Supernatural: Are Castiel and Crowley really dead?

Supernatural is returning for its highly anticipated season 13 on Thursday, and one major question lingers: are two of the series’ leads actually dead?

Who can forget that bombshell Supernatural season finale? More blood than usual splashed the TV screen as one by one, major characters were announced dead. But this is a show about, well, the supernatural, and a grave doesn’t always mean goodbye.

But in the case of one series lead, the season 12 ending may have meant a permanent demise.

Specifically, Mark Sheppard, who played the role of sarcastic King of Hell Crowley, confirmed that he will not return to Supernatural. The last time we saw Crowley, the anti-hero was trapped in another dimension with Lucifer and Mary Winchester. He (SPOILER!) sacrificed himself to save Sam and Dean’s life. So, like, who said demons were all out to get us?

Moving on to that other important character, fan favorite and feathery male lead Castiel, Misha Collins will definitely be returning to play the angel. How do we know? Jared Padalecki may have accidentally revealed it during the 2017 San Diego Comic Con panel. But Misha also tweeted, cryptically, that Castiel “has a future.”

So don’t cry, Cas fans! He may not appear in the premiere, titled “Lost and Found,” but he’ll be back at least in time for the Scooby-Doo crossover.

Speaking of “Lost and Found,” we don’t have a super illuminating premise, but IMDb does say the following:

"Sam and Dean are left to pick up the pieces following the loss of their mother, Crowley’s demise and Castiel’s death."

We also know that Lucifer’s son, Jack, will play a major role this season, as actor Alexander Calvert was upped to season regular.

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Will you tune in to watch Supernatural‘s premiere this Thursday at 8:00 p.m. EST on the CW? Let us know in the comments!