<P> In writing the pilot episode, series creator Eric Kripke made several dramatic revisions to John's storyline . The first draft of the script had Sam and Dean being raised by their aunt and uncle, though this was changed when Kripke realized that the backstory became much less complicated by having John raise them on the road . Another revision had John dying at the end of the episode instead of Sam's girlfriend Jessica . Though he survives in the final version of the pilot, the writers decided halfway through production of the first season that John did have to die, as they believed his separation from his sons "split the show" by having him away "doing more interesting things than the boys are doing ." Kripke also felt that John kept Sam and Dean away from the "front lines", his death being required to allow the brothers to "explore, investigate and confront the yellow - eyed demon directly ." The writers initially intended for John to die in the car accident in "Devil's Trap," but they ultimately postponed his death to prevent the finale from becoming too dark . Following the character's eventual escape from Hell, executive producer Ben Edlund stated that even the writers are unsure of where John's soul ended up . </P> <P> Evil Dead - actor Bruce Campbell was Kripke's first choice to portray the character . However, Campbell was unavailable, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan eventually received the role . Due to the fact that Morgan's scene in the pilot episode takes place 22 years before the series, Morgan expected to be replaced by an older actor for subsequent episodes . Being only 12 years older than Jensen Ackles, who portrays the eldest son Dean, Morgan was surprised when he was asked to reprise the role . Ackles and Jared Padalecki often teased him about the age difference during filming . Throughout the season, Morgan became frustrated at times due to his character's avoidance of his sons, stating, "It pissed off everybody, it pissed off us as actors, it pissed off the audience watching, because none of us really knew where we were gonna go ." However, he reasoned that John's motivation for his actions was due to having knowledge that nobody else had . </P> <P> During production of Supernatural's first season, Morgan was also working on the shows Weeds and Grey's Anatomy, so he was often traveling back and forth between Los Angeles and Vancouver . This interfered at times with Morgan's acting, as he had trouble getting "Winchester - y enough" after portraying the nice character of Denny Duquette on Grey's Anatomy . Morgan commented, "I was stuck in Denny - land, where I was being too nice . Winchester's harder to find . Denny's more me . He's an intense guy, John is . And Denny, for a guy who's having trouble living, he's just a charming dude ." Morgan was at first reluctant to return for Supernatural's second season due to his role on Grey's Anatomy . Although he lent his voice for the third season episode "Long - Distance Call," future appearances of Morgan as the character after the second season have been hindered due to the actor's busy schedule . Nevertheless, both Kripke and writer Sera Gamble have stated that they "would love to have him back ." The scheduling conflict has continued into the sixth season of Supernatural, with executive producer Robert Singer revealing that the writers had considered bringing the character back in the alternate reality episode "My Heart Will Go On" instead of Ellen Harvelle, but due to concerns that they would not be able to secure Morgan's return, they ultimately chose Ellen for the deceased character they would have (temporarily) return in the episode . During the production of the fifth season, Morgan had an interview with MovieWeb in which he stated that no one from the show had contacted him about making another appearance, and expressed the desire to return for at least one more episode in what was then - believed to be the show's final season, as he had enjoying working with on - screen sons Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki and he felt that John's storyline had ended too soon . </P> <P> While critics praised Morgan for his performance in the role, their reaction to the character has generally been mixed . Don Williams of BuddyTV felt that John is a "rather divisive character", with some fans not understanding John's motivation for keeping his sons in the dark . However, Williams himself found the character to be "completely fascinating". He chose "In My Time of Dying" as the second best episode of the series, mainly because of John's contributions, stating, "Even if you're not a huge fan of Poppa Winchester, I think it's impossible not to be moved by the final ten minutes of this episode...John's final speech to Dean, where he finally tells his son that he's proud of him, is one hell of a tear - jerker, and both Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Jensen Ackles knock that scene out of the park ." Williams praised Matt Cohen's performance of a younger version of the character in the time - travel episode "In the Beginning", believing that he "did an excellent job at portraying a more innocent John Winchester than we've ever seen before". </P>

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