User blog comment:Fusedtwilight/Possible Season 11 Plots/@comment-11331875-20150522030735

The way Seasons 9 and 10 went, all of your theories sound plausible, Fusedtwilight. With the way the writing's been lately and the confirmation that the writers are pretty much making it up as they go, I can't predict with any feeling of assurance which I feel is likeliest to hold true.

That it took the combined power of God and the archangels would logically point to at least God or an archangel coming in next season. Chuck was brought back in the musical episode this season and in such a way that the "Chuck is God" theory is looking stronger than ever, so if they want to bring him back and make him God, it would fit. Gabriel was also brought back in "Meta Fiction" the season before and it was left ambiguous if he actually alive again -- though this was apparently confirmed by a producer or something? Again, this makes sense and he is massively popular with fans, so that looks likely. I don't see them ever bringing Raphael back; Lucifer and Michael are more likely, but again, I don't think so. I also wouldn't be surprised if Carver's team retconned a new archangel or two into existence, or if they did decide to re-retcon Metatron into being an archangel (the way he talked about them in late Season 8, it wouldn't make sense, but at this point I really have very little faith in Carver to consider that). So, important celestial allies to the Winchesters in order of likelihood, in my opinion? Gabriel - > Chuck - > New archangel(s) - > Metatron - > Lucifer and Michael - > Raphael (sorry, Raph).

I think that even not being an archangel, Metatron seems like he'll have information about the Darkness. Since the tablets were all "in-case-of-emergency" instructions, you'd think that God would give information to his scribe and leave emergency instructions in case Heaven's greatest enemy was unleashed again, right? I predict one of two plots for Metatron: aligning with the Darkness because it/they are by far the most powerful ally and he hates pretty much everyone else, or being alarmed enough by the Darkness being unleashed that he does try to ally with the Winchesters to help stop it, is not trusted, and probably ends up getting a "tragic" death scene. (Or a combination of both -- maybe he switches sides, maybe he's a spy for one or the other.) I also predict that he knew how to remove the Mark of Cain but pretended not to because the consequences (the Darkness) would be too dire, even for him. In that case, you'd think he'd try to stop the Darkness, but who knows? He's opportunistic, maybe he decides since Darkness is here, he might as well make friends with them.

I think that your theory about the Book of the Damned is very likely as well. The Book is a catalog of all curses, which the Mark is, and Rowena said something like it had, "Not just all curses, but how to reverse all curses" -- so if the cure for the Mark is in there, one expects the spell for making the Mark to be in there, too. They might be able to make a new Mark and put it on someone, but I have no idea who -- a miraculously-still-alive-because-he-had-a-weaker-remnant-of-the-Mark Cain? Lucifer again, (agreeing to?) being sealed away in the Cage forever, possibly with Michael forgiving him and choosing to stay with him in the Sam-and-Dean-parallels spirit? A little off-topic, but I have a theory that there might've been a warning in the Book about the consequences of the Mark being removed and the coming of Darkness which Rowena read but didn't mention to Sam or Cass because she (correctly) figured the mayhem would help her make her escape and that she could fend for herself against the Darkness if it came down to it.

I hate to say it, but I pretty much expect Theory Number 5. That's usually how Supernatural rolls.

Neat ideas to mull over during the hiatus, Fusedtwilight! Thanks for the discussion!