‘Supernatural’ Fans are Dedicated and Impressive

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You’ve probably heard about the CW hit, Supernatural. If you’ve been living under a rock for the past 11 years, here’s a quick rundown of the show: brothers Sam and Dean Winchester travel around the country fighting things that go bump in the night. On their adventures, the boys die 117 times collectively, fight the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and go toe-to-toe with God’s sister. However, the most impressive aspect of the show isn’t it’s gut-wrenching cliffhangers or dramatic plot lines; it’s the fandom.

The Supernatural fandom is not a force to be reckoned with: because of it’s many followers, the show has gone on for 11 seasons with a 12th on the way. Producers do little to advertise the show beyond the occasional trailer airing on the CW. So, how does it gain so much traction? The fans. Just go on Tumblr and you’ll see GIFs featuring a clip from the show attached to almost every post. Being part of the Superwholock fandom trifecta probably doesn’t hurt, either. John Barlow ‘19 (a fan for a little more than a year) claims that the fans are “crazy, but also kinda funny.” While talking with Barlow, he recommended that I watch the show, “but only if you have nothing time-consuming happening in your life.”

Not only do fans watch the show religiously, they also spend money on merchandise. Superfan Veda Allen ‘19 spent a large sum of money on convention tickets so that she could meet Misha Collins, the actor who brings Jimmy Novak (season 4), Castiel (season 4-11), and Lucifer (season 11) to life. In the past, she’s also bought shirts, a necklace, “an awesome” plushie of Castiel and a Pop! Vinyl figure of Dean. Allen finds the show appealing, because it “has everything,” including actors who “work to make a difference and help people.”

In order to ‘reward’ the impenetrable fandom, the cast travels around the United States in a convention hosted by Creation Entertainment. The actors host panels, take pictures with fans, give autographs, and some even host private meet-and-greets. Somehow, I managed to get my parent to let me go to one such convention with Allen in Dallas. It was the same day as the Homecoming Dance, and we had to leave at six in the morning, but we ultimately decided it was worth it. Allen and I met some of our favorite actors (Misha Collins and Mark Sheppard) and got their autographs. Allen says the experience was “worth it” and is currently trying to find a way to go to another convention.

More religious people are quick to point out the ‘satanic’ imagery often used in the show, referring to the pentagram, which is not only used to summon and trap demons but is also used as an anti-possession symbol. Though these symbols are often used to fight Satan, they still believe that there’s no hope for anyone who finds the show entertaining. Allen claims that the use of ‘satanic’ symbols and spells only causes people to be more interested in the show.

The Supernatural following is arguably the largest and oldest of all the fandoms and has managed to keep the show on air for 11 years now. Fans dedicate themselves to the show, willing to miss out on traditional high school experiences or empty their bank accounts just to get a chance to meet a member of the cast. It’s time-consuming and out of the box, but fans wouldn’t give up Supernatural for the world.