Archangel

Castiel: Archangels are fierce. They're absolute. They're heaven's most terrifying weapon. – Castiel, 4.18 The Monster At The End Of This Book

History

Origin

Soon after God established and constructed the foundation of Heaven itself, he created these winged creatures known as Archangels. Soon after the creation of mankind, these brothers began to bicker and they started arguing over whether or not they should continue to follow God's commands. They soon learned that Dean and Sam Winchester were going to be the Vessels of Michael and Lucifer. They are mysteriously connected to Prophets. Castiel tells Dean that this protection is quite general, meaning Archangels will even intercede and appear when a Prophet is close to or experiencing danger of any form or type.

Michael

Michael is the oldest brother of Lucifer, Gabriel and Raphael. He received and gained full control over God's angelic battalion of soldiers when he left Heaven. His true Vessel is Dean Winchester because Dean's role mirrors that of Michael's role which mainly consists of them both being an "older brother". Although anyone within the Winchester bloodline possesses the suitability of being an "alternate true Vessel" for him, such as John Winchester or even Adam Milligan.

He was the primary authority in Heaven in which his reign immediately ended when he fell into Lucifer's Cage, which left Heaven in complete disorder, and the entire faction of Heaven was split into smaller sections in which Castiel is currently trying to replenish peace and order.

Lucifer

Lucifer is the older brother of Gabriel and Raphael but is still younger than Michael. He was eventually expelled from Heaven due to his prideful nature and was also banished for defying God's direct order which was to bow before the humans in which God had created. His true Vessel is Sam Winchester because he had consumed an amplified amount of Demon Blood which makes one a suitable Vessel for him; although Gabriel informs Dean and Sam that they were both destined to be The Vessels from the start of humanity.

Gabriel

Gabriel is the younger brother of Michael, Lucifer and the older brother of Raphael. Gabriel loves his family (God, Michael, Lucifer and Raphael) deeply. Tired of the conflict between Lucifer, the other angels, and God, Gabriel decided to leave Heaven so that he would not have to witness further strife. He goes to Earth and disguises himself as a Trickster. In this role he goes about giving people their "just desserts" - punishing people in a way that ironically fits what he sees as their 'crime'. He likes the good life wine, women and food.

Like Michael, Gabriel continues to profess love for Lucifer even after what he's done. Finally Gabriel chooses to fight for humanity against Lucifer, claiming that God was right: humans are better than angels. He dies providing Sam and Dean the chance to escape. He also reveals the potential of the Horsemen's Rings to imprison Lucifer and stop the apocalypse.

It is unknown as to whether or not Gabriel needs a Vessel - Gabriel could have created his body. Gabriel seems to have an angelic form that's not as intense as Micheal and Lucifer's, this may be the reason he didn't seem to have difficulty in acquiring his vessel. Gabriel is weaker than Michael and Lucifer, but he's still more powerful than angels and cherubs. Raphael might be identical to Gabriel in the aspect of angelic capabilities. Lucifer killed Gabriel with an archangel killing blade.

Raphael

Raphael is the youngest brother of Michael, Lucifer and Gabriel. While manifesting on Earth, Raphael causes the Eastern Seaboard to black-out. Raphael tells Dean that he can bring him to Michael. It is uncertain as to whether Raphael is the Archangel assigned to protect the Prophet Chuck Shurley, but he finds and destroys Castiel, who is in Chuck's presence. Castiel and Dean Winchester trap Raphael in a circle of Holy Oil, but he denies knowing the whereabouts of God. Raphael later escapes the trap and gathers some loyal followers who support his plan, which was to restart the apocalypse by bringing Michael and Lucifer back to Earth.

Powers and Abilities

Castiel described archangels as being far more powerful than Tricksters, which makes them extremely powerful and very dangerous. Their powers defy logic; Gabriel can create virtually anything out of thin air, Lucifer's power defies description, and Raphael destroyed Castiel and his Vessel while in his true form. They have been proven to be more powerful than: angels, cherubs, pagan gods and humans.

• Apparently archangels are powerful enough to claim an angel's heart, which allows the archangel to manipulate the angel's thoughts and actions.

• An Archangel's true form and voice is so overwhelming that it can cause humans to lose their sight and hearing. Also, an archangel's true form is powerful enough to oblitherate any angel as well as the angel's vessel.

• Michael and Lucifer's true form can emit a frequency-pulse that can bring humans to their knees.

• Archangels can incinerate lesser angels just by touching them. They also can easily over-power angels, pagan gods and humans. According to Castiel, they are far more powerful than Tricksters.

• Archangels like Lucifer can perceive the true forms of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, as he demonstrated when he saw Death's true form^{5.10 Abandon All Hope}

• Archangels can manipulate/change the temperature under the Earth's atmosphere - they can alter the normal temperature pattern.

• Archangels seem to negatively affect the entire area around them when they land.

• Archangels can create things out of thin air.

• Archangels can morph their bodies to match any human appearance - Lucifer proved this in 5.03 Free To Be You And Me (as Jess) and again in 5.10 Abandon All Hope (as a Reaper). Gabriel proved this in 3.11 Mystery Spot (as a Man) and again in 5.08 Changing Channels (as Dr. Sexy)

• Archangels can see the future - Gabriel told Dean and Sam that when God "flipped on the lights" (made humans) that he along with his brothers, Michael, Lucifer and Raphael knew that they were the Vessels. Gabriel also told them that he skipped ahead and saw the future, stating that "it’s going to end bloody for all of us." Lucifer knew that Sam would say "yes" to him in Detroit; Lucifer was correct, Sam did assent to him in Detroit.

• Archangels can revive the deceased - Lucifer told Sam if he ever killed himself that he would only bring him back to life. Sam also wanted Lucifer to bring his and Dean's parents back from the dead before he said yes to Lucifer. Gabriel raised Dean from the dead in 3.11 Mystery Spot. Michael raised Sam from the dead in 5.13 The Song Remains The Same.

• It appears that archangels are unaffected by time. In 5.04 The End, Lucifer tells Dean that Sam will always say "yes" in Detroit. He later confirms this in 5.22 Swan Song "...I told you...always in Detroit". Similarly, Michael has been wanting to talk with Dean for a while, but only converses with him in the past.

When Castiel and Dean captured Raphael in 5.03 Free To Be You And Me, Dean jokingly asked, "I thought you were supposed to be impressive. All you do is black out the room?" to which Raphael replied, "And the Eastern Seaboard."

When Lucifer enters the world from Hell he brings massive earthquakes, tornadoes, tsunamis, diseases (including swine flu) and probably more. When Lucifer appears in 5.04 The End a storm erupts and when he teleports behind Dean there is the sound of thunder.

Vulnerabilities

Despite archangels being all-powerful creatures, there are certain weapons that can harm an archangel.

• Archangel Killing Sword can kill a Archangel.
• The Colt can penetrate through an archangel's invulnerability. It cannot kill Lucifer, however, as he is one of five beings the Colt cannot kill.
• Lot's Salt can turn an archangel’s vessel to a pile of salt.
• Holy Fire can restrain an archangel from living the circle; Holy Fire can also be used to banish an archangel for a short period of time.
• Castiel carved Enochian Sigils on Dean and Sam's ribs, which hid them from all angels, including archangels.

Angelic Appearance and Traits

Their true forms and true voices are very overwhelming to humans. Their angelic essence can also be overwhelming for standard vessels, but this seems to be adequate for only Michael and Lucifer, although Raphael's angelic essence did damage the vessel he was using after he left Donnie Finnerman's body.

Michael's angelic spirit can slowly destroy any vessel that is not of the Winchester bloodline.

Lucifer's angelic spirit can slowly destroy any vessel that hasn't been prepared and who hasn't consumed an efficent amount of Demon Blood.

Raphael's angelic spirit is so strong that it can leave vessels in a catatonic state after possession.

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Wings of an Archangel

Notes

• God made them in this particular order: Michael, Lucifer, Gabriel and Raphael.
• These brothers all seem to love one another deeply, but in different ways.
• They have seen God's true likeness, meaning that they have seen him face to face.
• According to Gabriel, God loved Lucifer more than the other three.

Archangels in Lore

• Archangels on Wikipedia