The Darkness

Name	The Darkness
Actor	Emily Swallow
Dates	Before creation
Location	Reno, Nevada
Occupation	Celestial Deity Cosmic Embodiment of Darkness Destructive Amoral Force
Episode(s)	10.23 Brother's Keeper 11.01 Out of the Darkness, Into the Fire 11.02 Form and Void 11.03 The Bad Seed 11.05 Thin Lizzie 11.06 Our Little World 11.09 O Brother Where Art Thou? 11.10 The Devil in the Details 11.18 Hell's Angel 11.20 Don't Call Me Shurley 11.21 All in the Family 11.22 We Happy Few 11.23 Alpha and Omega 15.02 Raising Hell

The truth? Ha. It would make the Bible thumpers' heads explode. I mean, they want their God to be a finger-snapping all-powerful creator. You know? And they want magic. Mary Poppins. But what he did... Creation. That took work, took sacrifice. In order to create the world, God had to give up the only thing He'd ever known. He had to betray and sacrifice His only kin. The Darkness -- His sister. – Metatron, 11.06 Our Little World

History

The Darkness is a destructive and amoral force that existed alongside her brother -- God -- in the beginning. When God decided to implement Creation, He along with the archangels sacrificed the Darkness, tricking it into being locked away in a prison rather than destroying her and causing a disruption in the Cosmic Balance. To serve as the lock and key to this cage, God created a Mark, and gave it to his most trusted lieutenant -- Lucifer. The Mark eventually began to assert a will of its own, and began to corrupt Lucifer, which amplified his eventual contempt for humanity, and led to his fall. Lucifer passed the Mark on to Cain, who in turn passed it on to Dean Winchester. To remove the Mark of Cain without having passed it on to another would break the lock and unleash the Darkness back into the universe.

After being released, Amara appears as the Darkness incarnate, bearing the Mark on her shoulder. Amara first manifests as a grown woman to Dean Winchester, before she is physically born as an infant. Over time, the infant Amara grows quickly with the consumption of human souls, gaining sustenance as well from consuming demons and angelic grace.

Characteristics

Before there was light, before there was God and the archangels there wasn't nothing, there was the Darkness. A horribly destructive amoral force that was beaten back by God and His archangels in a terrible war. God locked the Darkness away where it could do no harm, and he created a Mark that would serve as both lock and key, which He entrusted to His most valued lieutenant -- Lucifer. But the Mark began to assert its own will, revealed itself as a curse and began to corrupt. Lucifer became jealous of man, God banished Lucifer to Hell, Lucifer passed the Mark to Cain, who passed the Mark to you -- the proverbial finger in the dike. – Death, 10.23 Brother's Keeper

Castiel describes the Darkness' power level as near infinite, and she describes herself as more powerful than God. In fact, she is so powerful that her brother couldn't defeat her without the archangels, and their combined power was barely enough to seal her away, only succeeding by tricking her. Even weakened after a combined attack from witches, demons, angels, and Lucifer, she manages to overpower and fatally wound God, while keeping Lucifer at bay.

Power and abilities

• Angelic exorcism – Amara was able to pull Lucifer from Castiel's vessel. While Lucifer survived, the exorcism left him severely weakened.
• Apporting – She was able to teleport Dean out of the Impala without a word. Later, she apported him from a city to the countryside and back. She was also able to apport her dying brother to her location.
• Healing – After reconciling with Chuck, Amara was able to heal the damage her powers did to Him without any difficulty.
• Implosion – After Metatron failed to harm her with a banishing sigil, Amara imploded him into nothingness by surrounding him with darkness.
• Electrokinesis – She tortured Lucifer with powerful electricity that burned his face.
• Mental projection – Amara was able to project an image of herself and Lucifer into Dean's mind to pass a message to God and later to ask Dean to meet with her. She was also able to project a vision of herself in her grown form surrounded by her smoke form into Dean's mind to communicate with him after her release.
• Power negation – Amara was able to negate Lucifer's hold over the Winchesters.
• Regeneration – Amara has shown a healing factor. When she was wounded by a massive angelic attack, she absorbed an angel's grace and life force and took help from Rowena in order to restore her strength.
• Resurrection – As a "thank you" for Dean helping her, Amara resurrected Mary Winchester. She was able to do this with no apparent effort despite Mary being dead for over thirty years and having left no body behind.
• Sedation – The Darkness is capable of rendering anyone unconscious with a gesture.
• Smiting – Just by raising her hand, the Darkness was able to kill an angel with a similar effect to an angel blade, as well as causing an angel to explode into dust.
• Soul and grace consumption – After she was released, the Darkness started devouring human souls in order to heal and restore her former power. In her human form, she ate Deputy Jenna Nickerson's soul which made her grow into a little girl and later a preteen girl. She consumed many souls (including demon smoke) until her body reached adulthood. It's revealed that she can also consume the grace of angels, as she consumed Ambriel's grace, and restored some of her weakened power.
• Super strength – The Darkness was easily able to throw a grown man with enough force to kill him. The Darkness also blocked an attack from Castiel with ease and threw him several feet away with barely touching him.
• Telekinesis – In the form of Amara, the Darkness displayed telekinesis. She forced an angel to kill himself with his angel blade and even overpowered God.
• Teleportation – The Darkness is capable of teleporting herself anywhere in existence.
• Warding – While God could hide Himself from Amara, she also was able to hide herself from God. However, Donatello Redfield was able to sense both of their presences.
• Weather manipulation – As the Darkness expanded on Earth, she caused powerful winds. She also created a deadly lighting storm with her mind that burned people to charred skeletons and released a fog that turned people rabid.

Weaknesses

• Combined angelic smiting – The combined forces of Heaven unleashing their power can weaken Amara.
• Combined magical attack – Witches focusing their power can temporarily weaken her.
• God – God is able to kill the Darkness. Chuck killing Amara, or vice versa, comes with a consequence of destroying all of Creation as Amara's existence is necessary and provides balance to reality. As God put it, "Light needs Dark" and "Dark needs Light." If she were to be killed, reality itself would end. However, it was said that if both God and the Darkness were to die, a new balance would be established.
• Light – According to God, a massive amount of light equivalent to 10,000 suns going supernova at once could potentially destroy the Darkness.
• Lucifer's Spear – After a combined attack of angels, witches, and demons it was capable of harming her vessel to the point of her admitting defeat.
• Mark of Cain – The Mark of Cain was the lock and key to the prison that held the Darkness back. As long as someone bore the Mark, the Darkness would remain sealed away. Amara has displayed a great fear of the Mark, claiming that she would rather finally die than be imprisoned again.
• Soul Bomb – A bomb made up of a couple hundred thousand souls could theoretically emit enough light to destroy the Darkness.

Episodes

The Darkness' arrival, signaled by red bolts of lightning.

10.23 Brother's Keeper

When Sam and Dean exit the bar after the Mark of Cain was removed, Sam comments that nothing bad has happened when suddenly there is a loud clap of thunder, as red lightning streaks across the clouds above them, and strikes the ground surrounding them. The earth begins to shake and from the flaming holes caused by the lightning strikes, black pillars of smoke stream down and converge in field. As the Darkness becomes bigger and bigger, Sam and Dean attempt to escape in the Impala, but they get stuck in a pot hole. As Dean attempts to get the Impala free, the Darkness barrels towards them, engulfing the Impala and the area surrounding it.

11.01 Out of the Darkness, Into the Fire

A group of "rabids," infected by the Darkness, descend upon Sam.

As the Darkness barrels towards and engulfs the Impala, Dean sees the flash of a woman in a black dress in front of him before he disappears, and Sam is knocked unconscious. As black smoke swirls around them, Dean tells this manifestation of the Darkness - Amara - he knows what she is from Death's description of her. Amara is surprised Dean knows about the Darkness, but claims to know nothing of Death. When Dean asks her why she hasn't hurt him, Amara tells him that they are bound and will always help each other, revealing that she bears the Mark of Cain. Dean comes to more than a mile away from the Impala.

After the brothers come to, they soon learn that the black smoke that was released has caused people to go "rabid" in the town of Superior. With black tendrils on their necks and heads, the infected are filled with a murderous rage, and will attack anyone that is not also "rabid." However, Sam discovers that the bodies will eventually burn out, causes the infected to drop dead.

While at the hospital tending to Deputy Jenna Nickerson's wounds, Sam and Dean come across Mike Schneider, who was infected by one of the rabids. Before he begins to lose control of himself, he gives his baby daughter to Jenna, and tells her to save her while he goes to lock himself away and eventually die. While Sam acts as a distraction to the rabids, Dean and Jenna make their escape from the hospital, Mike confronts them, having fully succumbed to the Darkness, and begins asking for the baby. He names his daughter Amara before he begins choking and eventually dies. At a gas station 40 miles outside of Superior, Jenna takes baby Amara to have her diaper changed. As she is dressing the baby back up she notices a tiny birth mark on her body -- the Mark of Cain.

Sam cures himself with holy fire.

11.02 Form and Void

Sam begins his search for a cure to the Darkness infection by capturing a rabid named George to find any information on the condition, only learning that the rate of infection is random before George succumbs to it. After a run in with the reaper Billie, who tells Sam he is dying, in a moment of desperation Sam goes to the hospital chapel and prays to God for a sign, which he receives in a vision of himself being tortured. As the infection starts to consume him, Sam remembers what Billie said about him being "unclean in a biblical sense" and searches online for information on biblical purification. Sam learns that holy fire can be used for such a purification and uses a sponge doused in holy oil and set aflame on himself. The infection is painfully burned away, curing Sam. Now with a viable cure, Sam lures three rabids into the hospital chapel and traps them in a ring of holy fire. The holy fire cures the three and they set out to cure the surviving rabids in Superior.

At Jenna's grandmother's house, Amara begins exhibiting new abilities such as telekinesis. When Jenna and her grandmother Barb witness this, Barb intends to call a priest as she believes the Devil is in Amara. Jenna, however, calls Dean, prompting him to turn around and race back to the house. When he arrives he is shocked to see Crowley drinking tea in priest garb with Barb. While the two step outside to discuss Crowley's intentions, Jenna checks in on Amara and has her soul consumed. While Dean and Crowley deal with the now-soulless Jenna, and each other. Amara suddenly ages into a prepubescent child, and makes her escape from the house.

The next day as Amara is walking down the street, she is confronted by Crowley who offers her some "candy" in the form of a tied up family in the back of a van. She accepts the offer with a smile.

11.03 The Bad Seed

While looking at images of nature, Amara steps away from her laptop and stands in front of a mirror, where a dark cloud transforms her reflection into the adult version of herself. When Amara infers doubt after learning how much God did after He locked her up, her older self tells her that it was all because of His ego, and it does not excuse what he did to them. Her reflection tells her she needs to stay focused on her purpose, and that as she grows and becomes stronger, her true purpose will become more clear. Amara will become what she is, and find that she is "mightier than God."

11.04 Baby

Dean learns that even the monsters are afraid of the coming Darkness, when the nachzehrer Deputy Donelly reveals that he has begun turning people to build up an army to buy as much time as possible before the Darkness comes for them all.

11.05 Thin Lizzie

Amara has been venturing out on her own in Fall River, Massachusetts. Outside a bar, she comes across Sydney and advises her against driving drunk. When Sydney tries to help the young Amara by taking her inside to wait while they find her parents, Amara instead tells Sydney she is going to help her. Amara takes hold of one of Sydney's hands and Sydney suddenly smiles and laughs at Amara's mere touch. When Sydney compares Amara to an angel, Amara's demeanor suddenly changes and she proceeds to consume Sydney's soul.

Sometime later outside of the Lizzie Borden B&B, Len Fletcher comes across Amara lurking by a window. They briefly talk about Lizzie Borden and when Len decides speaking to an underage girl outside in the dark is inappropriate and decides to leave, Amara stops him and grabs hold of his face and consumes his soul.

11.07 Plush

Sam reveals to Dean that none of the pre-Biblical lore that Castiel could find even mentions the Darkness.

11.08 Just My Imagination

Sully reveals to Sam that the zannas are aware of the Darkness's presence on the Earth, though he admits he is not sure what it is exactly.

11.09 O Brother Where Art Thou?

Searching for God, a now-adult Amara comes across a street preacher and his flock. She shows off her full range of powers first by turning the water in a fountain into blood, then killing the the preacher and his congregation with lightning strikes.

While speaking with Dean, the two are suddenly confronted by a trio of angels demanding that Amara give herself up. Amara proceeds to kill the angels with simple gestures -- she smites the Head Angel, forces another to stab himself with an angel blade through the head, and simply disintegrates the third.

11.10 The Devil in the Details

After the angels unleash the full might of Heaven on Amara, a darkness envelopes the area for several miles from ground zero. When Castiel and the angel Ambriel go searching for any signs of the Darkness, Ambriel splits off from Castiel and finds Amara's seemingly lifeless body lying on the forest floor. When she goes to check on it, Amara's eyes open and without warning she grabs Ambriel, who lets out a scream. Hearing this, Castiel rushes to the source, only to find Amara consuming Ambriel's grace, which causes the enveloping darkness to dissipate from the sky and return to Amara's body.

A cloud of Darkness barrels through Heaven.

11.15 Beyond the Mat

According the crossroads demon Duke, with the Darkness out and Lucifer running Hell, some demons have gone into business for themselves for survival.

11.16 Safe House

A soul eater tells Sam that Dean wants to go to the Darkness, and that it can protect him and Dean forever from it, if Sam just comes to its nest.

11.18 Hell's Angel

After being healed by Rowena, Amara decides to test out her abilities. She begins by screaming the words "Hear Me!" which shakes the earth and sends a powerful force of Darkness to Heaven as a warning.

Amara's fog enters Hope Springs, Idaho.

11.20 Don't Call Me Shurley

Amara unleashes a fog in Hope Springs, Idaho. Deputy Jan Harris is one of the first to be infected by it. Once going rabid, she shoots her husband's head off with her shotgun. When she attempts to kill herself afterwards she is stopped by Amara. Deputy Harris returns to the Sheriff's Department and delivers a message to Dean from Amara, whose words have been echoing in her head since going rabid. She tells Dean that Amara is showing them the truth, that the Light was just a lie. She raises her gun and is quickly shot down by Sheriff Macready. With her dying breath she tells Dean that, "It will all be over soon. He's not gonna save them. It's all going away... forever. But not you, Dean." Soon after, the fog begins rolling into the town. Sam and Dean get as many people into the Sheriff's Department they can, and watch helplessly as the townspeople still on the street become infected and begin laying siege to the building. Sam and Dean try to secure the building by sealing the windows and vents, but the fog is able to push through and enter through a vent. As Dean attempts to get the people into another room and seal the door, a brick flies through the window, pouring fog into the room and infecting Sam. When Dean sees Sam succumbing to the fog, he stops and rushes to him and tries to comfort him. Believing that all hope is lost, Dean chooses to stay with Sam and takes a deep breath of the fog, but does not change. Dean then notices a light emanating from Sam's pocket. He reaches in and finds his amulet, glowing brightly. He soon notices the Sam has been cured of his infection, as have the townspeople as they exit the building.

11.21 All in the Family

Amara attacks Chuck.

Amara unleashes her fog into the city of Lewis, Oklahoma, killing all residents save for one, Donatello Redfield, who was activated as prophet upon coming into contact with Amara's power.

11.22 We Happy Few

A defeated Amara asks Chuck to "finish it" and kill her. Amara soon realizes that her brother intends to lock her away once again. As the Mark begins to burn away from her body and appear on Sam's arm, Amara's survival instincts kick back in. She grabs Chuck by the throat and she sends Him telekinetically in the air, stopping the transfer. Lucifer charges her, but is knocked back and pulled out of his vessel and sent away. Pillars of Darkness then come from Amara's body like tentacles and begin piercing Chuck, causing Him to become engulfed in white light before dropping to the ground. As Dean questions what Amara has done, Sam believes she has killed God. Amara corrects Sam and tells him that she didn't kill Him, but that He is dying, and that He will dim and fade away into nothing, but not before He watches His creation turn to ash. She welcomes the Winchesters to the end.

11.23 Alpha and Omega

Amara, realizing that killing Chuck has brought a terminal disruption in the Cosmic Balance, sits in a park staring blankly. Dean is teleported to Amara's location to detonate the "soul bomb" to kill her and restore the balance. Dean instead attempts to talk with Amara about what she actually wanted. Amara soon apports Chuck to air her grievances with what He did to her. She then apologizes, telling Him she just wants to be a family again, and heals Chuck and restores the Cosmic Balance. The reunited siblings take on incorporeal forms -- Amara fades away into black smoke, followed by Chuck who fades into white and the two ascend the Heavens and disappear.

14.20 Moriah

Chuck reveals that Amara is in Reno, Nevada, as He talks with Castiel and the Winchesters at the Bunker, telling them that she is a fan of the game keno. He also states that she joined Him on His journey around the universe and they had a good time reconnecting with each other.

15.07 Last Call

When Sergei worsens his wound from the Equalizer, Sam experiences God's memory of His attempt to seek out the Darkness' help and her refusal.

15.14 Last Holiday

Castiel is out looking for the Darkness because Billie has confirmed that Jack must kill both God and the Darkness.

15.19 Inherit the Earth

After Jack becomes the new God, he tells the Winchesters that he and the Darkness exist in balance together.