Raphael
 
| |
| Name | Raphael |
| Actor | Demore Barnes (5.03, 6.03, & 6.20) Lanette Ware (6.15 & 6.22) |
| Dates | Pre-creation - 2012 (killed by Castiel) |
| Location | |
| Occupation | Archangel |
| Episode(s) | 5.03 Free to Be You and Me 6.03 The Third Man 6.15 The French Mistake 6.20 The Man Who Would Be King 6.22 The Man Who Knew Too Much |
You rebelled - against God, heaven, and me. Now you will atone. We'll start by freeing Lucifer and Michael from their cage. And then we'll get our show back on the road.
– Raphael, 6.20 The Man Who Would Be King
Contents
History
Raphael is the third of the four archangels created by God and the youngest brother of Michael and Lucifer, and the older brother of Gabriel. Raphael, his brothers, and God fought in a war against the Darkness, eventually winning by having the Darkness imprisoned through a Mark and preserving the Cosmic Balance. He is the only archangel who never interacted with Lucifer while on Earth in a vessel; although, as brothers, interactions between them did take place in Heaven.
When God created humans and asked all angels to bow down before them, Raphael was among those that did so. When Lucifer rebelled against God and Gabriel skipped out of Heaven to be on Earth, Raphael chose to side with God and Michael. However, at some point, Raphael lost faith in God and became weary of his father's duties. He also believed that God was dead and that they were living in a God-less universe.
Raphael is first referenced when Sam and Dean investigate a case where people claim angels ordered them to kill. Father Reynolds, while administering last rites to Father Gregory's spirit, says "I call upon the archangel Raphael, master of the air, to make open the way. Let the fire of the Holy Spirit now descend, that this being might be awakened to the world beyond."[1]
Raphael was also the protector of the prophet Chuck Shurley. He supported the plan to bring on the Apocalypse so that Michael could defeat Lucifer, and killed Castiel when the angel tried to stop the breaking of the last seal. After Lucifer's release from the Cage, Raphael descended to Earth and possessed his vessel, Donnie Finnerman, to end a conflict between angels and demons near a gas station in Maine. After he finished with the demons he abandoned his vessel and ascended back to Heaven, leaving Donnie in a near catatonic state.
Following the imprisonment of Lucifer and Michael in the Cage, Raphael became the leader of a group of traditionalist angels intent on restarting the Apocalypse, and were opposed by a group led by Castiel. Part of Raphael's strategy involves gathering the angelic weapons stolen from Heaven to strengthen his army. He encounters a setback when Donnie Finnerman's body is destroyed by Balthazar using Lot's Salt, necessitating the search for a new vessel. He last appears in an unidentified female vessel racing to find Heaven's weapon's cache before Castiel, sending an angel named Virgil after Balthazar, who stole the weapons.
Characteristics
Personality
Raphael is a serious, traditionally minded angel who has lost faith in God and is weary of his duties. He supports Michael and the plan to bring paradise to Earth. He has little patience with humans.
Powers and abilities
- Destroy or overpower lesser angels.[2][3]
- Teleport himself and others to any location.[4]
- Use telekinesis and terrakinesis.[5][4]
- Control electricity; while manifesting, electricity arced around his vessel.[4]
- Destroy structures, other beings like demons and humans, and hurt angels, in the form of a blast of white light.[4][3]
- Protect demons from being killed by other angels[6]
- Can time travel. He sent Castiel back in time, by "kicking him into next week."
Weaknesses
- Holy fire can bind Raphael to a fixed location.[4]
- An archangel blade can kill Raphael.
- Weapons of Heaven can harm and possibly kill Raphael. One of the weapons Lot's Salt, turned Raphael's vessel into a pile of salt, destroying it.[2]
- Other archangels can harm and kill Raphael.
- Souls, when used in vast quantities, can harm Raphael to a serious degree.[3][6]
Episodes
4.18 The Monster at the End of This Book
Raphael prepares to attack when Lilith is in Chuck's presence, shaking the room until Lilith flees.
4.22 Lucifer Rising
Raphael obliterates Castiel and his vessel after he rebels against Heaven by banishing Zachariah and sending Dean to stop Sam from killing Lilith.
5.03 Free to Be You and Me
Raphael possessed his vessel, Donnie Finnerman, during a demon induced riot at a Pump 'n Go gas station called in Maine. The damage caused by Raphael was attributed to an explosion, and the incident was witnessed by Deputy Framingham. Raphael abandoned Donnie, who was left in a catatonic state, and returned to Heaven. Raphael returns to Earth and his vessel to confront Castiel and Dean, who attempted to summon him. He manifests in the abandoned building they are hiding in, shorting out the electricity and possibly the Eastern Seaboard. He threatens to take Dean to Michael, and to torture him, but Dean and Castiel trick him into a circle of holy oil, trapping him.
They interrogate him to learn God's location. Raphael tells Dean and Castiel that God is dead, and that the Heavenly hosts are tired of waiting with duties to fulfill and no guidelines. They want to bring forth paradise on Earth. Raphael brings about a storm that shatters the windows of the house. Castiel does not believe Raphael's assertion about God, and demands to know how he was resurrected, if not by God. Raphael suggests that it was Lucifer, because he needs all the rebellious angels that he can find. Castiel and Dean then leave Raphael, who warns the other angel not to leave him there, because he will catch up with him one day. Castiel replies, "Maybe one day. But today, you're my little bitch!"
6.03 The Third Man
Sam and Dean investigate the deaths of three cops which mirror Egyptian plagues. Dean has summons Castiel, and they discover that a boy has been using part of the Staff of Moses. Castiel later tells Sam and Dean that Heaven has been thrown into chaos without Michael, with angels going rogue, celestial killings, and the theft of their weapons. He also warns them that Raphael is back and trying to gain all of Heaven's weapons so that he can win the civil war against Castiel, then release Lucifer and Michael, putting the apocalypse back on track. When asked why, Castiel simply calls Raphael a "traditionalist" who wants "to end the story the way it was written." A soldier of Raphael attacks Castiel, then returns to his leader.
Raphael and his soldiers track down Balthazar, the angel who stole the weapons and sold part of the Staff of Moses, looking for the other weapons. Sam and Dean banish one of Raphael's soldiers with the angel banishing sigil and Castiel kills one with an angel blade. Raphael then appears behind Castiel and attacks him mercilessly. Just as Raphael is about to kill Castiel, Balthazar appears and turns Raphael's vessel into a pillar of salt using Lot's Salt, forcing Raphael to look for a new vessel.
6.15 The French Mistake
Sam and Dean are given a key by Balthazar that supposedly opens the repository containing Heaven's weapons and are transported to an alternate reality to protect them from Raphael, who has started to hunt them down. Raphael sends Virgil after them. When the Winchesters are transported back to their universe, they are greeted by Raphael in a new female vessel. Balthazar then appears and tells Raphael that the key given to Sam and Dean was a decoy. Castiel, now in possession of Heaven's weapons, also appears and threatens Raphael, who disappears.
6.20 The Man Who Would Be King
In flashback, Castiel remembers his first encounter with Raphael after the Apocalypse was averted. Raphael is ensconced in a palatial house - apparently part of the Heaven of disgraced Enron executive Ken Lay.
Raphael informs Castiel he will call an assembly of the Host of Heaven, at which he will ask Castiel to pledge his allegiance to Raphael. He announces that he will proceed to free Michael and Lucifer from the Cage and resume their Apocalyptic battle.
After Castiel makes his deal with Crowley, he returns to Heaven, and with the power of an extra 50,000 souls obtained from Hell is able to make his first stand against Raphael.
6.22 The Man Who Knew Too Much
Raphael forms an alliance with Crowley after Castiel has betrayed Crowley in their search for Purgatory. Castiel, who is outnumbered, is forced to give them the blood of a creature from Purgatory which is required to obtain all the souls from it. When the spell fails, Castiel returns revealing the blood was fake and that he has the souls and their power. With his power, he obliterates Raphael with the snap of his fingers.
 Raphael is killed by Castiel, with a snap of his fingers. |
11.10 The Devil in the Details
When trying to convince Sam to consent to possession once more, Lucifer tells him that he is the only archangel capable of helping him as Gabriel and Raphael are dead and Michael has gone insane from his time in the Cage and God was still MIA.
11.22 We Happy Few
When the Winchesters, Chuck and Lucifer try to formulate a plan of attack against Amara, the suggestion of bringing in the other archangels is shot down by God, who claims that Michael is in no condition to fight and that it is out of His power to bring back Gabriel and Raphael, as archangels are made of pure primordial creation, and to resurrect them would take time that they do not have.
Raphael in Lore
Raphael's name means "God Heals." In multiple interpretations, including the Book of Enoch, Raphael was responsible for binding Azazel to a clear, deserted landscape. He was also mentioned in the Book of Tobit, although he was never mentioned in the Holy Bible. In the Tobit, Raphael healed Tobit of his blindness and delivered Tobit's daughter, Sarah, from Asmodeus.
In Islam, Raphael is the archangel who sounds the start of Judgment Day. To Roman Catholics, Raphael (venerated as Saint Raphael) is the patron saint of doctors, medical workers and travelers.
See also
Raphael in Fandom
- @1LastArchangel - Raphael on Twitter
