Jensen Ackles’ Best TV Character Will Never Be Dethroned
Jensen Ackles is having a moment, with his roles in The Boys universe, Prime Video’s Countdown, and CBS series Tracker all giving him a boost over the last couple of years — but none of these projects will ever dethrone his best role. Ackles has played a range of TV characters, but the one that put him on the map is still his greatest accomplishment.
Even with all his new projects and characters, Ackles is most often associated with Dean Winchester. Given that Supernatural ran for 15 seasons and became a beloved and iconic addition to network television, that’s probably no surprise. However, Dean being Ackles’ best character goes beyond Supernatural‘s legacy. It stems from how well he brings the elder Winchester brother to life.
Years After Supernatural’s Ending, Dean Winchester Is Still Jensen Ackles’ Best Character
Dean Has Layers, And Ackles Conveys Them Impressively
Dean Winchester in Supernatural looking serious
Supernatural may have ended back in 2020, but Dean Winchester remains Ackles’ best TV character, and that’s unlikely to change any time soon. Ackles plays a number of great roles, from Soldier Boy in The Boys to Russell Shaw in Tracker and Mark Meachum in Countdown.
He brings depth to every single role, and he has done so since his early days in series like Smallville and Dawson’s Creek. But Dean Winchester has more layers than his other characters, particularly his other most noteworthy role: Soldier Boy.
Soldier Boy’s spinoff show has the potential to tap into deeper parts of the character, but The Boys presents him as a humorous villain more than anything else. It’s hard to feel for him, as he’s so clearly on the wrong side of things and always has been. Just being better than Homelander doesn’t make us feel for him.
Tracker‘s Russell Shaw is beloved because Ackles portrays him, but the role hasn’t given the actor many opportunities to deliver emotional performances. With Ackles returning in Tracker season 3, it’s possible this will change. But Russell has a long way to go before making anything close to Dean’s impact.
Countdown‘s Mark Meachum is perhaps the closest to Dean, as he has the ability to be vulnerable but hides his best qualities beneath a seemingly carefree demeanor. He hasn’t been given enough of a runway to match Dean, though, and it’s difficult to imagine him becoming nearly as iconic.
Why Dean Winchester Will Never Be Dethroned (Sorry, Soldier Boy)
Supernatural Gave The Character 15 Seasons Of Development
Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester in Supernatural.
Ackles’ success as Dean Winchester may go beyond Supernatural‘s lengthy run, but the show’s many seasons ensure that topping this character will be almost impossible. Dean receives more than 300 episodes of development, and that’s something few characters get.
The fact that Supernatural‘s writing makes Dean’s journey one of its most interesting only makes reaching his level that much harder. Dean becomes more vulnerable and selfless over the course of the show, and Ackles masterfully showcases this. It bleeds into his relationships with characters like Sam and Castiel too, making Dean’s time on-screen so incredibly memorable.
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
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