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It’s no secret that I’m a huge Supernatural fan. As an Orlando local who has been consistently attending MEGACON Orlando since 2015, this was the absolute best year for the Supernatural fans. Also, affectionately referred to as “Supernatural Family.”
Sunday was the day to be at MEGACON for anyone who knows how Sammy lost his shoe. Or why Castiel had to interrogate the cat. There was a cosplay meet up, and an epic panel with many of the actors. The day wrapped with a smaller Supernatural panel hosted by myself, and Matt.
The Main Panel
I recently attended a Creation Con that was full of non stop Supernatural panels for 3 days (check out my thoughts here). However, there were no panels there that were this big. A panel of this size, and with this cast, is destinated to go off the rails. It was a hell (pun intended) of a lot of fun.
The Cast
The panel consisted of Jared Padelecki (Sam Winchester); Mark Sheppard (Crowley); Alexander Calvert (Jack); Jim Beaver (Bobby Singer); Ruth Connell (Rowena); DJ Qualls (Garth); and Samantha Smith (Mary Winchester). As they were introduced, Jim Beaver immediately greeted the audience with a, “Hello Idjits!” From there it was non stop laughter and fun. Jared took a look at the packed room and said, “for Chuck sake.”
Each member was then asked how the show changed their lives. DJ compared the impact of the show to the movie Sliding Doors. Where Gwenyth Paltrow gets a bad haircut in one scenario and good one in another. With 3 people on stage having found their partners through the show, some of the answers were obvious.
However, Ruth’s was the sweetest as she said she went from being a terrible mother on the show, to a real life mother thanks to the show. Her and Rob Benedict (Chuck) met on the show and welcomed their daughter into the world not too long ago. Jared also met his wife Genevieve (Ruby) on the show, and DJ met his fiancé, Ty Olsson (Benny), through doing Supernatural conventions.
While Mark attempts to come across grumpy, he took a moment to say that he’s never been on a show where the cast and the audience seem to have the same level of love for the show. He then went on to explain why Supernatural fans are referred to as “family.” Fans comes from the word fanatic and Supernatural fans are much more than that. Maybe it’s all the human blood Sammy pumped into him, but in the handful of panels I’ve seen him in he’s 90% grump, and 10% teddy bear. The teddy bear part seems much stronger.
Supernatural Team Ups
Another question asked was who would you have liked to have seen your character team up with more. Jared immediately yelled, “Charlie!” Which resulted in yells and cheers in agreement. Rowena said the same, and Samantha responded with Jeffrey Dean Morgan (John Winchester) resulting in a collective awe.
Alex jokingly said DJ, as they rehashed a moment on set where DJ was drooling on Alex while attacking him as a werewolf in a scene. Jared then quickly explained how f****** stupid DJ looked in the werewolf teeth before CGI was added. DJ then went on to tell how he injured a very private area with his werewolf claws. Jim Beaver chimed in that these aren’t stories you’ll get from the Dick Van Dyke cast.
As the Jared and Jensen are known for pranks on set, Jared told a story where Bobby was in a hospital bed, and throughout the scene Jared is squeezing his big toes trying to get a reaction. The second cut was yelled Jim looked at him and yelled, ” You f**** idiot!” We then learned that while filming Tombstone there is an outtake where ‘Minnie Driver’ and ‘Baby Driver’ keep getting mentioned (it’s on the gag reel). That was a day both Jared and Jensen were told to leave so the scene could get finished. Alex then joked whenever they left, the laughter stopped, but they got stuff done.
What else could their characters do
Another question asked, was what would your characters do if they weren’t hunters, witches, demons, or doing other supernatural things. Jared quickly responded with Teddy Bear Doctor or Yoga instructor. Both clever nods to the show.
As they wrapped up we got to hear some more supportive comments, and not just teasing each other. Mark and Jared talked about how for the season 8 finale, where Sam is trying to complete the trials by turning Crowley human, Mark was very supportive. They spent 2 days working on that scene, and Mark stayed in the chair even when he didn’t need to. Furthermore, the crew was silent which further allowed Jared to get where he needed to get in acting out that very emotional scene. At one point their characters had a moment where one said, “what?” and the other responded the same. This was an outtake that got left in.
Supernatural MEGACON Orlando fun on the floor
While professional photo ops could be purchased ahead of time, many of the actors were on the floor doing selfies, talking, and signing autographs. Iconic Themes LLC was also there with their replica ‘Baby’ that is so detailed they made sure to only use the army men from the show, that you see Sam playing with in a flashback. Guests can get a tour of the car, and pose inside and out with all their props. This was the second year in a row they were at MEGACON so make sure to keep an eye out if going in 2026.
We wrapped up MEGACON Orlando 2025 by hosting our very own Supernatural panel. This was the second year doing so, so stay tuned for next year, fingers crossed. We already have some Supernatural panel ideas.
For more MEGACON Orlando content, make sure to follow Nerd Initiative on all platforms, as well as Hops GEEK News. CHEERS!
