Fingers crossed that it won’t be long before this ‘Supernatural’ alum makes his way over to ‘The Boys’!
The Big Picture
- Jared Padalecki is welcome to make a cameo on
The Boys
, but there are currently no plans for his appearance. - Eric Kripke has a strong relationship with the former
Supernatural
stars and has brought many of them onto
The Boys
. - Now that Jared Padalecki’s CW series
Walker
has been cancelled, an appearance on
The Boys
seems more likely.
Most fans who love Amazon’s hit series The Boys know that the show was developed for television by none other than Eric Kripke. Kripke has been involved in numerous TV projects over the years, such as Timeless and Revolution on NBC, but his most notable work is the 15-season, dark fantasy/horror CW series Supernatural. Since the series ended back in 2020, fans have anxiously wondered if Supernatural star Jared Padalecki would make it over to The Boys for another round with Kripke, and now we might finally have our answer. With Padalecki’s current series, Walker, having just been cancelled by the CW, it seems more and more likely that the former Supernatural star might make his way over to the Prime Video series after all.
The Boys
A group of vigilantes set out to take down corrupt superheroes who abuse their superpowers.
- Release Date
- July 26, 2019
- Cast
- Karl Urban , Antony Starr , Erin Moriarty , Dominique McElligott , Laz Alonso , Chace Crawford , Colby Minifie , Aya Cash
- Seasons
- 4
- Studio
- Amazon Studios
- Creator
- Eric Kripke
‘The Boys’ Has an Open-Invitation for Jared Padalecki
For many, after working with someone for so long, it can be best to make a clean break and start over fresh, but that’s not a philosophy Eric Kripke seems to hold to for his newest show, The Boys. “I would love a Jared [Padalecki] cameo! He’s always welcome on the show,” Kripke told Variety back in 2022, although there are currently no concrete plans for Padalecki to appear on The Boys. The Supernatural creator surely has a strong relationship with his former stars, Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, the latter of whom has since appeared on The Boys as the Captain America-wannabe Soldier Boy. Kripke cited Padalecki’s busy schedule as the reason for his absence, but noted that “if he was free and found himself currently unemployed, I would put him on The Boys in a heartbeat.” Now seems like just the right time.
Of course, Kripke isn’t the only Supernatural alum to call for Padalecki to jump from the CW to Amazon. “He and I laugh,” Jensen Ackles told the media outlet. “We were just talking about the fact that we thought after Supernatural, things would be smooth sailing and we would just be sitting back with umbrella drinks. And it has proved to be the complete opposite of that.” Ackles echoed Kripke’s statements about Padalecki being too busy to make an impromptu Supernatural reunion happen, but that hasn’t stopped the star from continuing the Winchester saga on his own. In 2022, Jensen Ackles produced a spin-off series titled The Winchesters, which follows the parents of his and Padalecki’s Supernatural characters in the 1970s.
Jared Padalecki Says Time Is the Only Thing Slowing Down a ‘Supernatural’ Reunion
“My short answer is it’s not a consideration, the answer is yes. I just don’t know when I’m available.”
The Winchesters was later revealed to take place in another universe entirely and served as a vehicle to give Ackles’ Dean Winchester a more suitable ending. Sadly, Padalecki didn’t appear in the Supernatural prequel series (though his character, Sam Winchester, was mentioned as being the catalyst for Dean’s actions) and his lack of involvement in the show generated some temporary drama between the two Supernatural stars, though, thankfully, that has since been resolved. The two former co-stars have reunited since, including on Padalecki’s current CW series, which just got the axe by the network.
With ‘Walker’s Cancellation, Jared Padalecki Might Be Free To Join ‘The Boys’
When Supernatural ended, Padalecki got right back on the horse to work on a new CW series that serves as a reimagining of a Chuck Norris classic. That’s right, Padalecki currently stars as Cordell Walker on the neo-Western series Walker, which takes place in the actor’s home state of Texas, particularly in Austin. However, while Walker has run for four seasons on the network, it has now been cancelled ahead of the airing of its now-series finale at the end of June. The cop drama even spawned a prequel series (which Padalecki also executive produced), titled Walker: Independence, which chronicles the Walker family history in the Old West. Sadly, Independence was cancelled after only one season, leaving fans of Padalecki’s Walker franchise saddened at its quick demise.
With the news of Walker‘s cancellation, Eric Kripke has spoken further about reuniting with Jared Padalecki sometime down the line on The Boys. “I feel like it would be a bummer to not have Jared on the show one way or another at this point, even if it’s just the one-episode thing,” the showrunner explained. “He’s been shooting Walker, but with that show wrapping up, maybe he’ll have some time to come in and play with us.” Kripke noted that there have been conversations about Padalecki jumping over to the Prime Video series, and that “texts have been sent.” Of course, Walker itself has done fairly well on the CW, with Padalecki exercising his acting chops in a role that couldn’t be more different from Sam Winchester, so whatever role he’d have on The Boys would have to be just as unique.
‘The Boys’ Has Already Surpassed the Comics in Two Major Ways
Ironically, they make the show more optimistic.
Back in Walker‘s second season, Padalecki reunited with Jensen Ackles, who directed the episode, “No Such Thing As Fair Play.” This same episode brought the pair together with the classic rock band Kansas, the masterminds behind Supernatural‘s unofficial theme song, “Carry On Wayward Son.” Naturally, they’re not the only Supernatural alums to make an appearance on Walker, as Padalecki’s wife, Genevieve Padalecki (who played the demon Ruby), Mark Sheppard (Crowley), and former guest star Jake Abel (Adam Milligan/Michael) also made appearances on either the flagship series or its prequel. Even Colin Ford, who played a young Sam Winchester in the early years of Supernatural, returned to play a young Cordell Walker in the show’s third season, and Mitch Pileggi, who played Sam and Dean’s grandfather Samuel Campbell, stars as part of the main cast as Walker’s ranching father, Bonham.
Who Else From ‘Supernatural’ Has Been on ‘The Boys’?
Though it’s more likely now than ever, we can’t be sure that Jared Padalecki will ever make it over to The Boys. Thankfully, we can rest assured knowing that Eric Kripke has brought back many Supernatural alumni for his latest TV endeavor, and likely will bring back some more going forward. Aside from Jensen Ackles, who is featured in perhaps one of the most serious departures from Dean Winchester he’s ever taken, other stars such as Jim Beaver (who played Bobby Singer) and Alexander Calvert (Jack Kline) have made waves in Kripke’s new superhero satire empire, with Jeffrey Dean Morgan (John Winchester) and Rob Benedict (Chuck Shurley/God) set to appear in Season 4.
No doubt, Supernatural fans have already noticed plenty of Easter eggs to Kripke’s original horror series in the latest seasons of The Boys, but as the showrunner notes, he couldn’t help it. “When you think of the amount of people on this show on the creative team who come from Supernatural — me, [executive producer and director] Phil Sgriccia, Jensen, [composer] Christopher Lennertz, we sort of couldn’t help but drop some stuff in because that show was such a huge part of our lives,” Kripke explained to Variety, to the delight of Supernatural fans everywhere. As for who will show up on The Boys (or its spin-off Gen V) going forward, who’s to say? But if Kripke is already pulling out all the stops to make sure to rope Supernatural fans in, there’s no telling who could show up in the future.
‘Supernatural’s Possible Revival Could Shake Things Up
Speaking of Supernatural, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki have reunited in recent years for a number of fan conventions where they look back at the series. The pair have since revealed that they’re thinking about a revival, hoping to get back in the monster-hunting saddle. How Sam and Dean Winchester could return after the way the story ended is beyond us, but given that nobody ever really dies on Supernatural, the possibilities feel endless. “I have some ideas, and I hope that now that the writers are back, and the actors are back, that we all get together,” Padalecki told fans after the 2023 SAG-AFTRA/WGA strikes. “Stay tuned on that,” Ackles echoed, leaving many to believe that we could be seeing more of the Winchesters sooner than later.
Of course, the CW hasn’t greenlit anything quite yet, and given how many shows they’ve been cancelling lately, we wouldn’t expect them to — but that’s not to say Supernatural couldn’t find new life elsewhere. “We’ve had no discussions about any kind of spinoff,” noted current CW presidentBrad Schwartz in February 2024 (via TV Line). “Supernatural was one of the Top 10 most-streamed shows last year. And it’s an incredible franchise with an incredible legacy, incredible history.” Considering that last fact, you’d think that the CW might be interested, but then again, the network has never had the best track record with Supernatural spin-offs or continuations.
‘Supernatural’s Original Ending Would’ve Given Us Way More Closure
Fans weren’t terribly thrilled with where we left the Winchesters, but how was it supposed to turn out?
Nevertheless, we’re still excited about the potential possibility of more Winchester-themed adventures. “There are some conversations regarding that conversation that are being had,” Ackles insisted. Back in May 2023, right around the time Walker was renewed for Season 4, Padalecki noted that he’d love to still be doing Supernatural. “I feel like if we had done 13-episode seasons of Supernatural, we’d probably still be doing Supernatural right now,” he told TV Insider at the time. While Eric Kripke has certainly moved on from the show, it seems like his best-known stars haven’t, and, to tell you the truth, neither have we. Thankfully, we can catch many of our favorite Supernatural actors on episodes of The Boys in the meantime. And who knows, maybe Jared Padalecki will add himself to that ever-growing list someday too.
The Boys can be streamed exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
Watch on Prime Video
This article was originally published on collider.com