'Supernatural' stars tear up at their final Comic-Con: 'It's been quite a ride'

SAN DIEGO – The stars of CW's "Supernatural" tried hard not to tear up touting their 15th and final season at San Diego Comic-Con on Sunday, while also teasing the biggest bad you could imagine.

The last round of episodes for network TV's longest-running sci-fi/horror series kicks off Oct. 10, and star Jensen Ackles (who plays monster-hunting Dean Winchester) acknowledged being nervous.

"It really is hard to express the takeaway from the experience. It's a long time," Ackles said about the show, which premiered on The WB in 2005. "We hoofed it up to Vancouver thinking we'd just put our lives on hold for a season ... come back and press play and life would go on. And it never got unpaused, and I'm very thankful it didn't. It's been quite a ride."

Ackles teased Jared Padalecki (who co-stars as brother Sam Winchester) that he had tissues in his pocket. "Like you don't," Padalecki said.

More Comic-Con: Patrick Stewart's 'Star Trek: Picard' boldly melds past and present

Also: Danai Gurira confirms 'The Walking Dead' Season 10 will be her last

"Sam Winchester for me won't go away," he added. "He'll be with me forever."

Misha Collins (who plays the angel Castiel) admitted he "can’t believe this has come to pass. I consider these guys lifelong friends and I can consider (the fans) lifelong friends."

The final moment of the 14th season put Sam, Dean and Castiel in a bad position, with Chuck, aka God (Rob Benedict), unleashing deceased former hunts and the undead on the show's heroes.

The scene "was one of the big game-changing moments we've ever had," said executive producer Brad Buckner. The Winchesters were willing to accept a God who was hands off. Now there is one "who never left the building and manipulated stories" and the brothers' belief system.

Having God as a diabolical deity "really opens the theme of free will, which is what we've been dealing with the entire time," added executive producer Bob Berens. "It puts everything they've accomplished in doubt (and) will play out the entire season."

Trailer debut: See 'The New World' of HBO's 'Westworld' Season 3 at Comic-Con

Thanks, Kristen Bell!New 'Veronica Mars' season drops on Hulu a week early

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Supernatural': Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki tear up at Comic-Con