Changes

Michael sees himself as a good and loyal son to his father, and that matters most to him. He professes Despite his love for [[Lucifer]], his younger brother, but Michael insists that he is only serving his father by destroying his brother. He seems to think himself magnanimous when he promises to leave [[Dean]] whole and not catatonic, after serving as a [[vessel]]and by erasing John and Mary Winchester's memories of their ordeal with Anna.<ref name="five13" />

His insistence that his actions only serve [[God]] is not entirely true, as he blames Lucifer for the loss of their father, and is angry with him. He also becomes furious with anyone who interferes with his destiny, including [[Anna Milton]], and Dean at [[Stull Cemetery]]. When Lucifer suggested that they refuse to fight and "walk off the chessboard" Michael considered abandoning his destiny for a moment, before staying steadfast in his resolve to fight Lucifer. It is this stubborn insistence on fulfilling his story as written that lead him into imprisonment in [[Lucifer's Cage|the Cage]].<ref name="five13" /><ref name="five22" /> Michael's relationship with Lucifer is stated to mirror that of Sam and Dean's. While talking with Dean, Michael professes love for Lucifer, even after all that his brother has done, having raised his younger sibling much like Dean raised Sam and even admits that killing Lucifer would be hard for him.<ref name="five13" /> Despite his anger at Lucifer, when they meet again in Stull Cemetery, Michael admits to being genuinely glad to see his brother again in a softer moment before he and Lucifer prepare to engage in battle. The formerly close relationship between the two can be seen by Lucifer's furious reaction to Castiel's subsequent attack on Michael with holy fire.<ref name="five22" /> However, despite this, at some point Michael created the [[Lance of Michael]], a weapon he intended to kill Lucifer slowly and painfully.<ref name="twelve12" /> After his escape from Hell, Michael only truly snaps when Castiel accuses Lucifer of being the smarter of the two archangels for knowing that God can't be trusted, using Lucifer against Michael.<ref name="fifteen08" /> Though Michael cares about humanity in general, he was willing to potentially sacrifice half of the population of the world to defeat Lucifer like he believed God wanted. When talking to [[Zachariah]] about his final plan to get Dean to say "yes," Michael showed little care for the humans who died in the bar Zachariah was drinking in as a result of Michael appearing in his true form.<ref name="five18" /> However, after a diner full of people witnessed Michael smite Lilith, he simply erased their memories of the incident rather than take more drastic measures.<ref name="fifteen08" />

Following his escape from the Cage, Michael is left directionless and unsure of his place in the world. Having reached an agreement with his [[vessel]] [[Adam Milligan]], Michael is willing to share control with him and use Adam as a guide in the world. However, he remains as stubborn as ever, refusing to accept the truth about his father. When pushed by Adam, Michael admits that if he doubts God, he feels it would be a betrayal of all that he is. Michael's refusal to hear the truth goes so far as Michael behaving like a petulant child and relinquishing control to Adam just so that he didn't have to listen to it. After seeing Castiel's memories of his father and learning that he is not the only Michael as he had believed, Michael becomes disillusioned with his father and provides the means to trap God. However, he refuses to help further, not wanting to be directly involved in fighting his father.<ref name="fifteen08" /> Due to his time in the Cage alone with [[Adam Milligan]], Michael has developed a unique relationship with his [[vessel]] for an angel. Whereas most angels and archangels in particular only view and use their vessels as tools to manifest on Earth and don't appear to think of them as anything more than that, Michael has begun actively engaging with Adam, even on Earth. Having reached an agreement with each other in the Cage where all they had was each other, Michael is willing to share control with Adam. Michael states an intention to use Adam as a guide in the changed world where they are both adrift, having been gone for so long that neither Adam nor Michael truly know what to do with themselves anymore. Michael appears to have become protective over his vessel, angry at Dean for abandoning Adam in the Cage while letting Lucifer go free and Michael and Adam even appear to have become friends. Notably, Adam is able to argue with Michael fearlessly who responds back with more sincerity than he showed with anyone else, even opening up to Adam about his fears that doubting God would mean Michael betraying everything he has been and believed in.<ref name="fifteen08" /> Like most angels, Michael has an extremely low view of demons. When encountering Lilith, whom he had previously worked with to bring about the Apocalypse, Michael is incredulous at the idea that God would send "a speck of infernal bile" to retrieve him and smites Lilith when she gets on his nerves too much.<ref name="fifteen08" />