Supernatural‘s executive producers Jeremy Carver and Robert Singer, as well as a few cast members, are teasing season 9. Spoilers ahead.

We recently shared the Comic-Con edition TV Guide covers, and now we have some insight about the content of the special issue.

The eighth season of Supernatural ended with rogue angel Metatron expelling the angels from Heaven. Meanwhile, Dean prevented Sam from completing the trials for shutting the gates of Hell permanently to save his life.

These developments left a number of loose ends to tie up in season 9. So what can we expect when Supernatural returns in October?

Angels

In terms of the newly fallen angels, Carver says, “different angels will have different reactions to life on Earth,” which “will lead to a lot of exciting, dangerous and fun stories to explore.”

In addition, the angels are “not happy about being earthbound” according to Singer. “They lost their wings, so while they have powers, they can’t teleport.” Despite these limitations, “[d]ifferent factions will find each other.”

Demons

Carver says that Crowley, who Sam had nearly cured before Dean stopped him, was “genuinely affected” by the trial, but “he didn’t become human.”

“While he won’t admit it,” Singer adds, “Crowley enjoyed that brief feeling of humanity. That idea will color him throughout the season.”

Singer also teases that “someone else who wants to take over the reins of Hell. That person is an enemy to the boys.” This will lead to “a certain ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ feeling” between Crowley and the Winchesters.

Could this new enemy be Abaddon, who was not pleased to learn that Crowley had taken charge of Hell in her absence?

And hunters (oh my!)

As for Sam and Dean, whose relationship has been turbulent over the last several seasons, Carver is optimistic. “We saw the brothers come to an understanding when Dean convinced Sam not to close the gates to Hell in order to stay alive,” he says.

“They aired some dirty laundry,” and as a result, “the brothers emotionally ended up in a good place.”

However, the trials adversely affected Sam, and Singer teases that “Sam is quite ill” when season 9 opens. “How he comes back from this is a real spoiler.”

Meanwhile, Misha Collins says that when the new season opens, “We find [Castiel] in the woods as a human.” Metatron removed Castiel’s grace in the season 8 finale, so many suspected that the Castiel who fell to Earth was human. Now we have confirmation.

According to Collins, season 9 will “deal with” Castiel’s “mortality or a complete loss of powers.”

Other pressing matters

Carver assures us that, while “the tablets won’t be front and center” at the beginning of season 9, “they are still coveted by all sides.” That means that Kevin will be sticking around since Sam and Dean “will still need a prophet to interpret them.”

Another major plot introduced in season 8 was the Men of Letters, a secret society that their grandfather Henry belonged to.

Carver promises that we will “discover how far the Men of Letters reach back in the Winchester family’s history,” leading to “new characters and [storylines].”

A major return?

Separate from TV Guide’s Supernatural coverage, Jim Beaver (Bobby Singer) tweeted a major tease last night:

The Winchesters’ surrogate father, Bobby was killed off in season 7’s “Death’s Door” after being shot by Dick Roman. He returned as a ghost in the back end of the season before his spirit moved on.

We learned in season 8, however, that Bobby ended up in Hell due to Crowley’s interference. Sam rescued Bobby’s soul to complete the second trial, and Bobby’s soul was released to Heaven. Bobby, however, was adamant that he would see Sam and Dean again.

We can’t help but wonder, then, with the angels expelled from Heaven, will we be seeing Heaven-bound souls returning to Earth? Or will we be seeing some Heaven-centric storylines as well?

Are you looking forward to the ninth season of ‘Supernatural’?