Eric Kripke, the creator and producer of "Supernatural," rapidly back-pedaled on an earlier edict that if "Supernatural" were to continue into a sixth season it would be without him during last month's Comic-Con International in San Diego.

"I never dreamt the show would go beyond five years," Kripke told the crowd. "I only had a five-year plan and now here I am at the fifth season. I was only adamant about saying I would do five seasons because I never thought we'd get this far."

If "Supernatural" does get picked up by The CW again after this season, Kripke said he would be willing to stay a part of the show so long as there remains compelling and interesting stories to tell. However, he's adamant that he will resolve this season's story arc concerning the apocalypse no matter what, as originally planned.

"We're not going to drag it out," Kripke said. "We're not going to try to stretch it to try to accommodate another season, which would dilute and weaken it. We're going to tell the story with a bang."

After the most season finale where Sam inadvertently released Lucifer by killing Lilith and breaking the last seal, the Winchester boys now have to deal with the consequences of unleashing hell on Earth when "Supernatural" returns this fall on The CW.

The characters, played by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, have not just opened the gates of hell allowing untold numbers of demons to roam freely on Earth, this time, they have unleashed the devil himself. Played by Mark Pellegrino (formerly known for being Ritas abusive ex-husband on Dexter), Lucifer will be a bad-ass nemesis for the brothers to face this upcoming season.

"It's the apocalypse," Kripke said. "We're not pulling our punches. It's the full on, end of days, out of the Book of Revelation apocalypse."

This includes the introduction of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who will drive muscle cars in lieu of riding horses. That's because Kripke said he liked the tie-in that these cars embody the image of heavy horsepower.

But there will be a new addition to the "Supernatural" cast this season: God. Although he's been absent in the past, now that Lucifer has been introduced, the good guys have to be a part of the series, too, Kripke said.

"We are going to meet God this year," he said. "Not anytime soon, but God is definitely going to be a character."

And a lot will happen to the brothers, Sam and Dean.

"We spent so much time tearing the brothers apart, now we feel we owe it to the audience to bring them back together," Kripke said. "It's going to be slow. It's going to be painful. We've torn down their relationship and now we're going to rebuilt it."

In facing the consequences of what they have done, Producer Ben Edlund explained that there will be an episode where Dean will have the opportunity to see what the world would be like five years after the apocalypse. Edlund said he was intrigued by the question of whether the future Dean sees will be fixed, or if it will be a fture that will be in flux and thus can be manipulated.

Producer Sera Gamble said that next season will be much lighter than last year.

"The apocalypse has not turned out to be as dark as I thought it would be," she said. "I am finding this apocalypse surprisingly amusing. We are having so much fun with it."

During all this, the fallen angel Castiel will experiment with what it means to be human, portrayer Misha Collins said. Castiel will remain 90 percent angel, but with a bit of human emotions mixed. However, Collins said he is not sure whether that angel-human mix will shift as the season goes on, and suspects it might.

For the beginning of Season 5, Castiel -- having been blown to bits -- will somehow come back, but this time with a bull's eye on his back. The angel will then be rescued from an awful fate that will put him on the run ... and hunted.

This forces Castiel to team up with the Winchester Brothers in order to survive, a process that will help him learn how to fit in and be human.

"Supernatural" remains at Thursdays this fall on The CW, returning for its fifth season Sept. 10.