Bobby Singer

Robert Steven "Bobby" Singer is a fictional character in The CW Television Network's drama/horror television series Supernatural portrayed by Jim Beaver. Chosen due to his working relationship with executive producer Robert Singer, Beaver made his initial appearance in the first season finale "Devil's Trap". The actor believed the role would merely be a "one-shot deal", but has since become a recurring guest on the series, having appeared in more episodes than anyone besides the two leads. Despite also starring in the series Harper's Island, Beaver was able to maintain his quota for Supernatural's fourth season, with the role expanding even further for the fifth season's apocalyptic storyline. The character, a "rough but warmhearted" working-class man who hunts supernatural creatures, has evolved over time into a father-figure for series protagonists Sam and Dean Winchester. Critics have responded highly favorably to the character.

Plot

Salvager and proprietor of Singer Salvage Yard, Bobby Singer was first introduced to the supernatural world when his wife Karen became possessed by a demon. As detailed in the third-season episode "Dream a Little Dream of Me", he was uncertain of how to save her, and instead ended up being forced to kill her. Her death prompted him to dedicate his life to hunting supernatural creatures. The later episode "Death's Door" expanded on this by revealing that Bobby's last conversation with his wife was an argument about his reluctance to have children, also revealing that his father was an abusive man who Bobby shot when he was a child (His mother subsequently telling him that God would punish him for this), Bobby reflecting that his father's example left him afraid of becoming one himself in case he became a parent as bad as his father.