Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s career touched meteoric heights after his turn as John Winchester in The CW’s Supernatural. In the series, Morgan’s John is a hotly debated topic among the fanbase, who have accused the character of emotionally abusive behavior toward his sons, Sam and Dean Winchester, the show’s primary heroes.
Despite the strong accusations from the fans, Morgan admitted that he disagreed with the sentiments that the character was abusive. In an interview, Morgan defended some of the choices John made and tried to shed light on a different side of the character most fans did not pick upon. Here is what Morgan had to say about his character not being a screw-up in Supernatural.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan refuses to believe John Winchester was abusive in Supernatural
Jeffrey Dean Morgan first appeared as John Winchester in the pilot episode of Supernatural. The character was killed off during the show’s second season, with Morgan’s meteoric rise to fame post his exit preventing him from reprising the role despite the series lasting for fifteen seasons.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Morgan spoke about his eventual return to the series in its milestone 300th episode, which reunited him with his sons.
At the same time, the actor refused to accept criticisms aimed at John for being a neglectful, emotionally distant, and abusive father.
I don’t think he’s as screwed-up as other people do. I think he is a guy who’s got a tremendous amount of love for his family.
Morgan made the above statement, denouncing the notion that his character was a bad father.
Furthermore, Morgan argued that despite fan criticism, John had a habit of showing love in unconventional ways. The actor highlighted how John’s sacrifice to protect his sons during season 2 was a big example of the character being defined by his love for his family.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan explained how his character became screwed-up after his Supernatural exit
Despite fans arguing about the nature of John’s abusive relationship with Sam and Dean, which is implied throughout the series, his comments make a certain amount of sense. John’s abandonment of his sons stems from his desire to avenge his wife’s murder.
Furthermore, Morgan has also argued that the darker aspects of his complicated relationship with his sons, especially Dean, were penciled in after the character was killed off. He stated:
The John that I played certainly wasn’t this a**hole of a man.
From Morgan’s words, it is safe to say that the actor does not agree with the sentiment that John was abusive toward his children and harbored malice in his actions.
Furthermore, the actor also admitted that John was a flawed figure and needed to make amends with his sons in some regards. The same is the theme of his character’s return in the show’s 300th episode, bringing a meaningful conclusion to John’s overall story in the long-running series as he finally reconciles with Sam and Dean.
Supernatural is streaming on Netflix.
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