On last night’s Supernatural mid-season premiere, Metatron made an interesting proclamation that seems likely to have ramifications through the rest of the season.
Before Sam and Castiel were able to stop Dean from killing Metatron, the scribe of God told Dean, “The river ends at the source.” Metatron was clearly doing his best to goad Dean, to push him to cross the line, but it also seems likely Metatron said this as a way to lord his knowledge over Dean. And now it’s something for the Winchesters to ponder over as they work to separate Dean from the Mark of Cain.
So what might the “source” be? We have a few theories.
Lucifer
Lucifer was the origin of the Mark itself, having given it to Cain in Biblical times. According to Cain in “First Born,” Abel was speaking with Lucifer rather than God. To protect his brother, Cain made a deal with the Devil: Abel’s soul in Heaven and Cain’s soul in Hell. Lucifer agreed, as long as Cain was the one to send Abel to Heaven. It would make sense that the key to removing the Mark comes from its creator. And, considering Sam’s connection to Lucifer, it would be a smart way to bring Sam back into the narrative fold, as his own story has been lacking as of late.
Cain
The source could also be where Dean got the Mark: The Father of Murder himself. As Sam says in “The Hunter Games,” Cain has had the Mark for centuries but has remained stable. Perhaps the solution is not to remove the Mark but to learn to live with it. The only person capable of helping Dean do just that is Cain. And we know Tim Omundson will be returning for an appearance as Cain this season.
The Winchester family line
Another potential source could perhaps also be the source of Dean: his parents. We would narrow this down to the Winchester line because we know that it is the Winchester bloodline that leads back directly to Cain and Abel, as per the archangel Michael. This theory is particularly intriguing as we’ve also theorized that John Winchester may be making a return. As everything always comes back to family in one way or another on Supernatural, it would not be surprising to learn the solution to dealing with the Mark comes from, well, family.
Lawrence, Kansas
This might be a stretch, but another source for Dean himself is his hometown of Lawrence, Kansas. Lawrence might not seem particularly relevant until we remember that Stull Cemetery, the place of the final showdown between Michael and Lucifer in “Swan Song,” is in Lawrence. If we consider the source the place where everything began, Lawrence was the place the Winchesters’ legend began the night Azazel killed Mary. We know Supernatural loves its parallels, so bringing everything home would not be a major surprise.
Whatever the case may be, it seems very clear Metatron’s mystery phrase will rely heavily on how things play out for the rest of season 10 as the Winchesters try to save Dean from the effects of the Mark.
Supernatural airs Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET on The CW.