Warning: This article contains spoilers for Supernatural.

During the Supernatural panel at Comic-Con, Mark Sheppard was among the cast, which many took to be a sign that his Supernatural character, Crowley, shouldn’t be written off so soon. However, many actors appear at Comic-Con for publicity, even after their character has been killed off. As Sheppard himself suggests, it may not be wise for Supernatural fans to get their hopes up.

“It was great! I am dead,” responded Mark when asked his opinion of the Supernatural Season 10 finale.

Sheppard reveals that he wasn’t quite crazy about the way recent Supernatural episodes delved into Crowley’s past, revealing the humanity that may still exist in the King of Hell. The mystery was certainly diminished with those Supernatural flashbacks.

“It can have its limitations, because you are making decisions about things. I was a little worried about the idea, but it is another side of Crowley to see. Ruth [Connell, aka Rowena] is wonderful, but I don’t know how well the story went with the son, not to do with the actor, but it is an interesting path to go down. Once you go down that path, you are setting something in motion and there has always been an issue about how human Crowley is — orwhat he is. It is not Crowley, it is Fergus, so what you are really dealing with is Fergus, not Crowley, so you are de-Crowleying Crowley. You are Fergus-ing Crowley.”

There’s little doubt that Sheppard has added real gusto in his portrayal of one of Supernatural’s most colorful characters. Looking back, Sheppard recalls that his role as the King of Hell wasn’t quite what he anticipated when he first guest-starred on Supernatural.

“I am very grateful for the things that I have done, and I never know how they are going to turn out when I start. Supernatural was a guest-star role, and I have done 48 or 49 episodes. It is quite amazing. I didn’t expect it, and I have been fighting it every step of the way, but I have always been a fan.”

Was Mark Sheppard being straight about the demise of his Supernatural character, or, much like Crowley, could Supernatural’s Sheppard be concealing a possible return next season?

The season premiere of Supernatural is scheduled to air on Wednesday, October 7 on the CW network.

[Featured image: Mark Sheppard courtesy of Kevin Winter/Getty Images]