Demonology

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DemonHorde.jpg
Demons
Powers and Abilities Varies; can include telekinesis, teleportation and possession.
Vulnerabilities Angel blades, demon-killing knives, The First Blade, holy fire, holy water, rock salt, iron, devil's trap
Appearance Black Smoke
Episode(s) Seasons 1-14

Yes, the same thing will happen to you. It might take centuries, but sooner or later Hell will burn away your humanity. Every Hell-bound soul, every one, turns into something else. Turns you into us. So yeah. Yeah, you can count on it.

– Ruby, 3.09 Malleus Maleficarum

Demonology is the study of demons. This resource discusses demon history, creation, characteristics, types, and specific examples of demons who – when not possessing humans – appear as smoke.

Creation & Culture

1st: Regular Demon
2nd: Crossroads Demon
3rd: Azazel, Prince of Hell
4th: Lilith, White-eyed Demon
5th: Samhain, Demon of Halloween
6th: Acheri Demon

Demon Sunday school story. God prefers humans to angels. Lucifer gets jealous and then he gets creative. And he twists and tempts a human soul into the very first demon as a 'screw you' to God. It's what got him locked up in the first place.

– Ruby, 4.21 When the Levee Breaks

The first demon was created by the archangel Lucifer, after God banished him from Heaven for refusing to revere humans. In revenge, he took a human woman -- Lilith -- and stripped away her humanity to make her the first demon. Other demons would follow, such as Alastair and the four Princes of Hell -- Azazel, Ramiel, Dagon and Asmodeus -- who would act as Hell's generals in Lucifer's war against Heaven. For this offense, God commanded Michael to imprison Lucifer in a cage in Hell. In a final act before being imprisoned, Lucifer passed on his Mark to Cain, and hand picked humans for Cain to turn and train into becoming the Knights of Hell.

Demons have a belief system analogous to humans, according to the demon Casey, but while humans believe in God as their higher power, demons view Lucifer as theirs. No demon had ever actually seen Lucifer according to Casey in 2007,[1] however in 1972, Azazel was able to make contact with Lucifer after performing a ritual where eight nuns were slaughtered at St. Mary's Convent in Ilchester, Maryland. With Lucifer's subsequent release from the Cage, all demons would recognize him as the rightful ruler of Hell.

All demons were once originally humans, who become demonic when tortured in Hell until their humanity is burned away.[2] Prior to becoming demons, it is unclear on what criteria the human spirits are judged as being worthy of Hell, other than selling one's soul to a crossroads demon or being a witch.

According to Crowley, some demons live together in "nests."

The Hierarchy of Demons

  • White-eyed Demons – The demon chiefs of staff. There have only been two known white-eyed demons: Lilith, the first demon created by Lucifer, and Alastair. It can be presumed that he was the second demon created after Lilith.[3] th
  • Princes of Hell – Yellow-eyed demons who served as generals of Hell's demon army. The Princes were said to have been created before the sinking of Atlantis, and were the first generation of demons created soon after Lilith by Lucifer. However, at some unspecified time, three of the four Princes abandoned Hell and Lucifer's plan, leaving Azazel to go forward with attempting to free Lucifer from the Cage. In the absence of Lucifer, Azazel took control of Hell.[1] Crowley later told Ramiel that with Lucifer locked away and Azazel and Lilith dead, Ramiel was next in line for Hell's Throne but neither Ramiel nor any of the other Princes wanted it.[4] After Crowley's death, Asmodeus was able to use his status as the last Prince of Hell to become the next King of Hell.[5]
  • Knights of Hell – Some of the first souls handpicked by Lucifer to become demons.
  • Crossroads Demons – The demon deal-makers, who have the authority to give any human their wants and desires, in exchange for their souls after a period of ten years.
  • Black-eyed Demons – The soldiers, thugs, henchmen, minions. The power level of standard demons varies wildly. The older a demon is, the more powerful it is and the more abilities it comes to possess.


Hell

A glimpse of Hell from 3.16 No Rest for the Wicked.

Hell is like, um... Well, it's like Hell. Even for demons. It's a prison, made of bone and flesh and blood and fear. And you sent me back there.

– Meg (possessing Sam), 2.14 Born Under a Bad Sign

Whether Hell existed prior to or was created sometime after Lucifer's rebellion is unknown. It is a place where demons are produced from human souls after centuries of torture.[2] Human souls can get sent to Hell after making deals or agreements with crossroads demons or other demons. Hellhounds hunt and then kill humans who made a demonic agreement and then the human's soul is sent to Hell. Black-eyed demons are constantly being created, and they occupy positions on Earth under the demon-favored term for their human shell or "meatsuits." Time itself is also altered in Hell, as four months on Earth is equivalent to forty years in Hell.[6]

Azazel was a significant leader among demons, directed as he was by Lucifer in the plans involving the Special Children, and the plot to release him from his prison. Following Azazel's death, Ruby and Lilith continued the plan until their deaths and Lucifer's release. After Lucifer's re-imprisonment,[7] Crowley declares himself King of Hell. Abaddon later wars with Crowley for rule of Hell for several months before being killed by Dean with the First Blade.

The exact structure of Hell remains undefined, although Ruby reveals "there's a real fire in the pit, agonies you can't even imagine."[2] Meg describes this place as "...a prison, made of bone and flesh and blood and fear."[8] Dean is seen suspended from hooks embedded in him when his soul arrives in Hell.[9] Angels can bypass Hell's defenses, enter and retrieve human souls, as Castiel and other angels laid siege to Hell to save Dean. Death can enter Hell and bring souls back to Earth, as shown when he retrieves Sam's soul from Lucifer's Cage. The King of Hell has limited access to Lucifer's Cage, as Crowley was able to raise Sam's body from the Cage after assuming command over Hell, but it is later revealed to be Castiel who raised Sam's body from Perdition. Soon after Crowley's ascension as King of Hell, he made some changes to Hell, transforming a section of it into a never-ending queue. There is also a portal in Purgatory that reapers use as a backdoor into Hell to retrieve souls. The part of Hell accessible through the portal, at least in 2013, takes the form of a dungeon.

In the furthest reaches of Hell resides Limbo, a place where Crowley would send his more unruly souls. Limbo is a dark and barren land littered with the skeletons of the damned, while thunderous clouds crackle above. However, Lucifer's Cage resides just beyond Limbo, where it is surrounded by black storm clouds and suspended by chains.

Characteristics

A horde of demon smoke.

You demons. You think you're something special. But you're just spirits. Twisted, perverted, evil spirits. But, end of the day, you're nothing but ghosts with an ego.

– Bobby Singer, 6.04 Weekend at Bobby's

Demons usually do not have bodies of their own, except in the case of Acheri demons, who can "manifest" as human children. Other demons appear as black smoke in their incorporeal form. Their presence may leave traces of sulfur. They manifest by possessing humans, alive or recently deceased, via demonic possession.

Exorcism will drive the demon from its human host and return it to Hell. When a demon has been exorcised it becomes more difficult for the demon to escape from Hell. However, exorcism is not permanent and demons have been known to return anywhere from a matter of months[8] to five years later.[10] A possessed human may incur physical damage while the demon is present, including fatal injuries, but will survive until they are dispossessed. A high volume of dispossessed individuals die; Dean commented that demons seem to enjoy wearing out their meatsuits. Humans possessed by demons exhibit black, red, yellow, or white eyes depending on the demon involved.

Demons themselves, and people close to the Gates of Hell,[9] see the "real" decaying faces of demons, not just the body they use to walk the earth. It appears that angels can as well.[11]

Demons' abilities and weaknesses vary depending on the apparent rank of the demon. Demons share many strengths and weaknesses with ghosts.

Powers and abilities

  • Biokinesis - Demons can cause injury to humans via thought (shown: Azazel).
  • Combustion - Crowley and Asmodeus were shown to have the ability to render demons to dust with a snap of their fingers.
  • Exorcism - Certain demons have the ability to exorcise and send lower-tier demons back to Hell with a single touch (shown: Abaddon).
  • Mind control - Some demons can influence and control the actions of human beings.
  • Perception - Like angels, demons can pierce the Veil and perceive entities that are invisible to human beings, such as reapers.
  • Pyrokinesis - The ability to control and manipulate fire (known: Azazel, Brady, Crowley).
  • Photokinesis - Lilith and Samhain had the power to cause great destruction with "fiery white light."
  • Possession - Higher-ranked demons have been shown to have the ability to overpower and possess reapers.
  • Resurrection - Crossroads demons have the ability to resurrect through crossroads deals.
  • Smiting - The Knight of Hell Cain had the ability to kill other demons with a touch.[12] The Prince of Hell Asmodeus was able to smite multiple demons at once by simply clenching his fists,[5] but he had been powering up using grace from the archangel Gabriel,[13][14] giving him powers that Lucifer had never granted him.[15]
  • Superhuman strength - While hosting a demonic entity, a human's body can be made to perform extraordinary feats and resist damage. However, when the demon leaves, the host often dies of its injuries. Demons are also capable of overpowering Alphas; a group of demons captured the Alpha Vampire on Crowley's orders, though only after it had been injected with enough dead man's blood to bring down a nest of regular vampires, and when they all attacked at once. A horde of demons was also able to inflict damage to the Darkness during a three-pronged attack that also involved witches and angels.
  • Telepathy - Certain demons have shown the ability to read minds.
  • Telekinesis - Some demons can influence an object's movement with their minds.
  • Teleportation - As demons increase in strength they appear to gain the ability to teleport.
  • Weather Manipulation - Demons can influence the weather; one of the tell-tale signs that a demon is in an area are sudden lightning strikes (as well as cattle mutilations).

Vulnerabilities & Preventative Measures

Preventing possession and location

  • Anti-possession charms - After Sam is possessed, Bobby gives the boys charms to protect against possession.[8]
  • Anti-possession symbol tattoos - Sam, Dean, and Mary reveal that they have the protection symbol tattooed on their chests, preventing any and all demons from possessing them.[16]
  • Exorcism - When a demon is exorcised via ritual, it returns to Hell.[17] However, this is not a permanent solution and demons can return, though escaping Hell for an exorcised demon appears to be more difficult. The length of time it takes for them to return appears to be based on their personal power as one demon returned in a matter of months[8] while another took five years.[10] In another case, a demon that had been put into lockdown deep in Hell for spilling "state secrets" wasn't able to return from being exorcised until he was specifically summoned.[18]
  • Hex bags - Hex bags can be used to help disguise and hide a person’s whereabouts from demons.[16]

Hindering Demons

  • Consecrated ground - Some demons are able to enter consecrated ground such as churches, as shown by:
  • Devil's trap - A pentagram symbol that is marked on the floor or ceiling that can trap a demon within it. If carved into a bullet and shot into a demon, it will bind the demon to their meatsuit and make it impossible for them to move or escape. Additionally, if a demon is released inside a devil's trap in their smoke form, the smoke will be contained by the devil's trap which acts as an invisible barrier.[19] If a demon has been receiving the cure, it is possible for them in their more human-like state to break through the devil's trap, although it will be a painful process.
  • Enochian puzzle box - Can trap demons in their smoke form, although the mechanism by which this is done is currently unknown.[19]
  • Holy fire - While generally not capable of killing a demon, it will cause them great pain as shown when Meg was tossed into a ring of it by Castiel to act as a bridge out[20] and when Sam doused Abaddon in it, causing her so much pain she fled her meatsuit.[21] However, another demon was able to commit suicide by purposefully dousing himself in holy fire.[22]
  • Holy water - While most have some vulnerability to holy water, higher-level demons such as Lilith and Azazel appear immune.
  • Iron - Demons cannot cross an iron line, and can be hurt with any object made of iron. However, a horde of 100's of demons released from the Devil's Gate in Wyoming, were able to break through the iron railroad devil's trap that surrounded Fossil Butte Cemetery.
  • Palo Santo - Burns in a similar way to holy water, and can kill demons if staked in a fatal area.
  • Salt - Most demons cannot cross a line of salt and they feel intense pain when they come in contact with it. Hunters use rock salt in shotgun shells to wound and temporarily hinder demons.

Means of Killing Demons

  • Angels - Angels have the power to kill demons with a touch.[6][23] Archangels can burn demons as powerful as the Princes of Hell to ash with very little effort.[14]
  • Angel blade - An angel blade is capable of killing most demons.[24] It cannot kill a Prince of Hell though.[4]
  • Archangel blade - An archangel blade is also capable of killing demons.[13]
  • Angel sword - As the sword version of an angel blade, it can presumably kill demons.
  • Burning earthly remains - Demons, like spirits, can be killed by burning the bones of the bodies they had as humans, before they became demons.[25][26][27] However, to do this, the person burning the bones must first know the demon's original human name which is something demons no longer go by.[25]
  • The Colt - Until season three, the only method of permanent dispatch was to shoot them with the Colt and one of the original bullets. Bobby Singer rebuilds the Colt with Ruby's help so that it can kill demons with new ammunition.[1]
  • Death's scythe - It is mentioned multiple times that Death's scythe can also kill demons.
  • Demon-killing knife - The ancient demon-killing knives of the Kurds, such as the one previously in the possession of the demon Ruby, can kill demons.[28][29] However, Alastair[6][30] the Knights of Hell[29][12] and the Princes of Hell[4] cannot be killed with the knife though it tends to cause them some harm.
  • The First Blade - The First Blade, combined with the power of the Mark of Cain, can kill any demon. The First Blade is also the only known weapon capable of killing a Knight of Hell.[12]
  • Lance of Michael - A very powerful angelic Weapon created by the archangel Michael to kill Lucifer slowly. It can also kill any demon, including the Princes of Hell, causing them to instantly combust to dust after being stabbed with it.[4]
  • Psychic powers - Late in season four, after months of training and the consumption of demon blood, Sam's powers also allowed him to kill demons.[30][31]
  • Spells - According to Ruby, there is a spell that can kill every demon in a one-mile radius; as long as the meatsuits haven't been killed already, they will survive the spell. The spell was never seen used, but it is known to require the heart of a virgin to work.[16] Demons can also be killed by a spell described in the Word of God tablet that completely destroys both the demon and the meatsuit. Kevin Tran and his mother refer to this spell as a demon bomb and it requires ingredients from all over the world. According to Kevin, just the first three ingredients are nearly impossible to get.[32][33][24] Crowley's mother, the witch Rowena, invented yet another spell that kills demons and apparently their meatsuits as well. This spell requires a hex bag to be held by the demon as the witch recites the incantation.[34]

History relative to the Winchesters

[to Sam] Stay right there, dreamboat. Can't hurt you. Orders. [to Dean] You, on the other hand? Hurting you's encouraged.

– Julia Wright (possessed), 5.06 I Believe the Children Are Our Future

The most essential aspects of demon history that relate to Sam and Dean begin in 1972. That year, Azazel makes contact with Lucifer by sacrificing a dozen nuns at a convent. He is then instructed to find a "special child" who would be essential in breaking the 66 Seals that are the lock to Lucifer's Cage.[31] Azazel embarks on his plan and in 1973 makes a deal with Mary Winchester for the life of her fiancé, John Winchester.[35] Ten years later he returns and feeds demon blood to an infant Sam Winchester. He kills Mary when she tries to intervene, driving John to become a hunter.[36]

Throughout Sam's childhood, Azazel has demons possess people in Sam's life to keep an eye on him.[7] When Sam leaves hunting for college, he pursues a normal life. To combat Sam's transition, Azazel has a demon possess Sam's friend Brady. Brady introduces Sam to Jess. They fall in love, and Azazel orders her death as a means of propelling Sam back into hunting - and the path to becoming Lucifer's vessel.[37]

John has been searching for the demon that killed his wife for decades, and after Sam returns to hunting, he and Dean join the effort to avenge Mary. They require, and eventually obtain, the Colt, the only weapon that can kill this demon.[38] Azazel also needs the weapon, and possesses John in an attempt to acquire it.[39] He does obtain the gun by later making a deal with John, saving Dean's life in exchange for his soul and the gun. John is sent to Hell.[40]

Eventually Azazel takes Sam, along with other Special Children he has created over the years, to a ghost town where he intends for them to fight to the death. He will allow the sole survivor to live, and has tasks for that individual to perform. One of the other candidates - Jake - kills Sam while all of the other Special children are killed.[41] To resurrect Sam, Dean sells his soul. Later, it is Jake who helps Azazel open the Devil's Gate in Wyoming, loosing demons on the Earth before Bobby and Ellen can close it. During this confrontation, Dean finally kills Azazel with the Colt and some help from the spirit of John Winchester, who escaped Hell through the gate.[42]

The demons unleashed by the opening of the Devil's Gate are very powerful, and include Lilith, the first demon. It is revealed that she held the contract for Dean's soul.[43] The demon Ruby also escaped Hell through the gate. She gets close to Sam and gains his trust. She tries to encourage him to use his powers, but he initially resists. The brothers do what they can to combat Lilith and the other escaped demons, but eventually Dean's time is up, and he is killed by hellhounds.[9] Grief stricken after Dean's death, and his failure to save him, Sam grows careless. He is saved by Ruby, who at last convinces Sam to use his powers, ostensibly to save people from demonic possession, with the promise that he will one day be able to kill Lilith, and avenge Dean.[11] The use of his powers requires him to drink demon blood.[30]

In the mean time, the demons are anxious to begin freeing Lucifer. The first seal on Lucifer's Cage is prophesied to be broken when "a righteous man spills blood in Hell." When John Winchester makes his deal with Azazel for Dean's life, he is sent to Hell and tortured continuously. The plan is that he will break the seal - but he manages to resist until he escapes. Dean's deal gives the demons another opportunity to break the first seal. They are successful when Dean, after thirty years of torture by Alastair, surrenders and becomes a torturer.[30]

Dean is saved from Hell by the angel Castiel,[44] who informs him about the seals, and the effort to free Lucifer.[45] Lilith and other demons work to break the required sixty-six seals while Sam, Dean, Bobby, and Castiel try to block their progress. They are unsuccessful, and eventually only one seal remains. Sam chooses to kill Lilith with Ruby's help, leaving Dean behind. Lilith is killed by Sam, high on demon blood, and it is discovered that Lilith is the final seal. Her death frees Lucifer. Ruby has been playing Sam all along in order to get him to kill Lilith and free the Devil and is killed by Dean for her betrayal. The higher level angels have been complicit in letting this happen, as Michael wishes to kill Lucifer.[31]

Demon henchmen secure Dean.

Lucifer rises. With demon aid Lucifer wreaks havoc, instigating the Apocalypse. Most demons are anxious to serve him, either because they revere him or because they fear him. Even Meg is glad to follow him. An exception is the demon Crowley, who suspects that Lucifer will kill off the demons as soon as he has destroyed humanity. He gives aid to Sam and Dean, including providing them with the Colt, and then helping them to locate two of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.[20]

Lucifer requires a vessel, and while he finds a temporary one in Nick,[46] Sam is the vessel he needs.[47] In the same manner, Michael needs Dean. The demons attempt on several occasions to capture Sam, and put a price on Dean's head. Sam eventually allows Lucifer to possess him, and is able to overpower him and throw him, along with Michael, into Lucifer's Cage.[7]

Following Lucifer's defeat, Crowley assumes control of Hell. He resurrects Samuel Campbell and begins a quest to find Purgatory,[48] but is apparently killed by Castiel before succeeding.[26] In reality, he is working with the angel to reach the monster souls in Purgatory and share their power. Crowley tortures monsters in an attempt to find the entrance, with limited success,[49] until Castiel captures Eleanor Visyak. They gather the necessary ingredients to open the gate at the next eclipse, but Castiel reneges on their original agreement, so Crowley seeks out Raphael, and makes a deal with him instead. They are not able to stop Castiel from absorbing all the souls in Purgatory, and Crowley flees.[50] Castiel, despite his powers, spares Crowley, leaving him in charge of Hell.[51]

After the Leviathans emerge from Castiel, Crowley attempts to create a partnership with their leader, Dick Roman. Dick thinks demons worthless, and declines,[52] so Crowley instead supports Sam and Dean's efforts, restraining demon activity that would harm their anti-Leviathan quest.[53] However, demons, possibly working on Crowley's orders, come into conflict with them a few times over the fallen angel Castiel.[54][55]

After Dean and Castiel kill Dick, Crowley makes his move: he kidnaps the prophet Kevin Tran, captures the demon Meg who is against him and assisting the Winchesters and brings in an army of demons to deal with the leviathans remaining in SucroCorp who are now disorganized and confused as their leader is dead.[56]

After capturing Kevin, Crowley begins an effort to open the Gates of Hell and release all demons upon the world using information from the demon tablet and Kevin. However, Kevin betrays him and escapes, revealing to Sam and Dean the possibility of using the tablet to do the opposite: to close the gates forever and banish all demons from the Earth permanently, something they are now determined to do.[32] At first, the Winchesters and Crowley each hold one half of the tablet and are both determined to get the other half. After torturing the captured Samandriel, who is eventually rescued by Sam, Dean, and Castiel, Crowley learns that there is a tablet on angels which the angels fear as if it falls into demon hands and they use it, they could cause great evil with it.[24] Crowley begins a search for the tablet, but Sam, Dean and Castiel locate it first with the help of Meg whom Crowley kills while Castiel goes on the run with the angel tablet.[57]

Some time afterwards, Sam sneaks into Hell and rescues Bobby Singer from the demons that are holding him captive and torturing him. Crowley attempts to stop Sam from releasing Bobby's soul into Heaven, but is stopped by Naomi. Shortly afterwards, Crowley captures Kevin and his notes on the demon tablet, leaving Sam and Dean with no clues on how to complete their mission to close the gates of Hell.[58] Crowley manipulates Kevin into reading his half of the demon tablet, but Kevin eventually realizes the truth and is rescued by Metatron taking with him Crowley's half of the demon tablet. From it and Metatron the Winchesters learn that the third trial is to cure a demon, but at the same time, Crowley gets the angel tablet from Castiel and tells Kevin that he doesn't need him or the demon tablet anymore as he has many deals and plans in the works as well as the angel tablet.[59] Crowley later starts killing people the Winchesters have saved to force them to surrender the demon tablet to him and give up the trials,[60] but they manage to capture him instead and use him for the third trial. They also retrieve the angel tablet from him. Crowley starts to become human, but his attempt to summon help summons Abaddon who wants to take over Hell. Sam douses her in holy fire, destroying her meatsuit and driving her away, but stops before completely curing Crowley as Dean learns that he will die if he completes the trials.[21]

Crowley is held captive by the Winchesters who want to use him to find all the demons on Earth and kill them. He eventually agrees to give them what they want if they help him with what he wants. At the same time, Abaddon gets her meatsuit restored and starts a crusade to take over Hell and Earth and tries to kill the Winchesters and get the location of Crowley from them, but is forced to flee when the angel Gadreel intervenes.[61] Abaddon works to take over Hell, voiding all deals and collecting the souls early.[62] Eventually Crowley is released in exchange for successfully helping Sam expel Gadreel and he starts a war with Abaddon over who will rule Hell.[63]

To this end, Crowley forms a reluctant alliance with Dean to find the First Blade, the only thing that can kill a Knight of Hell. The two find the demon Cain who killed the other Knights and transfers the Mark of Cain to Dean along with giving him the location of the Blade so he can kill Abaddon and when he is done, Cain himself. As the Blade is at the bottom of the ocean and they need as many allies as possible against Abaddon, Dean and Crowley maintain their alliance.[12] Working together, the Winchesters and Crowley locate and retrieve the First Blade, but Crowley takes it until such time it can be used on Abaddon, not trusting Sam and Dean not to use it on him.[64] Dean subsequently becomes obsessed with hunting Abaddon and Sam joins him after he learns that she has created "factories" all over the place where demons loyal to her steal people's souls to create an army of demons loyal only to her.[65][66]

Eventually even Crowley's loyal lieutenants switch to Abaddon's side and she kidnaps his son Gavin MacLeod to force him to help her trap the Winchesters. Crowley gives Sam and Dean the location of the First Blade, claiming he's found Abaddon and calls off the hellhound he has guarding it. Once the Winchesters have the First Blade, Crowley tells them where to find him, but not before subtly warning Dean its a trap. At the hotel where Crowley and Abaddon are located, Dean sends Sam on a wild-goose chase and confronts Abaddon alone. Abaddon incapacitates Crowley with a devil's trap bullet and overpowers Dean. However, the Mark of Cain gives him immunity to her powers and telekinesis and Dean finally manages to stab Abaddon with the First Blade, killing her. The Winchesters spare Crowley despite having him at their mercy and he takes his son somewhere safe so he won't return to his own time and die.[67] Crowley subsequently regains full control of Hell and he and his demons later aid Dean in his search for Metatron. After Metatron kills Dean, Crowley visits him to give him the First Blade. With that, Dean resurrects as a demon himself.[68]

For six weeks after Dean disappears, Sam searches for his brother without success, capturing and torturing the Crossroads Demon Dar for information after tricking Lester Morris into summoning her.[69][22] At the same time, Dean, now a Knight of Hell himself,[70] and Crowley hit the road, partying with each other. Although Crowley expresses interest in Dean ruling Hell at his side, Dean refuses. To sate the Mark of Cain's bloodlust, Crowley sends surviving Abaddon loyalists to attack Dean, who easily dispatches them.[69] Crowley also sends Dean to fulfill Lester's deal, but Dean kills Lester instead. With Dean proving to be too uncontrollable even for Crowley, Crowley makes a deal with Sam to help Sam capture Dean in exchange for the First Blade. Sam is able to capture Dean[71] and attempts to perform the demon cure upon his brother. Though Dean breaks free, he is restrained by Castiel who was himself rescued by Crowley from an attack by Adina. Sam is able to complete the cure and turn Dean human again, though he retains the Mark of Cain.[22]

Having regained control of Hell, Crowley executes surviving Abaddon loyalists, though his alliance with Dean and method of ruling leads one dissatisfied demon to commit suicide.[22] Due to soul numbers being down following the war with Abaddon, Raul, Gerald, and another demon open a brothel where patrons sell their souls in exchange for the services of the kidnapped prostitutes. After meeting Shaylene, one of the prostitutes, the Winchesters learn of the operation and attempt to shut it down. However, the witch Rowena MacLeod finds the brothel first and kills Raul, causing Gerald to flee. Though disgusted by the operation, Crowley dispatches demons to capture Rowena and kill the surviving prostitutes who are recruited by Rowena to form a coven. The demon assassins are killed by the Winchesters, saving one of the rescued prostitutes, but a second team is able to capture Rowena thanks to the intervention of Cole Trenton. Crowley is shocked to recognize Rowena as his long-absent mother,[34] something that she subsequently uses to manipulate Crowley.[72][73][74] In particular, Crowley has his demons capture Olivette, High Priestess of the Grand Coven, so that Rowena can petition to freely perform magic again.[75] Following failed attempts by Rowena to directly assassinate Dean and then to have Crowley do it, Crowley kicks Rowena out for her attempts to manipulate him.[76]

During this time, the Winchesters and Castiel search for Cain in hopes that he will know a cure for the Mark of Cain. Having been driven back under the Mark's influence by killing Abaddon's demons, Cain begins slaughtering all of his human descendants to get rid of his "cursed" bloodline. The discovery of this by Castiel causes the Winchesters, Castiel, and Crowley to team up together to stop Cain once and for all. Using magic from Rowena, they are able to lure Cain into a devil's trap, reducing his powers to the point that Dean can fight him. Though initially outmatched as he is unwilling to give into the Mark of Cain's power and rage, Dean manages to gain the upper hand and kills Cain with the First Blade. However, he hands the First Blade over to Castiel instead of keeping his promise to return it to Crowley, damaging Crowley's trust in Sam and Dean.[74]

Enraged by Crowley kicking her out on the street,[76] Rowena demands that Sam kill Crowley in exchange for her help in decoding the Book of the Damned and getting a cure for Dean and the Mark of Cain, and Sam agrees to the deal.[77] After Charlie Bradbury comes up with a way to read the Book of the Damned, Rowena demands that Sam uphold their end of the deal before she will cure Dean. Sam is able to lure Crowley into a trap and immobilize him with a devil's trap bullet, but Sam's attempt to kill Crowley with a spell provided by Rowena fails. Instead Crowley, who has been trying to reshape Hell for the better, is reminded of his evil nature and revels in reembracing it.[78] Despite this, Castiel is able to enlist Crowley's help in getting the ingredients needed for the spell to remove the Mark of Cain. However, after performing the spell, Rowena escapes and uses the Attack Dog Spell to force Castiel to kill Crowley.[79] Crowley escapes death by fleeing his meatsuit and then calling in demons to secure it once Castiel has left. Upon returning to his usual body, Crowley is informed by Jervis and another demon that either Michael or Lucifer, or both, rattled the Cage, putting Hell into an uproar because of the belief that one or both of the archangels is trying to warn them about the Darkness.[80]

Following the death of Crowley, the last Prince of Hell Asmodeus takes control of Hell, proclaiming that he will return it to the old days of fire and brimstone.[5] Under Asmodeus' leadership, the demons actively hunt for the Nephilim Jack Kline and take Lucifer captive, though he later escapes with the aid of Castiel. Hell also begins preparing for a possible upcoming invasion by the Apocalypse World Michael.[81][15] However, not all demons are willing to bow to Asmodeus's will and the Crossroads Demon Barthamus makes a deal with Sam and Dean to exchange a Nephilim-tracking spell for their help in retrieving his human bones from Luther Shrike. Though they get the bones with the help of Alice and the demon Grab, Grab is killed by Luther, who reveals the truth about his history with Barthamus to the Winchesters. Disgusted, Sam and Dean refuse to complete the deal and Barthamus, who was also sought by Asmodeus for his rogue actions, is killed when Alice burns Barthamus' human bones.[27]

Though Asmodeus is able to capture and imprison both Castiel and Lucifer, wanting to keep power for himself[81], the two angels are able to escape by briefly working together, killing several of Asmodeus' demons as they leave. However, their brief alliance falls apart afterwards.[15] During this time, Asmodeus is able to get his hands on the archangel blade, the one weapon that can kill an archangel such as Lucifer or Michael in the hands of another archangel. Asmodeus is aided by the fact that he holds the archangel Gabriel captive[82] and feeds off of Gabriel's grace for more power. After Gabriel's rescue by Ketch,[13] Asmodeus leads a demon incursion into the Bunker to retrieve his prisoner. However, Gabriel fights back and the archangel kills Asmodeus, leaving Hell leaderless once more.[14]

Following Lucifer's death at the hands of Dean Winchester,[83] Hell is left without a leader or a clear successor to the throne. As a result, the demon Kipling makes a play for the leadership of Hell by capturing Castiel and trying to make a deal with Sam to have a Crowley-like situation. However, Sam refuses to deal and kills Kipling in the fight that follows. Sam then proclaims to Kipling's henchmen that there will be no more Kings of Hell and any demon that wishes to challenge that will have to go through him. Frightened by Sam, the demons show their acquiescence by fleeing in smoke form.[84] Michael subsequently considers both the demons and angels to be a non-factor in his effort to destroy the world.[85] Later, while trying to avenge his family, Lucifer's former vessel Nick learns that they were killed by the demon Abraxas.[86] After tracking down Abraxas, Nick learns that the demon had murdered his family on Lucifer's orders. Nick then kills Abraxas with an angel blade.[19] After Nick's escape from police custody,[87] he teams up with two demons to resurrect Lucifer. The demons supply him with angel grace for Nick's plan and guard Donatello Redfield while Nick is away getting Jack Kline's blood. When Dean arrives to rescue Donatello, the two demons attack him. Dean is able to knock one unconscious and kills the other with an angel blade before rushing to Sam's rescue with Donatello.[88]

Featured Demons

Azazel, Prince of Hell

Azazel

Azazel is a powerful yellow-eyed demon. He is a greatly respected General of Hell commanding an army of black-eyed demon soldiers.[3] He is also referred to as a "tyrant" by the demon Casey.[1] Two of his black-eyed subordinates include Meg and Tom, whom he refers to as his "children."[39] Azazel also refers to Lucifer as his "daddy."[31] Azazel is a Prince of Hell and the only Prince that stayed loyal to Lucifer and his plans following Lucifer's imprisonment with Ramiel calling Azazel "a fanatic."[4][31] His actions involving the Winchester family are motivated by Lucifer's orders; after searching for and discovering the door to Lucifer's Cage in 1972, sacrificing a group of nuns in order to speak with Lucifer, Azazel receives orders from the Devil to find "a very special child" (eventually revealed to be Sam Winchester).[31] Azazel makes deals with prospective parents he favors, asking only for permission to enter their houses in ten years, not telling them what he plans to do in their homes at that point. The night the deal comes due, he enters their homes to feed Demon Blood to their six-month-old children, which he does to prepare the infants to one day house Lucifer.[35] Parents like Mary Winchester who interrupt the feeding are killed in Azazel's signature style: telekinetically pinned to the ceiling, their abdomens slashed open, and burned alive by Azazel's pyrokinetic powers. The special children develop demonic powers in 2005, and Azazel spends much of 2007 arranging for them to kill each other off so that only the strongest remains to be Lucifer's vessel.[36][89][90][91][41]

Azazel is hunted by the Winchesters for over twenty years in revenge for Mary, and later, Jessica.[36] When John makes plans to kill him with the Colt, Azazel sends Meg to kill the hunter and take the gun, a move which results in both of Azazel's "children" "destroyed."[39] Azazel ultimately makes a deal for John's soul and the Colt in exchange for Dean's life.[40] Having been ordered by Lucifer in 1972 to free Lilith from Hell so that she can break the 66 Seals,[31] Azazel arranges for the Devil's Gate to be opened in 2007 for her to escape through. He plans for his demon army to also be released, for the last-surviving special child to command during the Apocalypse. Although Azazel's plan to free both Lilith and the army is a success, Azazel himself is ultimately killed by the combined efforts of Dean with the Colt with the help of John's spirit, who had also escaped Hell.[42]

Azazel's presence in an area will be presaged by cattle deaths, electrical storms, and temperature fluctuations, and can stop clocks and disrupt electrical devices.[92] He is pyrokinetic (can control fire) and impervious to holy water and also demonstrates the power to cause internal bleeding and grievous wounds with his mind.[39] Notably, he once possessed a reaper and used her powers to his own advantage. Like crossroads demons, Azazel can raise the dead, but only after he has sealed a deal with someone and only through the power of a reaper.[40] After Azazel makes an agreement with Mary that would allow him access to baby Sam, he raises John from the dead. He also saves a dying Dean after making a deal with John.[35]

Meg in her first meatsuit, Meg Masters.

Meg

Meg possessing her second body.

Meg is Azazel's black-eyed "daughter"[39] and an apprentice of Alastair's.[26] Her true name is unknown; she is referred to as "Meg" after the name of the host in whom she first appears (Meg Masters). According to Meg herself, she has many names.[8] Under Azazel's orders, Meg makes contact with Sam while he is alone, but is not allowed to stop him from returning to Dean.[93] She makes plans to kill John Winchester[94] and later to retrieve the Colt as well. She is ultimately exorcised by Sam at Dean's command, with Bobby's assistance. Azazel believes the exorcism to have "destroyed" her,[39] but months later, she is revealed to be alive and to have escaped Hell, where she had been imprisoned. She does not resume aiding her father when she resurfaces, instead seeking revenge against the Winchesters by possessing Sam and attacking and killing more hunters. She is ultimately forced to leave Sam's body and flee to escape being exorcised again.[8]

After the Apocalypse is set into motion, Meg reappears as a follower of Lucifer's, trying to kill Dean to avert his destiny as the one who will slay Lucifer[46] and then helping Lucifer with the raising of Death.[20] After Lucifer is imprisoned, she emerges as the leader of the remaining Lucifer loyalists. Hunted by Crowley to protect his position as King of Hell, Meg and her subordinates seek to kill him. Meg forms an uneasy alliance with the Winchesters to try and kill Crowley,[26] later reforming said alliance to protect Castiel[54] and defeat the leviathans.[55] After they succeed in defeating the leviathans, Meg is captured by demons working for Crowley,[56] and is tortured by Crowley for the location of Lucifer's crypt. She is eventually rescued by Sam, Dean, and Castiel, only to be killed by Crowley with an angel blade while buying time for the Winchesters and Castiel to escape with the angel tablet.[57]

Ruby in her first meatsuit.

Ruby

Ruby 2.0

Ruby is a black-eyed demon and secret Lucifer loyalist.[31] She saves Sam using a knife that can kill demons from three of the Seven Deadly Sins.[28] It is revealed that Ruby was a witch that sold her soul during the Middle Ages, and became a demon in Hell.[2] She continues to follow and speak to Sam during season three, suggesting that she knows how to save Dean from Hell.[1] After Dean's death, Ruby becomes a teacher to Sam, helping to use his powers[11] and providing the demon blood needed to improve them.[30][23][95] In the end, Ruby is revealed as a deep cover double agent for Lilith and she plays a critical role in the plan to free Lucifer by setting Sam up to break the final seal. After her exposure, Dean kills her with her own knife.[31]

Lilith

Lilith is the first demon created by Lucifer.[95] She has white eyes. She is first mentioned by the demon possessing Tammi Benton as someone who wants Sam dead as he is a threat to her leadership of Hell.[2] Lilith generally chooses to manifest by possessing a little girl.[2][16] Later, however, Lilith does possess adult women.[96][31] She is extremely powerful among demons, exhibiting both telekinesis and a destructive power that appears as a bright white light. Sam is immune to her powers. Lilith controls a large number of demons, some of which constitute her "entourage." This group includes a "chef" responsible for supplying Lilith with baby's blood.[95]

After escaping from Hell and the death of its former leader Azazel,[42][1] Lilith takes command of the escaped demon army.[2] Following a demonic siege in Monument, Colorado, Lilith arrives in the body of a little girl, searching for the Winchesters.[16] Lilith proceeds to brutally torture everyone for forty-five minutes before killing them.[45] After learning that Lilith holds all of the demonic contracts from Bela Talbot,[43] the Winchesters try to ambush Lilith while she is on vacation, but fail to kill her. Dean is killed by a hellhound under Lilith's command, but Sam proves to be immune to Lilith's deadly powers, forcing her to flee before Sam can potentially kill her.[9] She later sends Ruby back to Earth, ostensibly to kill Sam and redeem herself in Lilith's eyes,[11] but in reality to manipulate Sam into drinking demon blood and using his powers so that he will be ready to play his part in the Apocalypse.[31] As part of her ongoing ruse, Lilith sends several assassins after Sam, setting a trap for him using his desire for revenge upon her. The trap solidifies Sam's trust in Ruby while causing him to successfully use his powers to exorcise a demon with his mind for the first time.[11]

Lilith

After Dean breaks the first seal in Hell under Alastair's torture[30] Lilith sets out to break the rest of the seals and release her "father" Lucifer from Hell. After discovering Lilith's intentions from the angel Castiel, the Winchesters set out to stop her.[45] However, they only manage to save one seal by stopping Alastair from killing two reapers.[97] Lilith is later suspected of murdering seven angels, but under torture by Sam's increasing powers, Alastair reveals that Lilith is innocent as she doesn't have the power to kill angels. Alastair tells Sam and Castiel that if Lilith was that strong, "Lilith wouldn't kill seven angels, she'd kill a hundred, a thousand." The true culprit is later revealed to be the angel Uriel, a follower of Lucifer's.[30] After learning that she won't survive the Apocalypse, Lilith briefly falters in her devotion and offers Sam a deal where she will stop breaking the seals in exchange for the deaths of the Winchesters. After a brief altercation with Sam, she is driven off when Dean brings in the archangel Raphael who Lilith is afraid of.[96]

Following her brief hesitation, Lilith quickly rededicates herself to breaking the last seals and breaks several in a very short time frame until she is the only one left.[95] At St. Mary's Convent in Ilchester, Maryland, the location of the door to Lucifer's Cage, Lilith faces off with Sam who is high on enough demon blood to kill her. After Sam hesitates due to Dean's interference, Lilith purposefully goads Sam by calling him a monster for what he has done to reach the point where he could kill her and that after all of that "you're not gonna bite." Sam kills Lilith with his powers, exhausting them in the process. Lilith dies having achieved her ultimate purpose with Lilith's blood forming the portal to Lucifer's Cage that he emerges through.[31][46]

More information on Lilith in Jewish Mythology can be found here.

Alastair

Alastair is a torturer in Hell, and specifically was Dean's torturer. He is described by Ruby as "practically the Grand Inquisitor downstairs. Picasso with a razor."[11] Alastair is known to be a very powerful and sadistic demon. He has white eyes (iris and pupil). He tortured both Dean and John, and in both instances offered to end the torment if they would become torturers themselves.[30] At some point, he also tutored Meg in the art of torture though Crowley would find the skills she learned lacking.[26] Alastair's power is such that while he can be hurt by the demon-killing knife, it is incapable of killing him,[11][30] a feat that is only seen elsewhere with the Knights of Hell[29][12] and Princes of Hell.[4] Additionally, he is immune to angelic smiting[6] and has an incredibly high threshold for pain, even appearing to greatly enjoy it.[30] At first, Alastair is immune to Sam's powers,[11] but after Sam begins drinking demon blood again he becomes strong enough to potentially exorcise Alastair[97] and later to kill him.[30] At one point, Alastair implies that he may have had a role in the creation of the Nazi concentration camps.[6] Alastair is one of the few if not the only demon that actually enjoys Hell because of the pain he gets to inflict there on a daily basis, in contrast considering the Earth to be an "arctic craphole."[97]

Alastair

In his role as Hell's torturer, Alastair attempts to break John Winchester after he makes a deal with Azazel to save Dean's life.[40] Alastair offers to release John from the rack and end his torture if John will pick up the knife and begin torturing souls himself. However, John refuses for a century of Hell time,[30] eventually escaping from Alastair's grasp when Jake Talley opens the Devil's Gate in Wyoming on Azazel's orders.[42] After Dean is dragged to Hell at the end of his one year deal,[9] Alastair brutally tortures him as well, offering Dean the same deal day after day. Dean finally breaks after thirty years of Hell time and accepts Alastair's deal. In doing so, Dean breaks the first of the 66 Seals when a Righteous Man sheds blood in Hell. Alastair mentors Dean in torture for the next ten years until Dean is finally rescued by the angel Castiel and resurrected.[6][30][44]

After the former angel Anna Milton surfaces, Lilith sends Alastair to capture Anna so that the demons can use her to learn the angels' secrets. In the process, Alastair comes up against his former apprentice Dean, revealing Dean's past with the sadistic demon to Sam in the process. To resolve the situation, the Winchesters draw the angels and demons together, leading Alastair to combat Castiel who proves to be no match for him. When Anna regains her grace, Alastair is apparently vaporized by the release of angelic light.[11][6]

Alastair later resurfaces, having only lost his meatsuit when Anna became an angel again. On Lilith's orders, Alastair endeavors to break another seal by killing two reapers, one of them Tessa, with Death's scythe. Though Alastair partially succeeds, the Winchesters manage to free Tessa and foil his efforts. Alastair is subsequently captured by angels led by Castiel and held prisoner.[97] When angels begin getting murdered, Dean is forced to torture Alastair for information on how Lilith is doing it. Alastair in return enjoys torturing Dean with the knowledge that Dean broke the first seal and began the Apocalypse. After his devil's trap is mysteriously broken, Alastair nearly beats Dean to death and almost exorcises Castiel back to Heaven. Confronted by a Sam with the power to harm him, Alastair admits that Lilith is innocent in the angel murders and Sam uses his increased power to kill Alastair with his mind. Following his death, Uriel is revealed to be the true culprit in the angel murders, having planned to scapegoat the demons by using Alastair's escape to his advantage. Castiel also confirms that Alastair was telling the truth about Dean breaking the first seal, breaking Dean's spirit even further.[30]

While detoxing from his demon blood addiction, Sam hallucinates that Alastair is torturing him in Bobby's Panic Room despite the demon having been dead for months at that point.[95]

Crowley

Crowley was the leader of the crossroads demons, and has referred to himself as "King of the Crossroads." He has red eyes, and his corporeal form is red smoke.[98] As a human his name was Fergus Roderick MacLeod, and he was born in Canisbay, Scotland in 1661. He sold his soul to a demon, thus ending up in Hell and becoming one of them.

According to Becky, he was Lilith's right hand demon prior to her death, and takes possession of the Colt from Bela. He keeps the Colt for over a year, and when Sam and Dean track him down to find the weapon in order to kill Lucifer, Crowley gives it to them freely. Crowley believes that once Lucifer succeeds in wiping out the human race, he will then destroy all the demons, who are lesser still than humans. His beliefs are backed up when Lucifer sacrifices several demons to raise the horseman Death saying: "They're just demons."

Crowley

After giving the weapon to the Winchesters, and following their inability to destroy Lucifer with it, Crowley becomes a target for demon retribution. When he learns that Sam and Dean have another means of stopping the Devil, he decides to help. He leads them to Brady, who gives them the location of Pestilence, and after borrowing Bobby's soul, locates Death.

Following Lucifer's defeat, Crowley assumes leadership of Hell. He claims responsibility for resurrecting Sam and Samuel Campbell, and for holding back Sam's soul. He manipulates Sam, Dean, and Samuel into capturing Alphas so that Crowley can interrogate them about the location of Purgatory. He appears to be killed when Castiel burns his bones, but this is a ruse to hide their partnership. Castiel breaks their agreement to split the souls in Purgatory, so Crowley attempts a deal with Raphael, which ends disastrously when Castiel gets the souls first. Castiel kills Raphael, but spares Crowley to continue as the leader of Hell.

When the Leviathans appear, Crowley attempts to make a deal with their leader, Dick Roman, but is rebuffed. Crowley turns his support to Sam and Dean, and curtails demon activity that would be counter-productive to their efforts to destroy the Leviathans. He later supplies his blood for the weapon that can kill the Leviathan leader Dick Roman.

After Sam and Dean defeat the Leviathans, Crowley starts a determined effort to open the Gates of Hell and allow all demons out into the world by capturing Kevin Tran and forcing him to translate the demon tablet.

In order to do the third trial to close the Gates of Hell, Sam and Dean capture Crowley and try to turn him human, but they ultimately stop before completing the process, allowing Crowley to revert back to his normal mannerisms. He remains a prisoner of the Winchesters who want to get the name of every demon he has on Earth; Crowley gives up the names of two demons as freebies, but will only give the Winchesters more information if they agree to a "Quid Pro Quo" arrangement. He is later released by Dean after agreeing to save Sam from Gadreel. By briefly possessing Sam himself, he succeeds and starts to fight against Abaddon to win over Hell. He later forms an alliance with Dean to get the First Blade, the only weapon that can kill Abaddon. Abaddon eventually uses Crowley to lure the Winchesters into a trap, but he gives them the First Blade and warns Dean of the trap. As a helpless Crowley watches, Dean confronts Abaddon and empowered by the Mark of Cain, finally kills her, restoring Crowley to full rule of Hell. Despite having Crowley at their mercy, the Winchesters spare him, but Crowley, not wanting his son, brought to the present by Abaddon to return to his time and die, takes him away from them. Crowley aids Dean in locating Metatron and visits him after he dies to encourage his resurrection as a demon.

After multiple betrayals by his subjects and humiliation by Lucifer, Crowley sacrifices himself to seal the archangel in Apocalypse World, taking his own life with an angel blade to seal the portal between the two worlds.[99]

Abaddon, Knight of Hell

Abaddon

Abaddon is an incredibly powerful black-eyed demon who is one of the first demons ever created, and a Knight of Hell, part of an elite group of demons believed to have been destroyed by archangels.[29] In fact, after she and the other Knights kidnapped Cain's wife, he killed them himself, accidentally killing his wife while Abaddon possessed her.[12] In 1958, as part of her work for Hell, Abaddon brutally murders Father Max Thompson for developing the demon cure.[60] Shortly thereafter, Abaddon attempts to create a "demon factory" by stealing people's souls and transforming the souls into demons, but she is confronted by Men of Letters initiates Henry Winchester and Josie Sands. Seizing upon an opportunity, Abaddon possesses Josie to infiltrate the Men of Letters.[65]

On the night of August 12, 1958, Abaddon slaughters the Men of Letters and follows Henry Winchester through time to get the key to the Bunker, the greatest storehouse of supernatural knowledge that ever existed. Unable to kill Abaddon, Henry shoots the Knight in the head with a devil's trap bullet, but not before she mortally wounds him. Dean tells Abaddon that as they can't kill her, he is going to cut her into pieces and bury them in concrete, trapping her forever.[29] She is later put back together by Sam and Dean in order to cure her of being a demon as the third trial to close the Gates of Hell, but she escapes while they are distracted.[60] She then attacks Crowley and Sam after Crowley calls for help after being captured, planning to take over ruling Hell herself. However, Sam douses her in holy oil and lights her up, forcing her to abandon Josie Sands' body and flee in her smoke form.[21]

Days after her brief defeat, Abaddon has Josie's body restored and begins a crusade to take over Hell and Earth. She tries to kill Sam and Dean and get Crowley's location from them, but flees when Gadreel reveals himself nearby.[61] Abaddon then works to reshape Hell, using Crowley's absence to take over and reneging on all soul deals.[62] After being freed by the Winchesters,[63] Crowley starts a war against her, allying with Dean to find the First Blade, the only weapon that can kill Abaddon.[12] After finding out about Crowley's search, Abaddon starts her own[64] and starts having her demons steal innocent people's souls to build her own army of demons loyal only to her.[65] After attempting to lure the Winchesters into a trap with the help of Crowley, Abaddon was killed by Dean with the First Blade after the Mark of Cain made him immune to her powers,[67] allowing Crowley to subsequently regain control over Hell.[68]

Cain

Cain

Cain is the biblical Cain who, became a demon after making a deal with Lucifer to guarantee Abel passage into Heaven. Cain eventually killed himself, but the Mark of Cain transformed him into a demon and the first Knight of Hell. Cain became the most feared demon in existence, the Father of Murder who formed and led the Knights of Hell. When he met and fell in love with Colette, Cain retired from his ways, but when the Knights kidnapped Colette to draw him back, he slaughtered all but Abaddon with the First Blade, the weapon he used to kill Abel. After accidentally killing Colette, Cain followed her wish for him to retire completely and tossed the Blade in the ocean and eventually became a bee keeper in Missouri.

In 2013, Cain is tracked down by Dean and Crowley who are looking for the First Blade to kill Abaddon. After watching Dean fight several demons single-handedly, Cain decides he is worthy of the Mark of Cain, the Blade's source of power, and he gives it to him along with a warning of a terrible price that comes with it, and the location of the First Blade. Cain's only request is that Dean return one day and kill him too. Returning to his old ways, Cain teleports Dean and Crowley to safety then takes on an entire demon army alone.[12]

Falling back under the Mark's influence, Cain descends into madness, believing that his bloodline is "tainted" and deciding to slaughter it despite it being "legion." He draws the attention of Sam and Dean and they team up with Castiel and Crowley to trap and kill him. After a brutal fight between them, Dean kills Cain with the First Blade when he refuses to give up killing once more.[74]

Dean Winchester

Dean Winchester

After being killed by Metatron, Dean is turned into a Knight of Hell like Cain as a result of the Mark of Cain.[68] Due to becoming a demon through the Mark, and not centuries of torture in Hell, Dean was fundamentally different in that he still had vestiges of his humanity lingering within him. As a demon, Dean was free of his guilt, and engaged in all his vices to an excessive degree. He would eventually become too much for Crowley to handle, leading to Sam capturing him and administering the demon cure to an unwilling Dean.[22]

Demon Henchmen

These anonymous demons appear as grunts, and seem to work for high-classed demons, sometimes appearing in actual groups. They are often used by high-level demons when they are going up against other strong forces or when a specific task must be completed. Sometimes, they are silent, while other times they speak. A large group of them are patrolling, in the act of protecting Lilith, in 3.16 No Rest for the Wicked. Alastair uses them in 4.09 I Know What You Did Last Summer and again in 4.10 Heaven and Hell. More are seen in 4.15 Death Takes a Holiday. Lucifer sends a group of them to care for Famine in 5.14 My Bloody Valentine. As the Apocalypse looms even further, Lucifer is accompanied by two elite demons in 5.22 Swan Song. A group of them capture the Alpha Vampire under the instruction of Crowley in 6.07 Family Matters. In 8.07 A Little Slice of Kevin and 8.10 Torn and Frayed groups of henchmen guard Crowley's bases where he is holding the future prophets and Samandriel respectively.

Types of Demons

Tempter demon

Tempter Demon

Tempter demons are a minor type of demon from Apocalypse World. They have the strength to battle an angel and can be killed by angel-killing bullets.

Daevas

Daevas are a low class of demons that are almost completely invisible to humans; the only part of them that humans can see are their shadows. They are described as "demonic pitbulls." Meg once used a group of daevas to commit unexplainable murders with the goal of ultimately luring the Winchesters into a trap she'd set. However, Meg had had to use a spell to control them and they immediately attacked her when the spell was (temporarily) broken, demonstrating that at least black-eyed demons lack control over daevas and that daevas have no real interest in serving higher-up demons. It is unknown if daevas are vulnerable to standard demonic weaknesses, but it is shown that they can be temporarily banished if their shadows are dissipated by extreme light.[94]

Acheri Demons

Acheris are a lower rank of demon that are able to manifest as children. Ava Wilson was shown to be able to summon and control Acheris, and used them to trap the other Special Children in Cold Oak and to kill them. Acheris are susceptible to the weakness that affect other demons and spirits, like being dispelled by an iron rod, as well as not being able to cross a salt barrier.[41]

Black-Eyed Demons

I mean, demons, they don't want anything, just death and destruction for its own sake.

– Dean Winchester, 1.04 Phantom Traveler

A black-eyed demon confronts Samuel Colt.

These demons are the most common types, but they are not a homogeneous group. They occupy positions on earth and in Hell, as they are constantly being deployed and produced throughout Hell. They appear to hold different ranks in demon society and display a range of abilities and powers. They are grouped together because when they possess a human, they can turn the hosts eyes entirely black at will. Most black-eyed demons serve a higher ranking demon or entity. Both Lilith and Crowley have black-eyed body guards; others serve as members of an entourage, like Lilith's "personal chef." One group of the demons is assigned by Lucifer to care for Famine. They are subject to the typical demon weaknesses - holy water, salt, exorcism, the Colt, Ruby's knife, and the devil's trap. Some of the more powerful black-eyed demons, such as Meg, are impervious to hallowed ground:[92]

Pastor Jim: I know what you are. You can’t be here. This is hallowed ground.
Meg: Please. Maybe that works in the minor leagues, but not with me.

Tammi, the demon in 3.09 Malleus Maleficarum, was one of the strongest black-eyed demons encountered. Like the yellow-eyed Azazel and the white-eyed Lilith, she can pin both Sam and Dean to a wall telekinetically. Tammi also stops a bullet from the Colt in mid-air when Sam tries to shoot her. She provides power to witches in exchange for their souls.

The Knights of Hell are black-eyed demons who were amongst the first fallen humans, handpicked by Lucifer. They were rumored to have all been killed by the archangels. They all have the powers of other lower-ranking demons, but at least one has shown abilities and powers far beyond that of any other demon seen so far.

These stronger black-eyed demons often have an advanced knowledge of magic and spells that helps them achieve their goals. Tammi and Ruby both made extensive use of hex bags. Meg uses a black altar to control daevas in 1.16 Shadow. Later, while she is possessing Sam in 2.14 Born Under a Bad Sign, she manages to resist exorcism for a time using a binding link with him. Both Meg and Brady communicated via the goblet of blood with the Yellow-Eyed Demon and Pestilence respectively. Abaddon knew a spell to travel through time. As with most demons, their appearance can be accompanied or presaged by odd weather phenomena and electrical interference, as well as the presence of sulfur. Demons are also associated with EVP.[17][2]

Crossroads Demon

Crossroads Demons

Crossroads demons are another fairly large class of demons, though they do not appear to be nearly as large as the black-eyed demon class. Unlike black-eyed demons, all crossroads demons have red eyes, though their exact eye color varies from completely red to red with black pupils. Crossroads demons appear to be roughly on the same level as black-eyed demons; it is unclear which class ranks higher, if there is indeed a power difference. A crossroads demon makes deals with people, granting wishes in exchange for claiming their "clients'" life and soul at a later date; the standard date is ten years to the day, though they can choose to give either a shorter or longer amount of time to the client. These deals are sealed with a kiss. However, crossroads demons can refuse an offer if they choose. Non-crossroads demons who can also make deals include Lilith and Azazel.

It appears that crossroads demons sometimes independently hold the contracts to the deals they've struck, as one is able to break her contract with Evan Hudson;[100] however, the same demon is unable to break her contract with Dean Winchester later on, as after she makes the deal with Dean, the contract transfers hands to her "boss."[101] It is implied by her calling this "boss" a "he"[101] that the demon in question is Crowley, himself a crossroads demon who has called himself "The King of the Crossroads,"[102] dealing primarily with clients he sees as "big fish."[20] Lilith, dubbed "The Queen of the Crossroads,"[3] ultimately ends up holding Dean's contract, along with all other crossroads deal contracts,[43] and is described as the demon all crossroads demons - Crowley himself included[103] - work for.[104] Crowley has demonstrated the ability to break the contracts of other crossroads demons,[53] and it is implied that Lilith can as well.[43]

Seven Deadly Sins

The Seven Deadly Sins are unique demons; each one represents one of the deadly biblical sins. They were unleashed when Jake Talley opened the Devil's Gate in Wyoming. They have the standard strengths and weaknesses of black-eyed demons but also have special powers like Mind Control.

Knights of Hell

The Knights of Hell were an order of black-eyed[29][68] demons who served as elite soldiers of Hell.[12] Henry Winchester stated that they had been among the first demons and had even been hand-picked by Lucifer himself.[29] Cain was the first of the Knights and went on to create the other Knights on Lucifer's orders. The group wreaked havoc on Earth for centuries under Cain's leadership, with one of his Knights, Abaddon, growing close to him and becoming his lover.[12] The Knights of Hell are linked to the Mark of Cain, which is known to have directly transformed two humans into Knights upon their deaths.[68] The Knights are said to have been "very pure, very strong" demons,[29] and Cain especially possessed extraordinary power, above and beyond most demons, including Crowley after the latter became the King of Hell, with Cain displaying the power to kill demons with a touch[12] - something no other demon on the show has demonstrated. Almost all the Knights of Hell were killed by Cain when they kidnapped Colette Mullen, with only former members Cain and Abaddon still alive[12] but the organization itself defunct. The Men of Letters mistakenly believed that all the Knights of Hell had been wiped out, and by archangels.[29] Abaddon eventually resurfaced in 2013 in an attempt to gain power in Hell,[21] but was killed by Dean.[67] After dying and turning into a demon,[68] Dean temporarily became a Knight himself[70] before being cured.[22] Afterwards, as Cain descended into madness from the power of the Mark of Cain, Dean killed him,[74] thus rendering the Knights extinct.

Princes of Hell

The Princes of Hell were the first generation of demons created by Lucifer after the creation of Lilith, but before the Knights of Hell. Distinguished by their yellow eyes, members of the Princes of Hell included Azazel, Ramiel, Asmodeus, and their sister Dagon. These demons were created by Lucifer to act as generals in a demonic army, but at some point in time the Princes of Hell, other than Azazel, abdicated their rank and went to live quiet lives on Earth. Like the Knights of Hell, they were believed to be long dead, but in actuality the other demons chose to let everyone believe that so the Princes would be left alone.[4] Unlike other demon classes that contain an unknown amount of demons, there are only four Princes of Hell.[5] The Princes of Hell are currently extinct following the deaths of Azazel,[42] Ramiel,[4] Dagon,[105] and Asmodeus.[14]

White-eyed Demons

White-eyed demons are the highest-ranking class of demons, second only to Lucifer himself in the hierarchy of Hell and serving as his "chiefs of staff."[3] Only two confirmed white-eyed demons, Lilith and Alastair, have appeared. Another demon, Samhain, may be classified as a third white-eyed demon, but unlike Lilith and Alastair, his eyes have pale gray irises and black pupils. Lilith is known to be the first demon created by Lucifer[31] and Alastair is hinted to have been the second,[3] though it's later revealed that the Princes of Hell are the demons created most immediately after Lilith.[4] They are powerful enough to be on par with angels, with Lilith demonstrating the angels' ability to generate a powerful white light that destroys anything she wills it to with the effects being compared to an explosion,[45][16] as well as high resistance to Sam Winchester's demonic powers,[96][31] and Alastair demonstrating high resistance to Ruby's Knife[11] as well as complete immunity to the smiting power of angels and the power to overpower and defeat angels in direct combat.[6][30]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 3.04 Sin City
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 3.09 Malleus Maleficarum
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 The Essential Supernatural: On the Road with Sam and Dean Winchester
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 12.12 Stuck in the Middle (With You)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 13.02 The Rising Son
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 4.10 Heaven and Hell
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 5.22 Swan Song
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 2.14 Born Under a Bad Sign
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 3.16 No Rest for the Wicked
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 12.06 Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 11.8 11.9 4.09 I Know What You Did Last Summer
  12. ↑ 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 9.11 First Born
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.17 The Thing
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 13.18 Bring 'em Back Alive
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 13.12 Various & Sundry Villains
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 3.12 Jus in Bello
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 1.04 Phantom Traveler
  18. ↑ 7.15 Repo Man
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 14.11 Damaged Goods
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 5.10 Abandon All Hope...
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 8.23 Sacrifice
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 10.03 Soul Survivor
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 4.20 The Rapture
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 8.10 Torn and Frayed
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 6.04 Weekend at Bobby's
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 6.10 Caged Heat
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 13.08 The Scorpion and the Frog
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 3.01 The Magnificent Seven
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 29.5 29.6 29.7 29.8 8.12 As Time Goes By
  30. ↑ 30.00 30.01 30.02 30.03 30.04 30.05 30.06 30.07 30.08 30.09 30.10 30.11 30.12 30.13 30.14 4.16 On the Head of a Pin
  31. ↑ 31.00 31.01 31.02 31.03 31.04 31.05 31.06 31.07 31.08 31.09 31.10 31.11 31.12 31.13 4.22 Lucifer Rising
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 8.01 We Need to Talk About Kevin
  33. ↑ 8.07 A Little Slice of Kevin
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 10.07 Girls, Girls, Girls
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 4.03 In the Beginning
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 1.01 Pilot
  37. ↑ 5.20 The Devil You Know
  38. ↑ 1.20 Dead Man's Blood
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 39.4 39.5 1.22 Devil's Trap
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 40.2 40.3 2.01 In My Time of Dying
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 2.21 All Hell Breaks Loose: Part One
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 42.3 42.4 2.22 All Hell Breaks Loose: Part Two
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 43.2 43.3 3.15 Time Is on My Side
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 4.01 Lazarus Rising
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 45.2 45.3 4.02 Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean Winchester
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 46.2 5.01 Sympathy for the Devil
  47. ↑ 5.03 Free to Be You and Me
  48. ↑ 6.07 Family Matters
  49. ↑ 6.20 The Man Who Would Be King
  50. ↑ 6.22 The Man Who Knew Too Much
  51. ↑ 7.01 Meet the New Boss
  52. ↑ 7.06 Slash Fiction
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 7.08 Season Seven, Time for a Wedding!
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 7.17 The Born-Again Identity
  55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 7.21 Reading Is Fundamental
  56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 7.23 Survival of the Fittest
  57. ↑ 57.0 57.1 8.17 Goodbye Stranger
  58. ↑ 8.19 Taxi Driver
  59. ↑ 8.21 The Great Escapist
  60. ↑ 60.0 60.1 60.2 8.22 Clip Show
  61. ↑ 61.0 61.1 9.02 Devil May Care
  62. ↑ 62.0 62.1 9.06 Heaven Can't Wait
  63. ↑ 63.0 63.1 9.10 Road Trip
  64. ↑ 64.0 64.1 9.16 Blade Runners
  65. ↑ 65.0 65.1 65.2 9.17 Mother's Little Helper
  66. ↑ 9.18 Meta Fiction
  67. ↑ 67.0 67.1 67.2 9.21 King of the Damned
  68. ↑ 68.0 68.1 68.2 68.3 68.4 68.5 9.23 Do You Believe in Miracles?
  69. ↑ 69.0 69.1 10.01 Black
  70. ↑ 70.0 70.1 10.05 Fan Fiction
  71. ↑ 10.02 Reichenbach
  72. ↑ 10.09 The Things We Left Behind
  73. ↑ 10.10 The Hunter Games
  74. ↑ 74.0 74.1 74.2 74.3 10.14 The Executioner's Song
  75. ↑ 10.16 Paint It Black
  76. ↑ 76.0 76.1 10.17 Inside Man
  77. ↑ 10.19 The Werther Project
  78. ↑ 10.22 The Prisoner
  79. ↑ 10.23 Brother's Keeper
  80. ↑ 11.01 Out of the Darkness, Into the Fire
  81. ↑ 81.0 81.1 13.07 War of the Worlds
  82. ↑ 13.13 Devil's Bargain
  83. ↑ 13.23 Let the Good Times Roll
  84. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named fourteen01
  85. ↑ 14.02 Gods and Monsters
  86. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named fourteen07
  87. ↑ 14.12 Prophet and Loss
  88. ↑ 14.17 Game Night
  89. ↑ 1.14 Nightmare
  90. ↑ 2.05 Simon Said
  91. ↑ 2.10 Hunted
  92. ↑ 92.0 92.1 1.21 Salvation
  93. ↑ 1.11 Scarecrow
  94. ↑ 94.0 94.1 1.16 Shadow
  95. ↑ 95.0 95.1 95.2 95.3 95.4 4.21 When the Levee Breaks
  96. ↑ 96.0 96.1 96.2 4.18 The Monster at the End of This Book
  97. ↑ 97.0 97.1 97.2 97.3 4.15 Death Takes a Holiday
  98. ↑ 8.02 What's Up, Tiger Mommy?
  99. ↑ 12.23 All Along the Watchtower
  100. ↑ 2.08 Crossroad Blues
  101. ↑ 101.0 101.1 3.05 Bedtime Stories
  102. ↑ 5.21 Two Minutes to Midnight
  103. ↑ 5.09 The Real Ghostbusters
  104. ↑ Supernatural: The Official Companion Season 3
  105. ↑ 12.19 The Future
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