Vengeful Spirits

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Dean traps Bloody Mary in a mirror.

A vengeful spirit is one that acts violently to avenge something a wrong done to them. While they are generally ghosts, the spirit may belong to someone still alive but close to death, such as Callie in 3.05 Bedtime Stories. This group does not include the spirits of people continuing acts of evil that they perpetrated while alive, like the Hookman Jacob Karns or serial killer Dr. H.H. Holmes, or those acting for their own ends like Maggie Thompson in 2.11 Playthings.

Although vengeful spirits can essentially target those who committed crimes against others, their judgements can be warped by their time dead; as an example, a ghost who targets those who kill family members cannot distinguish between brothers who killed their father to collect on his life insurance or a girl whose cousin died in a car accident where she was driving.

In episode 2.01 In My Time of Dying, as Dean is unable to return to his comatose body, the reaper Tessa describes how vengeful spirits are created:

Tessa: "Dean. How do you think angry spirits are born? They can't let go and they can't move on. And you're about to become one. The same thing you hunt."2.01

Spectres are a particular type of avenging ghost, that possess a person, senses their grudges and makes you act against the person who wronged you. they can be distinguished from other vengeful spirits, or ghosts in general, in that they leave behind green rather than black ectoplasm. Vance Collins in 8.06 Southern Comfort was an avenging ghost. Both Vance, and the last spectre Bobby encountered, according to his journal, rose after someone desecrated their grave.

It was initially unclear where dispatched ghosts go to. In 2.16 Roadkill Sam admits "My dad always said it's like death for spirits. But the truth is, we never know." Dean tells Melanie Golden in 7.07 The Mentalists that burning a ghosts bones may be painful for it. Bobby also expressed to Annie Hawkins the belief that this is death for spirits, though he told Sam and Dean that he'd see them on the "other side" before being put to rest. In 8.19 Taxi Driver, it is revealed by rogue reaper Ajay that reapers collect spirits once their remains are burned and they are taken to what is supposed to be their final resting place. However, if the reaper is influenced by an outside source such as Crowley, the soul may be taken somewhere else instead.

Vengeful Spirits in Supernatural

  • Peter Sweeney, in 1.03 Dead in the Water takes revenge on those who drowned him, and their families. When the last man responsible for his death sacrifices himself to save his grandson, Peter is appeased and goes to rest.
  • Mary Worthington, aka Bloody Mary, kills people who have been, or feel, responsible for someone else's death, after her own murderer was never caught. Destroyed when her own power is rebounded upon her by Dean with a mirror.
  • Cyrus Dorian's spirit possesses his truck in 1.13 Route 666 and attacks those responsible for his death, and their families. Destroyed when his bones are salted and burned and his truck is lured onto hallowed ground.
  • Jonah Greely in 2.16 Roadkill takes revenge on drivers, also targeting the ghost of the woman who was driving the car that killed him. Bones salted and burned by Sam.
  • Callie in 3.05 Bedtime Stories causes deaths based on the fairy tales her father is reading to her because her father won't accept that she was 'killed' by her step-mother. Dies and moves on once her father accepts the truth.
  • The Rise of the Witnesses is one of the one of the 66 Seals that when broken, will unlock and open the "door" to cage. The Witnesses are people who have seen or died at the hands of supernatural beings. Once summoned by the proper spells, they act in a manner similar to other vengeful spirits, but target a specific person with their wrath. Put back to rest by a spell cast by Bobby.
  • Dirk McGregor in 4.13 After School Special possesses social outcasts and harms popular kids at an Indiana high school. His spirit is tied to a lock of hair his father keeps in a Bible on the school bus, where he possesses students who travel on the bus. Put to rest when Dean burns the lock of hair.
  • Rose Brown in 6.14 Mannequin 3: The Reckoning takes revenges on the work colleagues whose bullying led to her death. She is able to move around wherever her sister Isabel Brown goes because she received one of her kidneys in a transplant. She is dispatched when her sister dies.
  • In 7.04 Defending Your Life, Osiris can command the spirits of the dead and cause them to kill. He commands the ghost of Jo Harvelle to kill Dean, but the god is stopped before she does it.
  • Bobby becomes obsessed with killing Dick Roman after his death, injuring Charlie Bradbury the computer hacker in the process. Sam and Dean fear he will become a vengeful spirit, unable to control who he hurts. Later he becomes one as feared and possesses Louise to kill Dick, but regains control when he nearly kills Sam and at his request, his flask is burned and he is put to rest to prevent it from happening again.
  • In 8.06 Southern Comfort, Vance Collins, aka The Unknown Soldier becomes a type of Vengeful Spirit known as a Spectre after he is killed by his brother in the Civil War. After his grave is disturbed and his Indian Head Penny is stolen, Vance ties himself to the penny and possesses people, causing them to kill people they have grudges against. Is put to rest when Sam, Dean and Garth burn his bones and Garth melts down the penny after he possesses Dean.

Dispatching Vengeful Spirits

See also

Vengeful Spitits in Lore

In Jewish mythology, a malicious possessing spirit is known as a dybukk. They are believed to be the soul of a dead person, who can possess the body of a living person. They useually leave after they have accomplished whatever task they need to (Source).

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