Michael

Michael is the first and oldest of the four Archangels created by God, making him the very first angel ever created, as well as one of the oldest and most powerful beings in the universe. During the War In Heaven in the distant past, Michael banished Lucifer from Heaven on God's command, later restricting him to a Cage bound by 66 Seals. He was the Viceroy of Heaven in God's absence, and commanded the Heavenly Host before he fell into the Cage with Lucifer. As the highest-ranking Archangel, he issued the commands, which went to the higher-ranking angels to disperse the orders down across the angelic chain.

On Earth, he appeared using John Winchester as a vessel to interact with Dean Winchester. There, Michael informs him that anyone in the Winchester bloodline is capable of being his vessel, even though he mentions that Dean is his one true vessel. He eventually occupies Adam Milligan's body while confronting Lucifer, who was using Sam as a vessel. When he falls into the Cage, Heaven loses stability and it results in a civil war between Raphael and Castiel, among other angels.

Presently, Michael is still trapped in the Cage with Adam and has presumably been driven mad during his time with Lucifer.

A version of Michael from an alternate universe exists, where he won against Lucifer in the Apocalypse.

Early Life
Arguably one of God's first creations was Michael, the first Archangel, the first of four archangels: Lucifer, Raphael and Gabriel, and the very first angel in general. Before life, the Earth, and even the universe itself existed, Michael and the other archangels fought a war with God against the Darkness, whom God tricked and sealed away using the Mark.

Upon imprisoning the Darkness, Michael looked after Lucifer and personally raised him, taking care of him in, as he said, "a way that most people could never understand". He also mentioned that while living in Heaven with God and their siblings, Michael and Lucifer were happy together.

After God locked away the Leviathans in the monster realm Purgatory and after he started the creation of Heaven and its angels and Earth and its people, he commanded all of the celestial beings to bow before mankind, asking them to love humans more than him. Though Michael obediently did so, Lucifer questioned this order, insisting that they are "broken, flawed abortions." Lucifer then sought out Michael for support, but Michael refused to listen and therefore, under God's orders, cast Lucifer out of Heaven. When Lucifer had corrupted man and created demons, Michael, again under God's orders, cast Lucifer into his cage. At some point, God left Heaven and Michael assumed command of the angels, running Heaven and Earth (and possibly the entire universe) for millennia.

When demons began making plans to free Lucifer, Michael decided to allow the seals binding Lucifer to be broken. He and a group of other angels, including Raphael and Zachariah, wanted the Apocalypse to occur so that he and Lucifer could battle. Michael expected to be victorious, so as to bring about paradise on Earth. Lesser angels, like Castiel, were not privy to the plan and were deployed to make it look as though Heaven was fighting the Devil's release. However, those angels that did learn of their plans (like Castiel) were either forced to cooperate with their plans or were cast out of Heaven.

Season 2
During some investigations, Sam notices a painting of Michael casting Lucifer down by the Renaissance painter Raphael in the church he and Dean are investigating.

Season 4
Shortly before Lucifer's rise from the Cage, as Zachariah is informing Dean of his true purpose, he is looking at an illustration of Michael in a painting in the Green Room.

Season 5
Upon Lucifer's rising from the Cage, Zachariah reveals to Dean that the angels' plan is for Michael to use Dean Winchester as his vessel and kill Lucifer once and for all. However, Dean needs to give his consent to be the vessel.

In "The Song Remains the Same", Michael manifests when Sam, Dean and Castiel have traveled back to 1978 to stop Anna Milton from killing John Winchester and Mary Campbell in order to prevent Sam’s birth, and thus his use as Lucifer’s vessel.

After Anna Milton injures Mary and kills Sam Winchester by stabbing him in the stomach, Michael, the Archangel, converses with John Winchester from Heaven, telling him that he can save his wife, if he allows him to take possession of his body. John consents.

When Anna is about to kill Mary, Michael calls out to Anna. Anna turns around and immediately realizes that Michael is possessing John. Michael lays his hand on Anna and kills her by setting her ablaze. Uriel then calls out to Michael and apologizes, saying that he "didn't know," most likely referring to the fact that he didn't know Michael had plans for the family. Michael says goodbye to Uriel and sends him away with a snap of his fingers. An anxious Mary then questions who or what the archangel is. Michael reassures her that "John is fine" before knocking her out.

Michael then turns to Dean, who demands that Michael heal Sam, but Michael tells him that they need to talk first. Dean asks Michael how he could possess his father since he was his "one and only" vessel. Michael corrects Dean stating that he is his true vessel and that he can inhabit the body of all those that share the Winchester bloodline due to the fact that he and John are descendants of Cain and Abel. He then explains to Dean that even though Lucifer defied their Father and betrayed him, he doesn't want to kill him any more than Dean would want to kill Sam. Michael then says regardless of the fact that he raised Lucifer and still loves him, he is going to obey his Father and kill Lucifer. He adds that Dean will eventually say "yes" to him because free will is an illusion and that his choices, regardless of what they may be, will lead him a step closer to his destiny that was planned out by God.

Michael tells a saddened Dean to cheer up because, unlike his brothers, he won't leave him a "drooling mess" after he's done wearing him. He promises Dean that he will erase John and Mary's memories of the whole incident and that they won't remember anything about angels, him, or Sam. Michael walks over to Sam's body, heals him, and sends him back to his own time. Michael then walks toward Dean, telling him that he'll see him soon before sending him back to his own time too.

In "Point of No Return", Zachariah has been dismissed from his position and is drinking in a bar, awaiting his destruction, when Michael makes contact. The brilliance and sound of the archangel kills the bar patrons. Michael offers Zachariah one last chance to secure Dean as a vessel.

Meanwhile, seeing no other way to defeat Lucifer and save the planet, Dean is prepared to consent to becoming Michael's vessel when it is discovered that his half-brother Adam Milligan has been resurrected. The angels hold Adam as bait, and Sam and Dean attempt to rescue him. Zachariah tortures Sam and Adam in front of Dean, forcing Dean to agree to consent. Zachariah utters an incantation that summons Michael to their location, only for Dean to kill a distracted Zachariah with an Angel Blade. Sam and Dean manage to escape before Michael descends, but Adam is trapped inside the room and vanishes with Michael. Adam is technically a vessel, if only a temporary one, for Michael, being of the Winchester bloodline.

In "Swan Song", Michael appears at Stull Cemetery in Lawrence, Kansas in possession of Adam's body in order to face Lucifer in the final battle of Armageddon. Lucifer tries to convince Michael that they shouldn't fight because God made Lucifer the way he is, because he always wanted the Devil. Michael isn't convinced and the two prepare to fight just as Dean drives down into the cemetery and interrupts them.

As Dean tries to talk to Sam, Castiel and Bobby appear and Castiel hits Michael with a holy oil molotov cocktail in order to send him away temporarily. After Lucifer makes Castiel explode and breaks Bobby's neck, he begins beating Dean up. This continues until Sam reclaims control of his body and opens the portal to Hell. Michael returns just then and tells Sam that he can't jump in because he has to fulfill his destiny by killing Lucifer. Sam doesn't listen and when Michael tries to grab hold of him to stop him from falling, Sam takes hold of his arm and pulls him in, causing Sam, Michael, Adam and Lucifer to all get trapped in the Cage.

Season 6
Subsequently, in Heaven, Raphael informs Castiel that he wants to release Lucifer and Michael so that the Apocalypse can be restarted. While talking with Dean, Castiel speculates that Lucifer and Michael are probably abusing Sam's soul, as they see their imprisonment as his fault. Balthazar makes a similar assumption, as does Crowley. Dean explains to Death, who already knows, that Michael, still inside Adam Milligan, also fell into the Cage, and requests that the Horseman retrieves both Sam and Adam's souls. But Death forces him to pick one - Dean picks Sam.

Season 7
In "Meet The New Boss", Castiel tells Crowley he's keeping Hell as a place for his enemies, and to keep Michael and Lucifer in Lucifer's Cage.

Season 11
In Out of the Darkness, Into the Fire, a demon tells Crowley that after the Darkness was released, there was an uproar from the Cage and it's believed that Michael or Lucifer were trying to warn them about the Darkness.

In Our Little World, after Sam and Dean question Castiel about Metatron, Sam experiences a vision of Lucifer's Cage, which is seen for the first time from the outside. Two hands are seen to be grasping the wall of the Cage, though it remains unclear whether the hands belong to Lucifer or Michael.

In The Devil in the Details, Lucifer tells Sam that prison life has supposedly driven Michael insane and claims that he is now curled in a ball in a corner of the Cage and passes his time "singing show tunes and touching himself".

In We Happy Few, God and Lucifer tell the Winchesters that it took all four archangels to weaken the Darkness enough for God to lock her away the first time. However, God tells them that their team is three short as Gabriel and Raphael are dead and God can't resurrect them in a timely manner while Michael is in no state for battle.

Season 12
In Stuck in the Middle (With You), Michael and Lucifer appear in a painting which represents their fight during the First Heaven Civil War. Later on, Michael is revealed to have crafted a lance specifically for tormenting Lucifer, likely for their battle during the Civil War. The lance fell into the possession of Hell and subsequently Ramiel, who uses it to attack Castiel, but Sam manages to snatch the weapon and kill Ramiel with it. Crowley then breaks the lance to free Castiel of its effects, thus saving his life.

In The British Invasion, Lucifer appears to submit to Crowley's will. When Crowley questions it, Lucifer tells him that "all things considered, I think I'd rather be here than rotting in the Cage with my drooling, insane - and not in a fun way - little bro Michael."

Season 13
In The Rising Son, after encountering an alternate reality Michael, Lucifer states that the other Michael seems like a cheap knock-off of his Michael "and he's a hot mess."

Personality
Think of a million random acts of chance that let John and Mary be born, to meet, to fall in love, to have the two of you. Think of the million random choices that you make, and yet how each and every one of them brings you closer to your destiny. Do you know why that is? Because it's not random, it's not chance. It's a plan that is playing itself out perfectly. Free will's an illusion, Dean. That's why you're going to say yes. Michael is a rather complicated being, having many sides of his personality. He is a strong but strict leader, having set up a rigid and sturdy hierarchy in Heaven, along with strict rules and harsh punishments ; likewise, his rule was described as by Castiel as "corrupt," although it wasn't exactly oppressive. Despite this, he kept his brethren in the dark on many important matters, including God's leaving, and punished any who displayed disobedience with death.

To his father God, however, Michael is fanatically loyal and blindly follows God's orders without question, as sees himself as a "good son", and that is what matters most to him. He loves his father dearly and, despite having not seen him in thousands of years, never lost his faith or his love for him (one of the many qualities that Michael and his one true vessel Dean Winchester both share). Due to his zealous trust in his father's commands, Michael doesn't believe in free will, not even for himself, believing everything that occurs is how his father planned it.

He also professes his love for Lucifer, his younger brother, and admits to Dean that he doesn't want to kill Lucifer any more than Dean would want to kill Sam, but accepts he must do it due to his father's orders and the actions of his younger brother. His love for Lucifer is proven true, as seen before the fight where he acts in a polite and genuinely saddened manner, and when Lucifer proposes they "walk off the chessboard," Michael seriously considers it for a moment before ultimately refusing. Despite loving his younger brother, Michael holds great anger for Lucifer, calling him a "monster" and blaming him for all their problems, pointing out they were once "happy together" but Lucifer ruined everything by "betraying them, betraying all of us" and "making [their] father leave."

Michael also seems to think of himself as magnanimous when he promises to leave Dean intact after having him as a vessel and erasing the memories of his parents of Anna's attack in The Song Remains the Same. He was also shown to be a relatively forgiving person, as he forgave both Uriel and Zachariah, even after Zachariah's constant failures, implying that, despite being strict or even cruel with them, he does not enjoy killing his own kind.

However, Michael could be wrathful, particularly with anyone who interferes with his destiny, including Dean at Stull Cemetery (although this could also be a case of restraint as he just tells Dean he isn't part of this and tells him to leave as opposed to killing or forcing him), and again with Lucifer when Lucifer suggests they refuse to fight. He also kills Anna when she tries to interfere with his plan. It is this insistence on fulfilling his story as written that leads him into imprisonment in the Cage, because he pleaded with Sam, who had recently regained control of his body from Lucifer, that "I have to fight my brother," then grabbed hold of Sam's arm as Sam went tumbling down into the Cage, going down with him.

When it comes to humans, Michael seems to be somewhat uncaring; he does not care if or how many he kills. On one notable occasion, he randomly killed a bar full of people just so he could talk to Zachariah, and referred to Dean at one point as a "maggot," just as Zachariah called Dean a "maggot inside a worm's ass." Despite this, Michael also doesn't seem to hold any true hatred for humans, never specifically going out of his way to harm any, or even really bothering about them before the Apocalypse occurred. Unlike Lucifer, he was not angered by God's love for humans being greater than for him, and when asked to bow before them by God, Michael bowed (though this was most likely out of loyalty to his Father). However, Castiel believes that Michael joined Lucifer in torturing Sam in the Cage as revenge for being trapped there, though this has neither been confirmed or denied, and Sam only remembered Lucifer torturing him, suggesting Michael didn't.

Michael is in fact in many ways a tragic figure, as both the people he loved the most either betrayed or abandoned him, and all he ever really wanted to do was to prove to his father, God, that he was a good son, the one thing that he never actually managed to achieve.

According to Lucifer, being locked in Lucifer's Cage didn't sit well with Michael and it drove him insane, leaving Michael curled up in a ball in the cage and "singing show tunes and touching himself." God later stated that calling Michael into battle against the Darkness is not an option as he isn't in any shape to fight. Lucifer further added that Michael was also a drooling, hot mess.

Powers and Abilities
As the very first angel ever created, Michael is the oldest, strongest, and most powerful angel under God's command, making Michael among the oldest and most powerful supernatural beings to exist in the Supernatural universe. Being the highest in Heaven's hierarchy, Michael has immense powers. Castiel describes him as one of the few beings that are stronger than Lucifer. Castiel even mentioned that in comparison to Raphael, Michael is much more powerful. Even when Castiel was empowered with 40 million souls and being able to effortlessly destroy Raphael, he opted to keep Michael in the Cage. Only a few beings are known to predate and are capable of overpowering Michael. As an archangel, Michael has many powers. Below are listed all of the powers that Michael has displayed.
 * Lower Tier Nigh-Omnipotence - As the oldest Archangel and the first angel in general that God ever created, Michael has a tremendously vast supply of supernatural power that is almost unlimited, making him the most powerful celestial being that God created. He made Anna burn from the inside out to death and sent Uriel back to Heaven with a snap of his fingers. By placing two fingers on Sam's forehead, Michael brought him back to life while also, at the same time, heal his wounds and sent him back to the future all at once. It was also suggested that if Michael got his chance to battle Lucifer, their fight alone would destroy a large portion of Earth. He was also capable of creating a weapon called the Lance of Michael that can kill demons and angels, including Archangels, as evidenced with Lucifer. The only beings more powerful than Michael are God, Death, and the Darkness.
 * White Light - Michael can generate an overwhelming white light that is capable of obliterating anything from other living things to entire cities and buildings. With this power, he can destroy a large part of the Earth.
 * Angelic Possession - Michael requires a vessel to act on Earth, and he must have the vessel's permission. His power can only be contained by someone descended from Cain and Abel. Dean Winchester is his true vessel.
 * Telepathy - Michael is able to read the thoughts of humans.
 * Empathy - Michael is able to read the emotions of humans.
 * Regeneration - If his vessel becomes damaged in any way, he is able to heal it instantly and completely. For instance, his vessel Adam was set ablaze by Holy Fire, but upon his return minutes later, he didn't have a scratch either on his skin or even his clothing.
 * Apporting - Michael could send angels back to Heaven with a simple snap of his fingers, as he did with the angel Uriel.
 * Supernatural Strength - Being the oldest, strongest, and most powerful Archangel, the physical strength that Michael endows his vessel with is immense. His immense strength and powers are only somewhat rivaled by Lucifer's own, as the demon who was possessing Bobby at the time called Michael the "toughest son of a bitch they got."
 * Superhuman Stamina - As an Archangel, Michael's stamina is incalculable and, even when in a vessel, needs nothing to maintain strength, to strive or operate, as he is self-sufficient.
 * Weather Manipulation - Michael's control over the weather exceeds even his own brothers. Upon arriving on Earth to John Winchester, he caused sudden severe winds.
 * Chronokinesis - Michael has complete control over time. He sent Sam and Dean from the past to the present with ease.
 * Telekinesis - Michael is a powerful telekinetic, able to move and control objects with his mind effortlessly; he was even able to move objects in areas where he hadn't fully arrived in. He demonstrated this when he closed and locked the door to the beautiful room when Adam tried to escape it.
 * Healing - Michael can easily heal others of any injury, wound and disease.
 * Resurrection - Michael can resurrect humans with ease.
 * Mental Manipulation - Michael can erase, restore, alter and fabricate the memories and perception of a human.
 * Sedation - Just like an average angel, Michael can sedate humans by touching their forehead.
 * Teleportation - Michael can travel from one place to another instantly, without occupying the space in between. He can also take people with him, in the blink of an eye. Although he can travel virtually anywhere in existence, he is unable to leave Lucifer's Cage once the door is closed, as it was designed to hold an Archangel.
 * Pyrokinesis - Michael can generate and manipulate fire. When he used this ability to kill Anna, it destroyed the angel and the vessel, turning the latter into nothing but ash.
 * Thermokinesis - He made the door knob to the beautiful room extremely hot to prevent Dean from being able to open it and save Adam.
 * Precognition - Michael can see into the future, but not the full picture.
 * Supernatural Perception - Michael can sense and see things even if they're naturally invisible.
 * Terrakinesis - Michael is able to cause powerful earthquakes by thought or presence alone.
 * Nigh-Omniscience - Like his brothers, Michael has a deep understanding of many things, due to him being older than the universe itself.
 * Immortality - As the eldest archangel, Michael has an infinitely long lifespan. He is the first angel and has existed before the universe itself, making him well over 13.8 billion years old. The excessive passing of time does not degrade his vessel, like with all celestial beings. His vessel is unaffected by diseases and toxins. He does not tire, and does not require food, water, oxygen, or sleep to sustain his vessel.
 * Invulnerability - Michael cannot be killed by any conventional weapon. Even Holy Fire was only able to banish him for a short time.
 * Immunity - Michael was resilient to Holy Fire, although he still found it agonizing, damaging and being able to banish him; but unlike other angels, it couldn't kill him.

Weaknesses
Although Michael is God's oldest and most powerful angel, making him vastly more powerful than any other type of angel, even he has the same weaknesses as the other archangels.

Harming, Misleading and Trapping

 * Lucifer's Cage - This cell can hold any angel, including Michael, without any internal means of escape.
 * Enochian sigils - Even Michael cannot locate someone if they are warded by enochian sigils.
 * Holy Fire - Holy fire can't kill Michael, but it can damage his vessel momentarily. Holy fire causes Michael quite a great deal of pain.

Beings

 * Archangels - Lucifer can kill Michael.
 * Higher Beings - Primordial beings such as God, Death and the Darkness can kill Michael.

Relationships

 * Michael and Castiel - Michael's relationship with the rebellious Castiel.
 * Michael and Dean Winchester - Michael's relationship with his true vessel, Dean Winchester.
 * Michael and God - Michael's relationship with his father, God.
 * Michael and Lucifer - Michael's relationship with his younger brother Lucifer.

Appearances

 * Season 2
 * Houses of the Holy (Mentioned only)
 * Season 4
 * Lucifer Rising (Painting only)
 * Season 5
 * Sympathy for the Devil (Mentioned only)
 * The Song Remains the Same
 * Point of No Return (incorporeal form)
 * Swan Song
 * Season 7
 * Meet The New Boss (Mentioned only)
 * There Will Be Blood (Painting only)
 * Season 8
 * The Great Escapist  (Mentioned only)
 * Season 11
 * Out of the Darkness, Into the Fire (Mentioned only)
 * The Devil in the Details (Flashback and mentioned)
 * We Happy Few (Mentioned only)
 * Season 12
 * Stuck in the Middle (With You) (Mentioned only)
 * The British Invasion (Mentioned only)

Trivia

 * Michael is the secondary antagonist in Season 5.
 * His name's meaning is a rhetorical question meant to glorify God's characteristics, "Who is like God?"
 * Michael is considered the "Viceroy of Heaven," meaning, the ruler of Heaven in God's stead.
 * So far in the series, Michael has used two vessels: John Winchester and Adam Milligan.
 * Outside of the series, creator Eric Kripke has stated in The Official Companion Season 5 that Death is more powerful than Michael.
 * Interestingly, when Castiel struck Michael (in Adam's body) with a molotov of Holy Fire, Michael's anguished screams through Adam's voice became lower in pitch, distorted, and the distinctive high pitched sound that angels emit in their true forms can be heard.
 * Michael is the only Archangel to be in one season (not counting the appearance of his alternate reality self in Season 13). Gabriel was in four seasons, (including an illusion) Raphael was in two and Lucifer (including hallucinations) was in five.
 * Despite being the oldest of the four Archangels, he used the youngest vessels - Adam Milligan at about 19/20 and John Winchester at about 24.
 * Michael is the least appearing archangel in the series, only physically appearing in 2 episodes (not counting his alternate reality self).
 * Michael is God's oldest known creation still alive.
 * It is hinted at that God created many other things before Michael, but said things were destroyed by Amara, driving God to have her locked up to protect his remaining creations.
 * Michael is the second known angel to suffer from severe mental trauma, the first being Castiel. Both were driven to insanity as a result of Lucifer's Cage (though Castiel became insane as a result of taking on Sam's memories of the Cage).

In Lore

 * Many exorcisms invoke the name of the Archangel Michael, to defeat and banish the demon.
 * In the final judgment, Michael is shown as the weigher of souls.
 * Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael are the only angels who are also saints.
 * Michael holds the keys to Heaven and Hell.
 * He is the Archistratege of God ('Archistratege' being a military rank of the highest degree, superior to a field marshal or grand admiral).
 * He is the only angel in the Bible named as an Archangel; the rest were named in different interpretations of the Bible and other biblical scrolls, or given the title by the Catholic Church. This is why he is considered the Archangel.
 * Michael is known as the 'Prince of the Seraphim' (the Seraphim being the highest order of angels).
 * Archangel Michael is celebrated yearly on September 28, the day known as Michaelmas, or the Feast of Saint Michael.
 * He is often shown as the angel who spoke to Moses as a burning bush, delivered the Ten Commandments to Moses, and fought with Lucifer over Moses' body and won.
 * In the Apocalypse, Michael leads the army of Heaven and defeats Lucifer and the Antichrist.
 * Some believe the Archangel Michael and Jesus Christ are one and the same.