Changes

While archangels are immune to the majority of man-made weaponry, there are various objects that are capable of fending off an archangel in some fashion. A [[Hyperbolic Pulse Generator]], created by the [[British Men of Letters]] as a more reliable method of [[exorcism]] against demons, can expel an archangel from their vessel.<ref name="twelve08">[[12.08 LOTUS]]</ref> [[The Colt]] was shown to damage, but not kill, Lucifer, who revealed to Dean Winchester that he is one of "only five things in all of creation that that gun can't kill."<ref name="five10" /> It is not known if Lucifer meant solely himself, or that the archangels as a whole are immune. A [[Ma'lak Box]] is a magical coffin that can contain anything, including an archangel as powerful as the [[Apocalypse World]] [[Michael (Apocalypse World)|Michael]]. Thought to be impossible to build, Dean Winchester was able to construct one with the help of [[Death]].<ref name="fourteen10" /> [[Holy oil]] is a very special and very rare type of oil found predominantly in Jerusalem. A ring of holy fire produced by igniting holy oil can restrain an archangel, but unlike a typical angel it will not kill them upon contact. It can, however, temporarily incapacitate them and force them to retreat to heal themselves.<ref name="five08" /><ref name="five22">[[5.22 Swan Song]]</ref> In one case, a line of holy fire held Michael back long enough for his targets to make an escape. He appeared unable to cross it and seemed to be looking at an impending explosion to free him.<ref name="thirteen23" /> In another instance, holy fire distracted Michael long enough to be bound with [[angel cuffs]] that had been upgraded to hold archangels.<ref name="fourteen10" />

On a few occasions, a strong-willed vessel has been shown capable of overpowering a possessing archangel and taking back control for a time<ref name="five22" /><ref name="eleven14" /> or even trapping the archangel within their mind for months. However, such a feat requires an unimaginable amount of concentration and sheer force of will, making a vessel's ability to do so incredibly rare.<ref name="fourteen10" /><ref name="fourteen14" /> [[Grace Extractor|Extracting the grace]] of an archangel can render them human and vulnerable to any method of death.<ref name="thirteen17">[[13.17 The Thing]]</ref> Another major vulnerability for an archangel is the [[Ma'lak Box]], a mystical coffin capable of imprisoning even the most powerful archangel. Though the secrets to how to build it were lost, [[Billie]] was able to give Dean the instructions after her books said that the only fate where Michael didn't escape Dean's mind and destroy the world had Dean imprisoning himself and Michael in the Ma'lak Box.<ref name="fourteen10" /><ref name="fourteen11" /> Notably, after he did escape, Michael chose to leave Dean's body and find another vessel, showing awareness of this plan when confronting the Winchesters, Jack and Castiel.<ref name="fourteen14" />