CWStart preparing yourselves now, Supernatural fans...there's a "pretty dramatic" twist coming up for Dean (Jensen Ackles).
But please don't shoot the messenger—those are executive producer Jeremy Carver's words, not ours!
When we got the Supernatural boss on the line to dish on what's coming for the long-running CW series when it returns for the midseason premiere, he revealed that when Cain (Tim Omundson) does return, he's going to shed some light on the Mark of Cain and what it means for Dean.
"Dean's interaction with Cain will have a profound effect on Dean, how he thinks about the mark, and how he thinks about himself with the mark," Carver tells E! News. "It's a pretty wonderful episode and what it means for the season-long arc is pretty dramatic. We're excited about this episode."
But the more immediate concern for Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Castiel (Misha Collins) is how the Mark of Cain is affecting Dean's actions, like the massacre he wrought upon the cabin in the midseason finale.
"Everyone's pretty shell-shocked by it," Carver says. "As concerned as they are with Dean's welfare, there are even bigger concerns as to how they can stop this from happening again. That's really going to drive our guys to the end of the season, dealing with the Mark and trying to prevent this from happening again."
Expect to see Sam and Dean working together to figure out the Mark...though not 24/7.
"The brothers are going to be in concert with some things, not in concert with some things, and they're going to have to deal with people they'd rather not deal with, make deals they'd rather not make, and all of this is going to make them ask some very hard questions as the season goes on," Carver says.
But don't worry, Dean won't be pushing his brother away during this tough time.
"It's going to be a little bit of both allowing Sam to help and taking it on himself," Carver explains. "The boys are going to be open with each other and not open with each other at the same time when it comes to the Mark. Dean's not going to completely admit how it bothers him sometimes, but Sam is not a dummy. He knows how it's affecting Dean now, but then again, he might not always say how he knows it's affecting Dean. It's the elephant in the room as the season heads to the end."
As for how Metatron (Curtis Armstrong) fits into the brothers' quest for information, all Carver would say is this: "The boys are really exploring everything, all possibilities, like removing the Mark, how does one learn to live with the Mark, and that's the question that they're asking which is then causing them to have to go speak with certain people who might have very specific information regarding this."
If you, like us, are wondering how exactly to classify Dean with the Mark (Is he immortal? Mortal?), Carver reveals that question is looming large for the brothers as well.
"That's what they're trying to figure out," Carver says. "What we do know is when he was killed last season, the Mark wouldn't let him die. He came back as a demon. Had he stayed a demon, one could argue that he was immortal in the way a demon is, because Cain is a demon and he's been a demon for the last several hundred years. The question is, Dean as a human with the Mark, will the Mark ever really let him die? That's a very profound question for him, and it's one that he will ask."
And now that Crowley's (Mark Sheppard) mother has returned and is suddenly inserting herself into his life after all these years, expect to see the King of Hell wondering what Rowena's (Ruth Connell) true motivations are.
"That is a question that Crowley is trying to figure out," Carver says. "It's one we will answer head on. Their relationship is one of the most complex and challenging, fun relationships of the season. Crowley is trying to make out what his mother, who left him so long ago, is trying to do, and she is trying to figure out why he's such a sap if he's the King of Hell. That's all intertwined."
Want scoop on everyone's favorite angel, Castiel? Check out this week's edition of Spoiler Chat!
Supernatural airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on the CW.