Adapting the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse for Supernatural

Supernatural Season 5 brought about the buildup of the apocalypse. That meant the introduction of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Here’s a look at the Biblical lore and how it was adapted for the show.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were introduced early on. Never really used as much as they could have been, we got to meet War in Supernatural Season 5, Episode 2. Famine and Pestilence followed, with Death being the last and most resilient.

Supernatural certainly used the Biblical lore for the beings. However, the show adapted that lore to create something modern and fitting for the storyline being told. Like with any real lore on the show, there was a twist to make it unique and interesting.

Here’s a look at the two to see where the inspiration came from.

Biblical lore on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

In Revelation, the Four Horsemen were introduced. War, Pestilence, Famine, and Death rode four horses of different colors. They came after the seven seals (not 66) of the apocalypse were broken.

More from Supernatural

• Jensen Ackles and The Winchesters cast kick off #SaveTheWinchesters campaign
• Will The Winchesters be saved? (Can Supernatural fans save the prequel?)
• Did The Winchesters get renewed? (Is The Winchesters season 2 happening?)
• Is a new episode of The Winchesters on tonight? (March 14, 2023)
• The Winchesters Season1 finale explained: Did it connect to Supernatural?

Interestingly, there have been some debates over the identities of the Four Horsemen. In fact, the pale horse rider is supposed to represent pestilence and death, according to Britannia. However, Pestilence and Death are considered two different Horsemen.

In some mythology, Death rides the white or pale horse, which is often interpreted as Christ by some Biblical scholars. In other mythology and paintings, he can ride a pale green horse. Pestilence (who can also be referred to as Conquest) can sometimes be said to ride a green horse or can sometimes be connected to the pale or white horse. It gets confusing, right?

The red horse is War and the black horse is Famine. These two are never confused or interpreted differently.

The Supernatural‘s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

In the series, the Horsemen drove cars instead of rode horses. It added the modern-day twist to the tale and certainly made plenty of sense. The colors were those of the ones often considered:

Red = War, Green = Pestilence, Black = Famine, and Silver/Pale = Death.

Their rings also bore the same color jewels, and it was the rings that gave them their appearances and channeled powers. The only Horseman able to remove his ring without losing his appearance was Death, because Death is the most powerful and can never really be killed.

We never did get an origin story for any of the Horsemen. While Death mentioned that he was around for the creation of the universe and will, one day, reap God, the others never mentioned how long they’d been around. However, it’s clear they have been around since the universe was created at the earliest.

While the Horsemen don’t ride together in the series, they are connected. Pestilence is angry that the Winchesters had killed his brothers, and was willing to go against Lucifer’s orders because of that. They’re also powerful, although we never really did get to see that on screen.

Supernatural did as much as possible with little mythology, bringing a sense of impending doom to the Season 5 storyline.

What did you think of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Were you surprised at the way they were used? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Like SPN Hunters on Facebook for more mythology and lore from the series.