Jared Padalecki’s Sam Winchester is returning for another supernatural adventure, but there is one major twist: the actor himself has no creative involvement in the new comic book series. While fans continue to celebrate the legacy of Supernatural, Dynamite Entertainment is expanding the franchise with a solo story for Sam that takes the beloved hunter in a frightening new direction.
Titled Supernatural: Sam Winchester, the ongoing comic series launched on October 7, 2026. Set sometime during the earlier seasons of the television show, the story follows Sam on a mission of his own in Appalachia, where he encounters terrifying Eldritch horrors without his older brother, Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles), by his side.
Although Padalecki’s likeness appears on one of the comic’s special variant covers, the actor is not involved in creating the story. That makes the new series an unusual continuation of a character he helped define over 15 seasons and 327 episodes.
‘Supernatural: Sam Winchester’ Begins Without Jared Padalecki
When Supernatural ended, Sam and Dean’s adventures had already become a major part of television history. The brothers spent years hunting demons, investigating paranormal mysteries, and confronting threats that frequently put their lives at risk.
The franchise is now continuing through comics, but the latest installment is not a reunion for the actors who brought the Winchester brothers to life.
Supernatural: Sam Winchester #1 introduces a standalone adventure centered on the younger Winchester. Its Appalachian setting promises a different kind of supernatural horror, with Sam facing mysterious, otherworldly threats without Dean’s usual support.
The creative team includes writer Paulina Ganucheau, known for her work on titles such as Wonder Woman: The Adventures of Young Diana. She also illustrated her 2022 graphic novel, Lemon Bird. Artist Kendall Goode, who previously collaborated with Ganucheau on the 2025 comic The Terminator: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town #1, provides the artwork.
While Padalecki is not helping shape Sam’s new adventure, the series is in the hands of creators with experience bringing established fictional worlds to the comic book medium.
Jared Padalecki Has Moved on From Sam Winchester
Since stepping away from Supernatural, Padalecki has continued building his television career. He led Walker, The CW’s reboot of Walker, Texas Ranger, which gave him another long-running starring role after his time as Sam Winchester.
He has also remained connected to the wider Supernatural family through his appearance in The Boys. The guest role reunited him with Supernatural creator Eric Kripke and former co-stars Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins.
However, Padalecki has not yet made the move into comic book creation with Supernatural: Sam Winchester. His involvement is limited to the use of his likeness for a variant cover, leaving the writing and artwork to the new creative team.
For fans who associate Sam so closely with Padalecki, the distinction may be disappointing. Still, the new series offers an opportunity to revisit the character in a format that allows the franchise to explore additional stories beyond the television show.
Jensen Ackles’ Dean Winchester Is Also Getting a Solo Comic
Sam is not the only Winchester receiving a solo series in 2026. Jensen Ackles’ Dean Winchester is also starring in his own comic, Supernatural: Dean Winchester #1, which launched on the same day as Sam’s series.
The two stories take place concurrently and follow the brothers after the events of the one-shot Supernatural: Wayward #1, which explains why they have been forced to go their separate ways.
Dean’s adventure takes him to New Orleans during Mardi Gras, where he encounters a disturbing case involving a terrifying supernatural entity. Like Sam’s story, the comic gives one of the Winchester brothers a chance to operate independently.
Ackles, however, has no creative involvement in his character’s solo series either. The comic is written by Chuck Brown, an Eisner Award-winning writer known for his work on Marvel’s Black Panther comics and Image Comics’ Bitter Root. Rapha Lobosco, who previously worked on Dynamite’s James Bond series, provides the artwork.
The parallel releases give fans two separate perspectives on the brothers’ supernatural adventures while allowing different creative teams to explore their individual personalities.
Jensen Ackles Has Already Played Several Iconic Comic Book Characters
Although Ackles has not yet become a comic book creator, he has considerable experience bringing comic book characters to life onscreen.
In 2010, he voiced Jason Todd in the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood. He later voiced Batman himself in several DC animated movies, demonstrating his range beyond Dean Winchester.
His work as Soldier Boy in The Boys has further strengthened his association with comic book adaptations. These performances have even led some fans to suggest that he would be a strong choice to play a live-action Batman in James Gunn’s DC Universe.
For now, however, Ackles and Padalecki are leaving the latest Winchester adventures to their respective comic book creative teams.
The launch of Supernatural: Sam Winchester and Supernatural: Dean Winchester proves that the franchise still has room for new stories, even without the actors directly shaping them. For longtime fans, the biggest question is whether these separate adventures can capture the chemistry, emotional depth, and supernatural thrills that made Sam and Dean such enduring television characters.