8 Great TV Characters Who Die At The Beginning

The fantasy/mystery series Supernatural came to a close in 2020, ending a mammoth fifteen season run that saw demon-hunting brothers Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) find the closure and life (or death) they were looking for after a lifetime on the road.

But none of this would have happened without the death of their mother Mary. Played by Samantha Smith, she provided the impetus for the first extended, several-season arc of the series, and for the shape of the boys' lives, including them becoming hunters in the first place.

In the show's pilot episode, Mary was awakened by six-month old Sam crying in his cot. Much to her horror, she discovered the yellow-eyed prince of hell Azazel (Fredric Lehne) looming over her baby. Thus, Azazel pinned Mary to the ceiling, cut her open and engulfed her in fire.

Her fate may have been sealed from the start, but we don't discover just how much of a badass she was until we are much further into the show. Mary was much more than a doting mother; she was a hunter who hung up her stake and shotgun in order to raise a family. In fact, she was the very reason her gruff, tragic husband John Winchester (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) started fighting the supernatural in the first place.

Though Mary is reformed in season 11's "Alpha and Omega", she dies once again in season 14, going on to be reunited with John in heaven.