After the season finale from hell (so to speak), Supernatural fans are anxiously facing a long summer hiatus. Creator and Executive Producer Eric Kripke ended season three with Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) in hell being tormented on meat hooks, leaving behind an anguished Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) who has just discovered his latent powers kicking in. Eric Kripke recently spoke with tvguide.com to reveal what's ahead for the brothers Winchester.

Kripke explained, "you need huge moves to happen that can cause radical shifts in the characters, that set them off in a new direction. So what happens to Dean in hell and how Dean gets out become primary concerns of Season 4." He indicated that time moves differently in hell, and that months could be passing on earth when it could be years for Dean, who "will emerge to a different landscape. A lot has changed since he's been away, and he has to readjust to his loved ones after being gone for so long."

When asked whether Dean will emerge from hell part demon, Eric Kripke said no, but "there will be an ongoing mystery. When he gets out of hell, he'll have little recollection of what happened to him down there."  He added that while Sam swore to Dean that he wouldn't use his powers, when Dean comes back, "Sam tells him 'I promised I wouldn't head down that road because you made me promise,' but we begin to wonder if indeed that is the truth."

Kripke also confirmed that Ruby the demon will be returning season 4 -- and presumably, actress Katie Cassidy. A fansite devoted to the actress, http://katiecassidyfan.com, recently posted that she would be returning to the show, and that "her character changes. She was excited about this as it was very hard work to create a different perception of 'Ruby.'" The cynical hunter Rufus (Steven Williams of X-Files fame) will also be returning.

As for the main question Supernatural fans want to know, how Dean's sojourn in hell will affect the relationship between the brothers, Kripke said, "it will affect it massively. We'll slowly unfold Dean remembering what happened in hell." He compared Dean to a returning POW. "How do you reconnect with your life when you've been through something that horrific?"

Did we mention it's going to be a long hiatus?