Archangels

"Archangels are fierce. They're absolute. They're Heaven's most terrifying weapon."

- Castiel speaks to Dean about Archangels.

Archangels are first and most powerful type of angelic being created by God, that he created after Purgatory. Leviathans and Eve are the only known created beings to predate them. Being the oldest of the angels, archangels are at the top of the celestial hierarchy. They possess incalculable power and answer only to God, although few others are more powerful than them. They were created in this order: Michael, Lucifer, Raphael, and Gabriel. Michael is the mightiest but also the most loyal and obedient, Lucifer is God's most loved but also the most prideful and avaricious, Raphael was the most ruthless and imperious, while Gabriel was the most mischievous and deceptive and is also the only who cares for humanity.

The angel Metatron was also considered to be an Archangel until he revealed that he was simply a regular angel who was chosen to be the Scribe of God.

Early life
After creating the first beasts, the Leviathans, and locking them away in Purgatory, God created his four chief celestial beings whom he christened archangels. They were created in this explicit order: Michael, Lucifer, Raphael, and Gabriel. They distinctively met and interacted with their father. In Heaven, Michael personally raised his little brother Lucifer, and accordingly, Lucifer took care of Gabriel, and showed him different tricks. Following the creation of mankind, God asked all his children to kneel before them. Although the other three archangels complied, Lucifer refused, and led a rebellion trying to overthrow God. Michael, on God's command, defeated Lucifer, and banished his brother out of Heaven and into Hell. During the turmoil, Gabriel escaped to Earth to avoid taking sides and Raphael chose to side with God and Michael.

After God's departure from Heaven, the archangels, according to Metatron, ferociously whined and wailed. Over time, however, they began to shift their attention into ruling the universe. Although immensely powerful themselves, to rule the universe, they would need the Words of God. However, Metatron, the Scribe of God, predicted the archangels' decision, and proceeded to leave Heaven to protect the tablets and himself. Lucifer, however, was able to take possession of the Angel Tablet sometime after and had it placed in one of his crypts.

Characteristics
According to Castiel, they are known in Heaven as absolute, precise and wrathful creatures, as he has called them, "The most fearsome wrath of Heaven". Like all angels, their true forms are very intense, and have proven not only harmful but also fatal to humans, though Castiel also claimed that special humans can see their true forms. Their presence on Earth outside a vessel is often visualized as a blinding, pure white light, and their arrival can cause minor tremors, as shown by Lucifer when the Chapel shook as he escaped the Cage, and by Raphael while intervening to protect the prophet Chuck Shurley from Lilith. Their true voice also emits a piercing sound, which has proven to be excruciatingly painful to humans. During a subsequent appearance, Raphael caused the entire Eastern Sea Board to experience a black out and generated strong winds and heavy rainstorms. Shortly before his defeat, Lucifer's presence caused the temperature to drop drastically in Detroit.

It has been stated that Archangels are tethered to prophets. Raphael seemed to be the one who monitored and protected prophet Chuck Shurley. Before his fall, Lucifer was God's most beloved angel; he was considered beautiful, and was well respected in Heaven.

Archangels view themselves as the highest authority over all of creation since God's departure from Heaven. As leaders in Heaven, Michael and Raphael commanded the Host of Heaven, issuing orders to the "Senior Management" who were responsible for deploying angels to Earth. They did not share all their plans, especially their intention to allow Lucifer to be freed, to avoid rebellion in the lower ranks. Most of them showed little respect while interacting with humans, although Gabriel eventually confessed his appreciation of humanity even believing humans to be better than them.

The relationships between archangels and their true vessels can be complex. Holding an archangel is psychologically damaging to a human; Raphael's vessel Donnie Finnerman was left a drooling, catatonic mess after possession. Lucifer's continued presence in Nick, an alternate vessel, causes the human's body to breakdown, as evidenced by burn-like marks, scarring and tears on his skin. Lucifer's vessels can be strengthened with demon blood to better survive the ordeal; Castiel later commented that Lucifer was drinking gallons of blood to keep his body intact. However when Lucifer transfered to Sam, Nick would die. Despite his contempt and hatred for humanity as a whole, Lucifer showed some sympathy towards Nick, and towards Sam Winchester, his true vessel. Michael, though condescendingly, was willing to explain his position to Dean Winchester while occupying his father, and promised not to leave Dean a "drooling mess" after his service and even promised to restore John Winchester, whom he was possessing, to "better than new", which he later did. This implies that, possibly because of their deep contempt for humanity, archangels leave their vessels in a dilapidated state not as a consequence of possession, but out of sheer spite.

Powers & Abilities
"No one gives us the right; we take it."

- Lucifer comments on his and his brothers' powers. "Whatever we want, we get!"

- Raphael describing his and his brothers' absolute authority.

"No-one makes us do anything."

- Gabriel, about his and his brother's powers

As the highest-ranking angels, the archangels possess the powers and abilities that are inherent in all angels, but at the highest level, with increased strengths and powers commensurate with their rank.

Imbued with immense and unimaginable power by God, the archangels are four of the most powerful beings in all of creation (not including Leviathans and Eve). They are held in high esteem by angels, being looked upon as "fierce" and "absolute". All archangels have tremendous power over other supernatural beings. God and Death are more powerful than them, as was Castiel when he temporarily gained god-like powers from Purgatory's souls (at least over Raphael). It is probable the Horsemen are as powerful, or even more powerful than the Archangels, as Pestilence shows no fear of defying Lucifer's orders. As Eve and the Leviathan are older than them, and can overpower angelic beings, it is most likely that they can resist and overcome the Archangel's powers (however, it has never been tested, so it is still a mystery).
 * Nigh-Omnipotence - Archangels have a vast supply of power and can create almost anything with barely any restriction. They can create things out of thin air such as illusions, fantasies, portals, beings, etc. Having great power and dexterity, Archangels can easily overpower humans, angels, pagan gods, demons and monsters.
 * Cosmic Awareness - All Archangels possess a heightened awareness and perception of almost every event happening in the entire universe.
 * Immortality - Archangels aren't underneath time, affected by age or diseases, and don't need to breathe, eat, or sleep to sustain themselves. They are some of the oldest things in all of Creation. They're nearly indestructible, but an Archangel blade and the weapons of Heaven can kill and hurt them.
 * Angelic Possession - By God's law, even Archangels require vessels to manifest physically on Earth, with the vessel's consent. Archangels are highly particular about their vessels (even more so than average angels); any vessel that an Archangel such as Michael or Lucifer possesses that is not part of Cain and Abel's bloodline will burn up and deteriorate over time. It also seems that they cannot be expelled by the vessel's consent being revoked.
 * Holy White Light - Being imbued with holy white light, they can generate this light as intense burning energy through their vessels' hands, and it is capable of destroying almost anything. This power can also be controlled as Raphael could choose who or what was affected by his and how much it hurt them (if he chose not to kill with it).
 * Implosion Smiting - Archangels have the ability to explode, or implode, any creature under them. Chuck describes it as popping a balloon full of chunky soup.
 * Invulnerability - Archangels cannot be hurt or damaged by most weapons. However, Lucifer experienced pain when shot by the Colt, and Raphael's vessel could be affected by Lot's Stone. Archangel blades can permanently kill them, and they can hurt each other. It is highly implied that the Leviathan and Eve can harm, if not kill them.
 * Immunity - Archangels have immunity to that which affects lesser angels. Michael was not killed holy fire as lesser angels are, and Lucifer is one of the five things in all creation that the Colt cannot kill, though it can still inflict pain upon him for a time.
 * Super Strength - As the first, oldest, and highest-ranking celestial beings in all of God's creation, archangels are astoundingly strong while within a vessel, being physically much stronger than pagan deities, lesser and mid-level angels, demons, spirits, and earthly monsters.
 * Super Stamina - Archangels' vessels need nothing to maintain their strength, to strive, or operate, as they are self-sufficient. "Falling", or being banished doesn't affect their powers at all, where as it causes normal angels to lose the ability to smite and heal.
 * Telekinesis - Archangels are mentally influential on beings and objects. Being refined in this power, Archangels have greater power and range with this than other beings.
 * Teleportation - Archangels  can move in and out of a place instantly and can transverse across the entire universe.
 * Apporting - All archangels can apport other beings, shown by how Michael (The strongest archangel), and Gabriel (The weakest archangel) can apport people.
 * Telepathy - Archangels can read and feel/sense the thoughts of humans.
 * Empathy - Archangels can read, and feel/sense the emotions of humans.
 * Precognition - Archangels can see into the future, although they do not always see the full picture; as Michael has apparently been "wrong", and neither Lucifer nor Gabriel foresaw their defeats.
 * Summoning/Banishing - Archangels can summon and banish angels at their command. This was demonstrated by Michael.
 * Memory Manipulation- Archangels can erase, fabricate and restore memories of people.
 * Shapeshifting - Archangels can change form, as Lucifer did when he appeared to Nick using Sarah's visage. Gabriel also demonstrated this ability several times, in conjunction with his reality warping abilities.
 * Enhanced Reality Warping - Like some Angels and Seraphs, Archangels can alter reality, albeit to a greater degree. This ability is better demostrated in the archangel Gabriel, who can create anything he wants out of thin air and can even put people in a TV universe. He learned this ability from Lucifer.
 * Chronokinesis - Archangels can travel and send themselves, and/or others, backwards or forwards through time.
 * Resurrection - Archangels can revive the deceased with a touch or thought without strain.
 * Power Granting- Archangels can grant protection or powers to other beings as shown when Raphael made Crowley immune to Castiel's angelic killing touch.
 * Supernatural Perception - They can sense and perceive beings and things that are naturally invisible, such as Reapers and even Horsemen. Lucifer was able to casually look at Death's true form upon his release.
 * Weather Manipulation - Practically every Archangel changes the weather upon first emergence. The sheer presence can drastically alter the Earth's weather and surroundings, and they are capable of causing raging storms and generating strong air-currents.
 * Pyrokinesis - Archangels can manipulate and generate fire. With it, they can incinerate almost anything. Michael incinerated Anna, burning her from the inside out.
 * Thermokinesis - Archangels can alter the temperature of their surroundings. Lucifer's presence could cause a massive drop in temperature, and he could cause ice to form on a window just by breathing on it. Michael was also to cause a door knob to heat up drastically to prevent Adam from escaping.
 * Electrokinesis - Archangels can manipulate, control and generate electricity with such an intensity that they can cause coastal blackouts.
 * Terrakinesis - Archangels can cause full-fledged earthquakes, regardless of whether they are in a vessel or not.
 * Biokinesis - Archangels, by snapping or clicking their fingers, can spontaneously destroy angels, and therefore monsters and humans alike as well.
 * Regeneration - If they are in some way harmed, they can instantly heal all non-fatal wounds.
 * Flight - Like regular angels, archangels have demonstrated flight, though not when in a vessel.
 * Sedation - Michael used this to put Mary Winchester to sleep.
 * Healing- Archangels can cure any disease, wound, or injury.
 * Voice Mimicry - Archangels can perfectly mimic the voice of mortals.
 * Dream Walking - Archangels can appear in peoples' dreams, and they usually use this ability to communicate when they can't find the person they're looking for, or when they want to talk privately. Lucifer was able to talk to his future vessels in their dreams.
 * Astral Projection - Like angels and Seraphim.
 * Eidetic Memory - Angels have the faces of every prophet who has existed or will exist etched into their memories. This ability also makes them aware of reality warping and timeline changes.

Weaknesses
In spite of them being extremely powerful, the archangels possess a few weaknesses which are common to all angels.


 * Angelic blades - An archangels own blade has been shown to be able to kill them, and the blade of a regular angel can at least harm them, as Dean used one against Raphael.
 * Holy Oil - If burned, it can be used to trap Archangels, just like any other type of angel. It is powerful enough to be lethal to Gabriel and Raphael, however Michael is more resilient to it, as it only hurts and temporally banishes him. It's unknown what effect it would have on Lucifer.
 * Enochian Sigil - Can be used to conceal a location from all angels, including Archangels.
 * Blood Spell  - Kali was able to bind Gabriel to her presence by taking blood from his vessel. However he was still able to ellude her afterwards, suggesting the bind wasn't 100%. As the weakest, its unknown if it would work on the elder archangels.
 * Heaven's weapons  - The weapons of Heaven can severely harm archangels. Raphael even fled when Castiel threatened him with them.
 * Lucifer's Cage - Of God's own design, it is sturdy and powerful enough to hold at least the two strongest Archangels.
 * Death's Scythe - Can kill anything
 * The Colt (possibly) - Lucifer claims that he is one of the 5 things that the colt cannot kill. It is unknown if he meant Archangels as a whole, or him and 4 other individuals.
 * Souls - While angels usually are of no threat to Archangels, if they become imbued with enough souls, they can become strong enough to kill Archangels.
 * Metatron's Expulsion Spell -Gabriel claimed that he had been greatly affected by the fall despite the fact he had been in hiding.
 * Leviathans - The Leviathan can overpower and kill any celestial being, so it is highly implied that Leviathans can harm, if not kill archangels.
 * Eve - As being older than the archangels and being able draw power from souls, she could most likely harm, if not kill archangels.
 * Jesse Turner - At the peak of his power Jesse could destroy the host of heaven with a word, so its probable that he could harm (and probably kill) the archangels. However considering that Lucifer himself is the source of his powers, it is unclear whether the cambion is capable of affecting the Archangels to the same degree as normal angels.

Known Vessels

 * Dean Winchester - Michael's true vessel (not used). Killed by Metatron and returned as a demon due to Mark of Cain.
 * Sam Winchester - Lucifer's true vessel.
 * Nick - Lucifer's "Plan B" vessel. Presumably deceased after Lucifer abandons his body to possess Sam.
 * Donnie Finnerman - Raphael's first vessel. Killed when Balthazar uses Lot's stone on Raphael which kills Donnie but Raphael survives.
 * John Winchester - Michael's temporary vessel, restored to normal once Michael was finished. Was killed in 2006 by Azazel.
 * Adam Milligan - Michael's replacement vessel. Incapacitated when he, along with Michael possessing him, are thrown into Hell by Sam containing Lucifer where Adam still remains.
 * Unnamed male - Gabriel's only known vessel.
 * Unnamed female - Raphael's second vessel. Was killed along with Raphael by Castiel.

It has been implied that Cain and Abel, as they are the ancestors to Sam and Dean, could also have been vessels for Michael and Lucifer.

Appearances

 * Season 2
 * Tall Tales (Gabriel)


 * Season 3
 * Mystery Spot (Gabriel)


 * Season 4
 * The Monster at the End of This Book (Raphael's presence)
 * Lucifer Rising (Raphael's presence and Lucifer's voice)


 * Season 5
 * Sympathy for the Devil (Lucifer)
 * Free To Be You and Me (Raphael and Lucifer)
 * The End (Lucifer)
 * Changing Channels (Gabriel)
 * Abandon All Hope... (Lucifer)
 * The Song Remains the Same (Michael)
 * Point of No Return (Michael's presence)
 * Hammer of the Gods (Gabriel and Lucifer)
 * Swan Song (Michael and Lucifer)


 * Season 6
 * The Third Man (Raphael)
 * The French Mistake (Raphael)
 * The Man Who Would Be King (Raphael)
 * The Man Who Knew Too Much (Raphael, Michael and Lucifer in flashbacks)


 * Season 7
 * Meet The New Boss (Raphael's corpse, Lucifer as a hallucination)
 * Hello, Cruel World (Raphael's corpse, Lucifer as a hallucination)
 * Repo Man (Lucifer as a hallucination)
 * The Born-Again Identity (Lucifer as a hallucination)
 * Season 9
 * Meta Fiction (Gabriel)

Trivia

 * Even though in some religions there are seven archangels, only four have been confirmed in Supernatural - Michael, Lucifer, Raphael and Gabriel - and a few fans have argued that the fact that Metatron (when asking if Sam and Dean worked for any of the archangels in The Great Escapist) only mentioned these four archangels would suggest that there aren't any other archangels in Supernatural. Though given Metatron's lowly position within Heaven, before leaving and cutting himself off from angel radio, there could be more that he was unaware of.
 * The archangels are collectively one of the most dangerous and powerful antagonists in the entire series.
 * After Season 6, it appeared that no Archangels remained as Michael and Lucifer were trapped in the cage and Gabriel and Raphael were dead; however in Season 9 it was shown that Gabriel somehow tricked everybody and survived.
 * Metatron was described as an archangel in one of the Word of God tablets, but he revealed that he was simply an angel that was chosen to be a scribe.
 * To date, no one has ever used an Angel Banishing Sigil or an Angel Supressing Sigil on an Archangel so it is unknown how it would affect Archangels.
 * It was originally believed by the Men of Letters that the Archangels were responsible for the extermination of the Knights of Hell except Abaddon, it was actually the knights founder, Cain. Whether or not this rumour was started by the angels or by Cain himself is currently unknown.