Why is dean going to hell

From the beginning of Supernatural , the Winchester brothers were encountering - and taking out - demons. This established right away that there must be a Hell in their universe, as the demons had to come from somewhere.

As the seasons drew on, Sam and Dean actually ended up getting pretty used to visiting Hell, sometimes even under friendly circumstances. It wasn't until Supernatural 's season 3 finale, "No Rest for the Wicked," that either of the Winchesters went to Hell in person for the first time, and it was under particularly bad circumstances.

Sam had been killed, and Dean had made a deal with a crossroads demon to resurrect his brother, in exchange for his own soul. The pair spends most of season 3 trying to find a way to break this deal, but in the end, Dean is killed by Hellhounds and is sent to Hell, presumably for eternity. While Dean is rescued from Hell by the angel Castiel - in an arc that would introduce one of Supernatural 's most popular characters - his time there still took its toll, both physically and mentally.

Sam Winchester : No. Dean Winchester : Brad Pitt? Sam Winchester : No! Dean Winchester : I take it we believe the legends. Sam Winchester : When don't we? Dean Winchester : What the hell, Bobby? Bobby Singer : Don't yell at me, boy! I'm workin' my ass off here.

What's Bela got? Bobby Singer : She's got nothin'. Dean Winchester : Great! I'm just gonna go blow my brains out now!

Dean Winchester : I've been doin' some thinkin'. I don't want to die. I don't want to go to Hell. Sam Winchester : Yeah. Dean Winchester : Okay, good Sam Winchester : One problem though.

We're fresh out of African Dream Root. So, unless you know someone who can score some Dean Winchester : [His heart sinks as realization dawns] Crap.

Dean Winchester : Bela. Sam Winchester : [Surprised] Bela? Sam Winchester : Crap. You're actually suggesting we ask her for a favor? Dean bargains with a crossroads demon to resurrect Sam, and after much debate agrees to go to Hell after one year. Dean spends the equivalent of thirty years on Alastair 's rack in Hell and ten years torturing other souls, roughly 4 months on Earth 40 years in Hell.

John never gave into the demon's offer and escapes Hell when the Devil's Gate in Wyoming is opened right before Azazel is killed by Dean.

After 30 years, Dean eventually accepts, breaking the first lock on Lucifer's Cage. Eventually, a group of angels , including Castiel , lay siege to Hell to rescue Dean where Dean's soul is ultimately rescued by Castiel. I enjoyed it, Sam. They took me off the rack and I tortured souls and I liked it. All those years; all that pain.

Finally getting to deal some out yourself. I didn't care who they put in front of me, because that pain I felt, it just slipped away. No matter how many people I save, I can't change that. I can't fill this hole. The damage to Sam's soul was hidden from him by a mental wall erected by Death.

When Sam starts to remember events from the time he was soulless, a crack appears in the wall and he passes out for minutes, re-experiencing his time in Hell. He tells Dean that those minutes "felt like a week. Sam later has to sneak into Hell as a part of the trials needed to close the Gates of Hell and banish all demons from the the world, forever.

He is able to do this through the help of a rogue reaper named Ajay , Ajay is able to get Sam into Hell by first taking him into Purgatory and telling him of a backdoor into Hell. Once Sam locates the entrance, he is transported to one of Hell's dungeons, it's there he is able to locate and rescue Bobby Singer 's soul. Together, they escape into Purgatory and with the help of a recently deceased Benny Lafitte are able to find the portal back to Earth, where Bobby is finally released unto Heaven.

Sam once again harrows a journey into Hell years later, in order to communicate with Lucifer without opening the Cage. Crowley would accompany Sam and his mother, Rowena , to the deepest section of Hell, referred to as "Limbo. Azazel was able to move freely between Hell and Earth, and Alastair appeared to be able too, as well as Crowley. Castiel , and other angels have been able to enter and return, though at a cost as entering Hell for angels can be very dangerous.

In the rare instance that a human soul is able to escape from Hell, unless there is divine intervention, a damned soul cannot gain entry into Heaven. There have been only three known exceptions to the rule: Dean Winchester , who was sent to Hell after his crossroads deal came up, but upon being killed by the hunter duo of Walt and Roy , Dean was allowed entry into Heaven in order for the angel Joshua to pass along a message from God to the Winchesters.

Bobby was later rescued by Sam Winchester for the second trial to close to Gates of Hell, which required that "An innocent soul has to be rescued from Hell and delivered unto Heaven", which allowed Bobby entry. For years it was unknown what became of John Winchester after his escape from Hell, after the second death of Mary Winchester , Castiel confirmed that John was in Heaven with Mary, telling Sam and Dean that Mary was with "John, and there's no sorrow.

There's no guilt. Just joy. Castiel reported that angels laid siege to Hell to rescue Dean Winchester before he broke the first seal, but did not reach him in time. Eventually, it was Castiel who pull Dean from Hell. The majority of Hell's occupants are trapped and can only escape through portals connecting Hell and Earth known as Devil's Gates. Samuel Colt built a giant devil's trap and a special lock to keep the Devil's Gate in Wyoming shut.

When Jake Talley used the Colt to open the gate, scores of demons escape, as do souls including John Winchester. It makes perfect sense, then, that rather than some huge showdown fighting God or Death, in the end, Dean just ran out of luck, just as he had 15 years ago.

This, then, was how it had to be. Season 15 as a whole has seen appearances from many returning faces, of friends and foes alike, across the season. But, ultimately, this was the fate the Winchesters have been hurtling towards since Dean dragged Sam away from the college in the very first episode.

Dean was always going to die on a hunt, and Sam was always going to have a better chance at building a life for himself. Juliette Harrisson ClassicalJG. At her podcast,…. Skip to main content area. By Juliette Harrisson November 23, Share on Facebook opens in a new tab Share on Twitter opens in a new tab Share on Linkedin opens in a new tab Share on email opens in a new tab Comments count: 0.