Lily Sunder

Name	Lily Sunder
Actor	Alicia Witt Veronica Cartwright
Dates	Late 1800's - 2018 (died of heart failure)
Location	Heaven
Occupation	Professor of Apocalyptic Studies Witch
Episode(s)	12.10 Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets 14.08 Byzantium

Patience is a talent. You'd be amazed what a person can do with a little bit of purpose and an abundance of time. – Lily Sunder, 12.10 Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets

History

Lily Sunder was a professor of Apocalyptic Literature in the late 1800's. She made studying angels her life's work, eventually learning a spell that would summon an angel -- Ishim -- who would go on to teach and reveal everything he knows about angels to Lily before becoming infatuated and obsessed with her, forcing her to seek protection from the angel Akobel. After the murder of Akobel and her daughter, Lily steeped herself in Enochian magic to give her strength to fight and extend her life, at the cost of burning her soul away with each spell. For 115 years she waited and after the angel fall, her opportunity for revenge finally presented itself and she began hunting down the angels in Ishim's old garrison in 2017, including Castiel, Benjamin, and Mirabel.

After getting her revenge on Ishim for the death of her daughter, Lily chose to give up using magic as she only had a sliver of her soul left, a choice which caused her body to rapidly age once she lost the longevity she had gained from the magic. After helping to save Jack Kline's life, Lily suffered a heart attack, her self-sacrifice tipping the scales which allowed her to be reunited with her daughter in Heaven.

Episodes

Lily Sunder, Akobel, and May.

12.10 Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets

1901
In Orono, Maine, Ishim leads a contingent of angels (including Castiel) to Lily's home under the pretense of killing a Nephilim. When Lily and Akobel confront the angels on their porch, Akobel tells her to go back inside, take her daughter, and run. As Lily hastily prepares to run, she sees Akobel dead outside. Once Ishim enters the home, he telekinetically separates Lily from her daughter. Telling her she broke his heart and now he is going to break hers, he kills May in front of Lily. For the next 115 years, Lily would use enochian magic to extend her lifespan and battle against angels, at the cost of burning her soul away.

2017
Having waited for over a century until the angels fell in order to get her revenge, Lily starts killing the angels who were part of Ishim's garrison. She uses angelic magic powered by pieces of her own soul. Cas believes that Lily's daughter was killed because she was a Nephilim, fathered by Akobel. Ishim tells Sam, Dean, and Cas that Lily has made a pact with a demon in exchange for her power, and is dangerous.

However Sam and Dean learn the truth from Lily, and together they have to save Castiel from Ishim. During the fight, Lily removes her eye patch and reveals a glowing golden eye beneath. She tells Ishim she’ll never be powerless again and throws him across the room with magic. She tries to hold him against the wall, but he slowly presses forward anyway. Ishim raises his blade to stab Lily, but Castiel stabs him in the back.

Sam and Dean ask Lily what’s next for her now that Ishim is dead. Cas is the only angel left from Ishim’s flight, and Dean asks if she’s done with her revenge. Castiel apologizes to Lily for his part in what happened to her and her family, and tells her that if she finds she can’t forgive him, he’ll be waiting. Thanking him, Lily departs.

14.08 Byzantium

After Jack Kline's death, Sam calls in an aged Lily in the hopes that she can read Kevin Tran's translations of the angel tablet and find something useful. However, Lily is unable to read the translations. After learning the specifics of the situation, Lily suggests using her Enochian magic to save Jack with a spell that will burn away a piece of his soul to sustain him. In return, Lily asks for the Winchesters to ensure that she will go to Heaven when she dies. Lily explains that she gave up her magic while she still had a sliver of her soul and she desires to be reunited with May when she dies. The Winchesters summon Anubis, who weighs Lily's soul and determines that Lily will go to Hell, not Heaven. Anubis explains that a person's choices dictate their ultimate fate and even he can't change where Lily will end up.

After Anubis' departure, Lily prepares to leave the Bunker, but Sam and Dean beg for her to stay and help them anyway. Dean accuses Lily of having lost so much of her soul that she's not really human anymore and appeals to her as a parent to not let them also go through the loss of a child like she did. Lily ultimately agrees and performs the spell. After Jack is resurrected by Castiel, he completes Lily's spell and is saved.

As Sam, Dean, and Jack celebrate, they fail to notice Lily suffering a heart attack. Lily quietly sits down in a chair and dies, where she is found moments later when everyone turns to thank her for her help. In the afterlife, Lily is greeted by Anubis, who offers Lily another chance to weigh her soul. To Lily's surprise and relief, her soul is deemed to be worthy of entering Heaven this time. Anubis implies that Lily knew that helping to save Jack would be fatal to her and that Lily's selfless sacrifice tipped the scales in her favor in the end. Lily's soul is then sent to Heaven to be reunited with her daughter at long last, smiling in happiness and peace.