Leviathans

There are thing much older than souls in Purgatory. Long before God created Angels and man he created the first beasts: Leviathans. I personally found them entertaining but he was concerned they'd chomp the entire Petri dish. So he locked them away. Why do you think he created Purgatory? To keep those clever, poisonous things out. – Death, 7.01 Meet The New Boss

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Leviathans
Powers and Abilities	Super strength, not hurt by silver shot
Vulnerabilities	Unknown
Appearance	Black goo, or human with giant teeth and bifurcated tongue
Episode(s)	7.01 Meet The New Boss (Misha Collins) 7.02 Hello, Cruel World (Misha Collins, Olivia Steele-Falconer as Annie Benito Martinez as Edgar Cameron Bancroft as Dr Gaines) 7.03 The Girl Next Door (Benito Martinez as Edgar Cameron Bancroft as Dr Gaines)

History

Leviathans, also called the Old Ones, pre-date the creation of humans and angels, as well as the soul itself. They would also pre-date any beings with souls, such as monsters. They are therefore among the first creations of God.

Death describes them as immensely powerful and hungry. Before God went on to create more creatures, however, He felt that the Leviathans threatened to consume and destroy everything 'in God's petri dish'. For this reason, Death states that God created Purgatory and sealed the Leviathans inside to contain them and their hunger.

When Castiel opened the door to Purgatory and took in the power of the souls stored there, he also took in the Leviathans. With the help of Sam, Dean and Bobby, Castiel finally expels the souls back to Purgatory, but some of the Leviathans "held on". Castiel's Vessel is taken over by the Leviathans, and claim that Castiel is dead and no longer in control. They manage to guide Castiel's vessel into a nearby water catchment before the vessel disappears in a whirlpool, releasing them into the water supply.

Characteristics

The Leviathan appear as a black goo. They can take over a human body or mimic a particular human form following contact. They have sharp teeth within an expanding jaw, and posses a bifurcated tongue. They feed on human internal organs. Sometimes with cheese.

The number of Leviathan that escaped from Purgatory is unknown. There is a leader who appears to direct the other leviathans

Powers and Abilities

Being the original beasts, aka Old Ones, the Leviathans possess significantly powerful abilities such as:

• Possession: Leviathans can possess any human they come into contact with. This person becomes their physical embodiment and primary vessel of sorts. These shells bleed black ectoplasmic blood when injured and can reshape their jaws to display long sharp teeth and a pronged tongue.
• Shapeshifting: Once a vessel is taken they can reshape themselves into any human form they come into direct contact with, such as when the creature possessing a little girl takes the form of a doctor by touching his arm. They can also absorb the memories of anyone whose form they take, much like a Shapeshifter.
• Super Strength: They are shown to possess greatly enhanced strength, being able to hurl Dean and Bobby across a room with little effort.
• Healing/Endurance: Leviathans are extremely resilient to various means of harm, surviving multiple shotgun blasts with silver shot, including one to the head at blank range. One also survived having a car dropped on it from a great height

Leviathans on the loose

As Leviathans take the form of humans, they are referred to here by their human names.

• Leviathan Boss - yet to be seen.
• Annie, who becomes Dr Gaines
• Edgar
• Two members of the Stockville Sharks Swim team, who become a Head Nurse and a Hospital Administrator at Sioux Falls General.
• Chet

Episodes

File:Leviathan.jpg

Castiel's vessel is taken over

7.01 Meet The New Boss

Whilst ingesting all the souls from Purgatory to became the new God, Castiel also had to take in the Leviathans. The Leviathans struggled for control, briefly taking control of Castiel's Vessel to smite people that even the now-wrathful Castiel didn't intend to, and causing his vessel to physically deteriorate and potentially explode.

With the assistance of Dean, Sam and Bobby, Castiel returns the souls to Purgatory. But "some" of the Leviathans hold on behind, and assumed control of Castiel's vessel. Stating Castiel as dead, the Leviathans attack Dean and Bobby with manic delight, remarking: "Oh this is going to be so much fun."

7.02 Hello, Cruel World

After having revealed themselves to Dean and Bobby, the Leviathans quickly realise they cannot remain inside Castiel's vessel as it begins to rapidly burn up and are forced to leave for the time being; promising to return and finish what they started. Castiel/Leviathan staggers out into the open and submerge themselves in a nearby municipal water source, abandoning the vessel, leaving only Castiel's bloody trenchcoat behind.

The Leviathans then disperse to take separate vessels of their own by various means of exposure to the tainted water; the primary one taking a girl whilst she drank from a public water fountain, for example. Two of the creatures infect a pair of gym students and use them to kill and devour two other students, leading Dean to their whereabouts. The creature possessing the girl meets with another Leviathan - Edgar - to discuss their next move and the "boss" they take their orders from.

The girl comes up with a plan to solve their feeding problem and steals the form of a doctor - Dr Gaines - at Sioux Falls Hospital. It then uses the position to acquire easy meals. It's act of cannibalism is witnessed by Sheriff Jodie Mills, who escapes the hospital with Bobby's help. Edgar arrives with the two gym student Leviathans, which tale on the forms of members of staff. Bobby investigates one of the bodies and is confronted by the Leviathan Dr Gaines, who recognises him from before, when it was inside Castiel.

Bobby subsequently escapes the confrontation and races back home, informing the boys of his discoveries along the way. When they return to his house they discover it burned down and Bobby missing, however. Sam and Dean are then attacked by Edgar the Leviathan who informs them that they are considered "competent'enough that the head Leviathan wants them dead. The boys succeed in defeating it by dropping a car on it. Both suffer severe injuries, however, forcing Dean to call for an ambulance.

Back at Bobby's, the black blood of the Leviathan spills back into the body and its hand twitches as a sign of life.

7.03 The Girl Next Door

Bobby arrives at the hospital where Dr Gaines works to rescue Sam and Dean. He tells Dean to meet him in the ambulance bay and tosses him a pair of crutches, then grabs the gurney holding an unconscious Sam. He stows Sam in the back of the ambulance and climbs in the driver's seat. Dr Gaines receives a call telling him the Winchesters are in the hospital, and with the Leviathan nurse he goes in search of the brothers. They spot the ambulance and toward it. Dean board the ambulance just in time and all escape.

Three weeks later, Bobby's contacts tell him that the leviathans at the hospital - Dr Gaines, the head nurse and an administrator - have disappeared. He says that other hunters are reporting similar attacks and that "they're like shapeshifters only a lot more into eating folk. And nothing can kill 'em."

A Leviathan has taken the form of an employee working for a credit card company called Chet, and has set up flags on credit cards with the Winchester brothers' known aliases. One is triggered when Sam uses the pseudonym Lemmy Kilmister in Whitefish Montana. Chet calls Edgar for guidance, and Edgar tells him to get after the brothers. He tracks down the location where the card was used, and finds Sam on the security footage. He calls Edgar again to tell him that he is on their trail, then pours a vat of hot cheese on the bound and gagged store clerk, and eats him.

Leviathans in Lore

• In the Judeo-Christian tradition a Leviathan is a giant sea monster, described in the Book of Job Source
• The Talmud Baba Batra 75b states that the archangels Michael and Gabriel will be the ones who slay the Leviathan. Other legends say God will slay the beast. Source: Leviathan in Judaism
• Death also refers to the Leviathans as "The Old Ones" a term used by H.P. Lovecraft in the Cthulhu mythos to describe ancient powerful alien beings who come to Earth. A race called the Old Ones also features in Stephen King's Dark Tower Series.
• In Binsfeld's Classification of Demons, Leviathan is the name of Envy, one of the Seven Deadly Sins

References

• Sera Gamble and Bob Singer talk about Leviathans with AOLTV