Nerdophiles Catch Up With… Supernatural

Supernatural is about to fall into Darkness. Season 11 will kick off on Oct. 7, and before you dive into the Winchesters’ next adventure, here’s what you need to know:

The Mark of Cain

Season 10 ended with three major cliffhangers, and Dean’s murderous brand was the spark that fueled all three. A plague upon the Winchesters since Abaddon’s resurrection, the Mark continued to affect Dean long after he ditched his black eyes. Unable to fight the brand any longer, Dean turned to Death in hopes of removing the Mark.

Unfortunately for the hunter, Death could neither erase Cain’s curse nor kill Dean. As it turns out, the Mark is actually a lock created to keep the Darkness at bay. Passed from God to Lucifer to Cain, the Mark and its bearer must remain intact to keep the pre-biblical force at bay.

Rowena, however, managed to remove the Mark thanks to the Book of the Damned. Now, the Darkness is out in the world.

The Darkness

Little is known about this new baddie. According to Death, the Darkness existed before the events of Genesis and only God was strong enough to lock it away. As soon as that lock broke, the mysterious force came flooding back in dramatic fashion.

Death

Death’s solution to the Mark of Cain problem was to take Dean to a place where he could live out eternity alone, never to hurt anyone again. The only way to make sure he remained in solitude, however, was to keep Sam from looking for him. In other words, Death wanted Dean to off his baby brother. At the last moment, Dean chose to kill Death instead.

What will the world be with out the Grim Reaper?

Rowena

The centuries-old enchantress came through for the Winchesters, but at a price. The spell to remove the Mark required Rowena to sacrifice the only thing she ever cared for – a young Polish boy she considered a son and later granted immortality. Crowley was more than happy to serve up his mother’s favorite son like lamb to slaughter, and Rowena didn’t take kindly to his actions.

Once she cured the Mark, Rowena absconded with the Book of the Damned, but not before immobilizing Crowley and placing the attack dog spell on Castiel. Last viewers saw, Cas was moments away from murdering the King of Hell.

Castiel

He may not have his wings, but the Winchesters’ angelic pal has his grace back. After a battle with Metatron, Heaven’s little rebel finally managed to recover his essence and give Death the cold shoulder once more.

Cas proved instrumental in keeping Rowena in line, but even he couldn’t save Charlie from the Stynes.

The Stynes

The legacies of Frankenstein and his monster, the Stynes have used their influence to control world events for centuries. Drawing their power from the Book of the Damned, the Stynes were none too pleased when Charlie stole their missing treasure.

As Charlie and Rowena worked to decode the book that would ultimately save Dean – a book he believed Sam had destroyed – the Stynes caught up with the hacker-turned-hunter and murdered her. Dean sought revenge – eliminating every Styne he could find – but is the entire family line really gone?

Metatron

The worst of Heaven’s host is free once more, albeit without his grace. God’s scribe made a break for it when Cas recovered his own mojo, and Metatron took the missing demon tablet with him.

We don’t know what’s next for the winged jerk, but it’s probably not good.

Are you ready for season 11 premiere? Tune in to The CW Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET to catch “Out of the Darkness, Into the Fire.”