Azazel

"So, uh, if any of you gals are the praying type, now would be a good time to start."

- Azazel to a group of nuns.

Azazel was a powerful demon in the service of Lucifer. Until Sin City, Azazel's name was not revealed and he was referred to by nicknames such as "The Demon", "The Yellow-Eyed Demon", or "Yellow Eyes". Once he killed Mary Winchester, the Winchester men hunted him for decades and finally killed him in revenge in the second season finale; however, his actions continued to influence events even years after his death.

Azazel was also the tyrannical leader of the demon world.

Personality
Angry and vengeful over his own eternal damnation, Azazel took pleasure in inflicting pain (whether psychological or physical) onto others, to such an extent that even other demons considered him cruel. Having a sadistic sense of humor, he liked to play with his victims' emotions by convincing them that their worst fears were true before he killed them. His favored method of murder was exceptionally vicious: he telekinetically pinned mothers who interrupted his blood rituals to the ceiling, slit their stomachs open, and kept them in a paralyzed, agonized state in which they could not even call out for help before he finally burned them alive. He would drag out the suffering of his victims for his own entertainment; ironically, this led to his downfall, as it gave Dean enough time to kill him with the last bullet from The Colt.

Azazel was smug and self-assured of his own power. His arrogance compelled him to endanger his own life simply for the sake of making a point. For example, in Devil's Trap he possessed John in order to steal the Colt and kill Dean when he could easily have killed both John and Dean and taken the Colt without trying to trick Dean into giving it to him, but the appeal of further tormenting the Winchesters and asserting his superiority was too strong for him to resist. He showed open amusement at the idea of anyone succeeding at killing him and would taunt the person who threatened to do so.

As a major driving force and architect behind Lucifer's complex release from Hell, Azazel was highly manipulative and cunning. He took advantage of any opportunity he could, such as forcing John to sacrifice both the Colt and his own life in exchange for Dean's resurrection. Azazel often quickly modified his plans to accommodate unforeseen circumstances, such as the death of his favorite special child and survival of another and then again when the reverse unexpectedly occurred. He relished bending others to his will, to the extent that he selected Sam as his favorite special child at least partially because he wanted to corrupt Sam's kind-hearted nature.

Azazel viewed his fellow demons as his family; he genuinely regarded his followers as his "children" and was enraged when Dean killed one and exorcised another. Azazel was also deeply loyal to his father, Lucifer, whom he continued to believe in and search for even when most demons had given up. He held these "non-believers" in contempt, calling them "dickless heathens." He devoted himself to the task of freeing Lucifer, a mission he eventually died on.

Azazel's comments in "In The Beginning" indicate that he did not fear angels, as he remarked that Dean must have "friends in high places" without visible worry. However, he refused to reveal much of his plan to Dean to prevent angels from finding out about it from him and interfering.

Powers and Abilities
Azazel was a very high-ranking demon, described by another demon as a being one of two beings on the "A-list" of demons (the other being Lilith). As of the eighth season, he remains the only known demon with yellow eyes. Azazel ranked incredibly high in Hell's hierarchy, as he was commanding the plan to free Lucifer. The demon Casey described him as a "tyrant" who held the demons all together, saying, "When you did him in, it all fell apart." It was stated by the show's creator that he is subordinate to Lilith in rank, although it is unknown if her powers surpass his or not.


 * Possession - He often possessed humans to manifest, though on one notable occasion he possessed a reaper - a feat that has not since been accomplished (on-screen) by any other being. His hosts tended to be older white males. The only way to confirm his presence within his host was when he turned their eyes a bright, slitted yellow.
 * Super strength - He enhanced his host's physical strength and stamina to a superhuman level, to an even greater extent than other demons do, he was able to casually overpower humans, demons, and even ghosts (although John briefly held him in place him).
 * Advanced Telekinesis - He could move people and objects using only his mind, he was very skilled with this ability, able to use it on multiple targets at once, restraining them so they couldn't even cry out for help, and throwing grown men considerable distances, by flicking his wrist.
 * Biokinesis - He demonstrated the ability to psychically injure humans, even inducing fatal internal bleeding with a mere glare. One of the omens of Azazel's arrival also included mass cattle deaths.
 * Pyrokinesis - He could generate and manipulate fire. His power over fire was extensive enough that he could render entire buildings ablaze in minutes or even seconds.
 * Invulnerability - He could not be harmed by conventional weapons. He was also unaffected by most weapons that can harm or repel demons, including salt and holy water; the only other demon confirmed as similarly impervious to these weapons was Lilith. The only known weapon with the power to kill him is The Colt.
 * Immortality - Azazel was able to potentially live forever, he was many hundreds of years old when he died.
 * Resurrection - He was able to resurrect dying or dead humans.
 * Super Stamina - Azazel did not require food, water, oxygen, or sleep to sustain himself.
 * Reality Warping - He could alter the world around him in the context of a demonic deal. Unlike all other demons, he did not require a soul to power the deals he made. However, he still had to obey the rules of the demonic soul deals. As he said in reference to Sam's resurrection at the end of Season 2, "You see, demons can't resurrect people unless a deal is made. I know, red tape--it'll make you nuts."
 * Teleportation - He could travel instantly from one place to another including hell and earth without occupying the space in between, he was quick enough to use this to avoid bullets.
 * Dream Walking - He could enter others dreams, he used this ability to enter the dreams of his special children when they were asleep in "All Hell Breaks Loose - Part 1" and "All Hell Breaks Loose - Part 2". He was mentioned as having done so in "Simon Said" and "Hunted".
 * Weather Manipulation - As great masses of demons can, Azazel's presence alone could cause thunderstorms, massive temperature fluctuations, and sudden gusts of wind.
 * Healing - He restored a comatose, dying Dean to full health in "In My Time of Dying" and repaired John's broken neck in "In the Beginning".
 * Electrokinesis - His mere presence caused lights to flicker, electronic devices to go haywire, and clocks to stop. He could also do this at his will.
 * Memory Manipulation - He could erase the memories of people, and did so after resurrecting them.
 * Super Senses - Was able to tell Dean wasn't one of his special Children, simply by smelling his neck.

Early life
Nothing is known about Azazel's human life or how he became a demon. What is known is that he rose through the ranks of high level demons in Hell and became one of Lucifer's most devoted and trusted servants - possibly even acting as the King of Hell in Lucifer's absence. Eventually, he took charge of the plan to find Lucifer and free him from his cage. He also took on a "daughter" Meg, a student of Hell's Grand Torturer Alastair. He also claimed the demon Tom as his "son." He was close enough to Lucifer to know of the location of Lucifer's Crypts and toured them all with Meg at some point. At some point, Azazel left Hell and went to Earth to search for the entrance to Lucifer's cage.

After years of searching, Azazel finally located the doorway to Lucifer's prison in 1972. The fallen angel tasked him with freeing the demon Lilith from Hell, as she was needed to break the 66 seals holding Lucifer captive, and also to find him a "special child" strong. By the following year, he began making demonic pacts with young individuals - specifically young women, in exchange for a wish, he would be allowed to enter their homes exactly ten years from when they made the bargain. He promised that no harm would come to them as long as they did not interfere with his business.

Azazel eventually comes across Mary Campbell, the future mother of Sam and Dean Winchester. After taking possession of her father, Samuel Campbell, he kills her mother and stabs himself to kill his host. Mary's fiance, John Winchester, is the demon's next victim. However, Azazel makes his usual offer, giving her the chance to resurrect John, she reluctantly agrees.

In 1983, Mary discovers Azazel standing over her baby Sam's crib, feeding his blood to the infant. Upon being interrupted, the demon pins her to the ceiling, slashes her stomach and causes her to burst into flames. Mary's death inspires John to dedicate his life to hunting down Azazel, at the same time training Sam and Dean to hunt supernatural creatures. Perhaps because of the enormity of his task (of selecting and grooming potential vessels for Lucifer across the world), Azazel rarely encountered the Winchesters directly; instead, he sent his children to confront them and manipulate Sam in his stead.

Dead Man's Blood
Years later, because demons cannot be killed by conventional means, the Winchesters track down the Colt, a mystic gun capable of killing nearly anything, including Azazel.

Salvation
They trace the omens caused by the demon's presence to Salvation, Iowa. Like he has done with Sam and countless others, Azazel plans to visit a six-month old and feed it his blood so the child will later develop demonic abilities. Although Sam interrupts the demon's plans and saves the family, Azazel teleports away to avoid being shot. Meanwhile, the demonic Meg Masters and her "brother" Tom kidnap John, and then set their sights on Sam and Dean.



Devil's Trap
An angry Azazel chastises them for exorcising Meg and killing Tom, he deems them his children, and begins to torture the brothers. John temporarily retakes control, giving Sam the opportunity to grab the Colt. Unable to kill his father, Sam shoots John in the leg, allowing John to regain full control and he briefly is able to hold Azazel inside of him and begs Sam to shoot him in the heart and kill them both. Sam hesitates and the demon flees from his host.

In My Time of Dying
John Winchester is summoning Azazel. When he appears John aims the Colt at him and tells him that he will give him the Colt if he heals Dean. Azazel says that he can't heal Dean but he knows someone that can. He then tells John that there is something else he wants, John dead. Later, in exchange for John's life and the Colt, Azazel takes over the reaper Tessa and heals Dean.

Croatoan
Dwayne Tanner communicates with Azazel through the goblet of blood, informing him that Sam Winchester is immune to the Croatoan Virus, after causing an outbreak of the Croatoan Virus which was released in Rivergrove, Oregon.

All Hell Breaks Loose, Part 1
Azazel appears to Sam in a dream. In this twisted dream, the demon informs Sam that he is in a contest against all the other "special children" like him. The demon then notes that Sam is his favorite, so he shows Sam a vision of the night that the demon visits him. It is shown that the demon sort of "baptizes" the special children with his own blood, as sort of a ritual. Azazel also shows that Sam's mother, Mary, recognizes him and was only killed because she was at the "wrong place at the wrong time".

All Hell Breaks Loose - Part 2
Azazel approaches Jake Talley in a dream to tell him what to do now that he is the last survivor. He threatens Jake's family, and the soldier listens. When Jake is asked by the Demon to do something for him, Jake is given the the Colt which he immediately aims at Azazel but the Demon says Jake would rather have health and wealth than to shoot the him. He promises security for his family as well, causing Jake to lower the Colt. Jake is agrees to enter the Devil's Trap and use the Colt as a key to open a gate to hell.

The rush of demons from the gate destroys the Devil's Trap so that Azazel can enter. When the iron lines are broken, he appears behind Dean and is about to be shot with the Colt, but telekinetically grabs it and forcefully throws Dean onto the ground, telling him how thankful he is to Dean that he revived Sam since he liked him better than Jake. He also informs Dean that whatever Dean brought back is probably not "100% pure Sam" and taunts Dean that Sam coldheartedly shot Jake multiple times, a feat which he could not accomplish before. He then aims the Colt at Dean, preparing to kill him, but John appears and grabs him from behind pulling him out of his human host.

Azazel escapes from John's grasp and returns to his body, but Dean already has the Colt and shoots him in the chest, killing him. Dean then triumphantly stands over the demon's "body", recognizing his and Sam's victory over the thing which has given their family so much death and heartache. However, with the release of hundreds of demons, the Winchester brothers accept the fact that they have more work to do and more demons to hunt down and kill, possibly worse than Azazel.

Sin City
Dean learns the Yellow Eyed Demon's true name, Azazel, from the demon Casey, who describes him as a tyrant that held all the other demons together. She also tells Dean that in the wake of Azazel's death, the demons who escaped the Devil's Gate are divided over who should lead them. Originally, Sam, Azazel's favorite, was supposed to lead them, but he has not accepted his role.

Yellow Fever
Azazel appears as one of Dean's hallucinations while he's inflicted with Ghost sickness. Dean hallucinates that Azazel is possessing Sam. Azazel tells Dean that his brother is not possessed, and that this is what Sam is going to become, and there's nothing Dean can do about it.

Exile on Main Street
Lingering fear and hatred of Azazel was revealed to continue to haunt Dean, when Dean was poisoned by a djinn. Dean's hallucination of Azazel claimed that he was resurrected by God like Castiel had. He mocked a shocked Dean about thinking he could leave hunting to live with Lisa and Ben Braeden, then tried to strangle him. This apparition of Azazel dissipated when Sam intervened and administered an antidote to Dean to cure him of the djinn's poison.

Dean was later given a double dose of djinn poison; his hallucination involved Azazel murdering Lisa in the same fashion as his mother and convincing Ben to drink his blood as Ruby did to Sam, with Azazel repeatedly telling Dean that it's all his fault and he can't stop it. This hallucination ended when Dean received more antidote to the djinn poison.

Goodbye Stranger
It is revealed that Azazel is one of the few demons who entrusted with the knowledge of the location of Lucifer's Crypts and its contents, due to his high-ranking status and closeness to his father. At an unspecified point, over a hundred years before 2013 he visited them, and took his servant, and demon daughter Meg with him. Meg thus also knew their location, which in 2013 interested Crowley as he was looking for them.

Appearances

 * Season 1
 * Pilot
 * Wendigo ( Mentioned only )
 * Home ( Mentioned only )
 * Scarecrow (Unseen but communicates with Meg)
 * Nightmare ( Mentioned only )
 * Shadow (Mentioned only)
 * Dead Man's Blood ( Mentioned only )
 * Salvation
 * Devil's Trap


 * Season 2
 * In My Time of Dying
 * Everybody Loves a Clown ( Mentioned only )
 * Simon Said ( Mentioned only )
 * Crossroad Blues ( Mentioned only )
 * Croatoan (  Unseen but communicates with Dwayne Tanner  )
 * Hunted ( Mentioned only )
 * Born Under A Bad Sign ( Mentioned only )
 * All Hell Breaks Loose - Part 1
 * All Hell Breaks Loose - Part 2


 * Season 3
 * The Magnificent Seven (Mentioned only)
 * The Kids Are Alright ( Mentioned only )
 * Sin City (Mentioned only)
 * Red Sky at Morning (Mentioned only)
 * No Rest For The Wicked ( Mentioned only )


 * Season 4
 * In The Beginning 
 * Metamorphosis (Mentioned only)
 * Yellow Fever (As hallucination)
 * Jump the Shark (Mentioned only)
 * When the Levee Breaks (As hallucination)
 * Lucifer Rising


 * Season 5
 * The Song Remains the Same (Mentioned only)
 * Dark Side of the Moon (As hallucination) 
 * The Devil You Know (Mentioned only) ''
 * Swan Song (Mentioned and flashback)


 * Season 6
 * Exile on Main Street (As hallucination)
 * The Man Who Would Be King (Mentioned only)
 * Season 7
 * Reading Is Fundamental (Mentioned only)


 * Season 8
 * Goodbye Stranger (Mentioned only)

Quotes

 * To Sam (season 1) - "I have plans for you Sammy. You... and all the children like you."


 * To Dean (season 2) - " Boys shouldn't play with Daddy's guns."
 * To Dean (season 2, last words) - "I couldn't have done it without your self-loathing, self-destructive desire to sacrifice yourself for your family!"
 * To Dean (season 4, through time travel) - " Demon blood is better than Ovaltine, vitamins, and minerals, it makes you big and strong! "