There’s a reason why any show would last more than 13 years on the air and still command a fanbase as if it were brand new. By this point, it has such a hold on the audience that only when the showrunners themselves decide to bring the series to an end will we see a finale. Supernatural fits this description perfectly as the smash hit shows no signs of any franchise fatigue.

The show has evolved and has gone far and wide from Heaven to Hell, from The Empty to The Bad Place, and from God to The Darkness. All in all, it has kept fans satisfied and wanting for more, but it has also kept us wanting answers from questions left open during its run.

As one storyline ends another begins, Supernatural keeps these threads hanging until it decides to bring the plot points back and resolve them. Examples would include the mystery behind Mary Winchester’s demise or the fate of Jimmy Novak’s daughter Novak, plot holes that were dealt with way down the line.

There are still many left to address, however, and we’re burning to know what the answers could be. Some of these are tropes the show has become accustomed to but should answer as to why they are that way, while the rest are long-standing plot holes that fans would consider a great disservice to be left unanswered by the time the Winchester boys ride off into the sunset for good in their beloved Impala.

25 Saving People, Hunting... People?

Hunting is all about preventing innocents from being harmed by supernatural beings. In the earlier days of the show, Sam and Dean made completely sure the people they set out to save would be unharmed by the end of the episode, those they couldn’t save would perish despite their greatest efforts.

With the introduction of the demon knife, though, it seems the boys have taken great liberties with who they choose to save. The knife allows them to finish off any demon, but it looks like they’ve stopped caring there’s an innocent person in there too. This was referred to by Sam in season 11 and it looked like they would start exorcising demons once more, but lately, it doesn’t look like that’s the case. But doesn’t that negate the purpose of hunting at all if innocents are perishing too?

24 Didn't You Get Hungry?

Dean Winchester has literally seen it all. He’s been to a number of different worlds that includes Hell, Heaven, Purgatory, Avalon, The Bad Place, among others. Here the plot hole concerns his experiences in Purgatory.

He spent an entire year in the realm of monsters and made it out quite unscathed, to say the least. Monsters in the vein of Leviathans are just a notch too high for a human like Dean to survive without additional means. It can’t reasonably be possible to assume it was that easy to make it out of there.

There’s also the fact that as a human he should have needed to eat and sleep. Purgatory didn’t seem to have any animals to hunt, so where did he get his nutrition? It’s not like he ran into Castiel and Benny straightaway, so where did he find safe areas to sleep?

23 Notorious Living

Right from the first few episodes of the first season, Sam and Dean found themselves on the wrong side of the law after a shapeshifter impersonated Dean and committed numerous crimes. This continuity was in place later on as Dean’s name was kept on the wanted list. Over the course of the show, Sam’s name has also been included in the list with the FBI now after the boys as well. This notoriety reached its zenith in Season 7 when Leviathans posed as the duo and went on a crime spree across the country.

All in all, though, none of this seems to matter as the boys never even consider changing their appearances to blend in the crowd. They still walk around in public with no consequences and openly reveal their true names upon introduction.

22 Not So Evil Younger Brother

The first time either Winchester’s life came to an end was in the Season 2 finale when Sam was stabbed by Jake. Dean was able to bring him back, however, due to his bargain with a crossroad demon. Upon their final showdown with Azazel, the demon claimed Dean made a big mistake as the Sam that was resurrected was supposedly an evil version of him.

It would seem Azazel might have been bluffing there, otherwise this plot has never come to fruition. In the next season, Sam was still just as selfless he had been before, with the only indication of his would-be malevolence when he shot down Jake, someone who completely deserved it. Considering it’s been a decade since this story was supposed to come into play, we’ll never find out what Azazel meant.

21 Who Were You And Where'd You Go?

The introduction of the Leviathans opens up a gap in the Supernatural timeline. The eldest Horseman, Death, claims the Leviathans were created ‘Long Before’ even the Archangels, and yet it has been repeatedly attested that God brought to life the primordial entities after he created the universe.

It has never been explained, thus, as to where the Leviathan genesis can be placed. There’s more ambiguity to follow here as well considering the manner with which the Leviathans interact. Each Leviathan refers to the other in their present form, the person they are posing as, but then what are their actual identities?

Dick Roman, the leader, is always referred to by his alias. And we are never told who he was back in Purgatory. You’d think the Leviathans would be used to calling him by his real handle after millions of years under his rule.

20 Confusing Time Flow

It was revealed time flowed differently in the underworld and four months on Earth was equivalent to forty years in there.

Going by this logic, it would mean Sam was in Lucifer’s Cage for over a century, while poor Adam has been down there for millennia. But this fact does not line up with what we’ve seen on the show since. Firstly, there’s Crowley who spends a lot of time on Earth and then swoops to his lair to address his minions. But wouldn’t this mean it would be decades before his subjects saw him again?

In the same way, when Bobby was rescued he didn’t act like he was stuck there for a century. Sam goes to hell to retrieve Bobby and from Dean’s point of view was gone for hours, meaning he should have been hell for a few years at least.

19 Brothers Lost

Season 5 had a superb arc going for it all season round. The original plan for the show was to end it at this time and thus the overall storyline right from the start culminated here. The apocalypse was in full swing, even including the four horsemen as foretold.

Sam and Dean faced each of these horsemen which included Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death. Although for the most part, these beings were way above the boys’ pay grade, it was only Death who displayed the level of power he brought and willingly gave away his ring. The other three rings had to be taken away through physical means.

Ultimately the four rings were used to open a portal to Lucifer’s cage, but we never found out what happened with the three horsemen excluding Death, who became a recurring character. Their attributes still live, but what of the beings themselves?

18 That One Word

When demons were first introduced they were considered enemies way higher than the Winchesters could prepare for. The first season had Azazel, a Prince of Hell, as the main antagonist. In today’s standards for the show, most high-level demons comprise of secondary antagonists at most.

But as the show was still new they had us believe demons were extremely powerful beings with few weaknesses. One of the methods of spotting a demon was revealed in an early Season 1 episode to be uttering the word ‘Christo’, which would force the demon to flash its black eyes. This plan works and the brothers are able to prevent the demon of the episode from crashing a plane and save numerous lives in the process.

However, this was the only occasion ‘Christo’ was used and in later episodes, the brothers, or any other hunters, never use this method to make hunting easier.

17 M.I.A.

Another burning question likely never to be answered. The Leviathans were the main antagonists of Season 7, with their threat of such magnitude that they were easily able to dispose of Angels, and had all the other monsters in their grasp. To top it off, they had manufactured a corn syrup, which had been mixed in the food supply, that gave them control of the human population.

This plan was well underway before they were thwarted at the season’s end. You’d think there would be some fallout to all this in the next season, but the leviathans have in fact never been referenced to again! What happened to the remaining Leviathans? Where is Dick in purgatory now, and why hasn’t he attempted to escape?

16 Take A Stab At This

Like the Colt, Ruby’s knife is a weapon that brought a few issues storyline wise. Namely, it was the fact that a knife capable of ending demons would make things too easy for the protagonists. In order to combat this, the writers made some demons too powerful for the knife to have an effect on them, with the explanation given that their attribute as being among the oldest demons gives them special powers the blade cannot counter.

But this also brings up a glaring plot hole in the form of Lilith, the very first and supposedly most powerful demon. Lilith was clearly terrified of the knife when Sam tried to attack her with and fled her vessel. Wouldn’t she logically be immune to it if she was the most powerful among all demons?

15 Not So Tough After All

Supernatural does this way too often. A new species of being is introduced and are immediately touted as mysteriously powerful. So much so that the boys have no clue how to handle them until way into the season. Eventually, though, these new entrants turn out to have some sort of weakness. They end up becoming one of the usual foes they deal with.

The angels fit the bill well here. Upon their introduction in Season 4 they were overpowered greatly. With a slew of powers, they could dispatch humans and demons with a single touch. Any physical attack against them had no effect.

Now, though, Sam and Dean are on sparring terms with these supposed beings of power. Taking them out has become as simple as fighting one of the regular monsters of the week. This inconsistency hasn’t been explained.

14 Hustlin' For A Livin'

Over the years Sam and Dean’s lists of skills have been vastly improved in lieu of their dealings with greater foes and situations. Presently they seem to be well versed in hacking into government security systems for the benefit of their research, an ability not shown in the initial seasons. It is never shown how they learned to do this.

Another thing left unexplained is how these two manage to get by. They never seem to be verging at the edge of poverty despite neither having any jobs. On occasion, they are said to be expert hustlers at pool, so there’s that money, but that can’t be enough. Plus, how many times could they realistically pull that off anyhow? In the earlier seasons an explanation was given they got along by doing credit card fraud. Even that can’t be kept on long without notoriety among officials.

13 This Plan Makes No Sense

The Eighth season of the show focused on the Word of God tablets. It was split into two storylines, with the brothers and Kevin Tran focusing on deciphering the demon tablet. Castiel was duped by Metatron to uncover the secrets in the angel tablet.

Even though the trials Castiel goes through turn out to be a spell that Metatron casts to throw out all angels from heaven, his actual motivations weren’t really all that great either. Castiel planned on sealing the gates of Heaven, thereby forcing all angels to return and hopefully work things out. But this would have made a huge problem as worthy human souls would never have been at peace and would have been stuck in the veil indefinitely.

We never got to see this plan work out but if it had, the consequences wouldn’t have been too good. Alas, we can only speculate.

12 This Was Supposed To Be An Easy Fight

Angels commanded fear in the hearts of all lower beings upon their introduction. Demons, in particular, were wary of them with Ruby keeping a distance from Sam due to his association with Castiel as she was afraid of getting caught.

The reason for said fear was appropriate as well, as angels could effortlessly smite demons upon placing their palms on demons’ forehead. In the beginning seasons this was displayed quite a lot, but in recent times angels don’t seem to use this ability much. In fact, higher levels demons such as Princes and Knights of hell can shrug off high-level angels like the Seraph Castiel with no difficulty at all. And battles between the two beings now consist of fist fighting for the most part. So what happened to the angels’ smiting ability?

11 Disappeared Dad

Of course, no one foresaw Supernatural staying on air for more than thirteen years and counting when it started. The Winchester family background was never meant to be expanded upon, and this is evident in the Season 4 episode where Dean time travels to the past and runs into his father’s younger self.

In the episode, one of John’s acquaintances inquires him of his father, something that shouldn’t be the case considering later on in Season 8 it is revealed that John’s father had time-traveled into 2013 and had passed away there. In-universe there is no explanation given as to who this mysterious father was whom John considered his own parent. It was also said that John disliked his father greatly, but if he only knew the man in his childhood, why would he have hated him?

10 A Vessel Here And A Vessel There

Earlier on it was clearly said that Demons and Angels only require vessels on Earth as humans cannot perceive angels’ natural visage while demons need a meatsuit otherwise are in an incorporeal smoke form.

It was hinted that demons could only remain in their smoke form in Hell as they were sent there in that form upon being exorcised from Earth. For angels, Castiel claimed his true form was the size of the Chrysler building. Later on, though, we’ve seen these beings only in their vessels in Heaven or in Hell.

Heaven, in fact, seems to be more or less an office for the angels where they assemble and make plans using their vessels. So what about those angels that don’t have vessels, where are they? And why would angels need vessels in heaven anyway? They can perceive one another in their natural state, can’t they?

9 Enough Talk

Supernatural has a tried and tested formula that just works for the show, which is why it has never deviated too far away from this formula. One of the most common parts of an episode would be where the antagonist is confronted by the boys only for them to be overwhelmed by the villain’s feats and get flung around the room. More often than not the villain immobilizes the boys by pinning them against a wall and rendering them motionless.

In the end, though, the heroes win, not because of their skill but because the antagonist wastes time monologing to take note of some outside interference. Storyline wise, however, why do the bad guys do this as the Winchesters’ reputation precedes them? Sometimes the excuse is that they have plans for the boys, but we never find these out as the villain is dispatched around this time.

8 That One Awesome Power Never Used

Angels and the extent of their powers have been wildly inconsistent on the show. On occasion, they are great reality benders who only need to snap their fingers to make anything come true while on others they seem incapable of doing much.

One of the most useful powers they could possess is, or was, resurrection. Castiel displayed this ability by bringing Bobby back to life in the Season 5 finale. This ability is scarcely used. It’s a wonder as to why this isn’t brought up whenever someone bites the dust. It’s not clear either if this power still remains in the angels in the recent seasons. If they do still have it, then it’s an ability grossly overlooked for no real reason.

7 Exactly How Many?

Right from their introductory season, the Angels are said to be on the verge of extinction. In that season alone we see numerous angels brought to an end as the war with the demons rages on. Fast forward over to Season 13. We’ve seen hundreds upon hundreds of angels pass away on screen. Many are mentioned to have met their demise during the great fall in season 9. And yet still there seem to be quite a lot of these beings running around on Earth and in Heaven.

So either the show reveals what the exact head count is... or we’re left with the mystery of how the angels seem to be on the brink of extinction yet still retain a sizable amount. Some explanation needs to be given.

6 The Boy Who Fled

There were many plot holes left open from Season 5. The story shifted from being focused on the apocalypse to numerous other parts of lore and mythology. It’s a shame, though. Many burning questions will probably never be answered. The writers might not deem fit to explore one-off characters.

The Antichrist was a character introduced in an episode of Season 5. He was a stark contrast from what was thought of him. It was in the form of Jesse Turner. He's an innocent little child who eventually defied destiny and fled to parts unknown in order to escape his prophesized fate. It's been almost a decade since the boy went on the run. It would be interesting to see how he fares now in adolescence. The apocalypse has been subverted so surely he must be free, right? We may never know, though.