The Boys Wasted Jared Padalecki on an Episode 5 Supernatural Cameo

If there’s one thing CW shows rarely get universal love for, it’s quality—except maybe Supernatural, where you’d be hard-pressed to find a duo with more natural chemistry than Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. These guys basically held the show together for 15 seasons, so it’s no wonder fans never stopped clamoring for more Sam and Dean, even two decades later. And this week? Those old-school Supernatural dreams got (almost) answered. Sort of.

Back Together (Kind Of) On The Boys

So here’s the sitch: The Boys—Amazon’s ultra-violent, notoriously snarky superhero show—brought in Ackles (already recurring as Soldier Boy) and, finally, gave Padalecki his shot this season. Add in Misha Collins for good measure, and you’ve essentially got a Supernatural reunion, just not as Sam, Dean, and Castiel, but as a chaotic trio of brand new supes.

In episode 'One-Shots,' Padalecki showed up as Mister Marathon, and Collins rocked up as Malchemical. The show’s not subtle about anything, and this reunion was pure, deliberate excess—think maximum violence and a giant wink at anyone who ever shipped the Winchester brothers.

'The reunion between Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and Misha Collins was as amusing as one could hope for, all three managing to hold their own, comedically, among the world-class comics portraying themselves in cameos.'

Here’s the not-so-great news: This was basically a one-and-done situation. After all the hype and fun, Mister Marathon and Malchemical got about as much screen time as a bottle of Vought-branded iced tea. So if you wanted more Supernatural antics in The Boys universe, get comfortable with reruns.

Sparking Life Into a Lopsided Season

If I’m honest, this season of The Boys has felt… kind of uninspired, just recycling old grudges and plot points. But suddenly, along comes 'One-Shots'—and not only does it inject actual humor back into the show, but the wild final sequence is up there with The Boys' most jaw-dropping moments (see also: 'Herogasm'). That’s probably why it’s sitting at 7.9/10 on IMDb, bad pacing be damned.

• Jensen Ackles: Soldier Boy (back again; honestly, still the best thing to happen to this show in years)
• Jared Padalecki: Mister Marathon (blink and you’ll miss him, but a nice change of pace from his usual stoic role)
• Misha Collins: Malchemical (just as offbeat as you’d hope)

All three managed to get in solid laughs and hold their own, even with a handful of actual comedians playing themselves in cameos. You have to wonder why the writers didn’t slot Padalecki and Collins into regular supporting roles instead of just tossing them aside after a single episode. Fresh faces would’ve helped these final episodes a lot, since most of the main players are just treading old ground.

Bigger Payoff Missed for Vought Rising?

There’s some logic to saving the big reunion for a bigger splash. Ackles is already booked for Vought Rising, the Soldier Boy spinoff that’s supposed to give The Boys universe new life (especially now that Gen V is prematurely cancelled and the main show’s in its final stretch). If the creators really wanted to pull in a massive Supernatural audience, throwing Padalecki and Collins into meaningful supporting roles would have done the trick. They didn’t, which… baffling, honestly.

To be fair, this reunion wasn’t totally wasted—'One-Shots' is the first time all season this show remembered how to have fun. It’s just a shame it looks like a fleeting detour instead of a solid new chapter. If I was running things? I’d have milked that Supernatural energy for at least a few more episodes, because whatever else The Boys has done, it’s never had chemistry quite like this.