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I don't think that John should come back. I love john's character but be realistic. Season 2 showed Dean being broken up after his death and he's now starting to accept it. But then he comes back? It ruins the drama that it brought. And it also severes the fact that what's dead should stay dead. And if John does come back then it'll pull Sam and Dean's bond as brother's apart and they'll be looking to their dad for advice and they won't be thinking for themselves. I think the series should just be based on Sam and Dean. John should be taken out of hell now that the yellow eyed demon doesn't have a hold on him in hell anymore and John should move on. Can't wait for the premiere!
-Amanda

i think they should hurry up and finish the story some people are wondering?ahahahahah ne info much appreciated

I think a living breathing John would work if they did it in a credible believable way. Dont forget JDM is coming back as a spirit on grey's anatomy so on Supernatural it seems like a redo. Supernatural should use some of its creative license and twist it up a bit.

I *love* Supernatural, and think that JA & JP are wonderful actors who don't get near enough credit for the hard work that they're doing up there in Canada. For me, one of the best parts of Supernatural, and the thing that keeps me coming back week after week, is the "family dynamic" aspect of the show. In particular, the interactions between Dean and Sam, and of course, Papa Winchester! A chance to view the fine acting talents of JDM, as well as the opportunity for "The Brothers Winchester" to see their father again??? Sign me up!!!

Yeah he should come back...so what if it doesn't make sense.

jas, I'm with you, in that I find it fascinating that John's character is so strongly present, even though he has had so little screen time. It's a credit to the story telling, depth of characterization, and the fantastic job JDM did with the charater.
Sam and Dean would not be the warriors they are if it wasn't for John. Dean would not have the skills required to protect Sam from the YED. When all is said and done, without the choices John made, Dean would be dead and the YED would have Sam exactly where he wants him. Well said.
In sharp contrast to another show that JDM is currently re-appearing on, the writing staff at SPN, actually seem to care about the desires of the fans, without being pulled away from the show's themes and general thrust of where they want it to go.
Kudos to them for that!

I find it interesting how John Winchester can be analyzed and discussed at such great lengths when this character has shown up in only 9 episodes (Pilot, Home, Scarecrow, Shadow, Something Wicked, Dead Man's Blood, Salvation, Devil's Trap & IMTOD.) With the exception of IMTOD, all episodes were from season 1.

SN may be the story of Sam and Dean, but John is an integral key to the story - has been since the pilot's opening scene. The character of John will always be in the shadows of the story.

Sam and Dean would not be the warriors they are if it wasn't for John. Dean would not have the skills required to protect Sam from the YED. When all is said and done, without the choices John made, Dean would be dead and the YED would have Sam exactly where he wants him.

Mary Hillman: I would love for John and Mary to be together in Heaven. Unfortunately, Mary's spirit may have destroyed itself in the Home episode. This has yet to be confirmed. The writers have given us only Missouri Moseley's view.

I think John Winchester is dead. How he comes back is going to be in a "supernatural" way!! I also believe that both Sam and Dean will be having a "talk" with John before he leaves. After that, it will probably take a couple of episodes to deal with the fallout. My hope is that John will eventually make it to Heaven with Mary. That would be one less thing Dean would have to carry on his shoulders.
That's my humble opinion, folks. Let's trust Kripke and Company. And let's all pray for a third season!!!!

John coming back as alive well....it would be too much like Buffy and well this show is trying to do the exact opposite.

On the other hand I would love too see JDM back! I love the guy and it would be awesome to see him once again. But alive? Only Dean or Sam are capable of that.

look bring back john is a bad idea ,the boys were starting to get over his death. bad idea ...

"Does anyone ever stop to consider what kind of hell on earth John must have been going through, in the aftermath of Mary’s death and the years after?"

You're right, of course. But like I said before, this show isn't John's story, it's Sam and Dean's story. So I focus on the damage he's done, because I love and care about these boys and John hurt them. He didn't do it maliciously, but the boys are damaged and John did at least part of the damage.

(You should see the kind of things I say about people who mess with my friends who actually exist.)

Can't wait for the return of JDM. I might actually even *tape* (but never miss Supernatural for) GA just to see him.

Now, on the whole Good Dad/Bad Dad debate, I can see where both sides are coming from. However, I keep thinking of one line Dean said in Nightshifter: "My dad was a hero." I don't think he would have said that unless he really meant it, and no bad father would ever be called a hero by his children. Not to say, Sarah, that I don't see your point, because I have to say, you make very valid ones.

That's just my opinion. This debate would make one hell of a term paper (and I actually have one coming up). Unfortunately, I don't think my teachers would approve of the subject matter. =]

I, for one, am thoroughly enjoying our friendly little debate on John! THANK YOU, Sarah, for continuing to discuss the issue with all of us!

John could have gone in a number of different directions other than the one he did, after witnessing his wife’s insanely brutal killing, which undoubtedly caused him to suffer PTSD...to what degree we’ll never know. After witnessing something like that, it’s a wonder he could function at all. He could have committed suicide. He could have become a raging alcoholic (if anyone ever had a good reason to drink, it was John Winchester), unable and unwilling to care for the boys. He could have become mentally unbalanced by the trauma and given up the boys, emotionally unable to handle their upbringing alone. He did none of that. It is a testament to his will and strength of character that he held it together, persevered and kept his family together...alive.

First of all, he literally had no one else to turn to and rely upon, except himself. He knew that if he had seriously talked with others about what REALLY happened and later, his theories as to the demonic cause, his boys would very probably have been permanently taken away from him and he could have ended up institutionalized, and he would have been totally helpless to protect them.

From the very SECOND that Mary was killed, their lives were and could never be ‘normal’. When a demonic force has entered your life and killed a beloved member of your family in such a hideous way, all bets are off...you can no longer pretend that your life is ‘normal’ and act ‘normally’. ‘Normal’ just doesn’t apply anymore. If ‘normal’ before was plan A, he was now forced to plan B. Rule number one in plan B? Stay alive and keep his boys alive. He obviously succeeded. He knew that whatever killed his wife had already targeted HIS family and he had no clue if or when he or the boys would be next.

So, it follows, that when your very existence and that of your sons is threatened, especially by something unholy and unearthly, you make it your business and priority to find out WHAT or WHO is trying to destroy you. John did not wait around passively, trying to live a ‘normal’ life, hoping that IT would somehow never attack his family again. He knew that his previously ‘normal’ life was over. He educated himself and learned how to defend himself against demonic forces and other entities...but more importantly, he taught his boys how to do the same. He knew that every time he stepped out his front door, it was potentially the last time...he knew full well that there was every chance he would not always be around to protect his boys. After all, the demon that killed his wife had come directly into his very own home, while he was there...yet John was unable to prevent her death. Only with knowledge and aggressive action on his part, did he have any hope of defending himself and his boys against this evil again.

If his boys were to survive to adulthood, it was imperative that John teach his boys from the very earliest age the same knowledge and skills he possessed. And he had NO guarantee that even he would be around from day to day. He was literally forced by necessity to instill in them the skills of self-sufficiency, independence and survival. And he had to do it fast. They were forced, unfortunately, to grow up before their time. There was little time for the ‘normal’ white picket fence niceties of most peoples’ lives...SURVIVAL became the overriding priority. John would never have chosen that kind of life if it hadn’t been absolutely imperative.

He also knew that to survive against demonic forces, you had to be TOUGH. That’s why he was necessarily tough with the boys, forcing them to fend for themselves, to be independent, to think smart. He did not have the luxury of waiting till the boys were in their teens or twenties to start teaching them how to take care of themselves. Their survival demanded that John start their training almost from the time they could walk and talk. There are those who consider him harsh...but he knew that if the boys failed to learn the necessary skills, it could mean death.

There’s so much talk about how ‘obsessed’ John was with getting ‘revenge’ on the thing that killed his wife, to the detriment of his boys. While this may be true to some small degree, I think, more importantly, or at least as importantly, was John’s need to find and kill the demonic force BEFORE it could do any more harm to his family...or to OTHER families. In this respect, John was a first-class HERO, not only hunting and killing evil to protect his own family, but everyone else’s, as well. He did not want anyone else to suffer as he and his boys had. That, I think, is a very big part of why he continued hunting. Dean and Sam continue that very same heroism. If some killer has already savagely killed your wife, you don’t hide in your house, hoping against hope that they won’t ever do anything else to hurt you or your family...you know for a FACT they mean you and yours grievous harm. You defend yourself by becoming the aggressor...taking the initiative...you find the SOB and take him out. No more threat. Family safe. Not a hard concept...nor unreasonable. And one I think each and every one of us is fully capable of, even in lesser circumstances.

Does anyone ever stop to consider what kind of hell on earth John must have been going through, in the aftermath of Mary’s death and the years after? What terrible gut-wrenching loneliness, deep depression, immense grief, cold terror, blind anger, perhaps bitterness towards God and a whole host of other emotions and feelings...all the while raising two fine boys. Give the man credit where it is due. Could YOU have done any better, given the very same set of circumstances? Not only did he face the normal set of challenges any parent faces, he lost his beloved wife in the most horrific way possible and he was responsible for keeping his young sons alive and protected from unknown, unearthly forces.

Some folks judge and condemn this man, who has, by anyone’s standards, experienced and lived a most extraordinarily unique and horrifying experience...only by OUR society’s everyday, ‘normal’ standards...and that is patently unfair. We, unlike John, have never seen, experienced or dealt with anything even remotely that terrifying and threatening.

I challenge anyone to walk a mile in John Winchester’s steel-toed boots, live through the hell he lived through, raise two small boys singlehandedly to fine young men...THEN come back and tell me what a bad and horrible father he was. I defy you to do it.

John Winchester. Father of the Year? Never. Worst Father of the Year? Never. Just a man, an ordinary guy, forced to deal with supernatural horrors no one should ever have to face...and in the words of a previous poster...he did the best he could.

*LORD! I love this fandom! Where else can you debate this kind of issue like this? Thanks Sarah...even if you are reading John wrong ;)...for allowing this discussion to continue.*
Was John an exasperating, stubborn, head strong, pain in the ass at times? You bet he was! Did he love those boys and do everything in HIS power to protect them? Did he, within the confines of his OWN personality and circumstances do the best HE could? Yes, I believe he did.
We can all, with the benefit of 20/20 vision from the day Mary died to the day John died, judge his choices and think about how we might have handled things differently. For John it was all happening in the 'present' he had no idea of what was going to happen from day to day, from year to year. He was a soldier fighting a war that most people didn't even know was being fought, not only for revenge, but to protect the people he loved the most, and to keep the same evil from destroying other families.
What makes John a GOOD father is the real love that he had for the boys and that they KNEW he loved them. He tried, with everything in him, to do HIS best.
This is what makes John so interesting. He's not a one dimensional character, easy to disect and pin down. There are layers, shadings, nuances, subtleties that we still have to discover.
YAY!! that we're going to get the chance to.

I can't wait to see what Supernatural does with the return of JDM. I loved John Winchester as a character. Yes he had plenty of flaws, but when it came down to it he really did care about his sons.

John allowed Mary's death to consume him. He loved the family they had built together more than life itself. He became fixated/fanatical with the SN and ended up getting more than he bargained for as his knowlege of the YED increased.

When he first began researching the SN, I don't believe John had the intention of living on the road with his boys and training them as warriors. But as his obsession grew and his old life slowly drifted away, his new life came with consequences. None of which he was able to foresee.

Sarah, looks like you're taking quite a beating. In your defense:

When the YED killed Mary, an alternate path of life was placed before John. No one forced him to go down it. It was JOHN'S CHOICE to live the way he did as it was DEAN's choice (when he became an adult) to continue hunting by John's side and not follow his own dreams.

John is an extremely complex character, maybe more than Dean.

I don't care how he returns, just bring him back!
JDM is a great actor and he had so much chemistry with Jared and Jensen.
But I think it will be a one time only, as a ghost or something like that.

I'm too excited by the prospect of John's return to be anything like coherent about it, but it would rock in so, so many ways. Not only is he a fascinating character in and of himself, but the interaction between him and the boys is one of the things that keeps bringing me back to the show. Add to this all the complications to already complicated relationships that his decision in IMTOD will cause, and, of course, JDM's inherent hotness, and I think I might just explode with excitement. I didn't think I could love 'Supernatural' any more than I do now, but this, I think, would do it!

I am SO Happy that John Winchester is returning, in ANY way because Jeffrey Dean Morgan has such great chemistry with Jensen and Jared.

I really hope that in some way he is a real fleash-and-blood person, because spirits have been shown to not be very rational, nor very aware of their surroundings (though Mary was), and I'd like for John to actually communicate with the boys.

Was John a good father?
Well, he had something happen to him that he had never heard of, much less expected, and he thought the only thing to do (for revenge, but also to keep his children safe) was to track it down and kill it.

He wanted to move his boys around in an attempt to keep the thing from finding them again, and doing so by hunting and learning as much as he could about the supernatural seemed like the best way to do that, to him.

He didn't want to leave the boys with anyone else because then he thought they'd be easier for the thing to find and no one he'd leave them with, besides another hunter, and what's the point in that, would be any more prepared to keep them safe than he and Mary were.

He trained them to be hunters so that they could defend themselves once he found out about all the evil things out there.

He also became lost in grief and rage and let that overrule his life, as he says himself, "Somewhere along the way, I stopped being your father and started being your drill sergeant". Is that good? No.

He says in the same episode, to Sam, "It never occurred to me what you wanted." Is that being a good father? No.

He's been referred to in alcoholic type terms more than once, so no doubt he drank too much on more than one occassion. That's not good.

But, he loves his boys, more than anything. He is openly affectionate with them, and he tries, when he can, however he can, to keep them safe.

He's a man who went through a traumatic experience and didn't feel he could ask anyone else to help him deal with it (because they would think he was crazy and take his boys away, and then they wouldn't be safe). So he dealt with it as best he could, which was not well, as is usually the case in these circumstances.

While dealing with his own grief over losing Mary, he began learning about hunting, and evil and started seeing a lot more traumatic things happen (monster attacks, angry ghosts, who knows what) so that didn't exactly help him deal.

He was probably worried sick over what would happen to his boys, and that led to the decision to make them into warriors. He didn't WANT them to be warriors, be he felt he had to. It's never good to make decisions out of fear, but he was only human.

And I think we can see from what he says Devil's Trap that he wants Dean to have a home and he wants Sam to go to school, that he always felt that once he had killed the thing that killed their mother, which he saw as a danger to his children, that THEN everything could go back to being normal. It ws a bit blind of him not too notice that raising his boys the way he was pretty much was ruining them for 'normal' but everyone engages in some justification, rationalization and vain hope sometimes.

He has a lot of failings, and he is certainly not the father he set out to be. But he seems to have been turning around a bit now that his sons are grown. He had regrets.

I don't know what a man does with the information that his youngest son may have to be saved or killed. But he kept that to himself until he absolutely HAD to tell someone. And he absolutely HAD to tell Dean, because he was about to give his life for him. The assumption is that Sam won't be able to save himself, he'll need help, and with John gone, Dean is the next choice. It's not like John made the situation, it is information he has learned about Sam. All he can do is use it while he's here and pass it on before he goes.

I think John felt that he only had two choices, stick around to save Sam (or kill him) and watch Dean die (which might kill Sam anyway) or give his life for Dean's and put Sam's secret in Dean's hands. At least with option 2, both boys live. At least in the short term.

So I don't vote him father of the year, but I do cut him a break for doing as well as he could.

It was his job to take care of his kids, and, as far as I'm concerned, he didn't. He got obsessed with the Demon, and didn't do what was best for his kids.

lol...ok, Sarah...I'll bite...what SHOULD he have done? (If you don't mind continuing the debate, that is.) What WOULD have "best" for Dean and Sam? There are of course always other choices John could have made.
John could have left the boys to be raised by foster/adoptive parents...would the Demon have found them again, probably, and they would have been defenseless with no training or knowledge to protect them.
He could have retreated into a monestary, Holy Ground, so the Demon couldn't get to them.
He could have pretended the whole thing was just a figment of his imagination, and gone on with "normal" life.
John could have crawled into a bottle and NEVER come out.
Lots of possibilities....but what should he have done????

We're going to have to agree to disagree, Bev and Gina. We're seeing the same evidence, we're just interpreting it differently. I can't help it if you decide to blindly ignore my brilliant analysis :-)

I kid, of course. You make some good points. Yes, of course, the Yellow-Eyed Demon is the one who ruined all the Winchesters' lives. It's very much the demon's fault. John faced a horrific evil, and he did an amazing job just not going crazy. He did the best he could.

But here's my problem with him: He was the adult. It was his job to take care of his kids, and, as far as I'm concerned, he didn't. He got obsessed with the Demon, and didn't do what was best for his kids. That's why I think he was a crappy father. He had his reasons, and he did the best he could, but it wasn't good enough for the boys. And like I said, it's Sam and Dean's experience I care about, not John's. Maybe when the Supernatural comic comes out, which is John-centric, I'll change my mind. Right now? Not so much.

PAPA J BACK... Oh ya!!!!!
I really liked John, ya he wasn't the greatest father but.. nobody's perfect!! I meen he gave his life for Dean, if thats not good father material then I don't know what is!!
Sure Dean would be a little angry at John for telling him *the big secret*... but I'am sure there would be love all around anyway!!
I can't wait to see the episode(s)when PapaJ comes back!!!!

In the episode 'Dead in the Water' the following line was used by two different parents regarding the loss of a child: "it's worse than dying."

JDM did a fabulous job bringing to life John's exhaustion of working to keeping his family safe from evil for 20+ years. Mary's death almost killed John. Now think about what the death of Dean or Sam would do to him, especially if it came as a result of an evil being he tried so desperately to keep them safe from. All the fighting he did for his family during those 20 years would have been for nothing. He gave his life, so that (one day) maybe both his boys could have a chance to have the life he dreamed for them.

Well, Sarah, you say: He does something he has to know will leave Dean completely devastated and paralyzed with guilt and grief, but he does it anyway. And you don't think JOHN was paralysed with grief for HAVING to tell Dean? How long did John carry the burden of knowledge, not sharing it with anyone, of what HE HIMSELF might have to do to his beloved CHILD. He only told Dean when his back was so against the wall, he couldn't see any other way out.
Dean grabs the phone, eager to talk to his dad, and you just see the light die in his eyes as John starts snapping orders... It seems to me that the light died in Dean's eyes, because he was EXPECTING more from John, and was SURPRISED not to get it...in other words this was an UNUSUAL occurance.
Dean gave up everything to be the Good Little Soldier.... It seems to me that Dean had "everything" STOLEN from him by the DEMON...as did John, as did Sam.
It would take a heroic act of will to not love your only parent. REALLY? It seems to me that MANY children, with far less excuse LOATH and DESPISE their only parent.
He was so focused on finding what killed his wife that he sacrificed his kids’ childhoods... But John says in "Dead Man's Blood" that all he could see was evil, everywhere. Which is why he didn't want Sam to leave. So maybe he just a TINY thought that he was protecting the boys FROM that evil? Doesn't Dean himself say that John checked up on Sam on a regular basis? John also tells Sam he NEVER wanted this (hunting) life for them.
In IMToD, John says to Sam that he doesn't know WHY they fight all the time, that they're just banging heads...and Sam doesn't disagree. Which tells me that the blame doesn't rest solely with John.
That's my take on it. Glad to have the chance to expound on the GOOD PAPA! ;)

This is in response to Sarah’s comment that John was a bad father. I heartily disagree. I strongly and adamantly defend John as a very good father. Imperfect? Flawed? Yes, to be sure, but show me ONE father who is not. Made mistakes? You bet. It’s a wonder he did as well as he did, considering all the emotional fallout, loneliness and severe trauma his wife’s horrific murder undoubtedly wreaked in his life. For all his shortcomings, John managed to raise his boys into very decent, moral and compassionate men...and singlehandedly, by all accounts.

As they say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. The boys got their character and moral compass from somewhere...they didn’t grow up in a vacuum. Dean and Sam have turned out VERY well...good guys who do very good things for total strangers.....UNPAID, I might add.

What better testament to the kind of father John was than the way his boys live their lives?

Sarah: you crack me up. Feel free to hate big daddy Winchester all you want. You're hatred is completely understandable and justified. Even though John thought he was protecting his boys by keeping the secret from them, it was damn shitty for him to lay it out on Dean the way he did. Especially since he wasn't going to be around afterward to give Dean (or Sam) the support, understanding and strength he would need. Not to mention the fear of an uncertain future that is plagueing Sam.

Still, I feel there may be a deeper reasoning for John the choices he made throughout the boys lives up until his death. As we heard in Season 1, John never wanted this for his children. He wanted Sam in school and for Dean to have a home, a life. John does have a good heart. And I wonder if it was Mary's death that kept John hunting or if he knew about what would happen to Sam longer than we think.

Bev -- Whee, an open invitation to expound on my John!Hate! How can I resist.

OK, to start off: I don't think John was a bad person, or a bad hunter -- I think he was a bad father. He was incredibly toxic to his sons. They seem plenty messed up -- Sam basically ran away and wrote off ever seeing his family again because he wouldn't bow to John's expectations. Dean gave up everything to be the Good Little Soldier, and John treated him as such. Do you remember when John finally called at the beginning of Scarecrow? Dean grabs the phone, eager to talk to his dad, and you just see the light die in his eyes as John starts snapping orders at him. It broke my heart, and it’s just one example.

Then there’s In My Time of Dying. John asked impossible things of his sons, and admitted that. He told Dean look, I made you be the adult in our relationship when you were just a little kid, and I’m sorry. And then, then! Instead of trying to change that, he tells Dean he might have to kill Sam, but doesn’t tell him why. He’s still hoarding information, even though he knows he’s not going to be around to help them out. He does something he has to know will leave Dean completely devastated and paralyzed with guilt and grief, but he does it anyway.

As for the boys being devastated that he’s dead – well, of course. He’s still their father, and they can’t help but love him and respect him. He was all they had. It would take a heroic act of will to not love your only parent, even if he had been a physically abusive bastard. (And I’m most definitely not saying that John was physically abusive.)

John was incapable of giving the boys what they needed growing up. He was so focused on finding what killed his wife that he sacrificed his kids’ childhoods. They will never get those childhoods back. Yes, they are noble, heroic men now, but they are deeply, deeply damaged because of what they didn’t get from John – support, understanding, space, love that wasn’t tied to performing tasks above or beyond expectations.

That’s my take on it. Like I said, John as a hunter or John as a man is a different story. He obviously did good work, and made good friends (although it sounds like he alienated a hell of a lot of those friends, too.) But it’s not his story, it’s his sons’ story, and so I have to view him through the lens of what he did to them. And that wasn’t pretty.

SARAH, if John was as "bad" a father as you seem to think, wouldn't Dean and Sam be a) far more messed up than they ARE, and b) less emotionally devestated that he's gone? Dean and Sam, with John as ALMOST the only deep influence in their lives have turned into empathetic, responsible heros who do a thankless, dangerous job, day in and day out. Sounds like John was a pretty GOOD father and role model.
Just asking you to tell me, because I really don't see the "BAD" father you do.

i want JDM to come back!!!!!!

Can't wait for his return. I want the "how" he comes back kept a secret. When the episode comes up, I'd like to be surprised.

Wouldn't mind a flashback, but both Dean and Sam have unresolved issues with PapaW that we'd like to see worked through onscreen.

Beside, John may be the key to some of the unanswered questions regarding what's supposed to happen to Sam and/or what the demon may have done to Sam as a baby.

"Can he come back as a spirit?" seems to be a question here with a few of you. Maybe. We saw them burn his body, but did Dean & Sam actually salt the body? I don't recall if that was ever specified? The other thing, two demons have said to Dean that John's soul was in hell. Both could have lied or both could have told the truth - either way it screwed Dean's head.

However it happens, I trust Kripke and the writers will give us a great JMD return.

I cant wait to see Papa Winchester again. I'm sure that Kripke wont make a lame brought back from the dead storyline, because I think he has more respect for the fans,that and the fact that Kripke is on the same par as Joss Whedon...they both have(or had in Joss' case) awesome kickass shows that have an amazing fanbase and their writing and storylines keep true to their charecters ..not just making stories to be the new teen angst of the week .... soooo ANY way that Kripke chooses will be alright with me ...cause I adore Papa Winchester almost as much as the boys. There is so much more that we can learn about him still ..and it will give an amazing amount of angst to add to the story :P

I don't care how he comes back (we trust Kripke and Singer to get it right and they always do!) Just bring him back!!!!

er...Please.

Papa John Lives,

Belinda

I'm thrilled by the idea. I also hope he comes back from the dead and can visit the show at least a few times per season for however long it's on.

Whatever they do, I'll be there. :-)

THE (URBAN) LEGEND OF JOHN WINCHESTER CONTINUES...

I’ll believe anything....ANYTHING AT ALL! Just bring John Winchester back!!!

Hey, it's SUPERNATURAL! Why couldn't John come back ALIVE? So he’s a little charred around the edges...no big deal....we’ll WORK with it! But hell, we’ll take John any way we can...full time, part time, alive, flashback...

Can you just imagine how insanely, gloriously HAPPY those two boys would be....who would then proceed to snark and spar with dad...ah...good times again! I think somehow there would be a different 'flavor' to the battles though...not quite as pitched, intense or prolonged as before.

Although both Jensen and Jared have certainly proven beyond a doubt that they can carry the show (Jared’s STUNNING performance in BUaBS is a prime example), it would be just so much more fascinating and complex with John...he is such an integral part of the family dynamic. Dean and Sam's relationship and storyline can stand on it's own and does...but adding John to the mix just adds that additional layer of drama and point of conflict on which to build.

Oh Lord....could you just imagine an episode where ALL THREE of the Winchester men are possessed at the SAME time.....and it's Bobby who has to do the ‘honors’ of ‘springing’ them?! Can you just picture all that insane Winchester HOTNESS (not to mention all that raw acting talent), gathered under ONE devil’s trap?

MORE JOHN and MORE JDM!!!!

YES BY GOD(Eric Kripke),
PLEASE BRING HIM BACK.
IT WOULD BE GREAT TO SEE DEAN YELL AT HIM FOR GIVING UP HIS LIFE AND SAM YELL AT HIM FOR NOT TELLING HIM ABOUT SAM'S DESTINY.
THE BOYS COULD MARCH INTO HELL TO RELEASE DAD FROM IT, SEND HIM TO HEAVEN!

"my money is on Spirit!John ultimately being freed to go where he really belongs, which is most certainly not hell."

Oh, bardicvoice, you have to remember I'm an avid John detractor. For what he put his boys through? I'd hope he'd go someplace where he's be poked with pointy things for a millenium or so. Yeah, yeah, we wouldn't have had a show if he hadn't given the boys the life they have, but still -- bad father, John! Bad!

But maybe that's just me, and you all know I'm hardly impartial onteh issue. (And I expect a response from Mab any second now...)

I love the idea of john coming back, I think it would be the best if he came back as the yellow-eyed demons host. That would really piss off the boys. Just think of the drama and angst that would cause.

I don't care how he comes back as long as he does. I'd love for it to be a permanent return, but if it, I want him to be reunited with Mary.

I like the idea of him coming back, mainly because I liked John and JDM should get to stay alive on at least one show.

Yeah I'm really not too concerned with how they bring John back. I'm just thrilled that he is coming back. Hope he can stick around for a bit but I'll take what I can get. The Winchester men are seriously hot when they're all together and the testosterone is flowing.

I'm soo excited about JDM's return!!! I've missed papa John soo much and can't believe we'll be seeing him again! Like most, I'll take him anyway we can get him, but I would also like to have him back alive and kicking. That would just cause soo much angst! I mean the boys have just begun moving on, if their father comes back...man, it's just going to be jaw dropping angst, LOL! I can't wait to see JDM reprise his role as papa John!!!!

I don't care how John comes back to Supernatural.. I don't care if a big gust of wind swirls all the ashes back together and then he gets rained on and re-hydrated! I don't CARE!!!
I WANT JOHN BACK! Living, dead, undead, ghost, vision, halucination, or dream...
Did anyone expect anything else from ME?? (;-)
The best thing would be a spin-off, of what John was doing for the year that the boys were looking for him.....DAMN 22 episodes of just John.... uummmmmm!!!
And to have JDM back on the screen...OH! Please. Please?

I would be willing to over look any explanation they give no matter how lame just to be able to see JDM again.

I don't care how it's done, I'm just glad he's coming back. I've missed seeing him on the small screen.

KIRPKE, ARE YOU READING THIS? (Just kidding!)

Well, the word on the street about Papa Winchester has been around for a while, considering that it's been brought up during more and one interview. I'm perfectly fine with JDM coming back and I'm fine with whatever way he makes his reapperance. Personally, I'd like to see Sam and Dean's "To Hell and Back" deal. (With what's been said about Stull Cemetary being one of the seven gateways to hell... it should be interesting.)

It's pretty obvious that the boys aren't handling JDM's death well. Dean JUST may be getting better, but with Papa's reappearance, some re-established walls are bound to be brought down.

In conclusion, yes, JDM should be brought back as a blood-sucking orange.

I hope that John comes back alive. In fact, I read that he is going to be a full time character in Season 3, if they make it, so a ghost or something doesn't work. The show isn't called Supernatural for nothing. I think that JDM could pull off anything though. But I'm rooting for Papa Winchester alive and kicking.

Kripke you completely rock for bringing John back.

Jeff is an awesome actor and no doubt an assets to the show. I can not wait to see the impact this would have Dean.

I absolutely love John's character in the sense that we don't know nearly enough about him as we do Sam and Dean. The beginnings of his life as a hunter are still very much a mystery. I'd love to see more flashbacks of him training/preparing the boys for the hunt but I'm definitely open as well to seeing him as a ghost/specter. We got to see Jess as a woman in white for Sam and I'd love the idea of seeing John every now and again as well. Any way he can be fit into upcoming episodes is enough to make me that much more excited about the show. He has such a presence onscreen and his character is very complex. It'd so great to know we're getting him back even if it's just a few episodes.

"I don't think he can come back as a spirit, can he? Sam and Dean took care of that when they burned his body, right?"

Yeah, but Mary was pretty darn crispy, too, and she came back when the boys needed her. And since John died under unusual circumstances, it's possible he can come back even if the guys did take precautions.

As for Obi John Kenobi... I'm of the opinion that Kripke really doesn't need to go any further with the Star Wars "homage" -- I'm expecting a seven-foot-tall walking throw rug to start showing up (although I suppose Sam sort of qualifies for that on his bad hair days.) But the idea of John with a long white beard? That, I'd almost pay money to see.

I'm fairly certain that JDM will be a hallucination of Meredith's or Izzie's on Grey's (hawk! spit!). Excuse me. Didn't Meredith fall in the water or something? Pity that she'll recover.

As for his appearance on SPN, which I'm pretty sure must have been planned all along no matter what that tease Kripke says, it's almost certain to be a ghostly appearance of some sort. You really can't bring John back without sacrificing credibility; Kripke knows that. I have a few nitpicks with the ways he tells stories, but the man isn't dumb. Even if he wanted to bring John back to life he wouldn't be able to sign JDM full time or even part time. Morgan's simply too busy these days. John being alive wouldn't advance the story. It would cause it to regress. A final goodbye between John and his boys would work for me.

Love having JDM back. My bet would be that Supernatural wouldn't play us false by bringing him back alive, especially not after the boys burned his body. But we all know that Dean would never leave his Dad's soul in hell, so my money is on Spirit!John ultimately being freed to go where he really belongs, which is most certainly not hell.

That is the most awesome news. JDM as Daddy Winchester was smokin' and he had great chemistry with the boys, especially Jensen. I cannot wait to see them all together again. Hope we get another huge bear-hug, after some of the issues have been resolved that is.

It's amazing how the show has managed to keep him front and centre even though he has only appeared in one episode this season. That is the hallmark of a great and complex character.

I love the idea of seeing the character again in whatever form (though I agree that bringing him back to life for good would take away from all the boys have dealt with when it came to his death this year). I wouldn't mind seeing him around for flashbacks in the future but this time around I'd like him to be there in some way so that he can interact with Jared and Jensen instead of little flashback characters. I can think of a number of ways. Being able to communicate a message to the boys somehow and lead them in some episode. In the form of The Demon who uses their dad's appearance to freak the boys out. Or if there is some way that they can get him out of hell and able to move on to a better resting place (whether that be heaven or whatever) because that's also a way that I think could not only bring back their dad in some form but could also help to heal the boys since that's obviously been something that's been tormenting them (esp. Dean). Really I trust the show and look forward to seeing John/JDM again.

I agree, what's dead should stay dead (Dean is an exception because, to quote The Princess Bride, he "was was only MOSTLY dead"). I think some kind of beyond the grave type of communication if the only plausible way to do this, ya know?

Eric Kripke referred to John as being the boys' mentor figure, a la Gandalf or Obi-Wan. What do Gandalf and Obi-Wan have in common? Death didn't quite... take, for them. So I think it's glorious that they're exploring that aspect of the mythical archetype through John. So, yeah, my vote's for a glowing blue Force ghost, or John Winchester the White. He would look hilariously wonderful with a perfectly groomed beard and flowing robes.

I'm so excited to see him back, however it happens. If it were up to me, we'd have him back as a ghost, then as younger-John in a flashback, and then the boys would probably drag him back from hell, or at least go visit him there. *g*

I can't wait to see JDM. I don't really like John, so I'm hoping it's not one of those coming back from the dead things. 'Cause those? Are extremely lame.

So John Winchester is back eh! Given the trauma his death has caused, and as his body was salted and burned, I don't see how he can come back as a walking talking living being ... that said though I will be glad to see him.

Dean and Sam both have issues with him .. he laid that 'secret' on Dean, one which was incredibly cruel, and Sam would probably want to say something about that too ...

So there's bound to be anger.

Dean's been driven by the guilt of his father dying for him, going to hell to save him. Relief for this guilt may only be possible if John comes back as something other than a tortured soul .. way to pile on Dean's angst if he doesn't.

I pretty much agree with your assessment--as long as he's not back, himself, alive, in his body (which, of course, the boys cremated anyway), I'd love to see it! I miss my Daddy Winchester.

I don't think he can come back as a spirit, can he? Sam and Dean took care of that when they burned his body, right?

I definitely want John back, preferably alive and breathing (hey, could have been a skinwalker that died in the hospital. Or something. Right? Right?) but I'll take him any way I can get him. I just want the boys to be with their Dad again.

So happy JDM is coming back. Can't wait!

I'd be thrilled to see JDR on again, but I do hope they find a satisfactory explanation as to how and why he's back -- and it shouldn't be anything permanent, much as we fans might like it to be.

I'd be happy to have John (and JDM!) back in any form. John added a great dynamic to the show as did JDMs acting. So he can come back in flashback. Or the boys somehow get him out of hell. Or the YED appears in his form. OR just a postcard from hell!

As I'm from the UK, I've only just started watching series 2, but I am intrigued as to how Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character could return. I'll admit that a 'living' John Winchester wouldn't be my favourite option, but I have developed trust in the writers of the show to provide a good storyline for whatever will happen. However John comes back, I'm sure there will be a lot of angst, recrimations and pain involved - tv viewing at it's best!

I keep trying to type a coherent response, but all that comes out is wordless sounds of pure, ecstatic glee.

I don't care how he comes back. I love Papa Winchester and I'll take him any way I can get him!

(Just please, OH PLEASE, let there be a poignant scene with Dean)

I'm so glad that Jeffrey Dean Morgan will be appearing on Supernatural again. His character has such an impact on the boys (even when he's not there) that it will be interesting to see him interact with them again. I personally do not want to see Papa Winchester-Back-From-the-Dead, though. I think the drama would be more intense if he appeared as a "sort of life-challenged being". The hope that the boys could bring him back from the dead might create some possibilities, too, but ultimately John should stay dead. We still have to have JDM in one incarnation or another on the show, though.

I am so happy that JDM is returning to Supernatural. It was actually John Winchester that started me hooked on the series, and I can't wait to see how he's brought back.

While I'd like to see him come back as he was, Demon!John was pretty awesome. Wouldn't it cause a lot of angst if he came back 'wrong' or a 'black hat' and his boys had to put him down?

Honestly, I don't care how they bring him back, as long as they keep doing it, for 2 or 3 eps a season. JDM is my kind of eye candy.

JDM can come back from the dead (in character) not once, but TWICE!
It's great news. Ackles and Padalecki shine even more when they interact with JDM, and Papa Winchester is a charismatic figure: ghost, zombie, meat-suit, vision, brand-new alive body...I trust the writers team at SPN to make it work, they have never disappointed us till now.
GA, now, that's something that really has to work to convince me...still, more JDM on our screen is always a good thing :D

Wow, JDM's coming back from the dead on not one, but TWO shows this spring (Grey's, too)!? I'm not one to argue with it... they can tweak the plot however they want to bring back the hotness that is Jeffrey Dean Morgan to my TV screen! Although it seems slightly less plausible in Grey's, since they can't just factor in evil spirits and supernatural powers...