Interview: ‘Supernatural’s’ Jensen Ackles teases the return of fan-favorites & a guarded Dean in Season 13

‘Supernatural’ star Jensen Ackles teases new and returning characters, dishes on how Dean will handle the loss of Cas and Mary and more!

Over the years, Sam and Dean have had to deal with the loss of several loved ones on Supernatural, but never before have the Winchester brothers been hit as hard as they were in the Season 12 finale. Long-time pal Castiel was seemingly killed right before their eyes and, only moments after, dear old mom, Mary, was pulled into the Rip World by Lucifer before the portal to the world closed behind her.

With the loss of Cas and Mary weighing heavily on their minds as Season 13 begins, Sam and Dean will both be dealing with the losses in their own unique way. As star Jensen Ackles revealed during this year’s SDCC, the loss will hit Dean particularly hard resulting in a very guarded and angry Dean.

“I think there’s so much that’s happened [in losing Mary and Cas] that he doesn’t know how to process it yet,” Ackles revealed. “He’s just building up an emotional wall right now. It’s like, ‘Nope. Everybody’s gone. So what can I do right now? I know what I can do. I can go punch that thing in the face.’
“I can relate to that,” he continued. “I can relate to how he’s feeling which is why I think that’s a natural reaction to losing multiple people in one moment, is just shutting down, not trying to think of a way to make the situation better or, ‘Maybe she’s not dead. Maybe we can go do this or maybe we find a way to…’ That’ll eventually happen, I’m sure, but this immediate reaction is just walls up, what can I hit.”

As for what Season 13 will hold?

“Well, we’ve killed everybody off. (Laughs) I’m anxious to see who they’re going to hire,” Ackles jokingly began. “They are going to be introducing some new characters and they are going to be bringing some old characters back. They’ve teased a couple of the characters that they’re going to be bringing back, but I know there are a couple more fan-favorites that are coming back. They have not told me [who will be returning] because they know I’ll just tell you guys. (Laughs). I’m excited to see who they are. I’ve even tried to pitch a few at them.”

Be sure to check out our complete interview with Jensen Ackles below!

Supernatural returns for its thirteenth season Thursday, October 12 at 8/7c on The CW. 

Which characters from past seasons would you like to see back for Supernatural‘s thirteenth season this fall? Thoughts on how Dean will be handling the loss of Cas and Mary? Keep the conversation going in the comments section below and be sure to check back for more interviews with the Supernatural team!