If you’ve spent years wondering why Sam and Dean Winchester were quick to ditch their umbrellas inSupernatural, it’s your lucky day, as an official explanation has arrived. Created byEric Kripke, who’d go on to developThe Boysfor Prime Video,Supernaturalstarred Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles as a pair of brothers who hunt demons, ghosts, and other supernatural threats. Kim Manners, who passed away in 2009, was also a primary player behind the scenes in the show’s early years as a director and executive producer.
In the episode “Bugs,” from the show’s first season, the Winchesters can be seen holding umbrellas on a rainy day. This would turn out to be the only time they’d shield themselves from the rain, as the siblings spent the rest ofSupernaturalstaying as far away from umbrellas as possible. Thinking about this fact years later, one fan took toTwitterto directly ask the stars of the show, along with Kripke, why the umbrellas went away, and Kripke had an explanation.
“I was walking the dogs in the rain just now and it reminded me that Bugs was the one and only time we saw the boys with umbrellas,” the fan writes. “Thank you to whoever decided they were so much cooler and kick ass in the rain and sorry Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. Was it you Eric Kripke?”
Kripke responded, “Kim Manners directedX-Files, where they often had umbrellas, so figured it was fine. I called him, 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.”
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The umbrellas went away quickly, but that didn’t stopSupernaturalfrom being a hit. The series went on to great success on The CW, spanning many years past the exit of Kripke, who parted ways withSupernaturalafter its fifth season. It ultimately went on for 15 seasons, ending its run in 2020 after 327 episodes. It had been on the air since 2005.
Kripke has since reunited with Ackles forThe Boys. The Prime Video superhero series features Ackles as Soldier Boy, a powerful superhero from the past who makes a shocking return after he’d been presumed dead for decades. Meanwhile, Ackles also reprises his role as Dean Winchester in the prequel seriesThe Winchesters, a new show that follows the parents of Sam and Dean. Ackles' Dean Winchester serves as the narrator.
