Rowena MacLeod

Who is this mystery lady? Well, the actress herself and a few other context clues might give us a possible answer.

The character is named Rowena and she is played by Ruth Connell. That's all we know for sure about her Supernatural character, other than that it will be a recurring role. Over the summer, TVLine first reported on her appearance, and the official description for the character outline was that she is "a tough but elegant woman who will stop at nothing to reclaim her power base." It's worth noting that Connell is a Scottish actress.

When Supernatural fans think of Scotland, one name comes to mind: Fergus Roderick McLeod. That's Crowley's name when he was human, living in 17th century Scotland. The most logical assumption is that this mystery redhead is somehow connected to Crowley's human past. And there are two very significant women who come to mind.

First is Crowley's mother, who he once said was a witch who taught him a few spells. If Rowena is Crowley's mom, then witchcraft could explain how she's in the present and how she killed the bellboys. In addition, having bodies on the ceiling is the easiest way to instantly make Supernatural fans think about moms since that's how Mary Winchester was killed in the pilot.

The other potential woman is Crowley's wife, or at least his baby mama. At the end of last season we met Gavin McLeod, Crowley's son who time-traveled to the present thanks to Abaddon. We have no real information on his mother's whereabouts other than the claim that she and Crowley both died before Gavin was to set sail on a doomed ship to America.

The most interesting part of Gavin's return is that Crowley allowed him to stay in the present. The Winchesters warned him that altering the past, even something as small as allowing Gavin to live, could have serious effects that change the history of mankind. That felt like a giant unexplained plot hole the show never addressed, so maybe Rowena is connected to that and Gavin was able to use time travel to save his mom as well, bringing her into the present.

There appeared to be other possible clues that Rowena is tied to Crowley. She was drinking something that looked like a bottle of scotch, possibly Crowley's brand of choice. And it's worth noting that Crowley's human life and the fact that he has a son were introduced in season 6's "Weekend at Bobby's," the first episode directed by Jensen Ackles. Maybe it's a clever in-joke that this latest episode directed by Ackles also includes the first appearance of another Crowley relative.

These could all be red herrings, but I'd be willing to wager money that Rowena is tied to Crowley. After all, Mark Sheppard was promoted to a series regular this year, and Supernatural probably wouldn't have done that unless they had a big storyline for him. Bringing in his family seems perfect, especially if the show might explore the origins of witchcraft and the powers of witches, something they've limited to hex bags and a few one-off episodes.

Who do you think Rowena is and what does you think she's up to?