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Eric Kripke explains why the Winchester boys never had umbrellas on 'Supernatural'
Sometimes standing alone in the rain, ready to fight evil, just looks cooler.
Umbrellas are one of the greatest and simplest inventions known to humankind, if your goal is to walk around outside in the rain and stay mostly dry. But if you're trying to look cool while fighting the forces of evil? Not so much.
Supernatural developed quite a few hallmarks over the course of its 15 seasons on The WB and The CW, from music choices to inside jokes to the ever-present Impala. But one of the lesser-known trademarks of Sam and Dean Winchester was something they didn't do: use umbrellas. Like, ever. Apart from one use in a Season 1 episode of the beloved series, umbrellas were never part of Sam and Dean's monster-killing arsenal, and creator Eric Kripke has recently explained why.
Responding to a fan on Twitter who asked about the Winchester brothers' famous aversion to keeping dry in the rain, Kripke noted that the one episode in which they do use umbrellas -- the eighth episode of the series, "Bugs" -- was directed by Kim Manners, who came from a background of directing shows like The X-Files. Mulder and Scully frequently deployed umbrellas to keep their suits dry on that show, so Manners simply brought that visual over to Supernatural. Kripke was not a fan.
"I called [Manners], said 'the boys aren't scared of demons, but they're scared of rain?' From that point forward, a hard rule: no umbrellas. Not easy for Vancouver."
So, from Season 1 onward, the Winchesters had to battle all manner of supernatural beasts, no matter the weather, without the simple protection of an umbrella. To be fair, from a logistical standpoint, it does make reaching for weapons easier. But as Kripke pointed out in a follow-up tweet, it also just looks cool. And of course, Supernatural is not real life, so there's no reason to transfer the aesthetic over to your own day-to-day existence.
"To be clear, I use an umbrella," Kripke noted. "So should you. It’s just that fictional cowboy demon hunters look cooler without one."
We're sure Jensen Ackles and Jared Padelecki have already thanked Kripke for their many umbrella-less hours shooting the show in rainy Vancouver. You know, because of how cool they looked.
Looking for more ghostly scares? Check out SYFY's SurrealEstate, which returns next year with a second season.
