Gadreel
 
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| Name | Gadreel Ezekiel |
| Actor | Tahmoh Penikett (9.01) Jared Padalecki |
| Dates | |
| Location | |
| Occupation | Angel |
| Episode(s) | 9.01 I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here 9.02 Devil May Care (as Sam) 9.03 I'm No Angel (as Sam) 9.04 Slumber Party (as Sam) 9.05 Dog Dean Afternoon (as Sam) 9.08 Rock and a Hard Place (as Sam) 9.09 Holy Terror (as Sam) |
It broke His heart to lock you away, you know. You were God's most trusted, that's why he chose you to protect the Garden. Your one task was to keep evil from entering, from befouling his cherished creation mankind and you failed it.
Contents
History
Gadreel is an angel who according to Metatron was God's most trusted, which lead to him being chosen to protect the Garden, and keep evil from entering it. Gadreel somehow failed in his task, and allowed the Earth to be cursed with evil, for which he was blamed and locked-up for thousands of years in Heaven's darkest dungeon. He was freed from his imprisonment by Metatron when he expelled all the angels from Heaven in an act of revenge.
Once on Earth, Gadreel responds to Dean's call for help, under the guise of the angel Ezekiel, to help Sam who is dying after the trials. He tells Dean the only way for him, in his weakened state, to heal Sam is to take him as a vessel, allowing himself to heal in the process. With Dean's help, he obtains Sam's consent to this, although Dean knows Sam would strongly oppose this course of action. To avoid Sam rejecting Ezekiel, and possibly dying, Dean agrees to keep the possession from Sam.
Gadreel can at times take over Sam, act through him and converse with Dean, all without Sam's knowledge. When he manifests, Sam's eyes glow white. When Gadreel uses his powers, an image of his broken wings can be seen behind him. While his angelic powers are reputedly damaged, he has resurrected Castiel and Charlie, although he tells Dean this has weakened him and will prolong the time he needs to remain in Sam in order to heal him. He demands that Dean keep Castiel away, claiming it will draw other angels to them who may disrupt his healing of Sam.
Episodes
9.01 I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here
When Dean prays for any angels in the area for help in saving Sam, Gadreel who has taken a vessel and is traveling by bus, comes to help and confronts another angel who is trying to get the location of Castiel out of Dean. Gadreel has been injured falling to Earth and is no match for the other angel, but Dean kills the angel with his own sword and saves Gadreel who passes out.
While he's unconscious, Dean traps Gadreel in a ring of holy fire and demands answers about why he has come. Gadreel claims his name is "Ezekiel" reveals that he has come to help Dean in response to his prayer, but other, less friendly angels are also coming.
Dean releases "Ezekiel" who goes with him to Sam's hospital room to try to heal him. However, both "Ezekiel" and Sam are weak and he is unable to heal Sam right away. As he tries, the building shakes and Ezekiel is able to identify it as an angel coming without a vessel. As Sam is unable to leave without dying, Dean puts up angel-warding that keeps other angels out but lets "Ezekiel" stay and then leaves to confront the two angels that arrive while "Ezekiel" continues his efforts to heal Sam. Dean manages to banish the other two angels just before they breach the room, but Sam is too weak for "Ezekiel" to heal even when Dean takes down the warding. "Ezekiel" offers a solution: if he possesses Sam, his ability to heal his vessel will fix the damage Sam endured from the Trials while also allowing him to heal himself of his own injuries. After "Ezekiel" shows Dean how close Sam is to giving up, he agrees and Ezekiel enters Sam's mind in Dean's form and gets him to say yes to "Dean's" plan to save him, allowing "Ezekiel" to take Sam as a vessel.
After "Ezekiel" possesses Sam, he and Dean leave the hospital, leaving Ezekiel's confused vessel behind. Ezekiel and Dean decide to have "Ezekiel" let Sam remain in control with no knowledge of "Ezekiel's" presence as if Sam rejects him, in his weakened state "Ezekiel" could be ejected from his body which would be fatal to Sam. "Ezekiel" also erases all memory of his near-death experience from Sam before relinquishing control.
9.02 Devil May Care
When Sam is in trouble from three demons and is knocked out, "Ezekiel" takes control of his body and distracts the demons by displaying his wings before preceding to kill them with Ruby's knife. His presence causes Abaddon to flee, saving Dean. When Dean comes to see what happened, "Ezekiel" reveals he took control to save Sam who will remember none of what happened and that he used the knife so Dean could explain away the demon deaths. Dean reveals to "Ezekiel" (who he gives the nickname Zeke) that he feels guilty for all of the deaths that have been caused as he stopped Sam from sealing Hell, but "Ezekiel" understands that Dean did it out of love for Sam after being in Sam's mind. "Ezekiel" returns to the place Sam was in when he was knocked out and then returns control to Sam who as "Ezekiel" promised, has no memory of what happened.
9.03 I'm No Angel
Ezekiel takes control of Sam, assuring Dean that Sam is in fact feeling better and telling him that while its happening slowly, he is healing Sam. "Ezekiel" warns that a new faction of angels led by Bartholomew is actively taking vessels and searching for Castiel. While Dean appreciates "Ezekiel's" heads-up, he has him give back control to Sam.
Desperate to find Castiel after learning that rogue reapers are now after him, Dean calls on Ezekiel for help. "Ezekiel" admonishes him, telling him he can't be in control like that and that he can't sense Castiel as he has warded himself from angels. Dean asks him to use his powers to search for the reapers searching for Castiel and Ezekiel is able to find him that way.
After Castiel is killed by the reaper possessing April Kelly, "Ezekiel" resurrects him and Dean covers it up by claiming Sam was knocked out and he tricked the reaper into bringing Castiel back before killing her.
At the Bunker, Ezekiel takes control once again to tell Dean that Castiel must leave as he is too dangerous to have around with the angels searching for him. Even with the Bunker's protections, Ezekiel warns that they will not be able to survive a full incursion of angels and that if Castiel doesn't leave, he must leave Sam and flee. As Sam will die if this happens, Dean is forced to tell Castiel to leave.
9.04 Slumber Party
When Charlie Bradbury is killed by the Wicked Witch of the West, Dean asks "Ezekiel" to resurrect her. "Ezekiel" tells Dean that he is only barely back to half-strength and using his powers like that weakens him and will force him to stay in Sam longer than either wants. However, "Ezekiel"relents, telling Dean he can either help with the Witch or bring back Charlie and Dean chooses Charlie. "Ezekiel" resurrects Charlie and Dean passes it off as both Sam and Charlie getting knocked out by the Witch while he drove her off. Charlie later learns the truth about her resurrection, but agrees to keep it a secret from Sam, preventing him from learning about Ezekiel though he is now suspicious as he heard Dean call out to "Zeke" before "Ezekiel" took control.
9.05 Dog Dean Afternoon
After Sam receives a severe neck wound from Chef Leo, "Ezekiel" briefly takes over to heal the wound, and erases Sam's memory of it.
9.08 Rock and a Hard Place
Dean nearly tells Sam the truth, but "Ezekiel" takes control and insists he is not ready to know and that he Sam is still too badly damaged to survive if "Ezekiel" is ejected. "Ezekiel" promises it won't be much longer and returns control to Sam.
9.09 Holy Terror
Metatron speaks to the angel in Sam's body, revealing that he knows the angel possessing Sam is not Ezekiel, but Gadreel. Metatron tells Gadreel he plans to rebuild Heaven and restore it to its former glory. He invites Gadreel to be his second in command, and restore his besmirched name. Gadreel agrees, but Metatron demands a demonstration of his loyalty. He wants those who could oppose him killed, and gives Gadreel a piece of paper with the first target. Gadreel takes on the challenge - and kills Kevin Tran.
While Castiel is being tortured by Malachi, he learns that Ezekiel was one of the angels who was killed during the angel's expulsion from Heaven. After he escapes, Cas passes this information onto Dean. While not knowing who is possessing Sam, Dean decides he must be expelled. He asks Kevin for a spell that will help him speak to a person, while repressing the angel possessing them, although without revealing the real reason why. Kevin finds a blood spell using the angel tablet and a Men of Letters book, and helps Dean set up the sigil that activates the spell in the store-room. Dean gets Sam into the room, and casts the spell. He tells Sam about the possession and that he must eject the angel. However Gadreel was aware of Dean's plan and altered the sigil. Knowing that Dean plans to get rid of him, he punches Dean, briefly knocking him out. He then finds Kevin in the main bunker room and despite Dean's intervention, he kills Kevin and leaves with the angel tablet.
Gadreel in Lore
Gadreel (also known as Gadriel and Gael) was one of the chief fallen watcher angels. It is believed that Gadreel not Satan was the one to seduce Eve with knowledge. Some other theories include that he fathered Cain with Eve, taught mankind the art of warfare, and introduced witchcraft to humanity.
Trivia
- Because the second episode of season nine was shot first, Jared had to develop the character of Ezekiel/Gadreel before Tahmoh Penikett (who plays Ezekiel in 9.01 I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here) was cast.
- The fandom portmanteau to describe Ezekiel when he is possessing Sam is Sazekiel.
Ezekiel in Fandom
- @TheAngelEzekiel Ezekiel role play on Twitter
