Azazel

Name	Azazel
Actor	Jeffrey Dean Morgan (1.22) Frederic Lehne (2.01, 2.21, 2.22 and 6.01) Christopher B. MacCabe (4.03) Mitch Pileggi (4.03) Rob LaBelle (4.22)
Dates	In Maryland in 1972. Azazel enters Sam's nursery in 1983. Killed in 2007 by Dean.
Location	Deceased (killed by Dean)
Occupation	Upper level Demon
Episode(s)	1.01 Pilot 1.21 Salvation 1.22 Devil's Trap 2.01 In My Time of Dying 2.21 All Hell Breaks Loose: Part One 2.22 All Hell Breaks Loose: Part Two 4.03 In the Beginning 4.22 Lucifer Rising 6.01 Exile on Main St.

Azazel is a Yellow-Eyed Demon, and is the only one seen to date.

History

Azazel's eyes.

Azazel is a servant of Lucifer. On at least one occasion, Azazel has called Lucifer his "daddy", a reference to Lucifer's role in creating demons. Azazel was King of Hell during Lucifer's imprisonment, although the term was never used to describe him. However, the demon Casey did describe him as a tyrant who held the demons all together.

The only weapon described as having the power to kill Azazel is The Colt.

Azazel was integral in Lucifer's plans to escape from his his prison. On Lucifer's instructions, he created the Special Children. It is during this mission that he encounter's Mary Campbell. After killing her parents and her fiance John Winchester, he makes a deal with her that if she'll allow him entry to her home in ten years time, he'll bring John back to life. On the night Azazel visited Sam's nursery, he killed Mary Winchester when she discovered him, and set fire to the Winchester home. These actions caused John Winchester to pursue Azazel for the rest of his life, and Sam and Dean's lives were forever altered.

• For the history of Azazel and the Winchesters see the Mythological Arc Timeline. See also Demonology, Sigil of Azazel.

Characteristics

Powers and Abilities

A week prior to an attack by Azazel, the geographical area has cattle deaths, electrical storms and temperature fluctuations. His presence makes clocks stop, and electrical devices go haywire. Azazel:

• Is impervious to Holy Water.
• Has yellow eyes (iris and pupil).
• Possesses human hosts, but can exist in a disembodied form also, and has the ability to possess a reaper.
• Can create and manipulate fire.
• Is telekinetic, and has pinned humans to the walls and the ground using this power.
• He has the power to cause internal bleeding and grievous wounds with his mind.
• Can enter a human's subconscious; he is able to enter Sam's mind and he shows Sam what really happened to his mother.
• Displays superhuman-strength.
• Has the authority to make deals.
• Impervious to the salt barrier.

Weaknesses

• The Colt
• Iron

Names

File:Demon.jpg

Azazel beside a crib.

Names this character is known by both in fandom and canon:

• The Demon (all Winchesters refer to it thus in Season 1)
• The Yellow-Eyed Demon (Dean refers to it thus in Season 2)
• Azazel - Casey revealed the true name of the "Yellow-Eyed Demon" in Season 3

• Celine Demon (a nickname used by some fans)
• In a draft script for 2.02, Dean refers to it as the Big Bad.

Appearances

1.01 Pilot

On November, 2nd 1983, Azazel appears by Sam's crib. Mary Winchester sees him but assumes he is her husband and he lets her go, pretending to be so. However, Mary realizes John is asleep and when she does, she returns to Sam's nursery where Azazel pins her to the celling, slices open her stomach and sets her on fire. John witnesses her death, but Azazel himself is gone by that time. John, Sam and Dean escape the house as it goes up in flames and John begins a quest for vengeance on Azazel that draws him into the supernatural world.

Twenty-two years exactly after Mary's death, Sam's girlfriend Jessica Moore dies in the same way, apparently killed by Azazel, driving Sam back into hunting in order to get revenge for her death.

1.09 Home

After Sam gets a vision of a woman being attacked in their old home, Sam and Dean return to Lawrence, believing that Azazel may be behind what is going on. Talking to psychic Missouri Mosely, Sam and Dean learn that she's not sure what killed their mother, just that it was powerful and evil. She also learns that what's attacking the house now is not Azazel but a poltergeist.

1.11 Scarecrow

Contacting his sons, John Winchester lets them know that what killed their mother was a demon and that he is hunting it. John however refuses to let them join in the hunt for Azazel, telling them that it is too dangerous.

After encountering Sam, the demon Meg contacts Azazel through the Goblet of Blood. The conversation is as follows: "It makes no sense. I could’ve stopped Sam. Hell, I could’ve taken them both. Why let them go? (She pauses, seemingly listening to someone the audience cannot hear.) Yes. (She pauses again.) Yes. (She pauses one more time.) Yes, Father."

1.14 Nightmare

While talking with Max Miller, Sam learns that Azazel killed Max's mother the same way he killed Mary and Jess and realizes that they and their powers are somehow connected because of it.

1.16 Shadow

After following Meg to a warehouse, Sam finds her having a conversation with someone through the Goblet of Blood: " I don’t think you should come. (…) Because the brothers, they’re in town, I didn’t know that—(…) Yes, sir. (…) Yes, I’ll be here—waiting for you."

Sam and Dean realize that all the people who have been killed by the Daevas have been people from Lawrence, Kansas and come to believe that it means that Azazel is behind it and is in town. They call their father to let him know, but when they go after Meg, they learn that it was never Azazel and it was just a trick to lure them and their father in so she could kill him. Sam and Dean manage to escape and after reuniting with their father, learn that he is hunting Azazel and trying to find a way to kill him, not just send him back to Hell. The trap Azazel and Meg set up nearly works, but three ultimately escape.

1.20 Dead Man's Blood

John enlists Sam and Dean's help in tracking down a gun known as The Colt and eventually reveals why: the gun is said to be able to kill anything and he believes it to be the key to finally killing Azazel.

2.02 Everybody Hates a Clown

Sam and Dean have Ash set up a tracking system to find when Azazel pops up.

2.10 Hunted

Scott Carey, a young man with psychic powers, reveals to a psychiatrist that Azazel has been haunting his dreams, saying that there is a war coming and that people like him will be soldiers in the coming war. Sam, who begins looking for answers after finding out that John told Dean he will have to save Sam from becoming evil or kill him and another psychic named Ava Wilson learn of this from a recording of the session while hunter Gordon Walker learns from a demon he tortured and exorcised. Gordon thus begins hunting psychic kids to prevent this and kills Scott and tries to kill Sam and Ava.

Physical Form

File:John possessed.jpg

Azazel possessing John Winchester.

• 1.22 Devil's Trap: possesses John Winchester played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan
• 2.01 In My Time of Dying: possesses Tessa played by Lindsey McKeon
• 2.01 In My Time of Dying, 2.21 All Hell Breaks Loose: Part One, 2.22 All Hell Breaks Loose: Part Two and 6.01 Exile on Main St.: possesses a janitor played by Frederic Lehne
• 4.03 In the Beginning: possesses Samuel Campbell played by Mitch Pileggi
• 4.22 Lucifer Rising, St Mary's Convent, The Priest played by Rob LaBelle

Special Children

On the instructions of Lucifer, Azazel chose a group of Special Children to take part in war against humanity and release Lucifer from his bonds:

Azazel: I have plans Sammy, plans for you and all the children like you...

Special Children:

• Andrew (Andy) Gallagher
• Ansem Weems (Webber)
• Ava Wilson
• Jake Talley
• Lily
• Max Miller
• Rose
• Sam Winchester
• Scott Carey

Relationship with Sam Winchester

File:Samuel possessed.jpg

Azazel possessing Samuel Campbell.

While the Winchesters pursue Azazel to avenge Mary and Jess, they discover how connected Sam, his powers, and the other children are to the demon and his plans.

• A link between Sam’s powers and the YED is first suspected by the boys in 1.14 Nightmare, when Sam discovers that Max Miller’s mother dies the same way Mary Winchester did.

Sam: I mean, either telekinesis or premonitions, we both had abilities, you know? Maybe it was after us for some reason.

• In 1.22 Devil's Trap, the YED reveals that he killed Mary and Jess because they got in the way of his 'plans'…

Azazel: My plans for you, Sammy. You... and all the children like you.

• John knows “the truth” about Sam and the other children like him.
• Sam meets two other people with powers, Andy and his evil twin Ansem. Ansem reveals that a man “with yellow eyes” has visited in his dreams and revealed he has big plans for the Special Children. In this episode, Sam and Dean also discover that not all Special Children had their mother die in a fire when they were six months old.
• In 2.09 Croatoan, Sam is infected with a demon virus. This is revealed to have been an experiment engineered by the YED, when Duane Tanner contacts him on a blood goblet to report:

Duane: I don't think any more tests will be necessary... The Winchester boy, definitely immune as expected.

• The Yellow-Eyed Demon appears to Sam in a dream, and states that his plan is for the children with special powers to fight amongst themselves until the strongest is left to lead the Demon’s army. He tells Sam that he, with his leadership qualities and hunter training, is his favorite. In the same dream, YED admits to killing Jessica so Sam would go back to hunting. He then shows Sam a vision of what happened the night Mary died. Sam sees that YED fed drops of his blood to baby Sam, and that Mary knew the Demon. Sam does not tell Dean about this.
• YED says to Dean "How certain are you that what you brought back, is 100% pure Sam?" implying that might have been something done to alter Sam during his resurrection. At the end of this episode, Azazel is killed by Dean.

At this point, Sam's visions and other powers go dormant. During Season 3, they seem to have disappeared entirely; Sam states that he has had no other visions. However, in subsequent seasons, still more details about the powers and Sam's fate come to light.

• In 4.01 Lazarus Rising, Sam is shown exorcising demons with his powers, and comments to Ruby that he no longer has headaches when using them.
• In 4.03 In the Beginning, Castiel takes Dean back in time, where Dean encounters Azazel making deals with the future parents of special children. Azazel makes a deal with Mary for entry into her house in ten years time. He reveals to Dean that he will bleed into the mouths of the children, and that his plans are bigger than building a demon army.
• a flashback shows Lucifer ordering Azazel to find a "very special child" after Azazel asks how to open the cage.
• Azazel ordered Jess's death, the order was carried out by a friend of Sam's who had been possessed, Brady. Brady had been sent to keep tabs on Sam at Stanford, and in fact introduced Sam to Jess with the goal of using her to force Sam back into hunting.
• Lucifer shows Sam that many of the people he encountered as he grew up were possessed, and had been sent to observe him, like Brady.

The Demon's Children

File:Doc.Brown.jpg

Azazel possessing a doctor.

Two black-eyed demons have been referred to as Azazel's children: Meg, who appears in Seasons One, Two, Five, Six and Seven, and Tom, who appears in Season One. They assist him in keeping track of Sam, and in trying to acquire the Colt from John Winchester.

• Meg refers to Azazel as "Father" when communicating using the Goblet of blood.
• Azazel affirms the connection, calling Meg his daughter and Tom his "boy".
• They leave traces of Sulfur behind.
• They are impervious to hallowed ground ("that may work in the minor league, but not with me" - Meg, Salvation), but not to Holy Water.
• They can be exorcised; Meg is exorcised twice.
• Both Meg and Tom are restricted by the salt barrier.

Azazel in Mythology

The name Azazel first appears in the Hebrew Bible (Leviticus 16:8) - its meaning can mean "God strengthens", but also "impudent to God".

In the Book of Enoch, Azazel was described as one of the leaders of the Grigori, fallen angels who married and had children with human women.

He is said to be the principal standard-bearer of the infernal armies, and ranks quite high in the ranks of Hell's Hierarchy. He is mentioned as a fallen angel in John Milton's Paradise Lost.

In Modern Hebrew, '"lekh l'Azazel" (לך לעזאזל) is the equivalent of the English curse "go to Hell".'

In lore Azazel is known for creating acts of chaos and mischief. This information was retrieved from the Extended-Scenes on Season 4 DVD of Supernatural.

Azazel in Other Media

As a fallen angel, the entity Azazel is the villain of the 1998 thriller Fallen.

Azazel is a ruler of Hell in Neil Gaiman's Sandman series.

In 2003, Marvel Comics employed Azazel as a demonic mutant formerly imprisoned in another dimension in the distant past, intentionally impregnating powerful mutants in the world to open up a permanent portal and release his supporters. This is not unlike Supernatural's depiction, and predates the show by a year or so.

Links

• Character Analysis LiveJournal
• Meta Entry by Missyjack
• Azazel on Wikipedia