On September 13th, 2005, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles made their debut as Sam and Dean Winchester on The WB. Created by Eric Kripke, "Supernatural" introduced fans to the family business, with the paranormal-hunting Winchester brothers at the core of the show.

Now, 12 years later and with season 13 currently being filmed, the series has continuously proven itself to be a hit on The CW and with fans, holding the record of being the longest-running fantasy series in the US.

Sam and Dean (and their relationship) have remained the heart of the show, while being joined by fan favorites over the years such as Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver), Castiel (Misha Collins), Crowley (Mark Sheppard), and Jody Mills (Kim Rhodes).

It is a series about family and legacy, good and evil, hunting things and saving people.

"Supernatural" is layered with themes, including how sometimes human beings can be worse than monsters, or how to keep fighting against all odds, with complexly relatable characters that deeply resonate with fans.

Every year on September 13, the fandom comes together to celebrate "Supernatural" Day in honor of the anniversary of the day the Pilot aired and the Winchesters came into our lives. This year was no different, and during the day-long celebration fans were treated to a barrage of gifts. The best one, though, was when the promo for season 13 was finally released by The CW:

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

Breaking down the promo

The promo shares a montage of glimpses from the first few episodes of season 13 that have been filmed. There is a voice-over from Dean telling God that they need his help as we see the Winchester brothers cruising down the road in the Impala. Pulling up to a building called Pirate Pete's Jolly Treats, Dean tells Sam: "Before I destroy the world, let me just grab a bag of curly fries."

The next few images include the boys fighting unknown enemies; Lucifer's son, Jack (aka, The Nephilim), showing off some of his powers; Sam and Dean in a stand-off with an unseen person in a hallway while Dean throws a blade; and Sam telling Dean: "We've been down before.

We find a way, 'cause that's what we do."

We also see a new character, a man dressed in all white, making his entrance. This same man appears at the end of the promo standing by Crowley's throne and killing demons while claiming that, "There's a new sheriff in town."

Crowley, the former King of Hell who sacrificed his life for the Winchesters and to stop Lucifer in the season 12 finale, has been confirmed by Mark Sheppard and TVLine that the he won't be coming back to the show.

The question now is, who is this mysterious Man in White that's claiming the title of King for himself? There's a strong possibility this may actually be Asmodeus, the last remaining Prince of Hell. The other three Prince's of Hell, Azazel, Ramiel, and Dagon, have all perished at the hands of the Winchesters and Castiel (with baby Jack's help).

We have yet to meet Asmodeus, who last we heard from Ramiel was only interested in his hobbies. Now that his siblings are dead and the Prince of Hell's creator, Lucifer, is stuck in the alternate universe, could Asmodeus be the one making a move on the throne?

In the midst of the quick flashes from the new season, a familiar face appears alongside Sam and Dean: the prophet, Donatello Redfield, last seen in season 11.

It's possible the Winchesters may have called on the new prophet to see if he could help them either with how to access the other world, or in dealing with their new charge, Jack.

Executive producer Andrew Dabb refers to Jack as a "walking atomic bomb," according to TVLine. He also says that Sam and Dean are "acting as parents" to Lucifer's son, and that there are "parts of him and things he does that [Sam and Dean] really love."

On the other hand, there are parts of him and some actions he takes that concern the Winchesters a bit, too. On top of their new roles as parents, the boys are still reeling from the loss of Mary and Castiel at the end of last season, leaving them "a little spun out, both emotionally and in terms of the plot," TVLine reports.

Dawn of darkness

The official CW "Supernatural" account also released a new poster for the upcoming season, featuring Sam, Dean, and Castiel.

The tagline for season 13 appears to be "dawn of darkness," almost certainly related to the alternate universe that appeared in the season 12 finale after Jack's birth initially caused a rift between the two worlds.

The light in the center of the poster appears to be an image of that opening, leading to a world where Sam and Dean never existed and became an apocalyptic nightmare.

A celebration of 12 years and 13 seasons

Besides the goodies The CW shared with the fandom, "Supernatural's" anniversary was celebrated all over social media from all parts of the SPN Family.

Jared and Jensen celebrated on set with the popular SPN Tape Ball, while some of the other cast members tweeted out about the event and shared some memories:

The man who brought "Supernatural" to life, creator Eric Kripke, had a few sweet words to share as well:

Current and former writers and crew members of the show joined in, too:

The "Supernatural" CW account, the media and, of course, the fans, celebrated as well, with a few examples below:

In addition to the endless tweets in honor of the anniversary not included here, fans were also treated with some new images of Jared, Jensen, and Misha at the Canadian Motion Picture Park participating in interviews with journalists to chat about the new season:

Jared and Jensen make the cover of Entertainment Weekly (again)

Last September, "Supernatural" won Entertainment Weekly's first Cover Battle and finally got to be on the cover of the magazine after doing their first shoot with EW:

This year, "Supernatural" couldn't participate in the contest since it won the year before, but that didn't stop our boys from carving out their own space on this year's Entertainment Weekly Fall TV Preview special issue.

"Riverdale" won the battle this year, and subscribers of Entertainment Weekly will be receiving their cover featuring the cast of the new CW hit. However, as shown below, another cover for the issue will be available on newsstands for fans to buy, with Jared and Jensen representing "Supernatural."

Casting news: the new Michael

The day before "Supernatural" Day, Entertainment Weekly released a new still from season 13, revealing the new Michael played by Christian Keyes:

The archangel Michael (previously portrayed by Jake Abel and Matt Cohen in season 5), returns to the show via the alternate universe.

However, according to Andrew Dabb, this won't be the same Michael that fans or the Winchesters remember.

Dabb told Entertainment Weekly that the Michael in the "apocalypse world is the victor." The E.P. likens the new version of this character to Genghis Khan, specifically noting that, like the real-life Khan, Michael is a conqueror.

The archangel has "conquered the world" in this other reality that Sam and Dean's mother, Mary, and Lucifer are both stuck in. As the exclusive image reveals, Mary Winchester and Lucifer appear to be facing off with Michael. The picture raises two important questions: are Mary and Lucifer, despite being enemies, going to align themselves together to fight an even greater enemy in Michael?

And, what damage will Michael cause when his world and Sam and Dean's collide?

One thing's for sure, Keyes is definitely excited to be joining the cast as the new Michael:

How did you celebrate "Supernatural" Day? What are you looking forward to the most in season 13?

Lucky season 13 airs Thursday, October 12 on The CW.
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