The Winchesters: Who is Samuel Campbell? (Who play’s Mary’s father?)

The Winchesters pilot was the most watched premiere of The CW’s Fall 2022 season and there’s no mistaking why. Besides the fact that this prequel series is a part of the beloved Supernatural universe, it’s also bringing the kind of genre-based action, humor, and budding romance that this network thrives on.

John Winchester and Mary Campbell are two young adults searching for answers about their fathers. For John, he’s finally been put on a path to learn about his absentee dad. Mary on the other hand is in search of hers. You’re not supposed to go off hunting on your own, but that’s exactly what her father, Samuel, did and she’s on a quest to find out why and how she can help.

As noted in episode 2 of the series, “Teach Your Children Well,” the Campbell patriarch is the kind of man who leads with a “It’s my way or the highway” mentality. He rarely listens to those around him including his own daughter and he has a particular way of doing things.

Mary’s attempt to emulate him while on a case rubs both Carlos and Latika the wrong way because Samuel’s way of leading makes the people working with him feel unheard and unappreciated for the skill sets they bring to the table. Mary righted the ship by the end of the episode, but her father’s specific way of carrying out his hunts did prove useful early on in “Teach Your Children Well.”

The shell casings they came across in Savannah, Georgia in a warehouse full of dead zombies were his. Samuel is careful about cleaning up after himself when he encounters the supernatural so Mary knew that he was actually leaving her a clue instead of acting out of character. He wanted her to know that he’d been there.

Her discovery also gave us a character moment as she explained her dad taught her how to make her own shell casings and that he marks his with his initials. Pinned under a dagger was a newspaper detailing a case involving a young man who went missing at a commune in Topeka, Kansas.

Carlos thought Samuel was sending them on a wild goose chase to get them off his trail, but Mary was convinced he sent them to Topeka for a reason. Episode 2 didn’t reveal Samuel’s motives, but we can likely expect more missions to be sent by the man to his daughter.

When will we finally get to meet Samuel Campbell on The Winchesters? Here’s what we know about him and when he’ll make an appearance!

Who is Samuel Campbell on The Winchesters?

During The Winchesters panel at NYCC, Tom Welling was announced to be stepping into the role of Samuel Campbell. The role had original been played by Mitch Pileggi on Supernatural.

According to TVLine, Samuel’s character description is as follows:

"Samuel taught Mary everything he knows. Gruff and pragmatic, he’s a veteran Hunter who prefers actions over words — and it’s always his way or the highway. But when Samuel teams up with Mary and her friends to save the world, he won’t only have to defeat the most dangerous monster he’s ever faced — he’ll also have to mend his broken relationship with his daughter."

It’ll be a while before we see Welling appear on screen. Samuel isn’t slated to make his debut until episode 7. If The Winchesters isn’t preempted, his first episode will be on Tuesday, Nov. 22. He also won’t be alone. Gil McKinney will reprise his role as Henry Winchester in episode 7 as well.

Make The CW Spiral your go-to podcast for all things CW. This trio of fans will keep you up-to-date on the latest news concerning the network and they do weekly reviews of their favorite CW shows like The Winchesters. Check out the latest episode of their pod below and subscribe to their Youtube channel for more content!

Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more The Winchesters news and coverage! New episodes of the series premiere Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. Next day streaming is available on cwtv.com and the CW App. The show will likely land on HBO Max once the first season finishes airing, we’ll keep you posted on a release date.