For such a long-running show, it is no surprise that Supernatural didn’t change much from season 1 to season 15, such as vampires and ghosts.
Since the pilot episode, demons have been one of the most common enemies of the Winchesters, especially due to Azazel’s plan and Sam being Lucifer’s vessel. However, “Phantom Traveler” depicted a demon that was very different to others in the show, as it was somewhat stronger and had different characteristics. However, the show’s decision to introduce the Disaster Demon in season 1 may have been a mistake, as Supernatural would have struggled to make future iterations of the monster in Supernatural even more terrifying. Instead, Supernatural changed demons in later episodes, demonstrating a marked difference from their earlier appearance.
The Demon In Supernatural Season 1's "Phantom Traveler" Was Very Different To Later Demons
The Plane-Crashing Demon Had Strange Characteristics
The demon in Supernatural season 1, episode 4, “Phantom Traveler” was different to later variations of the creature for a number of reasons. The smoke cloud used to demonstrate the demon’s appearance without its host was more particle-like compared to later appearances which resembled smoke, and it could possess humans through their eyes. There are a few Supernatural monsters that can possess humans, such as ghosts and angels, and they each have their own methods of possession. For demons, the typical method is through the mouth, so the demon’s eye possession in “Phantom Traveler” sets it apart from others.
This Supernatural Season 1 Episode Was When I Realized I Had To Watch The Entire Show
Supernatural's “Home” is a great incentive to watch the rest of the show and will get any new fans hooked after the first few monsters of the week.
Furthermore, the demon in “Phantom Traveler” only possessed certain people to carry out its aim. The whole premise of Supernatural’s “Phantom Traveler” is like a Final Destination copy; the demon causes a plane crash to kill all the engers, hunting down any survivors to ensure this task was complete. Dean points out this unexpected behavior in the episode, claiming that demons usually kill without much reason, and the possessed pilot has a bizarre acid-like reaction to Holy Water too. Yet, there might be another explanation for the demon’s differences and why it behaved and reacted to things in this way.
Explaining Supernatural's Demon Differences In-Universe
"Phantom Traveler" Introduced A Disaster Demon
There are a few reasons why the demon in Supernatural’s “Phantom Traveler” was different compared to later variants. For example, the difference in its smoke appearance is most likely due to season 1’s usage of an alternate CGI company from its other seasons. Additionally, the reason why the demon behaved differently is that Supernatural wanted first-time viewers to be interested in the show through shock factor, and they may have later changed their plans for including more demons in the show’s future. Therefore, Supernatural had to tone future demons down to make other villains seem more impressive and powerful.
Supernatural season 1, episode 4, “Phantom Traveler,” introduced the word “Christo” for the first time, as a way of identifying demons. This was not used again until season 14.
However, in of the show’s mythology, Supernatural season 1’s powerful demon is different because there are many varieties and ranks of demon, including “Disaster demons.” Disaster demons are a rarely encountered and special type of demon, and their job is to cause disasters for unknown reasons, which may be down to claiming souls for Hell or to simply cause chaos on Earth. Other special demons that have appeared in Supernatural include Samhain, Daeva, and Acheri, demonstrating that the demon in “Phantom Traveler” is not a lone occurrence, however, its strange characteristics and behavior certainly make the demon stand out.
Supernatural
- Release Date
- 2005 - 2020
- Network
- The CW
- Showrunner
- Eric Kripke
Cast
Sam Winchester
Dean Winchester
WHERE TO WATCH
Supernatural is a television series that follows brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, who were raised by their father to hunt and combat supernatural entities after losing their mother to a demonic force. Traversing the American landscape in their '67 Chevy Impala, they face numerous paranormal threats.
- Directors
- Philip Sgriccia, John F. Showalter, Kim Manners, Thomas J. Wright, Charles Beeson, Guy Norman Bee, Richard Speight Jr., Mike Rohl, John Badham, Steve Boyum, Amyn Kaderali, Jensen Ackles, Tim Andrew, Eduardo Sánchez, Jeannot Szwarc, P.J. Pesce, Nina Lopez-Corrado, James L. Conway, amanda tapping, J. Miller Tobin, Stefan Pleszczynski, John MacCarthy, Jerry Wanek, Ben Edlund
- Writers
- Meredith Glynn, Davy Perez, Raelle Tucker, Cathryn Humphris, Brett Matthews, Nancy Won, John Bring, Ben Acker, Daniel Knauf, David Ehrman, James Krieg, Trey Callaway
- Seasons
- 15
- Story By
- Eric Kripke
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