A review of the events of Supernatural season 5 that led to the Apocalypse.
#35 Lucifer Rises
At the start of the season, Lucifer rose from his cage in a burst of noise and white light.
#34 God Saves Sam and Dean
Sam and Dean were magically transported far away to safety. We later learned God did this.
#33 God Saves Castiel
The archangel Raphael blew Castiel apart, but he was restored. We later learned this was also God’s action.
#32 Lucifer Gets Inside Nick
In the season 5 premiere, Lucifer found a vessel named Nick and coerced him into saying “yes.”
#31 Dean is Michael’s Vessel
Zachariah revealed that Dean is the archangel Michael’s true vessel, and that he will be the one to fight Lucifer in the final battle.
#30 Sam is Lucifer’s Vessel
Lucifer tells Sam that he is his true vessel.
#29 Bobby is Paralyzed
When a demon possesses Bobby, he took back control to avoid killing Dean by stabbing himself, causing him to be paralyzed and stuck in a wheelchair.
#28 War Comes to Town
With the rising of Lucifer, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse began to prepare. War drove into a town and used his abilities to turn everyone against each other by making them think they were all demons.
#27 Getting War’s Ring
Sam and Dean eventually stopped War and cut off the finger which held his magical Horseman ring, which they then took.
#26 A Look into the Future
Zachariah sent Dean into the future to see what would happen if the Apocalypse occurred, and he found a dystopian future where Sam said “yes” and was possessed by Lucifer.
#25 The Antichrist Arrives
Sam and Dean found a little boy who could make anything he thought happened, later learning that he was actually the Antichrist.
#24 Gabriel is Revealed
The Trickster returned to try and get Sam and Dean to both say “yes” to Michael and Lucifer. He was later revealed to be the angel Gabriel in disguise.
#23 Crowley Gives Back the Colt
A demon named Crowley helped the Winchesters by giving them back the Colt to help them kill Lucifer.
#22 Ellen and Jo Die
Sam, Dean, Castiel, Ellen and Jo went to find Lucifer and kill him with the Colt, but they were ambushed by Meg, who used the Hell Hounds to attack and kill Jo. Ellen then blew herself up to kill the Hell Hounds and help Sam and Dean.
#21 Lucifer Raises Death
In a town full of Reapers, Lucifer used his powers to summon Death and bring the Horseman to Earth. He was successful while the Winchesters failed because the Colt wasn’t able to kill Lucifer.
#20 Dean Meets Michael
When Sam and Dean went back in time to protect their parents from an angel attack, Dean came face-to-face with Michael using John Winchester’s body and learned that his bloodline is what makes him the one true vessel.
#19 Famine Shows Up
Famine, a decrepit old man in a wheelchair, showed up in a town and forced everyone to overindulge in their vices.
#18 Sam vs. Famine
Famine’s demons got to Sam and forced him to drink demon blood. The plan backfired when Sam used his demon blood powers to severely injure Famine and steal his ring.
#17 Death Sends Bobby a Message
Death made people rise from the dead, including Bobby’s wife, who was used to send a message: stop helping the Winchesters.
#16 The Whore of Babylon
Among the many signs of the Apocalypse was the arrival of the Whore of Babylon, a false prophet who convinced a town to commit sins and damn their souls to Hell.
#15 God is Out
While in Heaven, Sam and Dean learned from Joshua, who talks to God, that God has no interest in being a part of the Apocalypse or helping out, leaving them on their own.
#14 Dean Agrees to Say “Yes”
Seeing no alternative, Dean left his brother on a quest to say “yes” to Michael and stop Lucifer on his own.
#13 Dean Chooses Sam
When push came to shove, Dean couldn’t say “yes” to Michael and instead sided with his brother, agreeing to find another way to stop Lucifer.
#12 Lucifer Kills Gabriel
Gabriel returned to help the boys, but his brother Lucifer showed up and after a major fight, Lucifer killed Gabriel.
#11 Gabriel’s Secret Porn Tape Message
Gabriel left behind a message for Sam and Dean, telling them that they could collect the rings of the Four Horsemen and use them to put Lucifer back in his cage.
#10 Pestilence Arrives
Pestilence drove into town causing mass sickness, leaving an epidemic of swine flu everywhere he went.
#9 Working with Crowley
The Crossroads Demon Crowley returned to help Sam and Dean with their plan to get all of the rings and put Lucifer back in his cage.
#8 Brady, The Horsemen’s Handler
Crowley led the boys to Brady, the handler for the Four Horsemen who was also Sam’s old college buddy and the demon who actually killed Jessica. After making a deal with Brady, he gave them the location of Pestilence. Sam then killed him.
#7 Bobby Sells His Soul
To locate Death, the final Horseman, Bobby agreed to sell his soul to Crowley. In exchange, Crowley restored Bobby’s ability to walk.
#6 Sam’s Plan
After getting the Four Horsemen’s rings, Sam’s plan is to say “Yes” to Lucifer and then take back control of his body long enough to jump into the cage, sacrificing himself.
#5 Getting Pestilence’s Ring
Sam, Dean and Castiel worked together to find Pestilence and cut off his ring.
#4 The Croatoan Virus
Pestilence’s swine flu epidemic was a scheme to get the government to approve a vaccine from Niveus Pharmaceuticals that would actually infect everyone with Croatoan, a demonic virus. Sam, Bobby and Castiel were able to stop the vaccine from being released.
#3 Adam is Michael’s New Vessel
Castiel revealed to Sam and Bobby that Michael decided to go along with the angels’ Plan B and use Adam, the Winchesters’ half-brother, as his vessel.
#2 A Deal with Death
Dean sat down with Death and made a deal. Death gave him the ring and instructions on how to use it so they could trap Lucifer and Death would be free from him, but only if Dean agreed to Sam’s plan to say “Yes.”
#1 The Apocalypse
With the four rings and a plan to trick Lucifer back into his cage by having Sam say “Yes” and jumping in, the boys are prepared for the final battle to stop the Apocalypse.
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
