8 Times Dean Winchester Used The First Blade In Supernatural (& Who He Killed)

Supernatural‘s 15-season run gears up Dean Winchester with various deadly weapons, and the First Blade is no exception because he uses it to kill multiple characters. Dean, played by Jensen Ackles, is a hot-headed monster hunter with a fairly expansive arsenal. From killing the phoenix EliasFinch with the Colt to taking out Death with his own scythe, Supernatural includes numerous specialized and deadly weapons. What’s intriguing about this is that most weapons require roundabout quests to be found, sometimes even ranging half a season in the story.

One of these all-powerful weapons is the First Blade. What makes the First Blade so unique is that it’s essentially just a jawbone fashioned into a blade. However, its real power isn’t even in the weapon itself but in the accompanying Mark of Cain that provides its bearer with the ability to kill any known being. As with many deals or fixes on Supernatural, the Mark comes with side effects, namely murderous tendencies. This sets forth almost two seasons of Dean’s inner conflict between ridding the world of large demonic threats like Abaddon and maintaining his humanity.

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8 Magnus Gets Decapitated

Season 9, Episode 16, “Blade Runners”

“Blade Runners” focuses on Sam and Dean finding the First Blade with Crowley’s help. However, a former Men of Letters Cuthbert Sinclair, also known as Magnus, tries to add Dean to his collection of mystical antiquities, which includes the First Blade. This episode is the first time Dean is really tested by the Mark as it’s the initial instance where he holds the First Blade.

By this point in Supernatural, the lengths Dean is willing to go through for Sam are extreme, including selling his soul to resurrect his brother in season 3. Similarly, Dean sacrifices his own well-being to save Sam from Magnus’ torture. Once Dean beheads Magnus using the First Blade, he visibly shakes with murderous rage. Dean is naturally quick-tempered, but this first instance of using the Blade with the Mark instigates Dean’s battle with his darker side.

7 Dean Kills Demons

Season 9, Episode 21, “Kind Of the Damned” & Season 10, Episode 1, “Black”

Procuring the First Blade is to kill Abaddon, so Dean’s ruthlessness is more a means to an end in his eyes. By “King of the Damned,” Dean’s corruption from the Mark has built up his murderous tendencies. He confesses to Sam that the first time he touched the Blade he knew he would take out anything that got in his way of killing Abaddon. Therefore, Dean kills a demon with the First Blade. His refusal of help essentially turns Dean into a villain because it sets him on a downward spiral of violence caused by the Mark of Cain.

In “Black,” once Dean is a demon, his ruthlessness is increasingly unjustified. Dean brutally bludgeons one demon in a gas station and stabs another in an alley with zero remorse. While this type of behavior is likely expected from a demon, it also signifies how far off balance Dean’s moral compass is at this stage. Not only is the First Blade constantly with him, but it’s now his go-to weapon, suggesting Dean’s complete submission to the Mark and the Blade’s power.

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6 Abaddon Gets Killed

Season 9, Episode 21, “King of the Damned”

Abaddon is one of Supernatural‘s most powerful villains and one of Dean’s biggest kills. She’s a threat throughout Supernatural season 8 and 9 and essentially the sole reason Dean seeks the First Blade. As a Knight of Hell, the only way she can be killed is with the Blade. Therefore, once Dean gets the chance, he takes it. During his final fight with Abaddon, Dean uses multiple powers of the Mark to help himself, such as telekinesis when the Blade is knocked from his hand.

Dean’s disregard for consequences speaks to his character perfectly. Although he lies to Sam to get into the room with Abaddon alone, his reason is to avoid hurting Sam. This highlights Dean’s self-awareness about the Mark of Cain and First Blade’s danger and his own lack of control because of it. Additionally, this is such a climactic moment since it signifies what should be the end of the First Blade saga for Dean. His facial expression and dropping the Blade after repeatedly hitting Abaddon and Sam snapping him out of his rage highlights his own surprise at what he did.

5 Dean Interrogates Tessa The Reaper

Season 9, Episode 22, “Stairway to Heaven”

When Dean interrogates Tessa, his use of the First Blade is milder compared to other instances. After Tessa refuses to provide any concrete answers as to why angels are killing themselves in Castiel’s name, Dean pulls out the First Blade as a threat. Although he most likely wasn’t going to use it, Tessa pushes herself into the Blade and dies. Dean’s surprised reaction suggests that, despite the Mark and his tough exterior, he can still distinguish between right and wrong to a degree. Additionally, his history with Tessa and his lack of physical force against her highlights how his emotional connections still impact his decision-making at this stage.

4 Dean Injures Gadreel

Season 9, Episode 22, “Stairway to Heaven”

Although in the same episode as Tessa’s death, Dean’s actions in the bunker when Gadreel enters are arguably more aligned with his more rage-fueled uses of the First Blade. However, Gadreel has been on Metatron’s side and killed Kevin while possessing Sam earlier in season 9. So, Dean cutting him with the First Blade here is as much a sign of his distrust as it is of the Mark’s influence. Granted, he hears out Gadreel’s plea to help take down Metatron, shakes his hand, and still attacks him. Therefore, Dean slicing Gadreel with the First Blade shows his decrease in sympathy while still demonstrating his pre-Mark trust issues.

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3 Dean Steals The First Blade To Kill Metatron

Season 9, Episode 23, “Do You Believe in Miracles?”

Because of the Mark’s influence, Dean’s distance from the First Blade results in him spitting up blood. Out of desperation, Dean summons Crowley for help in retrieving the First Blade so he can kill Metatron. Dean’s loss in his fight with Metatron symbolizes the self-destructiveness of the Mark and Blade combined. Moreover, Metatron killing Dean depicts the issue with the latter’s recklessness when it comes to his own safety. It showcases how he overlooks warnings so he can be the one to martyr himself for whatever end goal Team Free Will has.

2 Demon Dean Stabs Lester

Season 10, Episode 2, “Reichenbach”

Much like Dean’s killing in “Black,” “Reichenbach” emphasizes just how shameless Dean is as a demon. While working with Crowley to carry out crossroad deals, Dean encounters Lester, a vengeful husband who made a deal to have his wife killed for her infidelity. Dean, instead, kills Lester with the First Blade. This reactionary behavior is indicative of a larger issue with his rampant Blade usage – his lack of loyalty and the imbalanced relationship between Dean and Crowley. With even the King of Hell essentially firing Dean and teaming up with Sam to keep the Blade hidden, it’s evident from his Lester kill that Dean’s sense of morality is non-existent.

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1 Dean Kills Cain

Season 10, Episode 14, “The Executioner’s Song”

Dean’s last use of the First Blade is not as senseless as some of the previous few instances because he’s human again. Most notably, Dean’s consideration for Sam and Castiel’s safety before facing Cain highlights how his First Blade journey is somewhat reverting his way of thinking to how it was before the Mark. Dean’s resistance against the full strength of the Mark with the Blade showcases his awareness of how unforgiving his ruthlessness was while under the Mark’s full influence. Not only does Dean’s attempts at renouncing the Mark’s influence in this fight signify his accountability, but also his willingness to resist it to be a better person.

Dean’s final plea to Cain sums up how much he’s changed since first using the Blade. Instead of admitting he can’t and won’t be stopped, he holds the First Blade and begs Cain to tell him he doesn’t have to kill him and that he can stop. Despite Cain’s negative response, Dean does what needs to be done to avoid more innocent people’s deaths and kills Cain. While Dean has bad traits and he makes poor decisions during his time under the Mark’s influence, Supernatural uses the First Blade as a way to further his complex journey from reckless murderer to remorseful hunter.