Crossroads Demon

There's only one rule – make a deal, keep it. – Crowley, 7.08 Season Seven, Time for a Wedding!

Characteristics

Crossroads demons are red-eyed demons that make formal agreements or bargains with humans, granting any wish in exchange for claiming their life and soul at a fixed point in the future. Terms of the demonic contracts vary, but the person selling his or her soul is usually given ten years to live after the deal is made. Deals made with humans are sealed with a kiss, and contracts are written invisibly on the skin of the person, though formal contracts can be written up in lieu of the standard kiss. A crossroads demon is typically summoned by burying a container of ritual items, including a photograph of the summoner, graveyard dirt, a black cat bone, and yarrow at the center of a crossroads. When the person dies either before his or her time, or is killed by a hellhound at the end of the appointed period, his or her soul is sent to Hell.

The contract is not usually held by the demon who negotiates the deal. For example, Dean and Bela's deals are held by Lilith. According to Bela, Lilith claims to hold all deals. However, whether or not Lilith is the leader of the crossroads demons prior to her death at the end of season four is uncertain. She does offer to make a deal with Sam in 4.18 The Monster at the End of This Book, but says "a contract with me will take more than a kiss." Although not a crossroads demon, Azazel had the authority to make deals with Mary Campbell to resurrect John Winchester, in exchange for uninterrupted entrance to her home in ten year. Twenty-two years later, he would make another deal for John's soul in exchange for saving Dean's life.

In 5.09 The Real Ghostbusters, Becky revealed that Lilith's right-hand man was a demon named Crowley, who refereed to himself as the "King of the Crossroads." He appeared at the closing of negotiations with a banker in 5.10 Abandon All Hope..., saying "I wanted to do you the honor of sealing this deal personally." This implies that Crowley has the authority to hold contracts, a concept that is reinforced by the deal he makes with Bobby Singer after 5.20 The Devil You Know and in his ability to personally rescind the deal in 6.04 Weekend at Bobby's. In 7.08 Season Seven, Time for a Wedding!, Crowley is able to easily rescind the contracts of Guy the crossroads demon in Crowley's role as the King of Hell.

Sam suggests in season three that killing the demon who holds a soul will cancel the contract. This concept has never been proven, in fact, Crowley states in 5.21 Two Minutes to Midnight that he will not terminate Bobby's contract until he is safely away from Sam and Dean to insure that they do not try to kill him. This may mean that the death of the demon who controls the soul only transfers the contract. Crowley also tells Dean that "all deals are soul back or store credit," meaning that if a deal is unfulfilled or if the signee is dissatisfied, they can either get their soul back or ask for something else. However, this may have simply been Crowley's way of describing a deal as this is never seen.

In some cases, crossroads demons are shown to have control over their deals. In 2.08 Crossroad Blues, one crossroads demon was able to rescind Evan Hudson's deal when threatened with an exorcism by Dean. However, in 3.05 Bedtime Stories, this demon no longer possessed this ability, calling herself "a saleswoman" whose boss, revealed to be Lilith in 3.15 Time Is on My Side, held the contracts. However, in 7.08 Season Seven, Time for a Wedding!, the Winchesters appeared to believe that Guy the crossroads demon could be forced to break his contracts before Crowley showed up and did it instead in exchange for Guy being turned over to him. In 11.15 Beyond the Mat, killing the crossroads demon Duke results in the hellhounds immediately coming after Gunner Lawless, who had been working for Duke in exchange for him working for the demon. In contrast, the death of the crossroads demon Barthamus in 13.08 The Scorpion and the Frog breaks the deal of Alice, whom Barthamus was similarly leveraging with her deal. This shows that some crossroads demons have control over their deals to the point that they can use them as leverage. The deal either breaking or coming due immediately may be down to the demon anticipating a betrayal and preparing in advance, as Duke could've expected Gunner to betray him while Barthamus would not have expected Alice's betrayal.

Crossroads demons typically have control over the length of time which the deals they make cover. Deals made by crossroads demons are typically for ten years, but in the case of Dean Winchester, the demon was able to reduce it to one year. The crossroads demon Guy claimed that he could make a deal with a twenty-five year time limit upon it. Crossroads demons aren't allowed to collect the souls of the people they make deals with until that time period is up, but if the person dies in some other way such as an accident, they can then collect the soul for Hell. Guy saw this as a loophole to collect upon contracts immediately, but Crowley was incensed as he insisted upon having his crossroads demons keep their word on their time limits.

In 6.04 Weekend at Bobby's, it is revealed that crossroads demons (and lesser demons) can be killed if you find the demon's human remains and burn their bones. It is by threatening to burn Crowley's bones that Bobby is able to get back his soul. In 13.08 The Scorpion and the Frog, Luther Shrike, who is mentioned to be at least two hundred years old, is revealed to have used a similar method on Barthamus. Though he was dragged to Hell when his deal came due, Luther used Barthamus' human bones to force Barthamus to resurrect him and grant him immortality on Luther's property with Luther hanging onto Barthamus' bones as leverage. Barthamus required help from the Winchesters, Alice, and Grab to get his bones back and when Alice burned them, Barthamus was killed.

Most of a crossroads demon's power appears to lie in their dealmaking, without which they are not particularly powerful demons. In 7.08 Season Seven, Time for a Wedding!, Guy the crossroads demon showed superhuman strength, as did Jael in 12.06 Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox. However, this strength was more on par with a regular black-eyed demon than the higher ranking and stronger demons. When threatened with the demon-killing knife to his throat, Guy immediately ceased fighting. Barthamus threatened to snap Alice's neck like kindling and suggested that he possessed an incredible speed with his comment that "you'd be amazed what I can do in a half-second's time." Duke and Jael both displayed telekinesis, but this appeared to be limited. When Jael shifted his focus from pinning all of the hunters in the room down to focusing on Bucky Sims, Jael's telekinetic hold was broken. It also appeared to be weaker than most demons as the hunters were clearly gaining ground against it, something not usually seen with a telekinetic adversary. All crossroads demons are capable of teleportation to whatever location they wish in order to complete their job. Guy displayed the ability to perform some magics, including creating potions, while Duke knew an ancient Sumerian sigil that would allow him to steal people's souls.

Through a deal, a crossroads demon is shown to be able to grant pretty much anything the dealmaker wishes. Examples of what crossroads demons have done include granting talent, fame, and fortune; healing the terminally ill or badly injured; resurrection; making people fall in love with each other; and assassination. However, what is received from the deal appears to be generally limited by the wording the person uses. In 2.08 Crossroad Blues, George Darrow commented that while he got the artistic talent he'd asked for, he should've also asked for fame as that did not come automatically with his deal and he ended up living in poverty. Other people who made a deal at the same time for similar things got the fame and fortune they were seeking as well as the talent they had specifically asked for it. In 11.15 Beyond the Mat, Gunner Lawless reveals that he'd made a deal with a crossroads demon in order to win a title belt. Though the demon upheld the deal, Gunner only kept the belt for around a week before losing it again. In 5.21 Two Minutes to Midnight, Crowley tells Bobby Singer that he really wasted his crossroads deal as "fact -- you get more if you phrase it properly." Crowley was able to amend the deal himself to restore Bobby's ability to walk. For some things, such as making a family rich, a crossroads demon made oil appear in a place where there wasn't before so the family could profit off of it. In another instance, when the client wanted his wife dead, another demon was sent to act as an assassin. However, when Dean Winchester killed the client instead of completing the deal, it was stated that it effectively voided the crossroads deal as Hell's part of it was not upheld and as such, they didn't get the man's soul.

Crossroads demons possess all the weaknesses of a regular black-eyed demon. Due to the way a crossroads demon is summoned, they can be easily ensnared by painting a devil's trap at a crossroads and then summoning them into it as seen in 8.19 Taxi Driver, 9.16 Blade Runners, and 10.03 Soul Survivor.

Episodes

Crossroad Blues: Jeannette Sousa as the Crossroads Demon.

2.08 Crossroad Blues

"You did know about your dad's deal, right? His life for yours? Oh, I didn't make the deal myself, but... boy, I wish I had."

In 1930 Rosedale, Mississippi Robert Johnson kneels in the dust at the dead center of the crossroads. He buries a rough sack tied with a string. He stands. Suddenly behind him is a beautiful young woman in a white dress; he turns and sees her and tells he wants to play guitar and be the best blues man ever lived.

10 years later, Robert Johnson is seated on a small stage, playing. His head is down, and a cigarette dangles from his mouth. The room is sparsely populated with people listening intently. One woman near the front stares at him, smiling as if the show is just for her, and occasionally he looks up and catches her eye. He hears the growling of a dog, outside. He pauses, then resumes. Again, he stops, hearing eerie barking that nobody else seems to notice, and seeing a dark shape flitting past the window. The cigarette falls from his mouth; he is terrified. He stands, clutching his guitar, and bolts from the room in terror. The woman and several others follow. Robert stops, listening for the dog. He hears it, drops the guitar, and runs into a wooden house and bolts the door behind him. He hears the scrabbling and barking of the dog and draws a chair across the floor, wedging it under the door. He backs up slowly, then sinks to his knees, weeping. The door rattles violently until it flies open; two men and the woman from earlier enter to find Robert on the floor, convulsing.

In 1996 an artist, George Darrow, summoned a crossroads demon in order to make a deal for greater talent. Instead of leaving after their deal was arranged, the demon hung around at a bar called Lloyd's and made deals with Sean Boyden (architectural talent and success), Dr. Silvia Pearlman (success as a surgeon) and Evan Hudson (his wife's life) as well.

In order to save Evan, Dean summons the demon and traps her beneath a devil's trap, and threatens to exorcise her unless she breaks the deal with Evan. The demon admits to knowing about the Winchesters, and taunts Dean with mention of how his father is suffering in Hell. She offers to return John Winchester to life in exchange for claiming Dean's soul in ten years time. Dean refuses and starts an exorcism and at first the demon lets him, but she finally gives in and breaks Evan's contract in exchange for her freedom. After a moment of hesitation on whether or not to finish the exorcism, Dean breaks the devil's trap and frees her and she taunts him about his father's fate. Before Dean can do anything more, the demon flees her meatsuit and escapes as a cloud of black smoke, leaving behind a confused young woman.

All Hell Breaks Loose: Part Two: Ona Grauer as the Crossroads Demon.

2.22 All Hell Breaks Loose: Part Two

"And because I'm such a saint, I'll give you one year, and one year only. But here's the thing. If you try and welch or weasel your way out, then the deal is off. Sam drops dead. He's back to rotten meat in no time. So... It's a better deal than your dad ever got. What do you say?"

Dean summons the crossroads demon after Sam's death. In return for bringing Sam back to life, Dean exchanges his soul, which the demon will claim in one year's time. She states that if Dean tries to get out of the deal, Sam will die. Dean agrees to the deal and the demon resurrects Sam.

Bedtime Stories: Sandy McCoy as the Crossroads Demon.

3.05 Bedtime Stories

"Sam, I'm just a saleswoman. I got a boss like everybody. He holds the contract, not me. He wants Dean's soul, bad. And believe me. He's not going to let it go."

Sam summons the crossroads demon and demands she release Dean from his deal. When he threatens her with the Colt, she deduces that Ruby must have been involved in re-building it. She tells Sam that killing her won't break the deal either, she is "just a saleswoman" and that someone higher up holds the contract. After she suggests that Sam would actually be relieved when Dean dies, Sam kills her with the Colt.

3.06 Red Sky at Morning

Having discovered a bullet missing from the Colt, Dean realizes what Sam did and confronts him after Sam lies about going after the crossroads demon. Sam admits that he went after the demon and killed her as the demon was "a smartass," but learned that her boss holds all of the contracts. Dean is annoyed as the crossroads demon was their best chance at finding out who held the contracts.

Time Is on My Side: Roan Curtis as Bela's Crossroads Demon.

3.15 Time Is on My Side

"I can take care of them for you. And it won't even cost you anything... for ten whole years."

In a flashback, a young Bela is shown sitting on a swing set with a possessed little girl who offers to get rid of Bela's parents. While it is not explicitly stated that this is a crossroads demon, the demon's red eyes, Bela's ten year contract, and the arrival of the hellhounds on the night the contract comes due are highly suggestive. Before the hellhounds come for her, Bela reveals that a demon named Lilith holds all of the contracts.

I Know What You Did Last Summer: Drew Nelson as the Crossroads Demon.

4.09 I Know What You Did Last Summer

"Don't you understand, Sam? It's not about your soul. Dean's in Hell, right where we want him. We've got everything exactly the way we want it. You want to kill me? Go ahead. I've made peace with my lord."

Flashbacks show that, following Dean's death, Sam summons another crossroads demon. He offers to trade himself for Dean, but the demon refuses, saying "Dean’s in Hell, right where we want him. We’ve got everything exactly the way we want it." Sam stabs the crossroad demon, and kills him, with Ruby's knife.

Abandon All Hope...: Mark Sheppard as the Crossroads Demon Crowley.

5.10 Abandon All Hope...

"Your choice. You can cling to six decades of deep-seated homophobia, or give it up and get a complete bailout for your bank's ridiculous incompetence."

Castiel tracks the demon Crowley to an overpass where he witnesses him striking a deal with a reluctant banker. Crowley considers the man a "big fish" and wishes to seal the deal in person, suggesting he is of higher stature than the other crossroads demons (and possibly their leader). After convincing the man to kiss him, Crowley returns to his Enochian sigil-protected mansion where he is guarded by lesser demons. Dean and Sam break into the mansion and are captured by two guards, but Crowley kills them with the Colt and gives the Winchesters the gun. He knows that they want it for killing Lucifer, and is in favor of that. He believes that since Lucifer is an angel who was cast out of Heaven for hating humanity, and that demons are lesser creatures still, he will inevitably turn on his creations once mankind is eradicated. After giving them Lucifer's current location, Crowley vanishes to "all points nowhere."

5.20 The Devil You Know

"You make a wish. I can give you anything you want, mate -- up to and including Death's coordinates. All I need is..."

Crowley appears to help Sam and Dean locate Pestilence. He says that he is on the run after having helped them, and that he will be tortured for eternity of Lucifer wins. After assisting the brothers, Crowley goes to Bobby, who is trying to locate Death. The demon suggests that he knows a spell that will help, but he needs to make a deal for Bobby's soul to be able to work it. Bobby initially refuses, and shoots Crowley with rock salt. Crowley insists that he only needs the soul temporarily, and will return it.

Crowley and Bobby "sealing the deal."

5.21 Two Minutes to Midnight

"I suppose if you want to impress the ladies. Bobby, Bobby, Bobby. Really wasted that crossroads deal. Fact -- you get more if you phrase it properly. So, I took the liberty of adding a teeny little sub-a clause on your behalf. What can I say? I'm an altruist. Just gonna sit there?"

After revealing his and Bobby's deal to the Winchesters, Crowley explains that he is keeping Bobby's soul as insurance so that Sam and Dean won't kill him. He promises to return it after Lucifer is defeated. It is also revealed that Crowley included an additional clause in Bobby's contract that allows him to regain the use of his legs.

Crowley was able to locate Death, and he and Dean go to Chicago to find him. He reveals that he has Death's scythe, and when asked by Castiel how he acquired it, Crowley simply says that he is "King of the Crossroads." Crowley disappears as Dean talks with Death.

6.04 Weekend at Bobby's

"Look at you, all in a rush. Foreplay… gets you more play."

Weekend at Bobby's: Sharon Taylor as the Crossroads Demon that Bobby kills.

One year ago, shortly after trapping Lucifer and Michael in Lucifer's Cage, Bobby summons Crowley and demands the return of his soul. Crowley refuses and smugly quotes his contract, which states that he only has to "make best efforts" to give Bobby his soul back. He agrees to give Bobby ten years of life, but that is all. Bobby then reveals he has trapped Crowley in a devil's trap made with black light paint, but Crowley threatens him with his hellhound until Bobby releases him.

Back in the present, Bobby has a crossroads demon in his basement, tied up and caught in a devil's trap. He wants to know Crowley's true name - the name he had as a human before he died and became a demon in Hell - so he tortures the crossroads demon by using a blowtorch to singe its bones. Finally, the demon admits that Crowley, who is now the King of Hell, was a Scottish man named Fergus MacLeod in life. The other demons call him "Lucky the Leprechaun" behind his back. Once Bobby has the information he needs, he burns the demon's bones, killing it and its host.

Bobby then uses the information he learned from the crossroads demon to identify Gavin MacLeod, Crowley's son, summon his ghost, to get information about where Fergus MacLeod, aka Crowley, was buried hundreds of years ago. Sam and Dean travel to Scotland and dig up Crowley's bones, and it is by threatening to burn his bones and kill him that Bobby is able to get back his soul.

6.07 Family Matters

"Was a punk-ass crossroads demon. Now? King of Hell. Believe me, I've got the mojo. I snap my fingers, Sam gets his soul back. Or you can be... you, and I shove Sam right back in the hole. Can't imagine what it's like in there... and I can imagine so many things. So, we clear? Me, Charlie... you, angels. Job's simple enough -- bring me creatures. Aim high on the food chain, please. Everybody wins. It's been a pleasure. See you soon."

Crowley claims to have pulled Samuel and Sam back to earth, and to hold Sam's soul. Dean doubts that a crossroads demon has that kind of power, but Crowley reminds them that he is now King of Hell. He uses the soul as leverage to get the Winchesters to help him in the search for Purgatory.

The Man Who Knew Too Much: Matthew MacCaull as the Crossroads Demon.

6.22 The Man Who Knew Too Much

"Walk away or the girl dies."

After Castiel breaks down the wall in Sam's mind protecting him from his memories of Lucifer's Cage, Sam tries to piece together his mind with the help of a woman named Robin. When he confronts and absorbs the "soulless" version of himself, he regains his memories of the time he was soulless. He remembers that Robin is actually a victim of a demon attack, one who he mercilessly killed when the crossroads demon tried to use her as a hostage. After Sam apologizes for failing to help her, she disappears.

Season Seven, Time for a Wedding!: Leslie Odom Jr. as Guy, the Crossroads Demon.

7.08 Season Seven, Time for a Wedding!

"Bingo, bango! I love reunions. The desperation! These schlubs will sign on the dotted line for money, power, hair -- whatever it takes to impress the nostalgically bangable head cheerleader."

Guy is a crossroads demon who exploits a loophole in the deals he makes to harvest souls early. He can't kill the dealmaker before the agreed upon ten years are up, but he can order a lesser demon called Jackson to cause accidents that kill the people, so he can claim their souls at once. He has fifteen such deals in work when he is captured by the Winchesters, Becky and Garth in a devil's trap. Guy breaks free with the help of Jackson, but Becky kills Jackson and Dean overpowers Guy. Crowley appears just after his capture. He is angry about Guy's double dealing, having been tipped off by Jackson, and says Guy will ruin Hell's reputation if they cheat on deals so that no one will deal with them. Crowley bargains with Dean to get Guy back, offering to annul all the outstanding deals for the chance to make an example of Guy. Dean agrees, and turns him over for punishment while all the deals are annulled.

8.14 Trial and Error

In order to kill a hellhound as part of the three trials needed to close the Gates of Hell, Sam and Dean travel to Idaho where they believe someone in the Cassity family made a deal with a crossroads demon. After failing to save Carl Granville from a hellhound, Dean decides to summon and trap a Crossroads Demon in order to force them to summon a hellhound so he can kill it, but Sam believes it is suicide as Crowley will learn of it and send hundreds of hellhounds. After Sam reveals that someone else in the family must've made a deal, Dean decides to keep the idea of summoning a demon as a backup plan.

Eventually its learned that Crowley himself, while still King of the Crossroads made the deals with Carl, Margot Cassity and Ellie after Carl summoned him. Even though Margot is also killed, Sam manages to kill the hellhound with Ruby's knife and they send Ellie on the run from Crowley with a hexbag to protect her so her soul can't be collected for her deal.

Taxi Driver: Doron Bell as the Crossroads Demon.

8.19 Taxi Driver

"Now kill me. Come on, man. Better death than Crowley."

Needing to find a way to sneak into Hell to rescue an innocent soul as part of the trials to close the Gates of Hell, Sam and Dean travel to a crossroads and summon a crossroads demon to get the needed information out of him. While the demon tries to leave, Sam and Dean have painted a giant devil's trap in the crossroads and he is unable to. Sam and Dean capture the demon and take him to a warehouse where they torture him with holy water for information on getting into Hell. The demon refuses as he knows what Crowley will do to him if he learns what he's done is worse, but finally gives in and reveals that rogue reapers transport mortals and souls to and from both Heaven and Hell for a price. The demon then begs the Winchesters to kill him as its better than dealing with Crowley. Agreeing, they do so, but first have the demon tell them where to find a rogue reaper.

Devil May Care: Paula Shaw as the Crossroads Demon.

9.02 Devil May Care

"I closed 72 deals last year. Kids love grandma."

A crossroads demon is among the select few demons that Abaddon has gathered in her bid to take over Hell. When asked why the vessels the demons have taken were so weak, a crossroads demon in the body of an elderly woman reveals itself, and claimed to have brokered seventy-two deals, because "kids love grandma." Upon hearing Abaddon's request to join with her the demon wants to be assured of Crowley's death, and remarking that she always thought the Knights of Hell were overrated, prompting Abaddon to exorcise her with a single touch, telling the demon to, "You go to Hell, and you tell them I'm coming."

9.15 #thinman

While brainstorming possible suspects for what might be Thinman, Sam suggests a crossroads demon, linking Thinman's apparent power of teleportation to crossroads demons' signature arrival out of thin air when summoned. However, he admits that he is grasping at straws with this guess, and indeed, Thinman turns out to not be a demon at all.

Blade Runners: Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi as Herself/the Crossroads Demon.

9.16 Blade Runners

"Listen guys, what happens in Hell, stays in Hell. I got nothing."

Frustrated by the fact that they cannot contact Crowley through regular means, Sam and Dean take it upon themselves to summon a crossroads demon in order to find where Crowley is located. Upon summoning the demon, the Winchesters are briefly taken aback at the sight of Snooki appearing before them. Sam proceeds to threaten her with Ruby's knife if she doesn't give up the information on Crowley's whereabouts, Snooki still refuses forcing Sam to advance on her with the knife, she begins to feign ignorance on the goings on of Crowley, until Sam and Dean tell her she would out of work once Abaddon has fully taken control of Hell. Snooki finally tells the Winchesters what she knows about Crowley's location and the current state of Hell, once done Sam proceeds to exorcise the crossroads demon from Snooki.

9.17 Mother's Little Helper

Sam mentions to Dean that the people in Milton, Illinois who are acting violent and erratic remind him of his time being soulless. Dean suggests it could be a crossroads demon claiming the people's souls after making deals with them, but Sam shoots this theory down because there is no sign of any wishes having been granted.

Black/Soul Survivor: Raquel Riskin as Dar, the Crossroads Demon.

10.01 Black

"I heard the rumors. I said 'No, that can't be. A Winchester, one of us?' But it's true, isn't it? Whatever soul you had; whatever boy scout code you cuddled up to at night; it's all gone. Leaving what? Look at you!"

A captured Dar is strung up on tree and taunting Sam Winchester about the acts he has committed. Sam threatens to torture Dar some more with a knife, unless she gives him information on the whereabouts of Crowley. In an act of defiance Dar tells Sam, "eat me" after which Sam stabs her in the gut and twists the knife, demanding to know where Crowley and Dean are. When Dar say she doesn't know, Sam slices her neck and collects the blood in a cup, and demands she make a call to Crowley, as she begs Sam to stop he becomes more agitated and demands to know where his brother is.

10.03 Soul Survivor

"I got nothing for you. And you made that poor son of a bitch sell his soul."

Desperate to get information from a demon, Sam talks a drunken Lester Morris into summoning a crossroads demon, as demons will not answer his summoning under orders from Crowley, and coaches him through completing the summoning ritual at the crossroads. Dar manifests, demanding to know who has summoned her and why. When Lester says he wants his wife killed, Dar agrees and quickly seals the deal with Lester through a kiss, before Sam can intervene. Sam then captures Dar to torture and interrogate her.

The Executioner's Song: Jesse James Pierce as the Crossroads Demon.

10.14 The Executioner's Song

"As a crossroads demon, I have received less credit than I am due for soul collections... my King."

While Crowley is holding court, a crossroads demon brings up a grievance regarding the lack of recognition he has received for soul collections he has gotten in the last quarter, and simply wishes to be given credit where credit is due. Crowley dismissively obliges his request and gives him credit. However, Rowena tells Crowley that he shouldn't be giving in, as "whiners beget whiners"; she suggests that he cut the crossroads demon in two and nail his bloody halves to the doors of the court as warning to all demons not to waste the King's time. After a brief contemplation, Crowley goes with his mother's plan and has the crossroads demon dragged away, screaming.

Beyond the Mat: Aidan Kahn as Duke, the Crossroads Demon

11.15 Beyond the Mat

"Eyes on me, champ. Think about it. No more crappy motels, Podunk towns. You’ll have the life you always wanted... gumdrops and G-strings as far as the eye can see. And all I ask in return is..."

Ten years ago, a crossroads demon named Duke made a deal with Gunner Lawless so he could win a wrestling title belt. Gunner won, but lost the belt a week later. In the present, Gunner's deal comes due and Duke offers to let him off if Gunner helps him collect souls for Duke's own "nest egg." Desperate to avoid Hell, Gunner agrees. Gunner kills several people for Duke who collects their souls, but Shawn Harley refuses a similar deal, choosing to die instead. When the Winchesters arrive, Duke goes to kill Sam while he sends Gunner to kill Dean. Dean is able to convince Gunner to help and while Dean distracts Duke, Gunner kills him with Ruby's Knife. The hellhounds then come to collect on Gunner's deal which he faces, knowing he deserves what he's going to get.

Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox: Kim Rhodes as Jael, the sadistic Crossroads Demon

12.06 Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox

"Bucky. Brave, brave Bucky. I was there that night. Tell these nice, stupid people what you did. Tell them what you took from me. Asa was mine."

In 1997, legendary hunter Asa Fox encountered the sadistic Crossroads Demon Jael in Yellowknife while he was possessing a First Nations girl. Asa managed to exorcise Jael back to Hell, but not before Jael forced Asa to watch him hang his meatsuit. Five years later, Jael escaped from Hell and brutally murdered a woman that Asa had been seeing in revenge.

In 2016, Asa and his best friend Bucky Sims chased Jael through the woods near Asa's house in Canada, despite not being armed with Asa's angel blade which could kill Jael. Their lack of suitable armament led to a fight between the hunters that ended with Bucky shoving Asa to the ground, accidentally killing him when Asa's head struck a rock. Panicked, Bucky framed Jael for Asa's murder, hanging Asa's body from a tree. Unknown to the hunter, Jael witnessed Asa's death and became enraged that he had been denied the chance to kill Asa himself.

At Asa's funeral, Jael begins targeting the hunters gathered, possessing Alicia Banes to kill one hunter and magically locking down the house to prevent anyone from getting in or out. After being exposed, Jael flees Alicia's body and next possesses Elvis Katz. After entering the house with the help of Billie, Dean encounters Jael in Elvis and attempts to exorcise the demon. In response, Jael snaps Elvis' neck so hard his head turns a full 180 degrees and flees his body. Next, Jael possesses Jody Mills and attempts to trick the Winchesters into killing their mother, claiming that she was possessed. However, Sam and Dean quickly see through Jael's deception. Jael pins the hunters to the floor with telekinesis and takes sadistic glee in revealing all of their secrets. As Jael focuses on Bucky to force him to admit to Asa's murder, the demon loses his hold on everyone else, allowing Sam to begin an exorcism. Though Jael stops Sam, Dean takes over, followed by Alicia and Max Banes together. Jael succeeds in forcing Bucky to admit to murdering Asa before Mary finishes the exorcism, sending Jael back to Hell and saving Jody from his possession.

The Scorpion and the Frog: David Cubitt as Barthamus the Crossroads Demon

13.08 The Scorpion and the Frog

"I'm a crossroads demon, Sam. After Crowley's promotion to King of Hell, the crossroads demon. Helping people's what I do, my raison d'être."

After the Prince of Hell Asmodeus takes control of Hell, the crossroads demon Barthamus has another demon steal a Nephilim-tracking spell from the Cambridge Museum, ostensibly for Asmodeus, then kills the demon with an angel blade. Barthamus contacts Sam and Dean and offers to trade them the tracking spell in exchange for their help in stealing back Barthamus' property from Luther Shrike. He wants them to work alongside a demon thief named Grab and Alice, a young woman who made a deal with Barthamus that he is using to constantly force Alice to work for him. As further incentive, Barthamus threatens to give the spell to Asmodeus otherwise, while Asmodeus sends a demon to warn Luther that Barthamus is coming and to ask for his help in alerting Asmodeus when Barthamus arrives. Instead, Luther exorcises the demon.

Working together, the Winchesters, Alice, and Grab manage to steal the trunk containing Barthamus' property, but Grab is killed by Luther. When confronted by the Winchesters, Luther reveals that centuries before, he had summoned Barthamus and made a deal with him to save Luther's terminally ill son's life. When the boy drowned a few years later, the crossroads demon had refused to help, claiming that "accidents happen" and he couldn't be held responsible. Luther managed to get his hands on Barthamus' human bones, the contents of the trunk, and use them as leverage to force Barthamus to resurrect him after being dragged to Hell by the hellhounds and to grant Luther immortality on his property.

Barthamus kills Luther and attempts to complete his deal with Winchesters, who are disgusted with Barthamus' actions towards Luther and his son. The Winchesters refuse to return Barthamus' bones to him and he uses Alice as a hostage to force them to comply. However, Dean leaves his lighter on Barthamus' bones when he gives them to Alice. Alice sets the bones on fire, killing Barthamus, whose fiery death also destroys the Nephilim- tracking spell. However, Barthamus' demise breaks Alice's deal, allowing her to return to a normal life.

Trivia

• Christie Laing, who played Robert's Demon in 2.08 Crossroad Blues, previously played Taylor in 1.07 Hookman.
• Raquel Riskin, who played Dar in 10.01 Black, previously played Amber Greer in 5.06 I Believe the Children Are Our Future.
• Kim Rhodes who played Jael in 12.06 Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox, also plays the recurring character of Jody Mills.

See also

• Crossroads
• Deals and Pacts
• Demonology
• Souls

Crossroads Demons in Fandom

• sealthedealwithakiss - Crossroads Demon RP Tumblr Blog