Superwho
| Synonyms: | SuperWho, Whopernatural |
| See also: | Crossover, SuperWhoLock, Wholock, SuperLock, SuperWood, Pondlock, SuperWhoAvengeLock |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Superwho is a crossover between the two fandoms Doctor Who and Supernatural. This crossover developed an audience on social media platforms such as Livejournal, Youtube, and Tumblr. The term Superwho was also used by audience members who were not interested in the crossover universe itself, but to indicate that they enjoy the series referenced in the portmanteau.
A popular form of fanwork were gif sets made to look like scenes where characters from the different shows are interacting, but it also inspired fanfic, fanart, and vids that are stylized to look like series/film trailers. The crossover also spawned journal communities and fanwork challenges.
Superwho was most active in the early to mid 2010s—2010-2014 appearing to be the most intense period—before tapering off.
Fandom
The main characters in a Superwho are generally Dean and Sam Winchester as well as Castiel from Supernatural, and The Doctor (usually Ten or Eleven, or occasionally Nine) and their companion, popular choices being Clara Oswald, Amy Pond, and Rose Tyler, from Doctor Who.
Origins
Superwho may have appeared online after the first canon reference was made on Supernatural in the form of a Cyberman on the cover of Supernatural character Ronald Resnick’s Fortean Times magazine. The earliest known Doctor Who/Supernatural crossover fanfiction on Fanfiction.net is Catching A Breath by Lady Yueh, which was published October 12, 2007. On Archive of Our Own, the earliest known Doctor Who/Supernatural crossover fanfiction is Once More by sevenisles, which was published June 14, 2008. Superwho seemed to be most popular in the early to mid 2010s before tapering off - much like its more famous sibling SuperWhoLock.
Both Supernatural and Doctor Who have featured actor Mark Sheppard, causing theories to emerge regarding a potential link between Supernatural's Crowley and Canton Everett Delaware III of Doctor Who. Doctor Who's post-watershed spinoff Torchwood also has an actress in common with Supernatural: Caroline Chikezie, who played Ianto Jones's doomed girlfriend Lisa Hallett, appears in Season 3 of Supernatural as Tamara, part of a married hunting team. [1]
Pairings
The most popular pairings are the same ones that are popular in the individual fandoms, like Dean/Castiel and Doctor/Rose. However, there are also quite a variety of crossover ships, some of the more common crossover pairings are Dean Winchester/Rose Tyler, Doctor/Dean Winchester, Impala/TARDIS, Castiel/Jack Harkness, Amy Pond/Sam Winchester, and Amy Pond/Dean Winchester.
There is also gen or other fanworks that focus more on the platonic friendships between the Winchesters, Castiel, and the Doctor and his companions.
Common Tropes in Fanworks
- Second Meeting: The Doctor having met Dean or Sam as a child and then meeting him again as an adult
- Encounters with the Supernatural: often the Doctor encountering the supernatural, like demons and angels, and calling on Sam and Dean for assistance; or the Doctor, their companion, Dean and Sam all running into each other as they investigate the same cases
- Whoverse villains: Sam and Dean investigating a case and encountering Whoverse villains like the Daleks or the Weeping Angels
- Companions: Sam and Dean or Castiel becoming, usually temporarily, companions of the Doctor
- Demon Possession: The Doctor being possessed by a demon
- Childhood Friends: Sam and Dean being childhood friends of Amy Pond
- Castiel and the Doctor: Cas being able to communicate with the Doctor through different times and space
- Supporting Characters: although Sam, Dean, Castiel, The Doctor and his companions are usually the central focus of fanworks, it is not unusual, especially in fanfic, to include a variety of secondary characters, some examples being: Crowley, Gabriel, and Jack Harkness.
Fanworks
Fanart
- same story, different millenium by Dakt37 (2012)
- A Mile Outta Hell by awabubbles (2012)
- The Angel Has The Phonebox, Archived version by No1fanmcr (2012)
- How Dean died #76, Archived version by becks28nz (2012)
- Superwho comic, Archived version by wifihunters (2013)
- The Doctor’s Angel, Archived version by nursethalia (approx 2013)
- Superwho (commission), Archived version by ravennowithtea (2013)
- Glow Like an Incandescent Wire, Archived version by jazzforthecaptain (2015)
Fanfiction
- Wherein Dean Punishes Himself Over and Over by ashes (2011)
- Only if for a night by dizbil (2012)
- The Substitute Doctor by kikicecchetti (2012)
- Inappropriate Conduct by Cuda (2013)
Fan Vids
- The Angels have the Phone Box by Nyah86Production (2010)
- Hold On by Blake and Gaile, a Doctor, Rose Tyler, Dean and Sam Winchester vid. (2010)
- SUPERWHO: Going Under by LightNeverFades (2011)
- Save the World by MsLyraGW (2011)
- The Man & The Timelord by MissLyraGW, a Doctor/Dean Winchester vid (2011)
- I need a Doctor by MissLyraGW (2011)
- SAIL by Liisakee (2012)
Graphics
- He would be the worst person for a demon to possess, they would have so much at their disposal, Archived version by stephfran88 (2014)
Gif Sets
- AU - School Reunion, The Doctor poses as a substitute teacher for a week at Dean’s school, Archived version by doomslock (2012)
- Woman!Tardis and Woman!Chevy, Archived version by rarkholme (2012)
- Superwho AU → The Doctor meets a proper angel., Archived version by catstiel (2012)
- The Doctor speaks baby, Archived version by drchilton (2012)
- Superwho AU - Dean is sent back to 1944 by a Weeping Angel, Archived version by letmartyhandlethis (2012)
- Amy manip gifs where she leans against the impala, Archived version by crazysue (2012)
- Manip of the Winchesters inside the Tardis, Archived version by machinatemporis-blog (2012)
- Hello, Rory, Archived version by florawrsaurus (2013)
- SuperWho, Archived version by tilneyhale-blog (2013)
- SuperWho!AU: Clara and the Doctor have a demon problem, so they ask for help to the Winchesters. But she is not very convinced of their skills., Archived version by elvendokk (2013)
- Superwho AU - Sass, Archived version by allthecolorsindisguise (2013)
- Superwho AU, The Doctor finds out that Canton isn’t exactly who he says he is, Archived version by allthecolorsindisguise (2013)
- So, who's this one, Doctor?, Archived version by sammy-isnotamoose (2014)
- Fun is over, Doctor, Archived version by unicornmish (2014)
- SuperWho / Destiel AU, part 1, Archived version by dahliasheng. While working a case, Sam and Dean discover a startling secret about their childhood friend, Rose Tyler. (2014)
- Supernatural/Doctor Who crossover AU, where Gabriel is in fact a time lord called The Trickster., Archived version by wildlingcorner (2014)
Example Art Gallery
Manip gif set showing Castiel in the Tardis by ohmystarsy (2012)
Art by usarechan created for Heaven or Hell or Somewhere in Between as part of the 2012 SuperWho Big Bang, this image showing an interaction between Castiel and the Eleventh Doctor
Cover art by awaart for Stardust and Hunting Go Hand in Hand, created for the 2017 Sam Winchester Big Bang, where a young Sam meets Jack Harkness
Impardis by SirGeorgPrime, from the artist's description: Ok. Tardis is a girl. Chevy Imp' definitely a guy (yeah Dean, you're "baby" is a guy... hehe). One day they met, at a time which they had enough of their angsty owners. They found each other very hot (obviously), classy & smart. An then, they eloped together, and this happened. It's a boy, congratulation ! (2011)
Archives and Links
LiveJournal
- Whopernatural [1]
- Superwho Big Bang [2] (2012-2013)
- superwhovians [3]
Offline Communities
- Superwho Kink [4] (defunct)