Dean Winchester

"The Righteous Man who begins it, is the only one who can finish it."

Dean Winchester is a fictional character on The CW Television Network's Supernatural, portrayed by Jensen Ackles.

Background
Dean Winchester was born on January 24, 1979 to John Winchester and Mary Winchester. Dean was the couple's first-born child and oldest son, four years older than his younger brother, Samuel Winchester. He drives a black four-door 1967 Chevrolet Impala (which was given to him by his father) and is a fan of classic rock music. The brass amulet necklace that Dean is always seen wearing on a black string around his neck was given to him by Sam for a Christmas present when Dean was 12 and Sam was 8, it was originally meant for John but since John wasn't there that Christmas, Sam gave it to Dean, Sam got the necklace from Bobby's. Dean's sometimes seen wearing different watches and wristbands. He also always wears a silver ring. Dean is named after his Grandmother, Deanna Campbell and possibly himself. Dean has a deceased half-brother, Adam Milligan.

From an early age, he was trained by his father John Winchester to hunt down and kill things of the supernatural, but unlike his brother he shows no resentment toward his father for being "raised like a warrior", feeling that after his mother's violent death, his father raised him and his younger brother the only way that he knew how at the time. He seems to prefer "the hunt" to the possibility of a normal life. Due to his father's training, he has several notable advantages for a human: he is an exceptional shot, has knowledge beyond the norm regarding the supernatural, is a skilled fighter, and appears to have some proficiency with melee weapons. He is also the only one allowed to call his brother "Sammy". When giving false names, he frequently gives the names of rock musicians. He also appears to be a fan of Jack Nicholson and possibly watches Oprah. He tends to make light of some of his and Sam's adventures and is known to use crude humor and make sexual innuendos. He is terrified of flying and claims that it is the reason why he drives everywhere. Dean values his family's safety over anything else, even going so far as to kill a demon and its human host in order to save Sam's life, as well as sacrificing his very soul and suffering in hell to resuscitate his brother.

Season 1
When Dean was four years old, his mother Mary was killed in his younger brother Sam's bedroom. Twenty-two years later, The Demon responsible for their mother's death kills Sam's girlfriend, Jessica Moore. Together, Dean and Sam go on a road trip to fend off supernatural creatures and search for their father, John, who occasionally leaves new missions for them to complete.

Early in the season ("Skin"), Dean and Sam battle a shapeshifter responsible for a string of brutal murders in the St. Louis, MO area. During the course of the episode, the shapeshifter assumes Dean's form, causing police to believe that Dean is responsible for the murders. However, Dean kills the shapeshifter while it is still in his form, and the authorities officially declare him dead.

In the last episode of this season "The Yellow-Eyed Demon" possessed Dean's father in an attempt to get The Colt for his own. After Dean realizes this, The Yellow-Eyed Demon pins him and Sam to a wall and reveals that John favors Sam over Dean. The demon also tells Dean that he was responsible for sending his children back to hell, after Dean makes a sarcastic remark about the situation, the demon tortures him, Dean pleads for his father's help before losing consciousness. Sam manages to get free and shoots the demon/John in the leg, releasing the demon from John's body.

The season finale concluded with Sam, Dean, and John escaping from a clash with The Yellow-Eyed Demon in Salvation, Iowa. While Sam was driving to a hospital after Dean and John were injured, a demonically possessed driver drove his truck into the Impala, causing massive damage to the car and the Winchesters inside.

Season 2
All three of the Winchesters survive the wreck, although Dean is more severely injured than his father or brother. In the first episode of Season 2 ("In My Time of Dying"), Dean is in a coma and a reaper, Tessa, tries to convince him to die. In order to save him, John makes a deal with The Yellow-Eyed Demon, trading his life for Dean's. Before he dies, John whispers something in Dean's ear which the audience cannot hear.

Throughout the first half of the second season, Dean struggles with the death of his father, as well as with the knowledge that he was the one who was supposed to have died. Furthermore, he is haunted by his father's last words to him, and at the midpoint of the season, it is revealed that John told Dean that The Demon intends to turn Sam evil, and if Dean can not save Sam, Dean must kill his brother.

During an investigation in Baltimore, MD ("The Usual Suspects"), Dean is arrested in connection with another series of murders. It is revealed that Dean has a rather impressive police record, with charges over the years including credit card fraud, breaking and entering, and grave desecration. Although Sam and Dean are able to prove that the murders were actually committed by one of the detectives on the case, it is unclear whether or not the charges against Dean were ever officially dropped. However, the problem still remains that the authorities have realized that Dean is not dead, as they had previously believed. A team of FBI agents, led by Special Agent Victor Henricksen catches up with Dean and Sam in Milwaukee, WI ("Nightshifter"), where attempted bank robbery and several more murders are added to Dean's list of supposed crimes. At the end of All Hell Breaks Loose - Part 1, just as he arrives to rescue his younger brother, Sam is stabbed and collapses into Dean's arms. Amidst his brother's pleas to stay with him, Sam dies, leaving Dean alone as the last living Winchester. Dean, believing he failed Sam, is too upset to deal with the crushing blow delivered when Sam died, and in a last ditch effort travels to a crossroads to make a deal with the "crossroads demon" for Sam's life in exchange for his soul. In the end Dean is allowed one year to live and Sam is then resurrected. At first, Bobby Singer is the only one to know of what Dean did, because Sam can't remember anything past when Jake Talley stabbed him and Dean makes up a lie about Bobby patching him up. Bobby yells at him for what he did and Dean pleads with him not to tell Sam what he did, as he knows it will destroy Sam knowing Dean sold his soul.

However, the The Yellow-Eyed Demon questions Dean if he is sure what he brought back in Sam is "pure" after Sam unhesitatingly kills Jake, unloading several bullets into his head without any sign of remorse. Sam figures out what Dean did by the end, and Dean tells him not to be mad, that he couldn't let Sam die, not like that. Sam vows to get him out of this, no matter what. At the end of the second season Dean kills The Yellow-Eyed Demon with the Colt freeing his father's soul but during the battle hundreds of other demons escaped their prison and now Dean and Sam must kill all of them, as well as find a way to save Dean from dying in a year's time.

Season 3
In the season premier of season three "The Magnificent Seven", Dean makes the best of his last year, not worrying about his safety, while Sam tries desperately to find a loophole in the crossroad demons deal. After continuous arguments with Sam, Dean tells Sam if they try to wiggle out of the deal, Sam immediately dies. The brothers also meet Ruby, a demon who supposedly knows how to free Dean.

Next, the boys unluckily runs into Bela Talbot, a thief who knows her way around. After a few brawls and quick confrontations, Bela out-smarts the brothers and steals the Colt.

Towards the end of the season, Dean discovers that the demon, Lilith holds his contract. What intrigues the brothers even more is that the demon holds Bela's deal too. Bela desperately tries to free herself by killing Dean and Sam but fails.

Sam, determined, desperately finds a way to break Dean out. He stumbles upon Alchemy after a hunt leads him to an immortal Doctor. After finding out the resources needed, Sam gives up on the idea.

Dean, with 30 hours left, stills desperately tries to free himself. He uses his last resource, Ruby, and takes her "demon-killing" knife. With help from Bobby, he discovers Lilith is in Indiana. While the trio head to Indiana, Dean discovers he can see who is possessed and can see demons, such as Hellhounds. After a quick struggle with Ruby, the four manage to escape a mob of demons using Holy Water. Now inside the house where Lilith hiding, the three quickly manage to locate her. However, Dean discovers that Lilith has switched bodies as Sam is about to kill the little girl. As the clock strikes midnight, Dean smiles and tells Sam to be brave and to continue what hes doing. The brothers and Ruby run from the hellhounds and placed a salt barrier to protect themselves. However, Dean realizes Lilith is in Ruby! Too late, the Demon uses her powers to subdue the two, opening the door for the hellhounds. Sam watches as his brother is mauled to death by the invisible demons, pleading Lilith to stop. As Lilith leaves an unconscious Ruby, Sam holds the dying Dean in his hands, frantically yelling out to him. Now in "Hell", Dean is desperately yelling for help, calling out for Sam.

Season 4
In the season premiere "Lazarus Rising", Dean escapes Hell and reunites with Bobby and Sam. At first, he doesn't know who or what brought him back. With help from Pamela, a psychic, he finds out a supernatural being called Castiel has surfaced him. Not knowing what he's up against, Bobby and Dean summon him and prepare every known weapon that will kill supernatural beings including Ruby's Magic Dagger. They discover that the being isn't a demon, but an angel from God. The Angel states that he needs Dean's help to stop the Apocalypse.

In "Are You There God? It's Me, Dean Winchester", Dean is haunted by the spirits of Meg Masters, Henricksen and Ronald Reznick, both wanting to kill Dean for not saving them. Dean, with guidance from Bobby, ultimately puts their soul to rest. Later, as Dean is asleep, Castiel, the angel that rescued Dean, re-appears and tells him that they must stop Lilith from opening all 66 seals. If they fail, Lucifer will bring the end to the world. Dean believes that Lucifer is a fairy tail told in "Demon Sunday School". But Castiel objects and tells him that Lucifer is all too real.

"In The Beginning", takes us to 1973 where Dean learns about the Winchester history. Although tempted to stop Azazel from killing his mother, he realizes that he and Sam will no longer be hunters and all the people they saved will die. Dean learns that his mother was a hunter. Teaming up with his future mother and grandfather, they plan to take out Azazel with a borrowed Colt. Azazel, however, is one step ahead, and possesses Samuel, Dean's Grandfather. Dean fails to stop him and the possessed elder finds John about to propose to Mary. Samuel kills John. A tempted, heartbroken Mary confirms a deal with Azazel, allowing him "permission" in 10 years. Dean arrives shortly and realizes he can't change destiny.

Dean learns about Sam's new powers in "Metamorphosis" and learns that Ruby is back. He freaks out and tells Sam that he's not human and that if he wasn't his brother, he would kill him.

After the two reconcile, they tackle a shapeshifter in Monster Movie, a ghost in Yellow Fever, an old and powerful demon in It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester, and the after-effects of a cursed coin in Wishing Well before they encounter Ruby again. She drops them a tip about Anna Milton, a girl who can apparently hear the true voices of Angels. Dean, throughout the I Know What You Did Last Summer learns what happened to Sam in the four months that he was in Hell.

Dean, along with Sam and Ruby, defend Anna Milton from Castiel,Uriel and Alastair as both Heaven and Hell want Anna for their own personal gain. Anna takes her grace from Uriel and, for the moment, vanquishes the angels and Alastair, who at that time, was supposedly dead.

Both Dean and Sam overcome new obstacles such as fighting an abandoned girl in Family Remains, defeating a tricky Magician in "Criss Angel is a Douche Bag", facing his past in "After School Special" and killing a seductive Siren in "Sex and Violence"

Dean realizes that everyone is a cheating death in a small town and finds out that the demons are kidnapping Reapers to open another seal. Dean and Sam ask Pamela for help and she brings them into the Spirit World, where they find Alastair as the mastermind of the plan. Dean also teams-up with Tessa and learns how ghosts interact with the living world.

In "On the Head of a Pin", Dean is brought into interrogate Alastiar, who the angels think is killing other angels. After refusing, Castiel begs Dean to do it. Eventually doing it, Dean discovers that it's not Alastair who is killing them, but Uriel who is. Uriel explains that an angel is the only one who can kill an angel and, after a fight with Castiel, is killed by Anna, who briefly returns. Dean, however, is fatally injured, after Alastair breaks free and attacks Dean. Dean awakens from a hospital bed and tells Castiel that he doesn't want to stop Lucifer anymore. He also discovers he is one the who opened the first seal. Castiel tells him, "The Righteous Man who starts it, will be the one who finishes it."

Death
Through the course of the series, Dean has died many times. He died in the season 2 premiere "In My Time of Dying" in a fatal car accident. His father, John Winchester, paid the price by offering his soul and the Colt.

In the season 2 season finale, "All Hell Breaks Loose - Part 2", Dean is given 1 year to live after he traded his soul to resurrect his fallen brother, Sam.

In the episode, "Mystery Spot", Dean has died multiple times, too many for one to count. However, whenever Dean dies, the day starts over again. They find the Trickster is behind this game and forces him to stop.

In the Season 3 finale "No Rest for the Wicked", Dean has almost spent his year. Desperately trying to find a way out, he goes after Lilith, the demon holding his deal. The attempt fails and Dean is viciously mauled by Hell Hounds. Now deceased, a heart-broken Sam decides to continue his job as a hunter, wondering if there's a way to help his brother escape Hell.

Season 4 opens with Dean waking up in his coffin four months later. We soon find out the Dean was raised by a self-proclaimed angel.

Notable episodes

 * "Pilot"
 * "Phantom Traveler"
 * "Skin"
 * "Faith"
 * "Route 666"
 * "Devil's Trap"
 * "In My Time of Dying"
 * "The Usual Suspects"
 * "What Is And What Should Never Be"
 * "All Hell Breaks Loose - Part 1"
 * "All Hell Breaks Loose - Part 2"
 * "The Magnificent Seven"
 * "The Kids Are Alright"
 * "Mystery Spot"
 * "Long-Distance Call"
 * "Time Is on My Side"
 * "No Rest for the Wicked"
 * "Lazarus Rising"
 * "Are You There God? It's Me, Dean Winchester
 * "In The Beginning"
 * "Yellow Fever"
 * "On the Head of a Pin"