Supernatural season 13: Mark Sheppard departing as regular
Is it permanent? It’s impossible to say with this show, which does have a habit of bringing characters back. Even if Crowley stays dead (remember what happened at the end of the finale last week), there are still ways in which the show could use him via flashbacks, dream sequences, or other means. Just look at how many times we’ve seen Jim Beaver since Bobby originally died.
The one thing that is certain is that per TVLine, Sheppard will not be a series regular as he’s been for the past couple of years. The actor himself first set up his exit in a recent post on Instagram, writing “So to all my #spnfamily everywhere… my crew and my fellow storytellers… thanks for the ride. Time for something new. Even when I lose…”
While Sheppard was a regular for season 12, there were probably some times where it didn’t feel that way given that he was only used sporadically. This may be one of the reasons why he is moving on for now, since this gives him an opportunity to be used a little more often elsewhere. This show ultimately relies on a fairly small cast to help keep it on the air — also, much of the core of it does revolve around Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles battling monsters on their own, so it is hard to surround them with a larger group of characters without changing the structure of the show.
It’s easy to miss Sheppard, given that Crowley is one of the series’ strongest characters — a dark, nuanced, and at-times funny character who towed the line of morality more times than we can count. Having Rowena only further expanded the character the past couple of years, and he brought so much more heart to the role than we could possibly imagine going in.
For those wondering, Misha Collins has already confirmed that there is a “future” for Castiel on the series — that doesn’t necessarily mean that he will be back as a regular, but there will be more for that character in due time.
What do you think about the news of Mark Sheppard’s exit, and do you think Crowley will return at some point in season 13? Share below! (Photo: The CW.)