The First Blade

Name	The First Blade
Manufacturer	Cain
Powers	Can kill Knights of Hell, demons, reapers, angels
Location/Owners	Hidden by Castiel
Episodes	First Appearance: 9.11 First Born Last Appearance: 10.14 The Executioner's Song

The Mark and the Blade work together. Without the Mark, the Blade is useless. It's just an old bone. – Cain, 9.11 First Born

History

Fashioned from the jaw of a donkey, the First Blade is the weapon used by Cain to kill his brother Abel. He did this as Lucifer was trying to corrupt Abel. So that Abel's soul would go to Heaven, Cain agreed to kill him and become a soldier for Lucifer. Lucifer gave Cain a mark from which the First Blade draws its power.

Cain formed an elite squad of demonic killers known as the Knights of Hell. The Blade is the only thing in existence capable of killing them. After Cain left the Knights for love, they kidnapped the woman -- Colette Mullen. In retribution Cain killed them all, except Abaddon, who was possessing the body of Colette, and escaped as Cain drove the First Blade into her body. Afterwards Cain made a promise to a dying Colette that he would give up killing, with the First Blade being indestructible, Cain was forced to throw it into the ocean to rid himself of it.

After Abaddon returned and began trying to take over Hell, Dean and the King of Hell, Crowley, began a search for the First Blade. After Cain gave Dean the Mark of Cain, he told them where to look. Eventually, they tracked the First Blade to former Man of Letters Cuthbert Sinclair though Crowley took the First Blade rather than let Dean keep it. After being captured by Abaddon, Crowley led Dean to the First Blade and Dean managed to kill Abaddon with it. After Dean briefly turned into a demon after being killed by Metatron while attempting to use the First Blade on him, Crowley took it back in exchange for giving Sam Dean's location and hid it in a crypt in Guam. Crowley retrieved the First Blade after Metatron told the Winchesters that it could be used as part of a cure for the Mark of Cain, but refused to hand it over until they had the rest of the cure. After Cain started murdering again, Crowley lent Dean the First Blade in exchange for it being returned to him. Cain eventually got the First Blade back, but Dean managed to overpower him and kill him in the end. Rather than returning the First Blade to Crowley, Dean gave it to Castiel who hid it somewhere safe. When the Mark of Cain is removed by Rowena, the First Blade becomes useless.

Episodes

9.11 First Born

When Cain's wife Colette was kidnapped by the Knights, Cain used it to slaughter them all except for Abaddon, who kidnapped Colette. When Cain tracked Collete down, he killed all the demons guarding her. However he soon realized that Abaddon had taken possession of her, in an attempt to win back Cain's favor. But when Cain rejects Abaddon the demon beings to break Colette's neck. Wishing to kill Abaddon once and for all he drives the First Blade into Colette, but it is too late as Abaddon fled the body causing Cain to accidentally kill his wife with it. With her dying breath, Colette asks Cain to finally give up killing, so he disposed of the blade in the deepest ocean, as the blade is indestructible, but told Dean and Crowley where to look for it so they could kill Abaddon.

9.16 Blade Runners

Sam, Dean and Crowley track the First Blade to a rogue Man of Letters named Cuthbert Sinclair, now calling himself Magnus. Sinclair holds Dean captive and makes him hold the blade. As he does so, the Mark of Cain begins to glow, and intense feelings come over Dean. Later during an attempt to rescue Dean, Sam is captured. Dean is released by Crowley, and uses the blade to kill Sinclair. The murderous rage he experiences does not dissipate after the act, and Sam needs to talk Dean out of the state.

After leaving Sinclair's lair Crowley steals the blade, knowing that Dean will use it to kill him. He tells the Winchesters he will keep it from them until such time as they track Abaddon down.

Dean uses the First Blade on Abaddon, finally killing her.

9.21 King of the Damned

Crowley leads Sam and Dean to the First Blade hidden in a corpse in a grave as part of a trap set up by Abaddon to kill them. However, Crowley secretly warns Dean of the trap so he is prepared when he arrives at the hotel where Crowley and Abaddon are.

At the hotel, Dean kills a demon with the First Blade and faces off against Abaddon. She pins him to the wall with telekinesis, but Dean fights through it with the power of the Mark of Cain, and fights his way towards her with the Blade. Abaddon overpowers him and throws him against the wall, causing him to drop the Blade. However, Dean uses telekinesis to pull the Blade back into his hand, breaks completely free of Abaddon's power and charges her with the Blade. Dean stabs Abaddon in the stomach with the First Blade, killing her in a massive burst of red light. He then stabs her corpse several times with the Blade.

In the aftermath, Sam, worried about what the Blade is doing to Dean, suggests hiding it, but Dean refuses.

9.22 Stairway to Heaven

After getting a call from Castiel regarding an incident in Missouri, Dean is packing and is planning on bringing the First Blade with him, when Sam pleads him into leaving it at the Bunker citing that magic like the Blade comes with a price, which they still don't know, and that they should only use it for the "big boss fights." Dean agrees, leaving the First Blade in the Bunker's library, however unbeknownst to Sam, at some point Dean went back for the First Blade.

Later while interrogating the reaper Tessa, who reveals she has become suicidal over hearing the voices of the souls trapped in the Veil, because she is unable to do her job because of Heaven being locked up. Dean produces the First Blade from his jacket, to a surprised Tessa, who asks him what he has done, telling her he "did what he had to." With a look of resignation on her face, Tessa tells Dean "welcome to the club," and promptly impales herself on the First Blade, and with her dying breathe tells Dean "Thank you."

When Gadreel arrives at the Bunker looking to join with the Winchesters and Castiel in taking down Metatron, Dean approaches him after he has made his case and extends his hand to Gadreel. As the two shake hands, when Dean suddenly removes the First Blade from his jacket and slashes it across Gadreel's chest. Prompting Sam and Castiel to jump on Dean and hold him back as he consumed by bloodlust.

9.23 Do You Believe in Miracles?

After Dean's attack on Gadreel is stopped by Sam and Castiel, they lock him up the Bunker's dungeon and and place the Firs Blade in lock box. When Dean begins to feel ill, he summons Crowley, who tells him that his sickness is a side effect from the Mark and First Blade. Telling him the more he kills the better he will feel, the less he kills the worse he will feel, which will eventually lead to his death as a human was never meant to wield that much power. Dean then has Crowley help he get the First Blade back and escape from the Bunker.

Dean and Crowley then stop at a diner so Dean can work on tracking down Metatron, soon two of Crowley's demon minions arrive with a video showing Metatron resurrecting a woman and whispering something in her ear. With that lead they track the woman down to her trailer park, where Dean has a confrontation with Sam and tells him whether he likes it or not he is going to kill Metatron with the First Blade, for which Sam reluctantly agrees that Dean is their only chance.

Dean and Sam arrive at the homeless camp where Metatron has set-up shop, amassing a following that thinks he is the new Messiah. After getting the First Blade from the trunk of the Impala, Dean knocks Sam unconscious telling him killing Metatron is something he needs to do alone. Dean enters the camp and is directed to Metatron's location, where he confronts him blaming him for everything bad that has happened in the last year. A fight ensues between the two, where Dean is severely beaten by Metatron, and drops the First Blade. Just as as he uses his telekinesis to get the First Blade back in his hand, Metatron stabs him in the chest with his angel blade. Sam tries desperately to get Dean some help, however Dean soon dies in Sam's arms.

After Sam has cleaned Dean's wounds, he places him in his room at the Bunker and prepares to summon Crowley to fix the mess he believes Crowley has caused. However Crowley is already in Dean's room. He begins speaking to Dean's dead body, telling him that he didn't know the full extent of the Mark of Cain. He tells him how Cain too did not like what was happening to him, and tried to kill himself, however his suicide failed, because the Mark wouldn't let him die. Crowley then places the First Blade into Dean's hand, and tells him to wake up. After a moment, Dean's eyes open, which have become a demonic black.

10.01 Black

Dean engages in a fight with an Abaddon loyalist in an alley behind the Black Spur bar, where he makes quick work of the demon. At the same time, Sam is viewing surveillance footage of Dean killing another demon in a Gas-n-Sip in Amherst Junction, Wisconsin.

10.02 Reichenbach

Dean uses the First Blade to kill a man named Lester Morris who has sold his soul in exchange for the murder of his wife for cheating on him. Dean was sent by Crowley to kill Lester's wife, however Dean decided that Lester was more worthy of death, given he cheated on her first. Later Dean is subdued by Sam after his fight with Cole, and as a part of the deal Sam made with Crowley for Dean's location, he hands over the First Blade. Knowing that Dean knows he ratted him out to Sam, Crowley assures him that he will either throw the First Blade in a volcano, or leave it on the moon, whatever method of disposal he chooses, he assures Sam that the Blade will be out Dean's reach.

10.10 The Hunter Games

After Metatron informs them that there is a cure for the Mark of Cain but that it requires the First Blade, Sam and Dean call Crowley who reveals that he hid the First Blade in a crypt in Guam with his bones. They convince him to retrieve it, but Rowena tricks Guthrie into getting it first. Though Crowley returns before Rowena can get it, she convinces him that the First Blade is too dangerous to give to the Winchesters and he tells them he'll give it to them after they get the rest of the cure.

10.14 The Executioner's Song

After learning that Cain has fallen back under the influence of the Mark of Cain and is killing again, Dean decides he has to kill him and calls Crowley for the First Blade, convincing him to help by lying that Cain wants Crowley dead too. Working together, the Winchesters, Crowley and Castiel lure Cain into a devil's trap before Crowley will give Dean the First Blade. Dean promises to return the First Blade to Crowley after he kills Cain if he is still in his right state of mind.

Dean confronts Cain armed with the First Blade, but proves no match for him which Cain suggests is because Dean refuses to give into the Mark's power. Cain beats Dean and gets the First Blade back, greatly enjoying having it once more and prepares to kill Dean with it. However, Dean manages to cut Cain's hand off and retrieve the First Blade, defeating him. After Cain refuses to give up killing, Dean stabs him in the back with the First Blade, killing Cain.

Afterwards, Dean still retains his humanity, but gives the First Blade to Castiel instead of Crowley, revealing his lies to the stunned demon. Castiel hides the First Blade somewhere which pleases Dean.

Trivia

• Writer Robbie Thompson revealed on Twitter that he designed the look of the First Blade, saying:

"When I pitched I thought it'd be helpful to draw The 1st Blade. Despite this artwork they went for it."

• When Dean kills a normal demon with the First Blade, he dies with the same effect as if he was killed by Ruby's knife or an angel blade. However, when Dean kills Abaddon, the effect is as if she was smote by an angel. The effect it had when killing Cain was not shown, but there seemed to be a clap of thunder when Cain died.