Supernatural: 10 Things That Make No Sense About John Winchester

John Winchester started Sam and Dean on their life of hunting. A hard man at times, the two sons still looked up to him and tried to do right by him. He is the reason that they are in the family business of hunting things and saving people. While John wasn’t always the best father, he did try to do his best. He cared for his sons and willingly sacrificed himself to save them.

Still, John remains a man of mystery – both in an intentional and unintentional way. Because he keeps so many things to himself, there are many things that don’t make sense about him. Either the answers will finally be revealed just before the series ends, or these will be left unanswered for the rest of time.

10 He Has Only One Journal

John has been working for over 20 years in the supernatural hunter world. He has a journal that he fills with information and always takes with him. If he uses the journal as often as Dean and Sam say he does and if he hunts as often as viewers are led to believe, then John should have multiple journals by now.

It doesn’t make sense that he has only one. Surely, there are others stocked away in secret hiding spots?

9 He Quickly Accepts The Idea Of Time-Travel

In Season 14, John is brought to the present. Dean holds a magical pearl that is supposed to grant one’s heart’s desire. Of course, having John there wasn’t what the brothers intended the pearl to do, but it was Dean’s deepest desire.

This is a John from the past. By nature, John is a wary man. Yet, he both quickly believes that he time-traveled and trusts these future versions of his sons, and he believes that his long-lost father (Henry) also time-traveled. It’s not common for John to be so accepting and trusting, so this stands out as peculiar.

8 He Has A Limited Idea of Hunting

John is well-known to be a great hunter. While he’s a loner, he still taps into a greater knowledge about the supernatural, which allows him to track the yellow-eyed demon. He impresses even Ash with this ability. Yet, when it comes down to hunting, his focus is solely on killing and fighting. He’s not like Dean, who recognizes that even monsters need to be saved sometimes. For John, his idea of the supernatural world is oddly very black and white.

He doesn’t even seem to know (or care) that the demons he kills are possessing real people, who also die because of him. It’s too bad that he didn’t spend more time with Bobby, who could have taught him the nuances of being a good hunter.

7 His Age Is Inconsistent

It’s hard to pinpoint John’s exact age in Supernatural. At times, he seems barely older than his sons. Then his age seems to stall. However, when he is brought to Sam and Dean in Season 14, he is supposed to be coming from the year 2003. Yet, he doesn’t closely resemble that 2003-John – in fact, he’s so old that he looks like he came from 2019.

No doubt, the reason why 2003-John looks much older in Season 14 is because Jeffrey Dean Morgan himself got older; still, he comes across looking like an alternate-world John rather than early-season John.

6 The Details About His Parents

In Season 8, Sam and Dean find out that John’s dad (Henry) never meant to abandon John, but instead Henry time-traveled and never returned. Supposedly, this is what contributes to John not being a very good dad. Sam muses that John would have been a better dad had Henry lived and served as a role model.

Yet, in Season 4 when Dean meets John in the past, John is fairly well-adjusted. Additionally, an older man greets young-John, welcomes him back from the war and then says, “Say hello to your old man for me.” While this could be a step-dad, nothing is really clarified. Also, audiences never meet his mother or learn what happened to her.

5 He Somehow Didn’t Know About Mary’s Ghost

Losing Mary rocked John. It drove him into becoming a hunter, making that the family business. All of his life was spent dedicated to Mary’s memory and avenging her death. However, he never once checked to see if her ghost was still attached to the house, which is weird when it’s revealed that said ghost is his dead wife.

Early in the show, Sam and Dean go back to their family home where they encounter Mary’s ghost. Mary recognizes them and saves them. John is very dedicated to Mary plus he’s a great hunter, so it’s incredibly odd that he didn’t know about her ghost. If he had, it’s likely that he would have gone back to see her and a lot of problems would’ve been avoided.

4 Playing Obvious Favorites With His Sons

While John did die to save Dean, it’s clear that Sam is his favorite. Dean does everything for his dad, and John doesn’t seem to value it. Sam rebels and fights with John, and John seems to place him a peg higher than Dean. As a child, Dean is told to protect Sam and his own childhood is sacrificed. Meanwhile, Sam doesn’t know about the supernatural until later in childhood. John constantly protects Sam in ways that he doesn’t protect Dean, especially when they are children and teens.

This causes great tension between the brothers, who already have enough as it is. Given how much he does love both of his sons, it doesn’t make sense how much John seems to value Sam over Dean and why he’s so keen on showing it.

3 Hiding From the Boys

In the pilot episode, Dean seeks out Sam because, “Dad’s on a hunting trip, and he hasn’t been home in a few days.” Worried, Dean asks Sam to help him find John. However, John is fine. He’s just gotten close to finding the yellow-eyed demon, who killed their mom.

Throughout their whole childhood, he’s been tracking this demon, and he’s put them in dangerous situations but now, he chooses to keep them totally out of the loop? Missouri, a talent psychic and friend, calls him out, “John Winchester, I could just slap you. Why don’t you go talk to your children.” Yet, he continues to hide. For what it’s worth, though, he leaves the boys a trail of breadcrumbs to help them eventually find him. Talk about the bare minimum.

2 Everything About His Escape From The Devil’s Gate

At the end of Season 2, John’s ghost escapes hell just in time to save Dean from the yellow-eyed demon. He smiles heroically at his sons and then fades away. As cool and heartwarming as this is, there are couple of things that don’t make sense about this.

First off, how could he, the righteous man being constantly tortured, have the strength and opportunity to get away? Fans might believe that his ghost is strong, especially when it comes to saving family. Still, it seems questionable. Second, why is he not free after his ghost escapes Devil’s Gate like the demons were? It doesn’t make sense.

1 Everything About Adam

Much to their shock, Sam and Dean learn that they have a half-brother: Adam. John kept this information from them all along. Also, he never told Adam that there was a supernatural world, leaving Adam vulnerable. More confusing, he doesn’t seem to consider Adam family as much as Sam and Dean.

When John comes back in Season 14, no mention of Adam is made. If there is a neglected son, Adam is it. Not only did Adam not know his half-siblings, but he didn’t know the legacy he was born into. As a result, he ultimately suffers because of it.

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