supernatural time travel ff

Time Travel

• 1.1 Characters
• 2.1 4.03 In the Beginning
• 2.2 5.04 The End
• 2.3 5.13 The Song Remains the Same
• 2.4 6.17 My Heart Will Go On
• 2.5 6.18 Frontierland
• 2.6 6.20 The Man Who Would Be King
• 2.7 7.12 Time After Time
• 2.8 8.12 As Time Goes By
• 2.9 9.21 King of the Damned
• 2.10 11.14 The Vessel
• 2.11 12.13 Family Feud
• 2.12 14.13 Lebanon
• 3 Apocrypha

Time travel is a method used to take a person or entity forward or backward in time. The rule of time travel is that the timeline is fixed, traveling to the past will not alter events that have already happened. However after the Apocalypse was averted, these rules were changed, allowing for the past to be altered as when Balthazar prevented the Titanic from sinking , which had ramifications throughout the subsequent years.

In certain cases, it was shown that any changes made to the past may take some time to catch up in the present, such as when John Winchester was plucked from 2003 to 2019 and time slowly began adjusting, until John was sent back, reverting the world back to the original timeline.

Time travel can be associated with alternate universes , time loops and reality warping .

Characters and beings that have shown the ability (whether natural or through magic) to manipulate or bend time include:

• Anna Milton
• Chuck / God
• Henry Winchester
• Sam Winchester

4.03 In the Beginning

Castiel sends Dean back to Lawrence in 1973. Dean tries, and fails, to kill Azazel . Castiel tells him the purpose of the trip was for Dean to learn how the involvement of the Winchester family with Azazel began, and hopefully help Dean, and Heaven , work out what his ultimate endgame was – and Sam 's role in it.

5.04 The End

Zachariah created a future where Sam and Dean were no longer hunting together and haven't been for five years. It's the year 2014 and most of the population are either dead or have become zombies due to the Croatoan virus . Originally conceived a time travel piece, the episode ended up presenting the 2014 future as an alternate universe constructed by Zachariah.

5.13 The Song Remains the Same

On Heaven's instruction, Anna goes back to 1978 to kill John and Mary Winchester , in order to stop Sam from ever being born. Castiel takes Sam and Dean back to stop her, and is severely weakened by the effort. Michael ends up intervening to save John and Mary, erasing their memories of the events.

6.17 My Heart Will Go On

This episode involves both time travel and an alternate universe .

Castiel orders Balthazar to stop the sinking of the Titanic so that there would be 50,000 souls in existence that otherwise wouldn't be (the descendants of passengers) in order to use the souls to gain power in his fight against Raphael . The act causes a cascade of changes through history:

• Dean drives a Mustang which has the original plates the Impala had – KAZ 2Y5.
• The Impala line of cars was not produced.
• Ellen and Jo are alive.
• Ellen and Bobby are married and Singer Salvage Yard is called B & E Scrap Yard. Bobby's house appears neater than usual.
• Jo leads a team of hunters.
• In 2.17 Heart we learned that Sam knew Dean always played 'scissors' when they did rock, paper, scissors, so Sam always won. Here Sam loses, although Dean still throws scissors.
• In the travel agency we see Cuba is a resort island destination – "America's Favorite Holiday Destination" – and Detroit was voted "America's Top City."
• Celine Dion is a "destitute lounge singer somewhere in Quebec."
• Cas transports Sam and Dean to "White Russia." This is an old term for Belarus and may be a hint that the Russian revolution of 1917 that lead to the formation of the Soviet Union, didn't occur.
• Obviously the movie the Titanic was never made!

Eventually, in order to save Sam and Dean, Balthazar is forced to return to the past and unsink the Titanic, changing everything back though Castiel makes sure Sam and Dean remember what happened.

6.18 Frontierland

Dean and Sam get Castiel to send them back to 1861 after reading that Samuel Colt shot a phoenix , the ashes of which they believe will kill Eve . Meanwhile Castiel is weakened after being attacked by Rachel and must draw on power from Bobby 's soul to bring them back. When Sam and Dean are pulled back to the present day without the ashes, they think the cause is lost, but then a courier arrives. He delivers a package to Sam sent 150 years ago by Samuel Colt. It contains Sam's phone – and a bottle containing the ashes of the phoenix.

6.20 The Man Who Would Be King

Raphael sends Castiel a week back in time.

7.12 Time After Time

Chronos , the God of Time, can travel through time by taking energy from three humans. Dean charges him as he is attacking a man and is pulled back in time with him to 1944. Chronos evades Dean, but his killings in this year have attracted the notice of hunter Eliot Ness , who teams up with Dean.

In the present, Sam and Jody Mills find a spell to summon Chronos to their time and location. When the now elderly Lila Taylor reveals that she witnessed Chronos throttling Dean in 1944, and that the clocks stopped at 11:34 that night, Sam and Jody are able to summon Chronos while he is attacking Dean, bringing both of them to the present. Sam stabs Chronos with the stake that came with them. Chronos, dying, tells Sam that his future is full of black ooze, covering everything.

8.12 As Time Goes By

In 1958, desperate to escape the demon Abaddon , Henry Winchester casts a spell made with a blood sigil , which involved an angel 's feather, tears of a dragon and a pinch of the sands of time to find his son John Winchester in the future to help him protect a mysterious box from the secret order known as the Men of Letters . Henry instead finds Sam and Dean in 2013 and is confused as to why he wasn't taken to John. Before he can explain what is going on, Abaddon follows him through the portal and proves immune to Ruby's knife , forcing them to flee. Henry is horrified to learn that John is dead and explains who he is and why he is there, though he doesn't like working with hunters . After Sam learns what the box is from a survivor of the order, Abaddon reveals herself and captures Sam. At the same time, Henry, after learning what happened to John and that he apparently never made it back to his time, tries to travel back to an hour before Abaddon arrived so he can change things but is foiled by Dean. The two are forced to make a deal with Abaddon to save Sam's life, but it is actually a trap: Henry shoots a devil's trap -engraved bullet into Abaddon's head, binding her in place and to her meatsuit . Dean then decapitates her with the intention to cut her up into little pieces and bury her in concrete to forever trap her. However, Henry is mortally wounded in the fight and dies, never to return to his own time.

9.21 King of the Damned

Using the blood spell Abaddon travels back in time to 1723, to Leith, Scotland. There she finds Crowley 's son Gavin MacLeod , and brings him back to the present day to use as leverage to get Crowley to help her kill Sam and Dean.

After Abaddon is killed, the Winchesters tell Crowley they must return Gavin to his own time, or it may have an unknown ripple effect on events. Crowley protests, knowing Gavin is destined to die soon in the past. He manages to escape with Gavin. He leaves Gavin to live in the present day, saying that they mustn't ever see each other again.

11.14 The Vessel

Learning that the Hand of God will go down with the USS Bluefin , Dean suggests traveling back in time to the ship to retrieve the Hand of God before the ship sinks. Dean doesn't believe they can mess with history as the ship sinks so there's nothing to mess with. Lucifer transports Dean aboard the ship, but is kept out himself by special warding put in place by Delphine Seydoux . Dean is able to convince Delphine of the importance of his mission as a German destroyer commanded by one of the Thule Society attacks. Delphine unleashes the power of the Hand of God as Lucifer returns Dean to the present, obliterating the Bluefin and sinking the German destroyer.

In the present, after banishing Lucifer, Dean tells Sam that he did nothing in the past but watch the events unfold. Dean questions Sam on the fate of the German ship and he confirms that while the wreckage of the Bluefin was never found, the German ship's wreckage was.

12.13 Family Feud

The repercussions of Gavin MacLeod being taken from 1723 and not dying when his ship, The Star , sank was that the love of his life, Fiona Duncan , snuck aboard the ship hoping to find him. After she is found out she is subjected to scorn, abuse and rape. Due to her childhood teacher not helping her and condoning what happened, Fiona became a vengeful spirit and began taking violent action against any teachers or authority figures she would come across at the museums where her tether, a locket, resided after being taken out of storage and put on display six months prior.

When Sam and Dean realize the best way for them to deal with Fiona is to send Gavin back to 1723, erasing what happened to her on The Star and putting the timeline back to how it was meant to be, Gavin agrees. At the Men of Letters Bunker Sam prepared the blood spell , to send Gavin back, which Rowena had tweaked to allow Gavin to be sent back without the need of a blood relative in 1723. As Sam performed the ritual, Fiona appeared next to Gavin and the two embraced as Gavin was sent back to 1723, effectively erasing all the murders Fiona committed as a ghost.

14.13 Lebanon

Dean wishes on a Baozhu (a magic pearl that grants what the heart desires) in the hope of ridding Michael (Apocalypse World) from his mind, but instead it brings John Winchester from 2003. The disruption to the time line, starts to manifest - there is evidence that Dean is still hunting but it wanted by the FBI and that Sam is an internet famous corporate lawyer . It is obvious this would mean Mary will not be brought back from the dead, so John agrees he must return. Sam smashes the Baozhu and John returns to 2003. He wakes up in the Impala, thinking he has dreamed the whole thing.

Sam and Dean also traveled through time in the novel Supernatural: War of the Sons , when renegade angel Don -- full name Abaddon -- sends them back in time to New York 1954. He claims that he wishes to help them recover the 'War Scroll,' a scroll containing a battle plan that would allow the brothers to defeat Lucifer , but when the Scroll is revealed to contain only the names of the angelic bloodlines and the humans who will be their vessels , Dean and Sam refuse to use it, realizing that Don's true role was to attempt to convince the brothers to accept their role and allow the Apocalypse to proceed. Having returned to their time, Dean and Sam trick Don into attracting the attention of the other angels, allowing the angels to kill him while Castiel takes them to safety.

The time paradox was discussed in the writer’s room with a light touch because I think it gave us all headaches. Like for instance I have a theory about this episode that I don’t think we even talked about that this was a closed ended loop that Dean always goes back in time and instigates the events that happen in this episode which caused Sam and Dean to be put on this path which caused them to run into Castiel who sent Dean back in time. Jensen called us to say, “I’m the one who talked my dad into buying the Impala? But I don’t understand that because if I hadn’t have gone back in time he wouldn’t have had the Impala.” Again it’s a real mind-bender concept and we had to talk it through –- it's funny the difference between Bob Singer and I proceeded to talk him through, “Well there’s this time loop and in my mind it’s this closed circle and he’s always going back–” And you know all these concepts that I really don’t understand about the inevitability of fate and time travel and then Bob takes a beat and – I love it, it’s perfect timing – he just takes a beat and says in this typical voice, “You got no problem with the demons but you got a problem with this?” – Eric Kripke , Season 4 DVD and Blu-Ray ; Commentary on 4.03 In the Beginning

Eric: There was this whackadoodle notion that Ben and I came up with, where Future Dean had already gone through the experiences as Past Dean, where Future Dean was like "I know why you're here, because five years ago I went through the same experience … and every line you're about to say I've already said it. And time is cyclical!" And we were congratulating ourselves for being so smart...We showed it to Bob – and it’s a perfect model of why Bob is so invaluable to Supernatural ... and he's like "What the hell is this?" And we're like "You see it's cyclical, time is cyclical..." Ben: Do you remember we would come to his office and we would draw pictures of it. Eric: Yeah, we were literally drawing a diagram of the nature of time and time travel in Bob's office. And he gives you this wonderful dry look and he's like "You'll be drawing that for the audience?" – Eric Kripke and Ben Edlund , Season 5 DVD and Blu-Ray (commentary on 5.04 The End )

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Screen Rant

Supernatural: 9 time travel episodes, ranked worst to best.

Supernatural occasionally delves into the complicated world of time travel. Here is every episode ranked.

As Supernatural is coming to a close, fans will look back at the 15-year journey taken by Sam and Dean Winchesters. While fighting monsters and demons, Sam and Dean also embarked on some time-traveling in these past 15 seasons.

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While both Sam and Dean have experiences with time-traveling, records show that Dean has the most experience with it. Regardless, both brothers came across new information and periodical wisdom through their time-traveling adventures. While some of the time-traveling episodes were comic-relief for the brothers' stories, several of the time-traveling episodes have some sentimental value to the brothers, especially when seeing their family.

My Heart Will Go On (2011)

In season 6, episode 17, "My Heart Will Go On," Balthazar goes back in time to stop the tragic sinking of the Titanic. He does this simply because he hated the song from the 1997 movie  Titanic . However, the change in timeline leads to a ripple effect and leads to the unfortunate deaths of the Titanic passenger's descendants. However, when Sam and Dean's lives are at risk, they take matters into their hands.

This episode may have the least amount of time-travel shown on-screen and may be considered as more of an alternate timeline than time-traveling. Nevertheless, this time-related episode does have its sentimental and funny moments. "My Heart Will Go On" even had a brief appearance of the Harvelles that allowed fans to see their favorite female characters in  Supernatural .

The Vessel (2016)

Lucifer, who possessed Castiel's body, helps the Winchesters to find a weapon that is needed to defeat Amara. They realize that the Hand of God may be the best option, but it has not been seen since 1944. Both Lucifer and Dean go back to 1944 to find the weapon and stop Amara once and for all.

Though this time-traveling episode is not as humorous or as sentimental as some of the other time-traveling episodes, it does have its emotional moments due to the already tragic ending set to happen on the USS Bluefin. The accepted fate by Delphine and her crew left viewers saddened regarding the consequences of war.

Time After Time (2012)

In season 7, episode 12, "Time After Time," the brothers come across the God of Time. Unfortunately, Dean travels back to 1944 but not without meeting America's most notorious agent, Eliot Ness. In the present world, Sam gets Jody's help to bring his brother back.

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Though this episode was a filler episode, most fans will find that this episode was fun and hilarious, particularly with the pop culture references to mobster movies. However, it was Dean's love for the crime film,  The Untouchables , that left him fanboying through the episode. However, he soon realizes that the movies do not always mimic real-life events.

Frontierland (2011)

When they need answers to stop Eve and the Leviathans, the Winchesters realized that they need to meet the colt maker, Samuel Colt. This meant that the brothers were going back to the Old West in 1861.

Between the brothers, it was Dean who had the time of his life due to his fascination for Western movies and his opportunity to see the Old West. While season 6, episode 18, "Frontierland," had its fun moments, the episode also provided more answers about the colt that was used in previous seasons and even had paradoxical moments that would impact the brother's eventual future.

As Time Goes By (2013)

Given that Sam and Dean have at least met their mother's side of the family, they knew little about their father's side. All they knew was that Henry Winchester had left his family when John was a kid and never saw his father again. However, the full story comes into play with season 8, episode 12, "As Time Goes By."

Contrary to their father's story, Henry Winchester actually time-traveled to the year 2013 in hopes of seeing his son. Instead, he meets his grandsons and learns about everything that happened to John since Henry's disappearance. The Men of Letters story was first introduced in this episode, which became the current precedence to the final seasons of Supernatural . Though the brothers do not time-travel and Henry never goes back to his time, it still gave a great overlook of the relationship between Henry and his grandsons.

The Song Remains the Same (2010)

When an angel named Anna goes back in time to kill newly-wedded Mary and John Winchester to prevent the apocalypse, Sam and Dean travel to 1978 to stop Anna from killing their parents. However, due to Dean's encounter with Mary in an earlier meetup, their chance to save them becomes even more complicated and awkward.

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In one of the more emotional episodes of Supernatural , season 5, episode 13, "The Song Remains the Same" marked the first time that Mary, John, Sam, and Dean were in the same room together. This was perhaps the closest moment for the brothers to have a memory of their family together, particularly for Sam, who never really got to know his mother.

The End (2009)

As the apocalypse is near, Dean gets a glimpse of what the future will look like when Sam eventually becomes possessed by Lucifer. However, not only does he worry about the outcome presented about his brother, but the actions and lack of humility by his future self frighten present-day Dean Winchester.

While several of these time-traveling episodes go back to the past, season 5, episode 4, "The End," is the only Supernatural episode that depicts events from the future. While it is considered more of an alternate universe, the episode shows  scary events that occurred in the future . This episode is also considered one of the darkest episodes in the series. While Padalecki gives a poised performance of Lucifer-Sam, Ackles gives a heartbreaking performance as Dean Winchester witnesses his failure as a big brother.

Mystery Spot (2008)

While investigating a disappearance case, Sam is living through his worst nightmare of watching his big brother die over and over again. Despite his attempts to protect Dean, it seems impossible that he could even save him. However, Sam does everything he can to go back to normal, where Dean turns out alive and well.

Though "Mystery Spot" is not necessarily an all-out time-traveling episode, it still integrates elements of time with a time loop. Regardless, this 11th episode in season 3 is considered a fan favorite due to the funny story concept and great performances by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. Fans will also not forget one of the best songs played in the show with Asia's "Heat of the Moment." 

In the Beginning (2008)

Before Mary Winchester became an integral character in the show's later seasons , the appearance of Mary Winchester seemed rare in the show's earlier seasons. In season 4, episode 3, "In The Beginning," fans were introduced to a young Mary Winchester and learned about her family's past as hunters.

Most importantly, most fans will know that Dean is a mommy's boy. Unlike Sam, Dean had memories of his mother before her unfortunate murder by the yellow-eyed demon, Azazel. It was a sentimental episode for Dean Winchester to learn more about his mother and to spend time with her. Unfortunately, his moments with his mother are short-lived when he becomes partially responsible for the deal between Azazel and Mary, along with the inability to prevent the deaths of his maternal grandparents.

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Chronokinesis

• View history

Chronokinesis is the ability to manipulate the passage of time, including stopping time, speeding it up, or travelling through it to end up in the past or an alternate future. 

• 1.1.1 Gabriel Creates a Time Loop
• 1.1.2 Dean sent back to 1973
• 1.1.3 Dean sent to the future
• 1.1.4 Anna, Castiel, Dean and Sam sent back to 1978
• 1.1.5 Balthazar unsinks the Titanic
• 1.1.6 Sam and Dean go back to get Phoenix Ashes
• 1.1.7 Dean tackles Chronos back to 1944
• 1.1.8 Henry Winchester comes from 1958
• 1.1.9 Abaddon goes back to 1723
• 1.1.10 Dean goes back to 1943
• 1.1.11 Gavin returns to 1723
• 1.1.12 John Winchester travels to 2019
• 1.1.13 Sam Winchester travels to a possible future
• 2 Characters with Chronokinesis
• 3 Characters with Time Travel abilities
• 5 Appearances

Time Travel

Time-travel is a highly advanced chronokinetic method for transporting someone either back or forward in time. Angels can achieve it, and according to Castiel , it's not easy to perform, but for Archangels it's incredibly simple. Angels who have been disconnected from Heaven have a very difficult time doing it, and it can be quite damaging to the de-powered angel.

Time-travels So Far.....

Gabriel creates a time loop.

In 2008 , Gabriel , acting as The Trickster, let Sam witness the same day over and over again. On each day Dean died. After many days of this, he was discovered by the brothers, but decided to resume Sam's life after Dean was killed once more, however this time he stayed dead. Only a few months later Gabriel decided to set Sam back to the first time and let him live his life further. Gabriel said that he wanted to teach Sam a lesson about losing his brother.

Dean sent back to 1973

In 2008 , Castiel transports Dean back in time to the year 1973, telling Dean only that he "has to stop it." Dean meets young versions of his parents, John Winchester and Mary Campbell , and infiltrates the Campbell family . Learning that the demon Azazel is after Mary, Dean presumes he is there to alter his family’s tragic future. But the past cannot be changed: After Azazel kills Mary’s parents and John, Mary grants the demon permission to enter her home in 10 years in exchange for John’s resurrection. When Castiel returns Dean to 2008, he tells Dean that the past cannot be changed, but that Dean now knows all that the angels know about Azazel’s plans. He then tells Dean that Sam is heading down a dangerous path, saying Dean “has to stop it,” or the angels will.

Dean sent to the future

In 2009 , Zachariah brings Dean to the future (2014) so he can see what will happen if he says "no" to Michael . In this apocalyptic future, Sam is Lucifer’s vessel , and the Croatoan Virus spreads unchecked. After Dean confronts Lucifer, Zachariah returns Dean to his own time, where that future is changed when Sam, Dean, Bobby, and Castiel defeat Lucifer.

Anna, Castiel, Dean and Sam sent back to 1978

In 2010 , Anna travels back in time to kill Mary Winchester so Sam can never be born. When Castiel finds out, he brings Sam and Dean to 1978 to stop Anna. Castiel is weakened by the time travel and cannot not join the brothers on their mission. During the ensuing battle, Michael intervenes, killing Anna but also erasing John and Mary’s memories, so they will not remember their sons’ visit or their warnings. Michael sends both brothers back to the future; Castiel eventually travels back to the present on his own.

Balthazar unsinks the Titanic

In 2011 , Balthazar goes back in time and saves the Titanic . Though Balthazar tells Sam and Dean that he hated the movie Titanic (and that the Celine Dion song from the soundtrack makes him want to smite himself), he has actually changed the ship’s fate on Castiel’s orders. The survivors and their descendants mean 50,000 new souls to be used in the angelic civil war. The change alters reality in other ways (e.g. Ellen is alive and married to Bobby ), but it also angers Atropos ( one of the three Fates ), who begins to kill off descendants of the Titanic survivors. When she threatens the Winchesters, Castiel agrees to restore history.

Sam and Dean go back to get Phoenix Ashes

In 2011 , after doing some digging in Samuel 's library, Dean finds out that using phoenix ashes, Eve can be killed. So with the help of Castiel, Sam and Dean head back to the Wild West. Castiel beings them back to the present after they kill the Phoenix with The Colt but before they can gather its ashes. However, Samuel Colt packs up the ashes and they are delivered to Bobby's house in 2011, making the mission a success.

Dean tackles Chronos back to 1944

In 2012 , Dean chases a man who has been killing people by rapidly aging them. He tackles the man and finds himself in 1944 Chicago. There he meets Elliot Ness , who happens to be a hunter. The two of them are hunting the sam man: Chronos , god of time. Dean is brought back to 2012 by Sam and Jody , who figure out that they must summon Chronos while Dean is touching him.

Henry Winchester comes from 1958

In 1958, Henry Winchester , John's father and Sam and Dean's grandfather, uses a spell to come forward in time to 2013 to escape Abaddon . However the demon follows him, presumably through the same spell.

Abaddon goes back to 1723

In 2014, Abaddon —using the same spell Henry Winchester used to travel to 2013—goes back to Scotland in 1723. She is there to get Crowley 's son, Gavin MacLeod , so she could use him as a bargaining chip. After Dean Winchester kills Abaddon, he and his brother Sam intend to return Gavin to his own time so that his presence won't mess with history, but Crowley teleports him away to live a new life in the present, uncaring of the consequences.

Dean goes back to 1943

After discovering Delphine Seydoux 's mission to retrieve the Hand of God , Sam and Dean call upon what they believe to be Castiel but is in fact Lucifer for help. Dean suggests going back in time to 1943 before the Bluefin sank to retrieve the Hand of God. While Lucifer is able to get Dean onto the Bluefin , a special warding keeps him outside of the ship. Dean is able to convince Delphine to give him the Hand of God, but the Bluefin comes under attack by a Nazi warship commanded by one of the Thule . Delphine unleashes the power of the Hand of God, destroying the Bluefin and the Nazi ship as Lucifer returns Dean to the present.

After banishing Lucifer, Sam and Dean discuss the events on the Bluefin and Dean tells Sam that he did nothing but witness the events on the ship. Dean asks Sam what happened to the Nazi ship after he returned to the present and Sam confirms that it sank as its wreckage was found, unlike that of the Bluefin with a giant hole ripped through it.

Gavin returns to 1723

After discovering the vengeful spirit of Fiona Duncan , the Winchesters and Gavin MacLeod learn she became vengeful after she was brutalized on the Star without Gavin there to protect her due to his displacement in time by Abaddon . To save Fiona and reverse her murders, Gavin has the Winchesters use the Blood Sigil to return him and Fiona's ghost to 1723 to board the ship together and die together. After Gavin returns to his own time, the Winchesters find evidence that Fiona's victims are alive and well.

John Winchester travels to 2019

In Lebanon , after finding the Baozhu amongst Terry 's extensive collection of occult items, Dean attempts to use the wish-granting pearl to get rid of Michael . However, Dean's greatest desire is to see his family reunited, causing the Baozhu to transport John Winchester from 2003 to February 7, 2019. The Winchester Family is happily reunited, but John's disappearance in 2003 alters the timeline, creating a timeline where Sam runs his own law firm, loves kale and is Internet famous, Dean is still a hunter but is wanted for multiple crimes, Mary Winchester remains dead, the Apocalypse and all subsequent events never happened Zachariah is still alive and Castiel is still an unquestioning and loyal soldier to Heaven. Sam, Dean and Mary remain intact as the timeline shifts, but it is expected that Mary will eventually fade away and Sam and Dean will eventually fully become their alternate selves.

Heaven detects the tampering with time and send Zachariah and Castiel to investigate, leading to a fight between the Winchesters and the alternate Zachariah and Castiel. The Winchesters manage to kill Zachariah and banish Castiel, but the fight highlights for them the dangers of having altered time by bringing John to 2019. The Winchester Family decides that they must return John to 2003 to set things right. Sam destroys the Baozhu, returning John to his own time and immediately erasing the alternate timeline from existence with only Sam, Dean and Mary remembering it. Upon awakening in 2003, John is left thinking that the entire experience was just a great dream.

Sam Winchester travels to a possible future

In The Trap , Chuck make Sam Winchester travel to multiple points in an alternate future . He claps his hands, and Sam gets a vision of April 17, 2020. He and Eileen are in the bunker , and Eileen discovers that all of the cases they're checking out have natural occurrence. Dean is dozing off nearby, wakes up, and insists that he's resting his eyes. Castiel comes in with beer and Dean suggests that they call it. Jody calls and tells Sam that Claire and here went in to deal with a small nest of vampires. It turned out that there were more than expected, and they killed Claire.

January 6, 2021, Sam and Dean drive past bonfires. Dean tells his brother that they did everything they could. Sam doesn't believe it, but Dean says that they had to wait because the place was crawling with werewolves . His brother points out that the victims all bled out, and if Castiel was there he could have healed them. Dean angrily says that Castiel isn't there, and the monsters are winning.

November 3, 2021 at the bunker , Future-Sam tells Future-Dean that they have to move before the nest moves on. Dean tells him that it doesn't matter and it's time to stand down. Sam wonders what has happened to Dean, and Dean reminds him that they've lost everyone they care about. The Mark made Castiel go crazy, and Dean had to bury him in a Ma'lak box . Dean tells his brother that the monsters are everywhere and they don't save people. All of their friends are either dead or have packed it in. He reminds Sam that Bobby and Jody have death wishes, and so does Sam after what happened to Eileen. Sam asks Dean what happened to going out swinging, and Dean tells him that they lost and he's done. Dean walks out.

November 3, 2021, future-Sam finds future-Dean sitting in the kitchen. He says that he's raiding the nest with or without Dean, and Dean takes a drink. He then says that he doesn't have a choice, gets up, and goes out with Sam.

December 9, 2022, future-Sam and Dean barricade the door of the apartment they're holed up in. Dean tells his brother that if they go down then they'll go out together. Present-Sam watches as Jody, Bobby and two other Hunters enter the building. Bobby reminds Jody that it's Sam and Dean, and asks if she wants to do it. Meanwhile, future-Sam and Dean turn into vampires. The Hunters break into the apartment, and Sam and Dean attack them. Jody shoots Sam, and future-Dean rips out her throat as Sam goes down. Bobby comes up and cuts off Sam's head.

Characters with Chronokinesis

• Castiel - Castiel was able to slow down the rate of an explosion to save Sam and Dean from Fate. He also slowed down time to stop Crowley's demons from killing Sam, Dean and Bobby when they were investigating him.

Characters with Time Travel abilities

• Anna Milton
• Henry Winchester
• Rowena MacLeod
• Sam Winchester
• Since its introduction in Season 4 (though first appeared in Season 3 ), there has been at least one time-travelling episode per season, except in Season 10 and Season 13 .
• Dean Winchester is the person to time travel the most in the series.

Appearances

• Mystery Spot
• In The Beginning
• Wishful Thinking (mentioned only)
• The Song Remains the Same
• My Heart Will Go On
• Frontierland
• Time After Time
• As Time Goes By
• King of the Damned
• Family Feud
• Supernatural
• 1 Dean Winchester
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As Time Goes By

• Episode aired Jan 30, 2013

Sam and Dean's grandfather, Henry Winchester, arrives by time travel, claiming that he has something to protect from an Abaddon that is hot on his trail. Sam and Dean's grandfather, Henry Winchester, arrives by time travel, claiming that he has something to protect from an Abaddon that is hot on his trail. Sam and Dean's grandfather, Henry Winchester, arrives by time travel, claiming that he has something to protect from an Abaddon that is hot on his trail.

• Serge Ladouceur
• Eric Kripke
• Jared Padalecki
• Jensen Ackles
• Gil McKinney
• 13 User reviews
• 3 Critic reviews

• Sam Winchester

• Dean Winchester

• Henry Winchester

• Josie Sands …

• Larry Ganem

• Comic Shop Clerk
• Larry's Wife …

• Hotel Manager

• David Ackers
• Young John Winchester

• Young Larry Ganem
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia The symbol of the Men of Letters was worn by Mary Winchester (Sam and Dean's mom) as a charm on her bracelet in 4x03 : In the Beginning (2008) .
• Goofs In this episode, Henry leaves John while he is still a young boy. His departure from John's life and John's ensuing resentment are major plot points in this episode. However, in "In the Beginning" (season 4, episode 3), in Jay Bird's Diner, a man walks in and greets John with, "Hey Winchester!" At the end of their conversation, the man says, "Say hello to your old man for me." John replies with, "You got it, Mr. D," This presumes that John's father is still alive in the 70's when he has actually already served in the war at this point, so he's definitely into adulthood with his father still around. John also describes himself as "a mechanic from a family of mechanics". We never hear about John's mother, and it is possible that she remarried, therefore giving the possibility of a stepfather who is a mechanic. Or it is also possible that this is just a lack of continuity on the part of the writers.

Henry Winchester : [looks on the Impala's license plate] 2013. My God. Guess the Mayans were wrong.

• Connections References Casablanca (1942)
• Soundtracks As Time Goes By Written by Herman Hupfeld Performed by Dooley Wilson

User reviews 13

• m-camionvole
• Feb 13, 2016
• January 30, 2013 (United States)
• United States
• Wonderland Sound and Vision
• Warner Bros. Television
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

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• Runtime 43 minutes

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Fantasy & Sci-Fi Book Reviews & Community

Time Travel in Fantasy: More Common Than You’d Think

But what about time travel by more “magical” means? No doubt many of us could list a few fantasy stories that feature time-travellers (e.g. Harry Potter), but the association is not as strong. It is, however, more common than many of us assume, and has a long history in the genre. Fantasy stories play with time in all sorts of interesting ways, many of which we overlook simply because we narrow our understanding of what time travel looks like in fiction.

So I thought I’d examine at some different types of time travel in fantasy, and put the spotlight on a few that are perhaps less often considered.

“Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time […] either to an earlier time or to a later time, without the need for the time-traveling body to experience the intervening period in the usual sense.” (Abridged definition from Wikipedia)

INTER-WORLD TIME DIFFERENCES

Fantasy tales have long drawn on this idea, featuring travel between worlds or spaces were time flows at a different speed. The most famous example is perhaps The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe , where four siblings live in Narnia until adulthood, only to return to the real world and find no time has passed and they are children once again. Perhaps this is not time travel in the strictest sense, since they have not changed their position in time, but other fantasies undeniably show a skipping-forward effect. In the Bitterbynde trilogy, for example, a few moments spent in a fantasy world can have tragic consequences, resulting in characters returning home to find those they love aged or long dead.

THE LONG SLEEP

Fantasy novels and films draw on this idea as well, with characters locked in spells that allow them to leap forward beyond their normal lifespan (ancient villains often make a return this way). While this is reminiscent of hibernation or immortality, a character’s magical suspension and sudden awakening far in the future has all the hallmarks of time travel.

A MAGICAL SLIP

While science fiction might have characters building machines or sliding into worm holes, plenty of time travel stories are more fantasy-like in their workings.

Sometimes more traditional fantasy stories make deliberate use of time travel via amulets and spells. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban the magical time turner device allows the characters to jump backward in time. In Dragonflight (admittedly more of a science fantasy novel), the ability of dragons to go ‘between’ allows them and their riders to journey hundreds of years into the past or the future. In another series (unnamed here due to spoilers), malevolent characters from another realm are not bound by linear time, so are able to travel to whichever period they like, the only restriction being they can never appear in a time they have already visited.

Plenty of romantic comedies, like Les Visiteurs , 13 Going on 30 , and About Time also have premises based on magical or unexplained time jumps. Even if these are not traditional fantasies, they definitely work with fantasy elements.

TIME BEHAVING STRANGELY

In the Wheel of Time series, for example, time is cyclical in nature (inspired by the perception of time in Hinduism and Buddhism) so that the distant future is also the distant past, and the prophetic abilities and powers of characters are bound up with this notion of time and destiny. In The Dark Tower series time also flows strangely in some places, with mentions of the sun rising in the west and setting in the east, and characters living for impossibly long periods. In Terry Pratchett’s Pyramids , the building of a giant pyramid warps space-time with many disastrous (and amusing) consequences, including mass resurrection. In The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever the passing of time and ‘wild magic’ are fundamentally linked, so that without magic there would be no change. Even films like Groundhog Day , Premonition , and Run Lola Run , while not traditional fantasies, show characters stuck in mysterious time loops they have to break free of, or experiencing time in a non-chronological way.

VISIONS OF PAST & FUTURE

The classic example of this is Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (1843), where the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come show Ebenezer Scrooge the error of his ways. The Harry Potter novels feature characters revisiting past events both through a magical diary and the Pensieve memory storage device. While those might all be dismissed as purely psychological experiences, other fantasies depict expeditions into the past that are more corporeal, with characters even bearing physical marks after these journeys.

LETTERS THROUGH TIME

A comparison.

If you tallied up the instances of time travel in science fiction and in fantasy, science fiction would very likely still dominate. It is definitely a firmly-rooted staple of that genre, and it seems fictional time travel more often occurs with the aid of machines or scientifically-explained phenomena than by magic.

Some people would argue that all fiction featuring time travel is fantasy because it is a scientific impossibility. Others would argue that any book that doesn’t adequately and plausibly explain the scientific workings of its time travel is a fantasy. I’m not going to get into those arguments, because I don’t think they would end up being useful in reflecting what most people generally believe science fiction and fantasy stories to be.

Ultimately, fantasy stories play with time far more than we give them credit for. They free us to think creatively about what time is, how it might behave differently, and how strange movements through it might affect characters and worlds in ways that science fiction might not. So, whether you’re a reader looking for a good time travel story, or a fantasy writer thinking about using time creatively in your writing, it pays to remember that there are many kinds of time travel, and not all of them require a time machine.

Title image by Paula R. FEITO .

Check Out Our Related posts:

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By Nicola Alter

grew up in regional Australia and now lives in Germany, where she’s enjoying all the castles and cobbled streets the Black Forest has to offer. She has a BFA in Film and Television and an MPhil in Creative Writing, and has worked as a production assistant, a writing course tutor and a project manager at a foreign language institute. Now she writes full-time and spends the rest of her time learning languages, travelling, and devouring fantasy and science fiction of all kinds. You can follow her on Twitter @NicolaAlter or visit her blog: thoughtsonfantasy.com .

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Why do we love elemental fantasy, fantasy-faction’s top 50 sff books of 2023, vote now for fantasy-faction’s best sff books of 2023, 2 thoughts on “time travel in fantasy: more common than you’d think”.

One of my favorite time travel stories is the Dragonlance Legends. We get to experience some of the major past events mentioned in the Chronicles (like the Cataclysm).

Time travel simply does not belong in high fantasy, and every high fantasy book which uses it is bad. Green Rider? Crap. Dragonlance? Crap. No exceptions.

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Wait, check these out! :)

The storm beneath the world by michael r. fletcher, murder at spindle manor by morgan stang – spfbo #9 finals review, master of the void by wend raven – spfbo #9 finals review, daughter of the beast by e. c. greaves – spfbo #9 finals review.

Griffins and Ginger Snaps

-i write, and i have a blog because of course i do-, supernatural lists: time travel episodes.

Time travel.

Love it or hate it, it will give you a headache.

I think the most apt description I’ve ever found for time are a combination of Quantum Leap which relies on the string theory that time is like a ball of yarn and you can jump from one to the other, and Doctor Who where time is a wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey ball of stuff, which really sums it up nicely and succinctly.

I thought there were many more time travel episodes in the Supernatural universe, and I could only remember about five. The rest that were in my head were more of flashbacks, which aren’t time travel per se, but in doing my research in the Supernatural wiki , I saw that they counted twelve, which I will list here even though there are a couple that I didn’t particularly consider them for my personal list. For example, in As Time Goes By, Henry Winchester travels forward from 1958 to 2013 and in Lebanon John Winchester travels to current day Kansas despite his being dead canonically. I was looking for the episodes where the brothers traveled through time.

At any rate, these all have something to love, and yes, they will still give you a headache.

1. In the Beginning [4.03] 2. The End [5.04] 3. The Song Remains the Same [5.13] 4. My Heart Will Go On [6.17] 5. Frontierland [6.18] 6. The Man Who Would Be King [6.20] 7. Time After Time [7.12] 8. As Time Goes By [8.12] 9. King of the Damned [9.21] 10. The Vessel [11.14] 11. Family Feud [12.13] 12. Lebanon [14.13]

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Time travel

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The party time traveling in Final Fantasy VIII .

Time is our greatest obsession. Who has not dreamed of returning to the past, of changing the future? Imagine the power. To see how our choices affect our lives, and then return to undo them. Endless possibilities. Imagine the freedom to cross time and journey through the ages. The freedom to change the past, and bend history to your will. Caius Ballad in Final Fantasy XIII-2

Time travel is a recurring motif in the Final Fantasy series , which focuses on carrying people through time and possibly allowing them to change their fate.

• 1.1 Final Fantasy
• 1.2 Final Fantasy II
• 1.3 Final Fantasy V
• 1.4 Final Fantasy VIII
• 1.5 Final Fantasy IX
• 1.6.1 Final Fantasy X-2.5 ~Eien no Daishō~
• 1.7 Final Fantasy XI
• 1.8 Final Fantasy XIII-2
• 1.9 Final Fantasy XIV
• 1.10 Final Fantasy XV
• 1.11 Final Fantasy Tactics
• 1.12 Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
• 1.13 Final Fantasy Legend III
• 1.14 Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light
• 1.15 World of Final Fantasy
• 1.16.1 Final Fantasy Brave Exvius: The Return
• 1.17 Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin
• 2 Citations

Appearances [ ]

Final fantasy [ ].

Garland explains the time loop.

The Four Fiends , created from the power siphoned from the four elements , are tasked with sending Garland 2000 years into the past every time he is killed by the Warriors of Light . Once Garland is sent to the past, his fiends transfer what is taken from the four elements back to their master. After he has absorbed enough power, Garland sends the fiends, whom he has created in the past, to the future, where they drain from the four elements in the first place. This creates a time loop that allows him to live forever.

The Warriors of Light follow Garland and his fiends 2000 years back to the past and sever the time loop by defeating them in battle. This creates a new timeline with a Garland of a new reality awaiting the heroes.

Final Fantasy II [ ]

Deumion 's past is experienced firsthand in the Arcane Labyrinth .

Final Fantasy V [ ]

Although not strictly time traveling, the Phantom Village can be visited in the present time even though the point of view of the inhabitants is 1,000 years in the past due to being locked between dimensions for that long. In the Interdimensional Rift , the same village appears frozen in time altogether.

Final Fantasy VIII [ ]

The ability to time travel revolves around the desire to change the past and the wish to preserve a single moment in time and avoid an unwanted future. Ellone is a young woman with the power to transfer people's consciousnesses into other people's from the past. Although limited to people she has had contact with, Ellone hopes to change the past and prevent a series of events from happening. She discovers, however, that her attempted manipulations were a part of the causes that led to the events she wishes to erase, and learns that attempting to change the past in such a way is futile. She acknowledges that the information and new perspective gained by witnessing the past events can help one to alter the present and future.

Ultimecia amidst absorbing all time and space.

Ultimecia , a sorceress who lives far in the future, knows of a coming " prophecy " of her being defeated by a "Legendary SeeD ". To prevent this, Ultimecia intends to compress time into a singularity with a form of magic known as time compression and absorb all that ever had and ever would exist, including all time and space, to become "a living god ".

Using the Junction Machine Ellone , Ultimecia sends her consciousness back in time to possess and control past sorceresses. She controls Edea Kramer to pursue Ellone because the Junction Machine has a limit; she wishes to get even further back in time to start the time compression. After Edea is freed from Ultimecia's control, the latter possesses Rinoa Heartilly and then Adel . Adel is killed and Ultimecia possesses Rinoa, at which point Ellone sends Ultimecia's and Rinoa's consciousnesses back into the Adel of the past, and then brings only Rinoa back.

Teenage Squall and child Squall meet.

Ultimecia casts the time compression spell, but when Ellone severs the mental link she cuts Ultimecia off from the earlier time periods and leaves the spell incomplete. This allows a group of SeeDs from the present to travel through time, encounter Ultimecia in her realm, and kill her. As the time compression spell is broken and time begins to revert into its original form, one of the SeeDs, Squall Leonhart , ends up too far back in time and meets himself as a child. He plants the idea of forming the SeeD organization that would one day defeat Ultimecia, thus becoming the "Legendary SeeD" Ultimecia plans to avoid facing in the future.

Final Fantasy IX [ ]

Zidane Tribal and his friends pass through Memoria , a realm made manifest of every living being's memories. As they trace the memories further and further back in time, they arrive at the crystal , the origin of all things.

Final Fantasy X [ ]

Tidus initially believes that he has traveled 1000 years into the future after coming into contact with Sin and being taken to Spira . He later learns that the time travel was an illusion, as the city from which he hails from is a dream of the fayth .

Final Fantasy X-2.5 ~Eien no Daishō~ [ ]

Yuna and Tidus are transported to a Besaid of 1000 years ago that greatly differs from the Besaid they know from their time.

Final Fantasy XI [ ]

Scattered throughout Vana'diel are numerous statues that resemble Atomos , called the "Cavernous Maws", which act as portals to twenty years into the past, around the time of the Crystal War 's end. Lilisette uses the portals to prevent the events that would lead to her father's death, while Lady Lilith , a version of Lilisette who hails from a reality in which the Crystal War never ended, uses them to ensure the continuation of her future by erasing Lilisette's future.

Despite their efforts, neither erase the other future, and instead achieve a balance between the two realities. The goddess Altana had once rewritten the timeline to prevent its ruin.

In Final Fantasy XI: Rhapsodies of Vana'diel , a cataclysm in the future is on the verge of destroying Vana'diel when Iroha travels back in time approximately 20 years. She meets with the player , who she apprenticed for as a sorceress, and together, they defeat the Cloud of Darkness before it gains enough strength to erase existence.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 [ ]

The time traveling portal, Historia Crux.

The universe is divided in two halves; what could be called the mortal world, or the world of Gran Pulse and Cocoon , and the world of the dead, the unseen realm . Valhalla is the middle realm. Whereas beings are born, live, and die in the mortal world, Valhalla is a world of entropy that exists outside the timeline, a world without a past or future. Those who reside in Valhalla can see the span of the entire timeline by gazing into the mortal world.

The ability to travel in time originates from Goddess Etro who resides in Valhalla. The legends state that she places a piece of chaos , energy that seeks to return everything to entropy, into every human, giving them a " heart ". Certain people possess more "heart" as a gift from the goddess than others, giving them greater affinity to chaos, and can enter the Historia Crux and travel in time. As Seeress Yeul explains to Serah in the Void Beyond : "The power to step outside the timeline. The power to witness the future. These gifts come from Etro. Her servants are known by her blessings."

Lead scenario writer, Daisuke Watanabe , has explained in an interview [ citation needed ] that because the goddess Etro saved Serah by releasing her from her crystal stasis she acquired powers normally inaccessible to humans, and this is why she can time-travel when passing through the Time Gates . Other people, namely Lightning , Sazh , and Snow , who were also saved from crystal stasis by Etro, also have the power to use the Historia Crux; however, Hope appears not to have this power.

Noel and Serah time-traveling.

Noel Kreiss hails from 700 AF, an era where humanity is extinct except for him. He prays for the goddess to grant him the gift of chaos so he may follow Caius Ballad to Valhalla. His prayer is answered and he is taken to Valhalla where he meets Lightning, Etro's champion who protects Etro's temple from Caius. Lightning asks for Noel to find her sister Serah, and sends him through a Time Gate to New Bodhum 3 AF.

For Noel and Serah to travel in time they use Time Gates and artefacts to open them. The Historia Crux is the crossroads of history, "the ability to step outside of the timeline" as Yeul puts it. Whenever a Time Gate to the Historia Crux is opened with an artefact writing in Etro's script briefly floats in the air, indicating a link to the goddess.

It may well be that the Time Gates are consciously created by the goddess, rather than things that arise out of paradoxes , as Snow Villiers is unable to follow Serah and Noel through a Time Gate despite being a time traveler himself, because the gate in question was not "meant for him". Because Lightning resides in Valhalla she can keep an eye on Serah and Noel's journey to solve the paradoxes in the timeline, and eventually leaves Valhalla through a Time Gate to meet them in New Bodhum 700 AF, although their encounter is brief.

Caius and Yeul entering a Time Gate.

Caius, who possesses the Heart of Chaos , wants to bring about the end of history. Because of the Heart of Chaos Caius can travel to Valhalla from where he creates paradoxes in the timeline to set the stage for a mass sacrifice to open Etro's gate . This would allow chaos seep into the mortal world, and transform the world into Valhalla. Caius cannot travel in time like Noel and Serah do, but he sends messages from Valhalla to his past self; this is why the Caius of 200 AF knows Noel. [1]

After manipulating the timeline to suit his needs, the city of Academia in 500 AF becomes so affected by chaos Caius is able to enter there from Valhalla. When he is about to destroy both the old and New Cocoons his plans are foiled by Serah and Noel and he opens a portal to Valhalla. After a gruesome battle on Valhalla's shores Noel's sword pierces Caius's Heart of Chaos. The paradox ends and the Time Gates vanish, marking the end of Serah and Noel's time-traveling journey.

Another method of time travel is invented by Hope Estheim who is unable to use Time Gates: a suspended animation capsule that can be used to travel forward in time.

Final Fantasy XIV [ ]

In Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward the Illuminati 's ultimate goal in the Alexander raid series is to take full control of the machine primal and utilize its time manipulating abilities to alter the flow of history and take control over the world . Alexander itself used these powers to see the best course of actions that would avoid it falling on the hands of evil, and manipulated events in such a way that he would ultimately be defeated by the Warrior of Light and be sealed away in the flow of time.

The battle against Alexander includes an intermission wherein the party members have to divert machinery that is readying to fire against them in the past; if the mechanic is not correctly executed, the shot wipes out the party,; succeeding makes the shot miss. This was seen in a previous cutscene, in which they miraculously dodged said attack, to the surprise of Quickthinx Allthoughts .

In Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers G'raha Tia travels from the future to avert the coming of the Eight Umbral Era. In the original timeline, after the events of Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood , the Eorzean Alliance, with the aid of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn and the Warrior of Light, continued to impose defeat after defeat upon the Garlean Empire , forcing Emperor Varis to unleash the powerful chemical weapon known as the Black Rose . Due to the Flood of Light bringing an Umbral Calamity of the First , the weapon's effects were vastly amplified by the overflowing light, turning it into a planet-wide catastrophe that nearly wiped out all life on the Source, even killing the Warrior of Light.

Two hundred years later later, remnants of the Garlond Ironworks , guided by historical documents detailing the Warrior of Light's exploits in the past—in particular of their actions in ending the Dragonsong War , as well as their battle with Alexander and Omega —found a way into the Crystal Tower .

The expedition group unsealed G'raha Tia, who was previously sealed within it. With their combined efforts, they build a time machine based on a design passed down by Cid Garlond . The machine, known as The Tycoon, is an artificial recreation of Alexander that combines its time-manipulation abilities with Omega's dimension-hopping capabilities. Using the Crystal Tower itself as a power source, they send G'raha Tia, and the tower itself, to the First, one hundred years before the deployment of Black Rose, giving G'raha sufficient time to master the magics required to ultimately summon the Warrior of Light into the First and alter the course of fate.

This new timeline has three main differences over the original timeline that avert catastrophe. The absence of the Scions in the Source means that the war against the empire remains in a standstill, and forces Tataru Taru to call upon the aid of Estinien Wyrmblood , leading him into meeting Gaius Baelsar and joining forces in sabotaging facilities producing the Black Rose chemical, further delaying deployment.

The Warrior of Light's triumph in pushing back the forces of light prevents the Rejoining of the First, weakening the Black Rose's effects even if the weapon is eventually used. Finally, Zenos yae Galvus recovers his original body from Elidibus and kills Varis while forsaking his birthright to continue hunting the Warrior, allowing Garlemald to fall into chaos.

In Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker , the Warrior of Light uses the Crystal Tower, with the power source being the last remnants of Elidibus' aether, to travel twelve thousand years back in time to the era of Amaurot . There they encounter several ancients including Hermes and Venat , and learn the origin of the Final Days . In doing so Venat learns of the future to come and begins a twelve thousand year long plan to protect mankind from sorrow and despair, leading to her actions as Hydaelyn .

Final Fantasy XV [ ]

Ahead lies a future uncertain, yet sure is the astral memory, wherein the King may walk. Gentiana

From Chapter 9 onwards, the party can use Umbra to "relive astral memories" of Lucis or, later, Altissia . This is purely a gameplay feature, however. If the player is having Cid upgrade their weapons , Cid will not call the party to come pick them up if they "travel to the future" to rest. When returning to Lucis, the day and night cycle is restored to what it was at the beginning of the game.

Final Fantasy Tactics [ ]

In the The War of the Lions version, Ramza Beoulve encounters Balthier from Final Fantasy XII . As Balthier explains he needs to return to the Cache of Glabados to put things back as they were, it can be assumed he was displaced in time. Ramza also meets Luso Clemens from Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift , still with his Gran Grimoire .

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift [ ]

Luso opens the Grimoire.

Luso Clemens finds the Grimoire of the Rift that enables him to travel hundreds of years into the past to a time where Ivalice possessed all sorts of magicks, different races and technologies. Luso joins a clan and makes several friends in this magickal time, doing errands in every location and saving Jylland from the supremacy of clan Duelhorn and the dark ambitions of the Khamja organization. Every time an important event occurs the Grimoire writes down, in itself, the essential facts, creating something of a journal.

The great sage Lezaford tells Luso the only way he can return home is by completing his story at the time he finds himself in; he should live life to the fullest while in this Ivalice until his "job" is done. Upon defeating Illua and the monster from the Rift, Luso returns to his era, keeping the Grimoire.

Final Fantasy Legend III [ ]

The party can travel through time with the Talon and possessing the correct Talon Units, but they can only go to a specific eras. The effects of the flooding and its threat can be seen upon the world of the past, present and future.

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light [ ]

The darkness that poured out of Rolan's soul has warped the entire nature of time and space. Who knows what world, what era this might be? Witch of the Sky

After the Heroes of Light meet up with Rolan in Spelvia , they find him consumed by monsters. They release him, but along with it the darkness trapped within Rolan is unleashed upon the world and the party is sent over a decade into the past to a time where they are just being born.

The party travels the world uncovering many mysteries that explain the events that took place in the original world, and the reasons the cities were tainted. The heroes defeat Chaos's minions, and Chaos himself , reverting the timeline into normal, and the heroes are sent back to their own world.

World of Final Fantasy [ ]

Time is suspended while Reynn and Lann are within Nine Wood Hills or the Coliseum connected with it, allowing them to spend as much time there as they like before returning to the world of Grymoire with no time having passed there since they left. By visiting The Girl's Tearoom , Reynn and Lann may travel throughout time to intervene in battles , taking the place of those who would normally fight them. Following the battle, those whom the two intervened for might have limited awareness of the aid they had been granted, though the opponent will have no knowledge of anything unusual having happened.

Following the release of the Cogna into Grymoire, Reynn and Lann use this ability to great effect, intervening repeatedly throughout Grymoire on mass scale before the Cogna can wreak devastation upon the world. Following the game's ending, a shouted "No!" from Reynn reveals that she will not accept events as they happened and the sacrifice of her brother, Lann. Tama uses her remaining power to rewind time to the party's entry in the final dungeon , in the process altering events to a timeline in which she was never a part of their journey and Serafie handles all of the tasks that were set to her in the original timeline. The player then continues events in the altered timeline, working towards a better resolution for the world of Grymoire. The party is later able to restore Tama with the aid of the Girl Who Forgot Her Name from The Girls' Tearoom.

Final Fantasy Brave Exvius [ ]

Towards the climax of the second season of the game is revealed that Akstar is in reality an older Rain from another timeline: One in which Lasswell and Rain weren't aware of the developed techniques of the Mirror of Equity used by the Exostars debilitating the party and Lasswell showed mercy at the emperor allowing him to finish them all. The Akstar from that timeline saw and saved the surviving Rain, although he lost his left arm and leg.

For 50 years Rain failed noumerous times to stop the emperor and his dictatorship, when he was ambushed and nearly being killed, Dark Fina found him and with the accumulated power form the Earth Crystal they traveled to the past at one point to make a difference. Then found the original Akstar and persuaded him to be sealed in a crystal so Rain can take his place and suggest the emperor (as Akstar), using transformation magic, to follow Lasswell's party to check on them but in reality making sure of two things:

• Teach and warn Lasswell from the advanced Mirror of Equity techniques wich in turn doesn't weaken too much the party at Aldore Tower.
• Betray him to harden his heart and make sure he doesn't low his ward in a crucial moment.

With these points cleared they create a timeline in which they stil have a figthing chance against the Emperor and the Exostar.

Final Fantasy Brave Exvius: The Return [ ]

Taking place after the second Season, a Vlad from an alternate continuity in which he had triumphed over the party established his Absolute Solitude ideal after taking over Hyoh's body with the power of Blood Awakening. He found himself unsatisfied, as despite living alone for several years, he could not quell his true one desire: prove his dominance over the Aldore bloodline for his enemies to lie defeated. Over time, his desires materialized a Crystal with the power to teleport him to the main reality in which his other self was defeated, his enemies alive, and democracy was taking root in Paladia.

Disgusted at the idea the masses could decide their future and with the object of his hatred alive, Vlad, now under the guise of Dark Rain, decided to go to that timeline to attack his enemies to prove that he was superior all along.

Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin [ ]

As explained by the in-game Lufenian Reports , a dimensional crystal matrix allows for time travel to a chosen point in the past. The Lufenians use this crystal in an attempt to create a utopia by resetting the world multiple times, while dumping excess darkness from their realm onto Cornelia . Disgusted by the Lufenians' machinations, Jack Garland and his friends wrest control of the world from Lufenia by having Jack become Chaos .

Following the Lufenians' departure from Cornelia, Jack and his friends decide to train the Warriors of Light to become strong enough to vanquish the darkness by creating a time loop of their own. Though not directly stated, it can be inferred that Jack and his friends use the dimensional crystal matrix left behind by the Lufenians to create this loop.

Citations [ ]

• ↑ Final Fantasy XIII-2 Ultimania Omega Scenario Interview with Toriyama and Watanabe
• Final Fantasy
• 1 Cloud Strife
• 2 Sephiroth
• 3 Tifa Lockhart