The Wait Is Over, Sam and Dean’s Next Supernatural Era Starts Today

Published Sep 2, 2026, 2:49 PM EDT TJ Mills is an editor on ScreenRant's Comic team, where she combines her lifelong passion for DC with her analytical background as a former Intelligence Analyst. Since joining ScreenRant in 2023, she has specialized in covering major DC storylines, character evolutions, and industry developments. Supernatural’s new era officially kicked off today, with Sam and Dean Winchester returning for a story unlike anything the fandom has ever seen. And fair warning: some fans are going to physically recoil at the mere thought of the changes this new era is ushering in. But one thing is for sure: no die-hard Supernatural fan is going to want to miss this. Spanning 15 seasons and a total of 327 episodes, along with multiple comic installments, Sam and Dean Winchester have always been together, or at the very least, fighting their way through Heaven and Hell (sometimes literally) to reunite with each other. However, Supernatural’s new era, which kicked off on September 2 with Dynamite’s Supernatural Special: Wayward, is officially changing this franchise-defining rule, setting the stage for what could become one of the most ambitious takes on the Winchester brothers’ canon-compliant stories to date. Before diving into this major change to the status quo, fans should know that Dynamite recently published the finale, Supernatural #10, of the comic publisher’s inaugural Supernatural series. This series took place between Season 1 and Season 2 of the CW show and returned fans to the beloved monster-of-the-week format, providing new, Golden Era-esque adventures for the brothers. The series maintained the TV show’s status quo, with Sam and Dean continuing to work together. Now, Dynamite is launching the next phase of its Sam and Dean storytelling with Supernatural Special: Wayward, which abandons the franchise-defining dynamic between the brothers and sets up two new solo series for Dean and Sam. Everything You Need to Know About Sam & Dean's Next Supernatural Era Main Cover by John Amor for Supernatural Special: Wayward #1 (2026) Without spoiling the exact contents of the issue, Paulina Ganucheau and John Amor’s Supernatural Special: Wayward introduces the event that causes the two brothers to go their separate ways. Overall, the split depicted in this issue will likely draw mixed reactions from fans. On one hand, some fans are likely going to dread seeing the two brothers go their separate ways, while others will undeniably be intrigued by what this will actually look like as the story plays out across each brother’s solo series. Wayward, which is an exceptionally fitting title for a Supernatural story, is a foundational read for the brothers’ two upcoming series. Paulina Ganucheau does a commendable job setting up this ambitious new era, so fans who are planning to read writer Chuck Brown and Rapha Lobosco’s Supernatural: Dean Winchester and Paulina Ganucheau and Kendall Goode’s Supernatural: Sam Winchester series should consider Wayward essential reading. The Dean Winchester and Sam Winchester series will both launch on October 21, 2026, with their subsequent installments continuing to release on the same day. While the brothers will be going on their own separate adventures, these should be considered an interconnected series best enjoyed when read together, since one can assume they will eventually converge, with the two brothers reuniting. While there is no word on exactly when these two series take place, season-wise, they are canon-compliant with the show and likely occur in earlier seasons. This is particularly ambitious, given that one would assume something as major as the two brothers splitting up would have been mentioned in the show. Because of this, making the split feel like a believable part of Supernatural’s canon will take some exceptional skill on the writers’ part, and we can’t wait to see how they pull it off. Supernatural Special: Wayward #1 from DYNAMITE is now available to read! Supernatural