The Boys is packed with Supernatural Easter eggs — here’s what you might have missed

If you thought The Boys was just a bloody superhero satire, think again. Eric Kripke, the mastermind behind both Supernatural and The Boys, has packed his latest show with enough Easter eggs, inside jokes, and returning actors to make any SPN fan feel right at home.

Some nods are obvious (hi, Jensen Ackles!), but others are so sneaky that even the most eagle-eyed fans might have missed them. Let’s break down all the ways The Boys keeps Supernatural’s spirit alive.

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Kripke’s DNA: How Supernatural lives on in The Boys

Eric Kripke didn’t just create both shows—he brought his Supernatural family with him. Behind the scenes, The Boys features longtime Supernatural crew members, including producer Jim Michaels, director Phil Sgriccia, and composer Christopher Lennertz.

Even in the writers' room, Supernatural alums like Meredith Glynn and David Reed help shape the show's tone, ensuring that Kripke’s signature mix of dark humor, heartfelt moments, and absolute chaos stays intact. If Supernatural was about hunting things, The Boys is about hunting supes—just with a lot more F-bombs.

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Supernatural cast reunions: The Boys’ secret SPN cameos

Jensen Ackles' turn as Soldier Boy was just the beginning. By season four, The Boys already felt like a full-fledged Supernatural reunion. Jim Beaver, familiar to fans as Bobby Singer, plays Robert Singer, a politician whose name is a direct nod to both Bobby and Supernatural producer Robert Singer. His hometown? Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Bobby’s old stomping ground in Supernatural.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who played John Winchester, appears in The Boys as Joe Kessler, an old comrade of Butcher’s. The parallel between Kessler and John Winchester—a tough, morally questionable father figure—is hard to ignore.

Rob Benedict, best known as Chuck, God himself in Supernatural, takes on the role of Mike "Splinter," a covert operative for Victoria Neuman. Christian Keyes, once the archangel Michael, appears as a younger version of Gunpowder in a flashback, while Alexander Calvert, who played Jack the Nephilim, made a cameo in the spinoff Gen V, further strengthening the Supernatural connections.

Kripke himself joked about his casting habits, saying he’s just collecting all the SPN actors like Pokémon.

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Inside jokes and hidden references: Supernatural Easter eggs in The Boys

Beyond the cast, The Boys sneaks in plenty of winks to Supernatural. Jim Beaver’s Robert Singer finally delivers Bobby’s iconic Supernatural catchphrases in The Boys season four, muttering "idjit" and "balls" on-screen.

Let’s talk about that Supernatural muscle car—Dean Winchester’s 1967 Chevy Impala makes a sneaky cameo in The Boys season two finale, where it runs over Stormfront in a meme montage. Not subtle at all.

Soldier Boy’s awakening from the cryo-chamber in season three feels oddly familiar, and that’s because it mirrors Castiel’s dramatic entrance in Supernatural season four. The lighting, the steam, the sheer power of it—it’s almost a shot-for-shot homage.

Then there’s the classic trunk shot. Supernatural fans know it well—Sam and Dean grabbing weapons from the open trunk of the Impala, filmed from inside. The Boys repeatedly recreates this, like in season three when Butcher, Hughie, and Soldier Boy stock up for battle.

The musical callbacks keep the SPN spirit alive too. When Soldier Boy blasts "Can’t Fight This Feeling" by REO Speedwagon in The Boys season three, it immediately brings to mind Dean Winchester singing along to the same song in Supernatural season two. Kripke’s love for classic rock didn’t fade with Supernatural, and it shows.

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Supernatural’s influence on The Boys’ storytelling

Beyond the Easter eggs, The Boys and Supernatural share deeper storytelling DNA. Both shows start with a gut-wrenching personal loss—Sam’s girlfriend Jessica burning on the ceiling in Supernatural, and Hughie’s girlfriend Robin getting obliterated by A-Train in The Boys.

Both stories revolve around underdogs taking on godlike beings. The Winchesters went after demons, angels, and even God. Butcher and his crew? They’re taking on superheroes who believe themselves to be untouchable gods.

Father issues are everywhere in both shows. John Winchester’s questionable parenting in Supernatural is mirrored in The Boys with Homelander’s terrifying relationship with his son Ryan. Butcher even asks Kessler, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, if he would train his son to be a killer—a direct callback to John Winchester raising Sam and Dean as hunters.

The "evil kid" dilemma is another shared theme. Supernatural had Jesse Turner, the young Antichrist, and later Jack, the Nephilim son of Lucifer. The Boys has Ryan, Homelander’s son, whose potential for good or evil is still up in the air. Both shows explore the question of whether someone’s nature or upbringing determines their fate.

Of course, both series also highlight the power of found family. Sam, Dean, and Cas weren’t just hunting monsters—they were family. Butcher’s team may be dysfunctional, but they’ve got each other’s backs.

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More Supernatural goodness coming in The Boys Season 5

With The Boys bringing in Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins for season five, Kripke is turning this into a full-blown Supernatural reunion. Fans are already speculating on their roles—rival supes? Government agents? A bickering superhero duo? Whatever it is, the Easter eggs and inside jokes won’t be stopping anytime soon.

As Kripke himself put it:

"The only person I try to please is me—but because I love Supernatural, it stands to reason that if left to my own devices, my next show will have some similarities."

Lucky for us, that means The Boys will keep dropping Supernatural nods for years to come.

So, who’s ready for season five? And how long before Kripke gets the entire Supernatural cast on board?