John Winchester

**John Winchester** was the son of Henry and Millie Winchester, the husband of Mary Winchester, and the father of Dean and Sam Winchester and Adam Milligan.

## Background

Johnathan Edward Winchester was born in 1954 in Normal, Illinois. The only child born to Henry and Millie Winchester.

John accumulated a vast knowledge of the supernatural, keeping a journal of the creatures he hunted. He was a well-respected hunter by his peers. John worked with several other hunters, most notably Bobby Singer, William Anthony Harvelle, Caleb, Martin Creaser, Tara, and a pastor named Jim Murphy as well as a psychokinetic Fred Jones. He was described as one of the best hunters, one who hardly ever ended a hunt with the monster still alive. Despite this, Sam tells Dean that his elder brother is a better hunter than John.

His life as a hunter led to strain between him and his son Sam, who wanted to quit hunting, leading to an argument where John told Sam if he left he would have to stay away. However, John regretted saying it, as he didn't want Sam to be on his own. John would surreptitiously stop by Stanford every so often just to make sure Sam was all right. John admitted it was never his intention to raise his sons the way he did.

* Early Life
* 1970's
* 1983
* 1989
* 1995
* 2002
* 2005
* 2006

Johnathan Edward Winchester was born in 1954 in Normal, Illinois. It was unknown to him that his father Henry Winchester belonged to a secret society called the Men of Letters, as had his grandfather and his great-grandfather before him. Henry bought John a little music box which played "As Time Goes By" from the film "Casablanca" to help him sleep after he took him to see "Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy" at the drive-in one night, which apparently scared the "beeswax" out of him. In 1958, he went to the club, leaving John home. However, due to the attack by Abaddon, Henry was forced to flee to 2013, where he died at the hands of Abaddon. This led John to believe that his father had abandoned him.

He left to fight in Vietnam as a marine, and held the rank of corporal. He later returned to Lawrence, where he worked as a mechanic. On April 30, 1973, John bought a 1967 Chevrolet Impala secondhand at Rainbow Motors, after being convinced by a stranger named Dean Van Halen to choose the vehicle. What John was unaware of, however, was that Dean was actually his future son Dean Winchester.

John had a history with Mary Campbell, although before falling in love (under the influence of a cupid), they couldn't stand each other. John intended to propose to Mary, but later when Mary ran away from her family, he was killed by Azazel as he was possessing Mary's father Samuel, prompting Mary to strike a deal with Azazel to bring John back at the cost of allowing Azazel into her home ten years later.

In 1979, John and Mary had their first child, Dean.
In 1983, they had their second child, Sam. On November 2, 1983, Azazel stayed true to his word and visited the house, though Mary tried to intervene. Azazel killed her as a result and destroyed the house, but John, Dean, and Sam escaped with their lives. After Mary's death John went to a psychic named Missouri Moseley. He learned the truth about Mary's past. He left Lawrence with his sons, Sam and Dean. He dedicated the rest of his life to hunting down monsters, particularly Azazel. John began his hunting "career" approximately on November 2, 1983, following the death of his wife. His primary goal, as a hunter, was to kill the yellow-eyed demon, Azazel, for murdering the mother of his children.

During his hunting career, when Dean was around ten, John left him alone with Sam to hunt a shtriga and returned only just in time to drive the shtriga away. John was furious as Dean leaving his brother for a while out of boredom led to the situation and it took a long time for him to trust Dean again. He also never completed the hunt as he had to take Sam and Dean to Pastor Jim's and when he returned, the Shtriga was gone and didn't resurface until 2006.

In 1995, John arrived at the Roadhouse and met the Harvelle Family. He becomes friends with another hunter named Bill Harvelle. Though both usually hunted alone, John and Bill went on a hunt together. Bill was so savagely wounded by the monster that John had been forced to shoot him to put him out of his misery. John cut all ties from the Roadhouse and never forgave himself for the incident.

Around August or September 2002, after Sam had left for Stanford University, John received a call from Kate Milligan, a nurse who had treated John several years previously in Windom, Minnesota. She informed him that they had a son named Adam who was twelve at the time. According to Adam, John "dropped everything" and drove all night to Windom. After the initial meeting, John had sporadic contact with Adam. He taught him to play poker, taught him to drive in the Impala, and bought him his first beer when he was fifteen. He also took him to ball games on his birthday. John never mentioned Adam to either Sam or Dean nor did he tell Adam about his other sons. They learned about him around two years after John's death. Dean suspects that John saw Adam as a second chance, a child he could raise outside of hunting and do normal father-son activities with. This may have also been inspired somewhat by Sam's recent leaving.

On October 31, Dean visits Sam at Stanford, telling him that John has gone missing. Sam reluctantly accompanies Dean to Jericho where John was on a case, but while they find his motel room, and belongings including John's journal, he is not there. While being interrogated by the police, Dean finds coordinates that John has left for him.

Sam and Dean follow the coordinates left in their father's journal and land in the middle of the woods where they investigate the disappearance of several campers in Black Water Ridge, Colorado. At the end of a case (where Sam and Dean have their first encounter with a demon) with an old friend, the boys get a cell phone number. The message on it is from John, redirecting people to call Dean if they want help - the first sign the boys have that John is still alive.

Distressed at returning to his home town as they follow one of Sam's visions, Dean calls John but receives no answer. While investigating the haunting at their old home, Sam and Dean visit the garage John once owned with Mike Guenther. He directs them to Missouri Moseley. She helps the boys, but unbeknownst to them John Winchester is in town and in contact with Missouri. He tells her he can't contact them until he knows "the truth".

After being sent on a hunt through a text by John, Dean’s cell rings, and Sam answers to hear his father’s voice. John expresses sympathy at the murder of Jessica, and for the first time reveals that he knows that what killed Mary and Jess was a demon. John tells Sam that he must stop looking for him and he starts to give Sam details of a new hunt, but Sam argues that he wants to help John hunt the demon. Dean grabs the phone and takes the details from John about couples who have gone missing near Burkitsville, Indiana.

Later Sam leaves Dean, intending to travel to California and find John. However, after Dean goes missing on the case, he returns saying while he still wants to find John, he and Dean need to stick together.

When Sam and Dean encounter Meg in Chicago and realize she is linked to the demon that killed Mary and Jess, Dean calls John. He later arrives and Dean embraces him warmly. Just as he reunites for the first time in years with Sam, seemingly putting aside their argument as he is glad to see his son, they are attacked by daevas. Sam manages to dispel them and they escape, but are injured. Afterward, Dean supports John when he says it is too dangerous for them all to be together, and they part. John tells them that the fight is far from over and they'll see each other again.

After learning that the shtriga he once hunted has reemerged in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, John sends the coordinates to Dean as he knows that killing the shtriga is unfinished business for Dean. Dean ultimately kills the shtriga and finishes John's old hunt.

Following up on the death of the hunter and old friend Daniel Elkins, Sam and Dean are surprised when John arrives. He tells them about the Colt, a gun that can kill supernatural beings, which he now realizes Elkins had. He is after it as it can kill the demon that killed Mary and Jess and avenge their deaths. Together they fight the vampires that killed Elkins, and retrieve the Colt, although John and Sam clash almost immediately and argue. John orders Sam and Dean to rescue the victims and then leave while he confronts the vampires alone and they realize that afterwards he intends to go off on his own again. Even Dean argues with this, saying they are stronger as a family, but finally they reluctantly agree. Using Kate, John draws the vampires into a meeting to exchange her for the Colt, but Kate breaks free and John is nearly killed. However, Sam and Dean disregard his orders and rescue him, though the vampire leader Luther takes Sam as a hostage to force Dean to surrender. John quickly recovers and kills Luther with the Colt, saving him.

The surviving two vampires retreat. Afterwards, John confronts his sons for disobeying him, but agrees that they did save his life and thanks them rather than yelling at them for it. The experience causes John to realize that they are right: the three of them are stronger as a family and he asks Sam and Dean to join him in hunting the demon that killed their loved ones and they eagerly agree. During the episode, Sam and John also spend some time alone and seem to come to some form of peace as they realize they are a lot more alike then they care to admit and John tells Sam he never wanted his son to have this life.

As hunters they know start being killed, the Winchesters start the hunt for the demon in earnest, following signs, that John has learned are associated with its appearance, to Salvation, Iowa. Sam has a vision concerning a young woman and her baby, suggesting she is a target of the demon. John is angry that the boys hadn't told him about Sam's visions, but Dean stands up to him.

When Meg calls she demands the Colt, killing his friend Caleb (Meg also killed Pastor Jim at the beginning of the episode) as John listens. John plans a ruse to give her a fake Colt, as Sam and Dean take the real Colt to kill the demon. Both plans go wrong, when John is captured, and the demon eludes the boys.

Sam and Dean turn to Bobby Singer for help. When Meg turns up, they capture her, and manage to find out John's location, exorcising the demon. The boys rescue John, and take him to a remote cabin. It is while he is telling Dean he is proud of him, even though Dean used the gun and wasted a chance on killing the Demon, that Dean gets suspicious and realizes that John is possessed by the Yellow-Eyed Demon. He taunts Dean and Sam and is killing Dean when John manages to wrest control for a moment, and allow Sam to get control of the Colt. Sam however can't shoot to kill and the demon escapes. As they drive to the hospital, John berates Sam for not sacrificing him to kill the demon, having believed that Sam agreed with him that the demon must die at any cost. However, Sam tells him that family is more important and they can still catch up to the demon again and they still have one bullet left in the Colt to kill it with. However, at this moment, a demon-possessed truck driver crashes into The Impala, leaving John and his sons injured and unconscious.

All the Winchesters are in the hospital with Dean dangerously close to death. Sam discovers John is planning to keep on pursuing the Yellow-Eyed Demon, and they argue. John promises to hold off until Dean recovers, but he actually summons the Yellow-Eyed Demon and makes a deal - his life for Dean's.

John has a final few moments with his sons. He tries to make some peace with Sam, and then reveals to Dean a secret - that he needs to save Sam, but that if he can't he will have to kill him. Moments later the deal is called in - John dies and Dean recovers.
## Personality

John was an ordinary child up until his father Henry Winchester's disappearance. What became of John after that moment is never specified, though he likely hardened from the lack of his real father.
As part of the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, John was undoubtedly a capable fighter by that point, strong and fearless though he retained, at least until Mary's death, a gentle, loving heart. He moved to Lawrence seeking a better and more stable life, and he became devoted to Mary, even though her parents were against the match.
John was naive to the supernatural world and despite marrying a hunter, he never learned what lurked in the shadows until Mary's deal with Azazel led Azazel to come into their home one night. Mary was set ablaze on the ceiling of Sam's nursery and John's life was forever changed.
Many of John's friends have described this period as difficult and rough for John, who had two young sons to tend to. Without a home, he relied on old friends for shelter until he picked up the habit of living on the road or in cheap motels. He was regarded as deluded and a little disturbed during this time, as John was beginning to find out about the supernatural.
His years as a soldier helped to prepare John a bit in what he had to face, and he was able to train his sons to become skilled and tactical fighters. However, coupled with the loss of his wife and the stress of dealing with monsters on a regular basis as well as his desire to avenge Mary at all costs made him neglect the boys, and possibly abuse Dean during periods of drunken rage. He also put high expectations on his elder son, turning Dean into the perfect little soldier who was to protect Sam at all costs.
John was aware of his neglect, and he may have tried to compensate by shielding his sons from most of the things he hunted. Although John expected Sam and Dean to be ready to face a few horrors, Sam and Dean were nevertheless left in the dark about many creatures. John's head strong personality, molded from his years of killing and hiding and searching for Azazel, made it hard for him to form any lasting relationships.
John's two lovers, Tara and Kate, rarely heard from him again after their hook up. Bobby Singer, a close friend and occasional caretaker of Sam and Dean, wanted to shoot John dead with a shotgun over an unspecified offense. Other friends of John also became distant, leading to years of no contact.
Eventually, John found out about Azazel, about a weapon that could kill the demon, and some of the demon's plans. John's wish to foil the demon's plans drove John to want Sam dead should Sam become evil, eventually passing it on as a final order to his good son Dean and putting a wedge in the brothers' relationship.
John was, for most of his life, met with misfortune that could easily have turned John into a self-loathing and self-deprecating man. He had few friends he could share secrets with, and for the most part John lived a rather lonesome life filled with nightmares come to life. His dream of a happy family, which he could not have in his childhood, was never made real for more than a few years and Mary, the love of his life, was forever gone after her demise for the rest of John's life.

## Hunter Characteristics

ot of other hunters, including veteran ones like Bobby Singer, all refer to John as a highly skilled and capable hunter, at least during his latter years as a hunter. Even after his death, a lot of hunters talk about him; Gordon considers his sons to have "big shoes to fill" in their father's absence. Sam and Dean stated that it was very rare (only happening once for sure) that a monster survived an encounter with John. He was also noted for being able to find ways to kill things that had no apparent weaknesses: when facing a Shtriga, Sam noted that the lore stated that it couldn't be killed by the weapons of "God or man", but John had somehow figured out that it was vulnerable to consecrated iron while feeding. How he determined this is unknown as he never actually killed the creature. Despite this, John had a very impressive command of lore to the point that many times Sam and Dean consult his journal as their first source of information. Several times it alone has proven to be enough for them to identify a creature and how to kill it. The journal showed that John was aware of the Princes of Hell too despite all of the Princes being believed to be long-dead. As well, John knew enough to list in his journal that there were only four Princes of Hell.
Despite his impressive knowledge of lore, John possessed gaps in his knowledge. He was unaware that his theory about a possible werewolf cure was false though several other hunters, including Bobby Singer, were aware of it. John lacked the knowledge that vetalas usually hunt in pairs, presumably because John only ever encountered a rare single vetala while on a hunt. Moreover, John had no knowledge of either the vampire cure or the cure for djinn poison. While John learned about The First Blade from Abaddon's protégé, he never believed it to exist and as such, never followed up on it. While John knew of the existence of the Princes of Hell and that there was only four of them as shown in his journal, he did not appear to be aware that Azazel, the demon he had hunted for so long was in fact one of the Princes of Hell.
Even before he become a hunter, John was well versed in firearms, battle, and tactics. This was because of his tenure as a marine. His knowledge on military activities allowed him to school his own sons on how to wield and even construct firearms at an early age.
He was one of the few hunters who knew of the existence of the Colt, though he considered it to be a myth until after Daniel Elkins' death.
Another notable trait of John's was his incredible willpower. He was temporarily able to retake control when possessed by the demon Azazel.
As a descendant of Cain and Abel, John is able to host the archangel Michael. Unlike Donnie Finnerman and Raphael, Michael was able to use John as his vessel with no permanent damage, instead stating that John would be "better than new" when he was done with him.

## Deaths

* **Killed By:** Azazel

Died in 1973
In order to force Mary Winchester into making a deal with him, Azazel snapped John's neck while possessing Samuel Campbell. As part of his deal with Mary, Azazel resurrected John and erased John's memory of his death.
* **Killed By:** Azazel

Died on July 19, 2006
As part of a deal to save his son's life, John agreed to die and go to Hell. After saying goodbye to his sons, John completed his deal by giving Azazel the Colt and died shortly thereafter.

## Notes

* John Winchester's blood type is AB (It is unknown whether he is AB+ or AB-, but statistically there's a higher chance of him being AB+ according to redcrossblood.org)
* Had the North American branch of the Men of Letters survived into the present, John would have been ordained as one in the same manner as his father Henry.
* John Winchester was awarded four medals from his military career
	+ USMC Expert Rifle Badge (Highest score of qualification for the USMC with his service rifle, which at the time was most likely an M16A1)
	+ The Bronze Star (Acts of heroism, merit, or meritorious service in a combat zone)
	+ The Purple Heart (Wounded in action)
	+ Vietnam Service Medal. (Served for, or more than, 30 consecutive/60 non-consecutive days deployed during the Vietnam War)
* It is unknown as to when John moved to Lawrence, Kansas. He may have lived there before he was deployed to Vietnam, or simply moved there after returning from the conflict.
* John had met both his older sons before their births.
* John was originally going to buy a VW campervan until Dean persuaded him to buy the Impala instead calling it "the car of a lifetime" and promising that it would be still be "badass when it's 40".
* John had always been a devout Christian. But because of his life as a hunter, never had time to attend church. It is unknown what denomination John belonged to, although Sam mentions that the family is "not Catholic."
* John drove a 1983 GMC Sierra. It had a closed console which had a high-tech box to house his weapons.
* John's weapons collection was apparently less diverse than Sam and Dean's, consist of various firearms and a few blades and shurikens. However, he also carried more religious objects than Same and Dean did, his weapons' box containg two rosaries, two bottles of Holy Water, two different crosses, and two small containers bearing the Chi Rho. This may reflect John's specific hunt for The Yellow-Eyed Demon as opposed to Sam and Dean's custom of investigating every potentially supernatural incident they come across.
* Even though his wife had many family members, John never had relations with them after her death.
* John never visited Mary's grave site.
* John once worked with a hunter named Tara who it was indicated he had a sexual relationship with. Apparently he promised to call her and never did. She didn't seem to harbor any or at least much resentment about this and when Dean told her he was one of John's sons, she asked if he was Sam or Dean, showing that John had apparently talked to her about them.
* While working with Tara, they captured, interrogated and exorcised a demon who had knowledge of the First Blade. While it started an obsession in Tara looking for the First Blade, John didn't believe in it and never recorded any information on the hunt besides the basics that he interrogated and exorcised the demon with Tara's help and that it mentioned the First Blade. He didn't include the information the demon gave on the Knights of Hell either, possibly as they were all believed to be dead.
* Apparently John's idea of thanksgiving was a bowl of chicken and passing out on the couch.
* According to Dean, the last time Bobby Singer had seen John, Bobby had threatened to shoot him for some offense.
* After giving Dean the Impala, John began driving a black pickup truck with a case for his weapons in the truck bed. This case had an electronic opening mechanism.
* of his military life, it can be assumed that he used that same mindset to train his sons in the hunter lifestyle. In July of 2006, he admits to Sam he "stopped being [the boys'] father, and . . . became [their] drill sergeant."
* Though John had a much younger son by another relationship, he never told Adam the truth about his family instead preferring to do regular father-and-son activities. Dean believes that John saw this as a second chance to raise a child normally and not as a hunter as he had no choice with Sam and Dean but did with Adam.
* John has been killed twice. Both times he was killed by the demon Azazel. Once in 1973 and the other in 2006.
* Before his death he confirmed he knew the truth about Sam to Azazel. He figured out what the whole picture was including the coming of the apocalypse and his son's destinies to an extent.