25 Days of Sam-mas Day #4: Sam’s transformation from the beginning of Supernatural

Sam Winchester has come a long way since the pilot episode of Supernatural. For #TransformationTuesday and Day 4 of the 25 Days of Sam-mas, it’s time to look back and appreciate the change.

While there are times we can watch Supernatural and wonder if there’s been any character development, for the most part there has been. Sam Winchester has grown from hopeful lawyer to leader of hunters. To mark Day 4 of the 25 Days of Sam-mas and #TransformationTuesday, it’s time to look back over this transformation and growth.

I’ll be honest and say there could be more work. There are times that I see the writing slip Sam back into the character he once was, but Season 14 has been a little more consistent on the growth.

Lawyer to hunter

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For the first five seasons, we got this young man who wanted to be a lawyer. He wanted nothing more than to leave the family business completely. His dream was to be a lawyer and he split the family up to follow that dream.

Little did he know that four years later he’d be pulled back into the family business. With John missing on a hunting trip, Dean needed his little brother by his side. And that started the series.

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Over the next five years, we watched as Sam grew up. He learned more about his abilities, his destiny, and his role in the apocalypse. We watched in horror as he died, came back to life, lost his father, brother, and so many others he cared about. He was manipulated by a demon, became a blood junkie, and found himself the one who needed to make the ultimate sacrifice.

This was where it was all meant to end. Maybe even Dean would have been the one to become Michael had the show not been renewed. Two Winchester brothers in the cage with two archangel brothers by their sides. What a picture.

Soulless to tormented

But the end was never meant to be and we got a new Sam when Supernatural Season 6 premiered. We didn’t realize at first, but Sammy was soulless. Unable to feel anything but it certainly made him a better hunter. There’s no denying that.

When he got his soul back, Death gave him a wall. Of course, it didn’t last and we ended up with a tormented Sam after his time in the Cage with Lucifer.

Season 8 didn’t get any better. Castiel may have taken the tortured part from him, but Sam lost his brother again. This time Dean was only in Purgatory, but Sam didn’t know that and we got a huge character shift.

There are many still angry with the way Jeremy Carver agreed on the direction for Sam in the eighth season. However, what it gave us was a chance for Sam to realize what he really wanted. We got that emotional scene at the end of Season 8, as Sam was willing to die to close the Gates of Hell forever.

Once again, he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the world.

The journey to becoming a leader

Since then, we’ve had an up-and-down journey. Sam has had to be there to help save his brother multiple times. Between the Mark of Cain, Deanmon, and The Darkness, we’ve watched Sam lose any sense of a normal life. He’s a hunter and that’s the way it is.

In fact, many times, Sam has pointed out that no matter how much a hunter wants to get out of the life, it’s never going to happen. In a way, he’s very much like his mother, Mary. The two have wanted to live normal, everyday lives and they’ve always been pulled back into the fight. Deep down, Sam wants to make sure others are safe.

And that’s led to him make pacts but learn from past mistakes. In Supernatural Season 12, we saw him attempt to make a deal with the British Men of Letters to get rid of all monsters and creatures in the States. But he didn’t fully trust them. When it turned out the BMoL were against him and the American hunters, he stepped up to take them down without a fight.

Then we got Season 13, where he fought for a way to keep Jack safe until they knew more about him. At first, Sam wanted to believe Mary was alive but slowly lost that hope. We watched him go deeper into a state of depression until finally, he was able to reunite with his mom and Jack.

Now, we’ve finally seen him become the leader we knew he could always be. Sure, he still needs to work on looking after himself (but any parent will know what it’s like to always be on the go and always needed) but he’s been able to take control of the Apocalypse World hunters in the bunker. He’s found a way to help run operations from the base, find Dean, and try to keep the world safe.

There’s a chance for so much more to come for Sammy in Supernatural.

What was your favorite Sam moment over the years? What would you like to see in his character development next? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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