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Can 'Supernatural' Cure Dean Of The Mark Of Cain?

Oh Dean. What are we going to do with you? After Supernatural's Season 10 midseason finale, fans are worried for Dean and that Mark of Cain turning him into a mass murderer — wait, oh yeah, too late for that. Even though Demon Dean is gone (or so we assume), apparently Dean is still going to the dark side, unless Sam and Castiel can figure out a way to save the man who is always saving them. When Supernatural returns on Tuesday, Jan. 20 with an episode titled "The Hunter Games," it promises Sam and Castiel will "double their efforts to find a cure for the Mark of Cain but there is nothing in the lore that can help them." However, that doesn't mean Cas doesn't have another idea and one that, in a preview, Sam says is the "single worst idea I've ever heard."

Uh oh. That doesn't sound good, but does this mean there is an actual cure to bring Dean back to his typical hunter-self? The above episode description sure makes it sound that way, and so does the following clip from Tuesday's episode. Cas vows "it won't be easy" to which Dean replies angrily, "Burn it off! Cut it off!" Easier said than done, Dean. Cas continues to say, "It's more than just a physical thing. It will take a very powerful force to remove the effect." What kind of force is that? According to Cas "it may pre-date the lore" meaning it reaches back to the time of creation. If only the boys had that missing demon tablet. That's right, the tablet could be of major help, per Cas, but, of course, it's MIA, which means they'll have to look to another way. The clip ends there, so we're still left in the dark.

However, we do know one thing. Per Misha Collins, who spoke with The Hollywood Reporter, Cas will play a huge part in helping Dean. "Cas is intimately involved in trying to remove the Mark," he said. "It's definitely shaping up to be a team effort, but Cas will be instrumental in 'de-marking' Dean…Getting the mark gone is an important mission for the rest of the season, and I think that that struggle is taking the fore[ground] in terms of…illness…In this stretch of the season arc, the focus is on Dean, and Cas' health is not nearly as much of an issue."

Well, it sounds optimistic, and at least they are trying to fix Dean. With that said, as we Supernatural fans know, nothing comes without a price, so I'm going to just start preparing myself now for the worst when it comes to curing Dean. I have a feeling something bad will happen — and let's hope it doesn't come with a devastating sacrifice.

To go a bit further, I can't help but wonder if Cain, played by Timothy Omundson (who is returning), will have a hand in curing Dean, especially seeing as he originally held the Mark on his arm. This brings me to my point: if Cain transferred the Mark to someone "worthy," aka Dean, then can't Dean transfer it someone else? That would be pretty simple, right? However, if we know those Winchesters, they're just two good guys trying to do the right thing, which means they won't want someone else walking around with the Mark and going on killing sprees. Most likely, Dean, Sam, and Cas will want to get rid of it completely. However they do that, well, it definitely won't be easy.

Images: Diyah Pera/The CW; i-have-a-acklehol-problem/Tumblr