Fans fear ‘Supernatural’ will kill off Crowley in season 12 finale

Mark Sheppard as Crowley in "Supernatural" The CW Television Network

Crowley is feared to die at the season 12 finale of “Supernatural.” According to rampant speculation, which has been bolstered by Mark Sheppard’s cryptic Instagram post, the King of Hell will be killed off at the end of the long-running US series.

This article contains spoilers for the previous and current seasons. The show airs in Australia on Eleven on Mondays, in the US on The CW on Thursdays.

Fans are worried that their favourite demon is leaving the show. There are five more episodes before the season finale, and he might just be killed in any one of those remaining episodes.

The producers and cast of the show are expectedly mum about anything that will happen, but according to viewers, there are clues that could lead to the demise of Sheppard’s character. Not least of them is Sheppard’s own Instagram post, which appears him saying goodbye.

“I wonder if the SPN crew know just how much I love them? What a trip. Literally changed my life. I owe you all so much. Xoxox,” he captioned the image of his grooming kit on Wednesday. (See embedded photo below.)

For fans, that very much sounded like he was thanking the crew one last time because he was leaving the show for good. And that didn’t sound like good news at all. Sheppard outright claimed that his character died in the season 10 finale, which ultimately turned out to be a lie, but his recent cryptic Instagram message appears more ominous than his previous claim. This time, although fans don’t want to believe it, it’s more likely that Crowley will actually die.

Why Crowley would likely die at the season finale

Concerned fans feel that all signs in the current season lead to Crowley’s death. While season 12 has more Castiel-centric episodes, Crowley’s storyline is just as distinct, albeit scattered.

First is he has been showing humane emotions, more so than when he was injected with human blood and almost turned back into a human a few seasons past. He was shown feeling pain when his only son, Gavin, was about to travel back to the past and onto his certain death. In any other series, showing emotions wouldn’t be such a bad thing. However here, it could mean death.

When Mick Davies (Adam Fergus) lost his ever-present cool and began questioning the code of the British Men of Letters, he became more likeable to viewers, who started to root for him. Unfortunately, the writers killed him off by the end of the same episode. And this might be the same fate that awaits Crowley.

Second, Crowley is undeniably an ally of the Winchesters now. Again, if it were any other show, being an ally of the main characters would be a good sign, but not on this show. Being a Winchester ally, someone whom they have insulted and maligned during desperate times but ultimately turned out to be their saviour, could mean he is close to being given the axe. Crowley is portrayed to be some sort of hero this season, and viewers are being more sympathetic to him than ever before. This isn’t a good sign for anyone not named Sam or Dean Winchester (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles).

Third, there’s no way Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino) will just let Crowley live once he escapes from imprisonment, and he will certainly escape. There’s too much bad blood between God’s favourite son and Rowena’s unwanted offspring for it to just end in a friendly handshake. And while Crowley is a very smart demon, his powers and cunning are no match for the devil himself.

Also, the writers might feel they need to have a beloved character disappear this season for shock value or to keep the audiences guessing. That’s what happened to Charlie (Felicia Day) in season 10. Audiences felt too comfortable in having Charlie around, knowing she would be in the show for a long time. This perhaps led the writers to kill her off so they could give the story a fresh take. After all, for a program that constantly kills off and revives its characters, a permanent death of one could be the solution to worn-out storylines.

Lastly, Sheppard has recently appeared on another American TV series as well. He was seen in the first season finale of the “MacGyver” reboot. The show was renewed for a second season, which could mean Sheppard could be looking into a more regular appearance there. And this could also mean he has another TV show because he is leaving this one.

Why not kill off Castiel instead

Apart from Crowley, Castiel’s (Misha Collins) name is also feared to be on the chopping block. After all, although he has been in just a few episodes this season, he has been given three episodes that revolve around him. There’s also this little thing about “cosmic consequences” after he killed Billie the reaper (Lisa Berry). So if there’s someone going to be killed this season, why not Castiel?

It’s possible, of course, but unlikely. The writers had made it appear to kill Castiel permanently before, and it did not do well with the fans. Also, he is a more obvious choice because of the whole Billie-killing thing, and the SPN writers don’t exactly go for obvious.

The end of Crowley

Crowley has been a beloved character for so long, some would even say since he was introduced in season 5. The former King of the Crossroads was brought in as a villain, but the general consensus of the fandom is he is just too likeable to be considered as one.

Crowley is one of the smartest, if not the smartest, characters in the show. There’s a reason why he has outlived almost every other villain for so long. And even when he was working for his own gain and betraying Sam and Dean Winchester, or working with or against Castiel, Crowley had remained a fan favourite.

I wonder if the SPN crew know just how much I love them? What a trip. Literally changed my life. I owe you all so much. Xoxox.
A post shared by Mark Sheppard (@realmarksheppard) on Apr 25, 2017 at 3:50pm PDT