helped them with the dragon hunt earlier in the season. She is bleeding in an alleyway but explains to them how to open the door to Purgatory. Castiel appears again and say he's done playing nice but promises to put Sam back together. This confuses Dean until Castiel touches Sam, breaks the wall inside his head, and sends him into a comatose state. Dean, after spending days at his brother's bedside is finally convinced by Bobby to go after Castiel with him. The two sneak into the place and find Raphael and Crowley opening the door to Purgatory. Then Castiel shows up and displays his new power which he kills Raphael with. Dean pleads with him to power-down by reminding him that he used to be family, but Castiel doesn't want to, and after Sam stabbing him, it proves he's no longer an angel. They are all shocked to hear Castiel proclaiming himself as their new God.

Season 7
""I'm gonna stuff my pie hole, I'm gonna drink and I'm gonna watch some Asian Cartoon Porn and act like the world is going to explode, because it is!""

- Dean

When Castiel leaves, sparing their lives despite their rebellion against him, Dean, Bobby, and Sam head back to Bobby's where Dean begins to fix the Impala. Of course Dean is now concerned for Sam's mental health due to the wall being broken but he accepts that Sam is "fine" because he can't take any more hits. News of Castiel's doings are broadcast around the world and the brothers bind Death in order to kill him, however Castiel appears and frees him before he can do so. Death explains that the only way to stop him is to get Castiel to release all the souls back into Purgatory; Dean knows that he'll never agree to this but is surprised when Castiel shows up asking for help. They open the door to Purgatory again and Castiel releases all the souls back into it. However the Leviathans remain and destroy Castiel, spreading throughout the water supply, and leaving nothing but the angel's trenchcoat.

Throughout the season the brothers work on defeating the Leviathans who are planning on enslaving the human race into nothing more than cattle, a source of food for them. Sam's mental health deteriorates and has him seeing Lucifer. Upon learning of a healer named Emanuel, he seeks him out to hopefully help Sam. Dean is surprised to find that Emanuel is actually Castiel with no recollection of what had happened to him. When Castiel finally learns of who he is and what he's done, he agrees to help Sam but can only do so by taking on Sam's burden, which leaves him with his own visions of "Hell".

When the brothers get their hands upon a strange tablet known as one of the Words of God, a prophet Kevin shows up and tries to take the tablet from them, saying he is drawn to it. They team up so that Kevin can translate it and reveal how to kill the leader of the Leviathans, Dick Roman. With the help of Castiel, Dean and he destroy the leader but at the price of sending all three of them to Purgatory.

Purgatory
Following the defeat of Dick Roman, Castiel and Dean are sent to Purgatory. Upon arrival, Castiel flies off and leaves Dean alone to fend for himself against the masses of monsters which inhabited the plane. He is overpowered at one stage but is saved by a vampire named Benny who explains he knows of a way out of Purgatory; a gate only open to human souls. Dean is happy to accept this way out but he refuses to leave without Castiel. The two finally find the angel and make their way to the portal, Benny hitching a ride in Dean's arm, but Castiel is left behind when he claims that he doesn't want to leave and this is his punishment.

Season 8
After returning from Purgatory, Dean's first priority is finding when Benny's body was buried and placing his soul back into it. The two then part ways with Dean returning to a safehouse in Whitefish, Montana, where he bumps into Sam. When asked what Sam had been doing in the year Dean was in Purgatory, Sam admits that he has given up hunting and settled down with a girl named Amelia; he also admits that he never looked for Dean. Dean starts checking Sam's old mobiles which he'd long since ditched, and finds out that Kevin Tran had been trying to contact him; voicemails reveal that he had escaped Crowley and is in hiding. Upon tracking down Kevin, they find he's been captured by Crowley again and is being forced into translating another Word of God entitled Demons.

Kevin translates the demon tablet and reveals a series of trials which can be performed in order to close the gates of Hell forever. Sam decides to take on these trials, even though it was going to be Dean to begin with. However as they come close to the final trial, they realise that completing it would result in Sam's death and Dean ultimately stops him.

Season 9
The damage from the trials put Sam in a coma and Dean desperate to get him out of it. Upon a visit to the hospital's chapel, he sends out an open prayer to all angels for help; it is answered by an angel posing as Ezekiel (Gadreel) who, with the help of Dean, possesses Sam in order to heal him. Later on, Dean is given the choice of having the angel heal Sam or keep Cas around. Dean makes the hard decision of having the angel, so he ended up having to kick Cas out of their lives. The reason why Castiel left the bunker was never explained to Sam because Dean wanted to keep Ezekiel a secret from him.

During the mid-season finale, Dean finds out that Ezekiel is actually an angel named Gadreel who let Lucifer into the garden to corrupt humanity. Dean gets help from Kevin's tablet to expel an angel from the body. He uses the ritual to remove Gadreel. Doing what he knows is right, he tells Sam all about how he wanted to save him, so he used an angel. But, the angel wasn't who he said he was, and is actually a bad guy, and needs to go. Sam punches him and knocks him out for a minute. Upon waking, Dean follows Sam in the next room to see Kevin's body falling to the floor, lifeless. Sam then tells Dean that he isn't actually Sam and is instead, Gadreel, still, because the he messed up the ritual. Then, he leaves, leaving Dean alone, having lost both Kevin and Sam.

""I’m poison, Sam. People get close to me, they get killed or worse. I tell myself that I help more people than I hurt and I tell myself that I’m doing it all for the right reasons, and I believe that. But I can’t, I won’t, drag anybody through the muck with me, not anymore.""

- Dean

After burning Kevin's body, Dean prepares to go after Gadreel for revenge before Castiel shows up and convinces him to work with Crowley to expel Gadreel instead. Dean does so reluctantly and with Crowley's help, tracks Gadreel through the Impala which he has stolen. Dean confronts Gadreel who knocks him out, but causes enough of a distraction that Castiel is able to subdue the rogue angel. After tying up Gadreel, Dean confronts him about his actions and betrayal, but Gadreel refuses to leave Sam and insists he is doing what he has to. Dean allows Crowley to start torturing Gadreel to try to bring out Sam's mind, but eventually can't watch anymore and leaves with Castiel comforting him. When Crowley breaks into Gadreel's "factory settings," Dean has to restrain Castiel from harming him when he learns who the angel actually is. As Gadreel is resistant to torture, Dean agrees to allow Crowley possess Sam to help him expel the angel in exchange for his freedom. The plan works and Gadreel is expelled. After Castiel heals Sam of the damage from the torture and some more of his injuries from the Trials, Dean tries to apologize and then leaves on his own to hunt Gadreel, not wanting anyone else to get hurt. Sam is so furious he doesn't even try to stop Dean.

Alone in a bar, Dean is approached by Crowley for help with finding the First Blade, the only weapon that can kill Abaddon. Dean reluctantly allies himself with the demon and begins the search by looking for information on a hunt his father did where he captured, interrogated and exorcised a demon who claimed to know about the Blade. The information they find leads them to a hunter named Tara and eventually to the biblical Cain who is now a very powerful demon. Dean asks for Cain's help in locating the Blade, telling him they need to kill a Knight of Hell. Dean is pissed at Crowley when Cain reveals that he created the Knights which Crowley knew, but is surprised to learn that Cain was the one that killed them all.

When Cain refuses to help, Dean sneaks back with Crowley to search for the Blade only to be caught by Cain. When four demons show up, Dean is left to fight three of them single-handedly. He wins and Cain tells him how he slaughtered the Knights after they kidnapped his wife who was killed by Abaddon. Cain still refuses to help and is unimpressed by Dean's threats. Cain leaves as a demon army arrives, but returns willing to help and explains that the Blade is useless without the Mark of Cain which he can transfer to someone worthy, such as another killer. He'd let Dean fight alone to see if he was worthy and offers him the Mark, trying to warn him that it comes with a terrible price. Dean takes the Mark anyway without learning what the price is and after telling them that the Blade is at the bottom of the ocean, Cain teleports Dean and Crowley to safety while he takes on the demon army, asking for Dean to return after he kills Abaddon to kill him too. Dean is pissed at Crowley as he realizes Crowley used him to get access to the Blade. Crowley confirms this, but while Dean threatens to kill him when everything is over, he recognizes he still needs Crowley and sends him after the Blade.

In the presence of the First Blade, the Mark grants Dean immunity to Abaddon's powers at first with great concentration and then no effort. He also displays telekinesis and strength great enough to lift Abaddon off her feet effortlessly. However, the Mark and Blade's effects cause him to go overboard and repeatedly stab the dead Abaddon after he kills her. Dean is shown to be over-aggressive and has no control over his desire to kill Metatron. His need for the First Blade is also very detrimental to his health. He even works with Crowley to hunt down Metatron. When he does find Metatron, he tries to kill him but fails. Metatron then stabs Dean in the heart, killing him. Crowley approaches Dean and tells him that Dean is a lot like Cain who also died because he wasn't willing to kill innocents but Cain's very sacrifice is what made him become a demon. Crowley then tells Dean to open his eyes. Dean does so, but returns as a demon (more specifically a knight of hell).

Fandom History
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Differences
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Appearance
Dean has green eyes, light freckles on his face and short-cropped Ivy-league hair that is dark blonde. He is 6'1"--ironically making him shorter than his younger brother Sam--and muscular. Dean is noted to be "handsome" or even "pretty" by other characters constantly.

He usually wears a plaid shirt over a T-shirt, jeans, and boots, unless he has to wear a disguise in order to impersonate someone. Until Season 6, Dean often wore his father's leather jacket. He also used to wear a watch and a silver ring. As of Season 4, Dean has a hand-shaped burn scar on his left shoulder from where Castiel pulled him out of Hell. This mark has since disappeared from his body.

For the first four seasons, Dean also wore an amulet around his neck that resembled the head of a bull made of brass, attached to a black cord. This amulet was given to him by Sam as a Christmas gift when they were children. Throughout the first half of Season 5, Castielattempts to use this amulet to find God, as its claimed power is to burn hot in God's presence. When Castiel is unsuccessful, he declares the amulet "useless," and Dean throws it away.

Dean has recently received the Mark of Cain, manifesting just below his elbow. Since separating from Sam his appearance has become more scruffy and unshaven. His hair had also grown out a bit. He still has the anti-possession tattoo which he received in Season 3 but it has since become inverted due to becoming a demon. Dean briefly possessed a pair of black eyes while he was a demon too but they are gone now that he's human again.

Personality
Dean is shown to be by turns understanding, funny, mischievous, and, in contrast to his younger brother, a little immature. Dean's shown countless times to be good with kids and the ladies. At an early age, Dean was trained by his father, John Winchester, to hunt and kill creatures of the supernatural. However, unlike his brother Sam, he did not resent his father for having him "raised like a warrior". He seemed to prefer hunting the supernatural over any normal "apple pie" life, though it was revealed that when he was sixteen, he did in fact desire (or at least hope for) a normal life: He just couldn't leave Sam. This however did not last long, as later on while still sixteen, following a Werewolf hunt he realized just how unique his life was.

Dean is an avid fan of classic rock music. Many of his aliases have included the names of famous rock musicians. He is known to use crude humor, use pop culture references, make sexual innuendos, and indulge in pornography (especially for Busty Asian Beauties). He has even stated once that he does enjoy anime and Japanese animated porn (Hentai). Dean typically avoids emotional intimacy, preferring to engage with women only as sexual partners.

Even though Dean keeps himself in excellent physical shape, he is known to have very bad eating habits. He is often shown enjoying greasy, fattening or otherwise unhealthy food, especially cheeseburgers and pie, and dismisses salads as "rabbit food".

Dean is terrified of flying and claims that is the reason why he drives everywhere.

Dean values his family's safety over anything else, even going so far as to kill a demon and its human host in order to save Sam's life, as well as sacrificing his very soul and suffering in hell to resuscitate his brother. Dean is typically ruthless and aggressive when he is hunting, a task which he approaches enthusiastically, making him the more merciless of the Winchester siblings. Whereas Sam is at least willing to sympathize with what they hunt, provided that their motives can be counted as morally gray, Dean mostly sees the world as black and white. He passionately despises what he hunts, especially demons, and is prepared to kill without question more often than not, unlike his brother. This has caused him to develop a bigotry against most supernatural creatures and beings.

He dislikes showing his emotions to monsters, and when facing beings like Abaddon or Azazel he acts threatening and determined. When facing the angels, even knowing what they could do to him, Dean is sarcastic, rude, and insulting. The only being he is openly afraid of is Death; on the rare occasions that they meet, Dean is nervous and cautious, and when Dean is angry or frustrated enough to talk back, he becomes visibly scared and backs off the moment Death appears annoyed. Despite these traits, Dean is very laid-back and well-disposed when not on the hunt, and he values the safety of his family and innocent civilians above all else, even his own life. Though on occasion he can be somewhat impulsive as well as arrogant, Dean is both extremely intelligent and competent. He is more likely to exhibit irrational behavior when his family is threatened.

Underneath his seeming arrogance and self-righteousness, Dean shows many signs of self-loathing and insecurity. He always blames himself when things go seriously wrong, regardless of whether he's to blame or not. He constantly downplays himself and his achievements. He puts up with abuse from others, simply because he believes he deserves it. Despite being the better hunter, Dean admits he doesn't see himself as anything other than a "grunt". Likewise he constantly is willing to throw his life away, at least in part because he doesn't value it as worth much. He is constantly called out for feeling this way by Bobby and Sam. But regardless his feelings always return. These feelings can be traced back to his relationship with his father John, who at times treated him as a tool rather than as a son and who held him to unrealistic or unfair standards..

After his extraction from Hell by Castiel, Dean begins to exhibit noticeable anxiety and experience chronic, abominable nightmares of his experience there. Initially, Dean denies remembering anything of his time in Hell, but eventually confesses to Sam that he remembers every detail. He rejects any discussion about it, either not wishing to burden his brother with his pain or not wanting to relive the details of the "indescribable things" he saw. He later reveals that he not only saw terrible things, but (in Hell time) was in Hell for around forty years. He confesses that he lasted thirty years without torturing other souls so as to escape the torment himself, but that he finally broke down and tortured for the last ten years. Dean's experience in Hell left a profound mark on him. He exhibits extreme grief and guilt, both for his own torment and for the fact that he eventually gave in and tormented others. Due to this, he believes he was unworthy of rescue. He has also explained to his brother that he wishes he couldn't feel anything, as the sorrow he feels is so overwhelming. He has become obsessed with saving people, often going without sleep in order to save as many as he can. In the episode Family Remains, however, Dean states it is not just the fact he tortured souls, but the fact he enjoyed it which causes his guilt and shame. Taking up the instruments of torture himself gave him the opportunity to put his pain on other unfortunate souls. It was this act, of a righteous man turning on others, that broke the first seal.

Another side of Dean shown recently is his utter disgust at Sam for many of his dangerous or foolish actions, such as drinking demon blood, and having a sexual relationship with a demon, possibly because he is scared of Sam becoming a demon like the ones he saw in Hell. While he remains angry at Sam, he vows to save his brother and still loves him. Dean also realizes family isn't perfect and there will always be times when they hurt him. In the final episode of season 4 after the argument with Bobby when he was in the "safe house", he forgave his brother during the final few moments when Lucifer was rising.

After his time in Hell, Dean slowly started to use alcohol as a crutch. In Season 7 both Bobby and Sam stated that his drinking was becoming a problem that could potentially cost him his life during a hunt.

The constant life-or-death situations Dean was forced into in Purgatory created an extreme change in him. While he was stuck there, he became emotionless and paranoid of the fear of getting attacked. He killed monsters of Purgatory with ease and was always fighting for his survival. When returned back to Earth, his new outlook on life was clear. He became hardened, emotionless, and at times ruthless; his humor and puns were nonexistent when hunting unlike in Season 7. That has changed with Castiel's return from Purgatory after which he started to show his lighthearted side again.

Since acquiring the Mark of Cain, Dean's personality began to alter, turning darker. He has since shown extreme levels of aggression and wrath, an example of this is when he fully attacked a good angel and putting an Angel Blade to her throat in Stairway To Heaven. As well as being openly more hostile, even towards his friends and brother. He's also got more distrusting and suspicious, and more hate-filled toward the supernatural.

From what has been seen so far, Dean's transformation into a demon has darkened his personality. As his soul is twisted, he no longer empathizes for others, and only cares for his own needs and wants. He is so far from his former self, that at one point, he stalked Sam through the bunker and attempted to kill him with a hammer, missing only by inches. He also seems to like taking his time with his tasks. While stalking Sam, he talked in a taunting manner, as though he was enjoying himself. This is furthered by the fact that instead of an axe, he decides to use a hammer to break through a door and kill Sam, despite both tasks requiring much more force with a hammer than with an axe. Dean as a demon apparently cares about the natural order, something old Dean despised. He even considered himself, as a demon, a part of the natural order, and that it was all set up in this certain way.

Sure enough, the transformation has turned Dean more selfish and arrogant, acting like a hedonist and only caring about himself, completely in opposition to his former personality. He has kept some familiar traits, such as a love of drinking, roadhouses and games such as pool, darts and foosball. Dean is now noticeably more brutal, happily beating people and demons beyond a reasonable point, with limited provocation. He is also colder, and while initially coming across down-to-earth and charismatic, he quickly turned cold and ruthless when others proved to be uncooperative, as shown by him outright shaming and humiliating Ann Marie for sleeping with him the moment she rejected his advances, not caring that he had left her near tears.

Dean's transformation has also caused him to no longer care for Sam, shown by how he told Cole that he didn't care what he did to Sam, and even threatening Sam himself. He has also shown to no longer care about innocent people, willing to kill a cheating housewife just to sate the Mark's need for a kill and instead killing her husband, as well as calling his beloved Impala 'Just a car' and not bothering to tend to it's condition. However, after Sam successfully cured Dean with the Demon Curing Ritual he seemed to gain back his normal personality traits. Later in season 10 when Sam and Dean come upon a book filled with black magic that could most likely cure Dean, he declines, saying that the price for this kind of black magic always comes with a price, and insists that Sam stops his investigating.

Equipment
Dean has been seen using a variety of weapons over the course of the series, and is very inventive while improvising weapons from his surroundings, but there are some particular armaments he seems to prefer. Dean tends to use a brushed stainless steel Colt 1911 with pearl grips, which John is seen using in a flashback, and also uses a Baikal sawed-off double barrel shotgun when he needs extra firepower. However lately he has used a lever action Winchester 1887 shotgun (given to him by Jo before she died) on a more regular basis than his usual shotgun.

He has also been seen with an G3 SG1 marksman rifle in "Simon Said" and "All Dogs Go To Heaven" and was proficient enough with the weapon to act as a sniper and kill several skinwalkers. Dean is shown to possess a large machete in "Dead Man's Blood", and among other regular hunting items. Also, both Dean and Sam have acquired angelic blades which Dean has successfully used. After emerging from Purgatory, Dean started using a large, machete-like blade from the monster realm. The blade is crude in design, featuring a large bone hilt and a stone-like blade. The blade is powerful as Dean used it to behead a Leviathan and later a group of vampires.

The First Blade is another one of Dean's weapons that can kill any demon no matter their age or power. Because it draws its power from the mark, which has the power of The Darkness, it can kill any supernatural being. The First Blade can only be used if the user has the Mark of Cain which means only Dean could use it and make it powerful to kill anyone.

Demonic Abilities
Dean was transformed into a Knight of Hell by the Mark of Cain and possessed powers that far surpass that of low and mid-tier demons. Since then he has been cured of both being a demon and the Mark.
 * Possession - Dean was resurrected as a demon in his own body, but it is likely that he has the ability to leave his own body, and possess the bodies of others, and take control of them.
 * Immunity - Dean, as a Knight of Hell and the bearer of the Mark of Cain is much more resilient than most demons. While vulnerable to holy water, he was shown to recover quickly from it. He also retains his demon mannerisms for a longer period of time while being cured than other demons. He also became immune to a Devil's Trap briefly due to his humanity being restored.
 * Super strength - As a Knight of Hell, Dean is significantly stronger than common demons: he was able to easily shove Crowley, the King of Hell, to the ground and toy with before quickly overpowering Cole during their fight. He was also easily able to overpower lower demons. However, Castiel was able to restrain him, albeit while Dean was being cured and was in the process of having his humanity restored.
 * Regeneration - After being reborn, Dean's wounds, including the stab wound from an angel blade, were completely healed. Dean also healed near-instantly from a knife cut to the face, and a cut from the First Blade that he made in his hand healed within seconds.
 * Invulnerability - Knights of Hell are little affected by damage dealt to their hosts, even injuries as severe as being stabbed, gunshot wounds, decapitation, and dismemberment.
 * Immortality - Unless he transfers the mark to someone else, and is killed by The First Blade, Dean will never die. It is highly implied that he cannot kill himself with the blade, as it had no effect on him when he slit open his hand.
 * Super stamina - Demons do not require food, water, or sleep to maintain themselves. Dean, as a demon, can consume vast amounts of alcohol without dying and very little effect. He was also unaffected by tear gas.

Human Abilities
Dean, trained by his father from early childhood as a hunter of the supernatural, possesses excellent combat and hunting abilities; he is established throughout the series as an extremely dangerous individual, and he is more than capable of taking a stand against even the most formidable of opponents, such as demons and vampires. Dean is adept with martial arts and knife fighting as well; he has subdued several human assailants with ease in multiple episodes and bested physically more powerful creatures, often unarmed or equipped with only a blade. Dean is also well-versed with multiple types of firearms and is an expert marksman, he seldom misses his intended target and can efficiently put down anything vulnerable to bullets.

Dean is also a proficient tracker and possesses prudent tactical skills. Highly resourceful, he frequently utilizes improvised weapons and explosive devices; in Croatoan, he demonstrated in constructing Molotov cocktails and improvised explosive devices. Dean also possesses extensive knowledge of supernatural mythology. He is well-versed in how police, fire departments and various government agencies (FBI, CDC) typically operate and conduct investigations. He also knows how to both impersonate and evade them effectively. Dean is a virtuoso of escape, evasion, silent movement, and when the situation requires, subtlety and stealth. Lastly, he is also alarmingly skillful in many areas frowned upon by the law: lock picking, breaking into security systems (not so much computers, which often falls on Sam), car jacking and gaining an 'advantageous purchase' comes naturally to him.

An accomplished mechanic, he maintains his Impala in tip-top condition (and once rebuilt the vehicle entirely from being severely disfigured) and has maintained an intimate knowledge of automobiles and engines since childhood. He is also very talented at making electronic devices, most notably his EMF meter which he made using an old Walkman and an electromagnet powerful to wipe out an entire room full of computers in "Ghostfacers".

Mark of Cain
The Mark imbues its bearer with several powers as well as psycho-supernatural burdens which eat away at the bearer's character.
 * Super Strength - Dean was able to easily massacre a whole room full of grown, strong men, and emerge seemingly unharmed. Dean was able to effortlessly hoist Abaddon into the air while stabbing her with the Blade. Dean later effortlessly breaks free of ropes tying him to a chair and leather restraints. He also proves strong enough to beat Castiel, a Seraphim with ease. However, he was unable to defeat Metatron when he was in possession of the angel tablet.
 * Telekinesis - On several occasions it's shown that Dean can call the First Blade to him.
 * Resurrection - Dean became a demon, specifically a Knight of Hell, upon death because the Mark made it so.
 * Immunity - The Mark allows the wearer immunity to demonic powers, and magic which could potentially kill Dean. It also gave him some resistance to the demonic curing ritual Dean went through; he retained his demonic powers long into it.
 * Super stamina - Dean was able to go without sleep and food for several days with no ill effects.
 * Precognition - Dean had a nightmare that showed him in a room having slaughtered a group of men. It later came true.
 * Immortality - The Mark needs a living host so Dean cannot die whilst he possesses it unless he is killed by another bearer of the Mark and the First Blade.

Weaknesses
After becoming a Knight of Hell, Dean possessed these weaknesses.
 * Devil's Trap - Just like any other demon, Dean can be imprisoned in a Devil's trap or Devil's trap handcuffs. As he became more human while being cured, he became less susceptible and eventually could walk right out even though he still retained demon mannerisms and desires.
 * Holy Water - Dean finds contact with holy water painful and it can be used to stun him. However he still takes it better than a regular demon, recovering from its effects quicker.
 * Purified Blood - Dean is affected by purified blood like any demon but as a Knight, he apparently retains his demon mannerisms much longer than other demons. The blood apparently causes him a great deal more pain than it does for other demons, possibly due to the Mark of Cain.
 * Demon Curing Ritual - Sam was able to cure him with the ritual.
 * Angels - A newly empowered Castiel was able to overpower and restrain Dean from behind. However, at this point he had been subjected to the demon curing ritual so it's possible his physical strength had lessened significantly.
 * Death - Death said that while he could not kill Dean while he bore the Mark of Cain, he could remove the mark, and then kill him.
 * The First Blade - The First Blade is the only thing able to kill somebody with the Mark of Cain.

Deaths
Dean has died many times throughout the show, some of which aren't canon due to the fact they happened in alternative universes, dreams, or hallucinations. Below are the ones where Dean permanently died:
 * At the end of Season 3 Dean is mauled by Hellhounds and dragged down to Hell due to a deal he made with a crossroads demon to resurrect Sam.
 * In a Season 5 episode titled "Dark Side of the Moon", both Sam and Dean are killed by a couple of hunters who are upset with them for starting the apocalypse. They are taken to Heaven where they find Joshua, an angel who talks to God. After learning that God no longer cares what happens, Joshua revives them in their motel room.
 * At the end of Season 7 Dean is taken to Purgatory along with Castiel when they kill Dick Roman, the leader of the Leviathans. It's not exactly a death but it might as well have been.
 * In the Season 9 finale, Dean is stabbed in the heart by Metatron but is brought back by the Mark and First Blade as a Knight of Hell.
 * In the fandom, Dean travels to Purgatory to live with the mark on his own. He ends up dying by some unknown way (most likely outnumbered heavily by monsters) and is once again brought back by the Mark as a demon.

Headcanons
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Relationships
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