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. Sometime after the creation of these beings, God created Angels and Cherubs. 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. They also appear when one tries to manipulate or change prophecy.

The Archangels

Michael

Soon after God established and constructed the foundation of Heaven itself, he created an Archangel named Michael. Following soon after Michael's creation, three other Archangels named Lucifer, Raphael and Gabriel came into being, and from then on they represented and served as Michael's younger siblings. Following the creation of the four archangels, a strong and healthy relationship was formed between Michael and Lucifer. After the creation of Heaven, Archangels, Angels and Cupids, God articulated and designed Earth to which he gave life by creating humans. Soon after the fundamentals of humanity were presented and established, God commanded his all of his Angels to bow before Man. Lucifer questioned this command, then Lucifer retreated to Michael for support but Michael wouldn't listen. Then God told Michael to exile Lucifer, and Michael reluctantly obeyed which formed a forever wedge between them. Lucifer was thrown into a Cage in which 600 Seals where attached to the mouth of the prison. Only 66 of the 600 had to break for him to be released.

Some time after Lucifer's banishment and God's departure, Michael constructed a plan concerning the marriage of John and Mary Winchester. He then told a Cupid angel to orchestrate and intervene on Earth by marking John and Mary so that they will fall in love, which would result in the birth of The Vessels, Dean and Sam.

Sometime later, Michael organized and devised a 'plan' in which its sole purpose was to allow the 66 Seals to break. The sole caretakers of this plan appeared to have been Michael, Zachariah and Raphael. This angelic plan involved demons and angels. The Demons wanted them to break so that they could meet their maker, and Michael and the executive members of the Host wanted them to break so that Lucifer could walk free which would allow Michael to destroy him using Dean Winchester as his Vessel. We later learn that not all Angels possessed knowledge of this angelic plan, and Castiel, a normal angel, found out the true intention of the plan and told Dean in which he was later found and destroyed by Raphael the Archangel.

The 66 Seals eventually break and Lucifer is released. Soon after Lucifer's rising, Michael instructs Zachariah to get Dean's permission to possess him. Due to Dean's constant and repetitive refusals to angelic-possession, Michael stays in Heaven for a while, but monitors the situation, and he eventually gets to speak with Dean while Dean is experiencing time travel in the year of 1978. Dean eventually assents to Michael but he manipulated Zachariah and he kills him due to Zachariah's self pride. He then claims Adam Milligan's body and he meets Lucifer on the chosen field but Sam is able to regain control over his body and temporarily manages Lucifer, and he and Adam, and Lucifer and Sam fumble into Lucifer's Cage.

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

Soon after God established and constructed the foundation of Heaven itself, he created an Archangel named Michael, and soon after Michael's creation, Lucifer's creation soon followed which was followed by Raphael's creation, then Gabriel's creation followed soon after. After all of the Archangels were created they formed a strong and a very meaningful bound with one another. But after the creation and start of mankind, Lucifer began to argue constantly with his brothers, which more often included only himself and Michael. At first, these arguments annoyed Gabriel but he eventually became upset and was angered by these arguments which directly resulted in his voluntary exile. God then commanded his Angels to bow before Man, but Lucifer refused and was cast out of Heaven. As an act of defiance, Lucifer twisted a human being's soul to create the first demon, Lilith. He was then confined against his will to a Cage which could only open if the 66 attachments on the Cage broke. A Millennium or so later, Azazel manages to locate the entrance of Lucifer's Cage, and upon Azazel's request, he converses with Lucifer and Lucifer reveals that Lilith plays a major role in his release and that he must find a 'special child'.

His Cage is eventually opened when The 66 Seals that were attached to the mouth of the Cage all break, which releases him, and is soon followed by the rising of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse5.01 Sympathy For The Devil While on Earth, Lucifer causes chaos and natural disasters occur on an irregular basis due to his presence. Some of his activities while on Earth included: awakening Death and summoning him to Earth, and he also attempted to turn angels to his plans, like Castiel, though Castiel refused him, and he also killed Gabriel with an Archangel Killing Sword. He later gains Sam's permission to possess him; he enters his body and confronts Michael on the chosen field. Sam regains control over his body and he temporarily manages Lucifer and activates the Four Horsemen Rings and he and Lucifer, and Michael and Adam fumble into Lucifer's Cage.

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.

Raphael

Raphael is one of four Archangels created by God. He was created after Michael and Lucifer but before Gabriel. Canon suggests that he was the one who was specifically assigned the task of protecting the Prophet Chuck Shurley.

Shortly after the breaking of The 66 Seals and Lucifer's release, Raphael arrived on Earth in his Vessel Donnie Finnerman. His arrival mainly coincided with a demon related conflict near a Pump 'n Go gas station. After he finished with the demons he immediately abandoned his Vessel and ascended back to Heaven, which left Donnie in a catotonic-state.

Later, Castiel and Dean summoned Raphael back to his Vessel for God's current whereabouts, and if he refused they would interrogate him till he answered their questions. In his defense, he protested that God is dead and is gone for good - He thought this was the only explanation to which could be the reason for God's continued silence and lack of supernatural intervention. So Dean and Castiel leave him in a circle of Holy Fire.

Following the imprisonment of Lucifer and Michael, Raphael begins gathering God's Weapons with the hope of restarting the Apocalypse by releasing Michael and Lucifer from the Cage. Donnie Finnerman's body was destroyed by the affects of Lot's Salt which forced Raphael out of his Vessel, and he left in search of a new suitable Vessel.

Gabriel

Soon after God established and constructed the foundation of Heaven itself, he created an Archangel named Michael, and soon after Michael's creation, Lucifer's creation soon followed which was also followed by Raphael's creation which was then followed by Gabriel's creation. During this time, after Gabriel's creation, he became widely known as "God's greatest messenger"^S5Com.Soon after the creation of mankind, Gabriel and his three other brothers began to bicker, starting protests amongst each other. They started arguing over whether or not they should continue to follow God's commands. Gabriel soon became aware and realized that the only option in which he could take and be happy was to abandon his heavenly family and flee to Earth. He later did so and when he arrived on Earth he assumed human form (maybe by claiming a human Vessel) and re-shaped his identity to match that of a common Trickster's. He then cut himself off from the Host and finalized a new occupation in which he took part of by giving criminals 'just deserts' which mainly concerned of him punishing the criminals which followed and flowed through varies and ironic trends that often mirrored their original crime. But he was later revealed to have been an Archangel all along, which forced him to reclaim his angelic occupation.

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.

Physical Angelic Physique & Characteristics

Like all Angels, their true forms and true voices are very intense and prove fatal to humans. In Canon, their true forms are visualized as a blinding white light and their presence can cause minor tremors, as shown by Lucifer when his presence shook the Chapel while escaping the Cage, and by Raphael while intervening on Chuck's behalf and while maintaining prophecy. While their angelic presence is present on Earth, they greatly affect the environment around them, effectively altering the weather and their presence creates destruction in the area in which they emerge in. While manifesting on Earth, they angelic bodies initially emit a piercing ringing sound, which has proven to be excruciating to humans^{5.01 Sympathy For The Devil} and ^{5.18 Point Of No Return} All Archangels possess all powers and abilities that are inherent in all angels but is obvious that their abilities are greatly enhanced due to God imbuing a great portion of power and strength into them as they're his oldest and most powerful angels, and they're all capable of teleportation and telekinesis. All Archangels can overpower lesser angels easily, as shown by Gabriel when he snaps his fingers, banishing Castiel to another location^{5.08 Changing Channels}, and by Michael when he banishes a young Uriel by snapping his fingers and when he destroys Anna and her human body^{5.13 The Song Remains The Same}, and by Lucifer when he, in retaliation, causes Castiel's Vessel to explode by snapping his fingers, killing Castiel^{5.22 Swan Song} and again by Raphael when he battles Castiel, easily overpowering him^{6.03 The Third Man}

According to Gabriel, after God created humans, he and his brothers possessed knowledge of Dean and Sam being The Vessels of Michael and Lucifer^{5.08 Changing Channels} Lucifer appears to be somewhat omniscient, as demonstrated when he reveals to Sam that he, despite Gabriel's word, knows that his Cage can be reopened via the four rings belonging to the Four Horsemen, or he may just possess a wide knowledge of the Universe^{5.22 Swan Song} Michael can incinerate lesser angels by physically touching his or her Vessel^{5.13 The Song Remains The Same} Lucifer appears to be unaffected by time^{.5.04 The End} Lucifer can also 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} Lucifer can also overpower Gods^{5.19 Hammer Of The Gods} While occupying a Vessel, Lucifer and Gabriel can morph into or revert from their Vessel's physical appearance, changing its shape and form^{3.11 Mystery Spot},^{5.03 Free To Be You And Me} and ^{5.10 Abandon All Hope}Gabriel can construct alternate realities and time loops, controlling who is aware of the repetition, and he can create things out of thin air. He also can send himself to the future^{5.19 Hammer Of The Gods} Gabriel can also make objects appear in a variety of different forms, as he proved when he made a can of diet Orange Slice look like his Archangel Sword^{5.19 Hammer Of The Gods} According to Raphael, he can claim ownership over an angel's soul, allowing him to control the angel's thoughts, mind, and actions^{.6.03 The Third Man}

While hosting Archangels, many Vessels including Nick and Donnie Finnerman have endured intensive physical pain, effectively degrading their body down. All Archangels apparently possess knowledge on Lucifer's Cage and how it operates - Along with Michael and Lucifer, Raphael seems to understand how the Cage functions - He is currently trying to open the Cage using God's Weapons^{6.03 The Third Man}

In general, all Archangels view themselves as the higher power and prominent authority over Heaven and Earth since God's departure from Heaven.

According to Castiel, they're known in Heaven as absolute, precise and wrathful creatures^{4.18 The Monster At The End Of This Book} On Earth, they displayed different personalities depending on the Archangel.

Michael's angelic form proved fatal and overwhelming to patrons at a dinner. His angelic spirit can slowly destroy any vessel that is not brother to Lucifer's vessel, possibly only pertaining to humans who are part of the Winchester bloodline. It may be possible for a Campbell to host Michael via a hypothetical offspring of Mary and another male. Before his imprisonment in the Cage, Michael maintained a self confident and sturdy nature towards others.

Lucifer's angelic form was very beautiful and extremely powerful amongst other angels in Heaven. His angelic spirit can slowly destroy any vessel that hasn't been prepared and who hasn't consumed an efficient amount of Demon Blood. Before his re-imprisonment in the Cage, Lucifer maintained a prideful but sympathetic nature towards others, Sam in particular, as he was Lucifer's true Vessel.

Raphael's angelic spirit is so strong that it can leave vessels in a catatonic state after possession. After his descent from Heaven and his time occupying his Vessel, Raphael maintained a stern and wrathful nature, particularly towards Castiel and Dean.

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Wings of an Archangel

Gabriel's angelic spirit is strong but doesn't seem to damage his Vessel, thus making it possible for him to possess any human for as long as needed. Before his death at the hands of Lucifer, Gabriel maintained a seemingly intermediate stature towards others, later professing compassion for humans.

For further information concerning the true physical complexion of Angels and Archangels alike, see Angel Lore.

Vulnerabilities

Despite archangels being God's oldest and most powerful angels, there are certain ways to secure them and harm them.

Offensive:

• 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.
• Archangels can harm harm one another greatly. However, angels seem to be incapable of damaging or harming Archangels with their own strength.

Defensive:

• 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.
• Enochian Sigils carved into human ribs hides the humans from all angels, including archangels.
• When closed, Lucifer's Cage can secure or restrict Archangels inside it.

Notes

• God created them. They were born in this exact order: Michael, Lucifer, Raphael and Gabriel.
• These brothers all 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.
• As of now, Canon suggests that God only created four arcangels. Although there may be more in existence.

Archangels in Lore

• Archangels on Wikipedia