When audiences first meet Dean Winchester in Supernatural season 1, he is a skilled hunter working dutifully with his father, but the way Dean acts in the beginning changes drastically by the series finale. Supernatural begins with Jensen Ackles' Dean Winchester tracking down Sam to ask for help finding their father, John Winchester. From there, the boys begin their search and get pulled into a deeper conspiracy, rebuilding their relationship and honing their hunting skills along the way.
In Supernatural season 1, Dean's character is significantly connected to John. From Sam's perspective, Dean and John are one unit that is part of his life he would rather avoid. While Sam has left his family to pursue an education and make a new life, Dean has remained with John, becoming a full-fledged hunter. Because of this, Dean has complete loyalty to John and this part of him shows frequently throughout the Supernatural pilot and season 1. Dean is not only determined to find their father, he falls immediately back into line as John's well-behaved, obedient son once he does.
Dean & John's Relationship Feels Strange After Supernatural
While Dean's subservience to John seems normal at the start of Supernatural, by the end of the series it becomes strange and out of character. Although Dean acts like a good soldier at the start of the show, calling John "Sir" and obeying his rules, over time he morphs into a man independent of his childhood and John. This change first comes into play with John's death in Supernatural season 2 but continues to develop over time. Looking at the independent warrior Dean becomes by Supernatural's ending, it seems strange to think he once willingly called someone "Sir."
When comparing Dean Winchester's personality from the start of Supernatural to the end, it is clear that he maintains his gruff, sarcastic nature, but has gained and lost other defining characteristics. For example, due to the age of time and the events of the series, Dean gives up his tendency towards rule-following and instead chooses free will. His experiences as a hunter become Dean's main sources of confidence, rather than John Winchester's lessons and guidance from his youth. In this way, Dean becomes more of an independent man than his father's son and hunting partner.
Dean Winchester's Attitude To John Shows How He Evolves
The dissonance between how Dean Winchester acts towards his father at the start of Supernatural compared to the Supernatural finale and ending is a major indicator of how much his character changed over fifteen seasons. Dean begins the series as an obedient hunter, hell-bent on finding his father. He ends it as a man of his own creation, who has seen the worst things the world has to offer and is on a completely different kind of mission.
This evolution is dramatic, but also positive. It shows the ways in which Dean settled into himself and broke free from his traumatic childhood - just like Sam attempted at the beginning. Overall, Dean's relationship with John is an important signal for Supernatural, because it documents the intense change Dean faces, and the ultimately positive final result.
