Wednesday Success Proves Crowley Spinoff Can Happen Without Mark Sheppard
Supernatural is over, and its prequel, The Winchesters, has caused mixed feelings in the fandom.
Some people believe that a certain side character can save the day, but only if he is played by the one and only Mark Sheppard. Well...
Supernatural 's King of Hell, Crowley, enjoys massive fan love for a reason, and that reason is Mark Sheppard and his perfect portrayal of a charismatic but devious demon with a mysterious past who loves to drop a sarcastic one-liner or occasionally torture someone.
Ever since Crowley's dramatic death in season 12, Supernatural fans have been clamoring for Mark Sheppard's character to get his own spinoff, because let's face it, there are plenty of stories to tell about the mischievous King of Hell.
However, Crowley's return in a spinoff might be tricky for a couple of reasons. First of all, Supernatural already has one spinoff: The Winchesters, and so far it has received a mixed response from the fandom due to its apparent retcon of the original series and questionable storyline. It's still unclear whether the prequel will be picked up for a second season, and the show's success could be important to the fate of other potential spinoffs.
Secondly, Mark Sheppard's exit from the series was not particularly peaceful, and fans suspect that there is still some unresolved drama between the actor and the showrunners. At the time of season 12's farewell to the King of Hell, Sheppard made it clear that he did not particularly like the creative direction the showrunners chose for Crowley and would like to see things go differently for him.
It's unclear whether the actor will now agree to return to the role, though he continues to make occasional appearances at Supernatural conventions.
What does Jenna Ortega and her globally successful show, Wednesday, have to do with all this, you might ask? Well, according to Redditor Own-Aerie-8743, Ortega's success as the new generation's Wednesday Addams could prove that a Crowley spin-off may not necessarily need Sheppard back in the role, though many Supernatural fans would beg to differ.
With Wednesday, many thought that no one could ever top Christina Ricci's performance as the Addams' eldest child, but Ortega quickly proved them wrong. Even though memories of the OG Crowley are still fresh, as we last saw him in 2017 when season 12 aired, another actor in the role could work just fine.
After all, as a demon, Crowley most certainly used other vessels, not just the one portrayed by Mark Sheppard, so it would be easy to explain the recasting.
"As long as the actor [or] actress UNDERSTOOD Crowley at his core, the way Jenna Ortega UNDERSTOOD Wednesday? And that actor was talented? Then that actor would have impressed [people], just like Jenna Ortega did," the Redditor concluded.
Is it high time for Crowley to return, even if Mark Sheppard is unavailable? Or is it just too soon, and we have to wait at least until The Winchesters is over?