Supernatural‘s Bobby ended up staying on the series a lot longer than originally intended. Junkyard owner by day, monster hunter by night, Jim Beaver’s Bobby Singer was introduced at the end of Supernatural season 1 as a close friend and ally of John Winchester. Following John’s death at the start of season 2, however, Bobby’s role in the lives of the Winchester brothers developed from that of a mentor with a vast library of paranormal lore and a comrade on hunting trips, to that of a true father figure and someone who deeply cared for Sam and Dean, perhaps more than anyone else.

Tragically, Bobby was dealt a fatal blow by the Leviathan leader, Dick Roman, in season 7, but even death couldn’t keep the grizzled hunter down for long. Bobby would briefly return as a ghost, and later made various other corporeal appearances, proving the old adage that no one ever truly dies in Supernatural. Season 12 marked the introduction of an alternate, post-apocalyptic reality in which a new Bobby appeared, very much similar to his prime self in terms of personality but this time opting for a military beret as opposed to a baseball cap. The following season, Alternate Bobby would lay his hat elsewhere and became a permanent resident of the prime world, entering Sam and Dean’s lives once again.

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Since Bobby Singer feels so integral to the Supernatural story, it would be logical to assume the character was part of the original design, or at least written to be a major new addition, but in true Bobby Singer style, his beginnings were far more humble. Initially, Bobby was only ever considered to be one-off character. According to Supernatural‘s creator, Eric Kripke, the intention was to bring Loretta Devine’s psychic character, Missouri Moseley, back for the season 1 finale, “Devil’s Trap”. Devine had already appeared as Missouri in Supernatural season 1, but the actress’ schedule prevented her from being able to return as Kripke had hoped. A replacement character was needed, and a certain Bobby Singer was crafted to fill-in for Moseley in the episode. “Devil’s Trap” sees the Winchesters visit Bobby, hoping to figure out a way to rescue their father from Meg the demon. Bobby expands Sam and Dean’s demonic knowledge and teaches them how to make a devil’s trap, just in time for Meg to burst in and get caught in one. He then assists in her exorcism.

Even after his Supernatural debut, Beaver had only been hired for one episode, so his longevity on the series became somewhat serendipitous, and wouldn’t have happened if Moseley had played the demonic tutor role in “Devil’s Trap” instead. After making a strong impression, Bobby returned immediately in the season 2 premiere, and the rest is Supernatural history. Weirdly, this kind of happy accident isn’t isolated to just Bobby. Misha Collins’ Castiel was also supposed to be a short-term role, brought in for the sole purpose of resurrecting Dean and dragging him out from Hell in “Lazarus Rising.” Now Cass is one of the Winchesters’ few allies still alive and regarded as one of the main characters alongside Sam and Dean themselves.

Despite being an impromptu addition, Bobby more than earned his place in Supernatural legend, always at the end of the phone (when he was alive, obviously) to advise Sam and Dean or pretend to be their FBI supervisor. Bobby would immediately drop everything to join in with the “family business,” even when it ultimately cost him his life. Although Missouri was an interesting character (and certainly cared for the Winchester brothers), she could never have been the long-term parental figure that Bobby eventually became, and in all likelihood, nor could anyone else. Bobby provided balance to Supernatural, often acting as the voice of reason to counter Sam and Dean’s impulsiveness, and the series would’ve been very different without him… as well as a lot shorter, as the Winchesters would’ve died many times over.

Supernatural season 15 is currently on hiatus.

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About The Author


Craig Elvy
(3622 Articles Published)

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Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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