Balthazar

Amara (aunt)

Balthazar was an angel of Heaven and a personal friend of Castiel. At some point during the Apocalypse, he stole a number of powerful artifacts kept in Heaven and faked his own death. He then went on Earth and started to lead a hedonistic lifestyle, even going as far as to buy human souls in a similar fashion to crossroad demons. The weapons in his possession became an issue in the war between Castiel and Raphael when both of them discovered that Balthazar was actually alive. Balthazar eventually sided with Castiel after Raphael sent one of his followers, Virgil, after him.

Balthazar was killed by Castiel after he allied himself with the Winchester brothers to prevent the former to open the gates of Purgatory.

Personality
Balthazar, often sarcastic, jokes around in every situation. Despite behaving in a more human manner than most angels, he had little tolerance for humans. Castiel has also mentioned that Balthazar can be impetuous.

Balthazar idolized Castiel, and although he enjoyed freedom from heaven's authority, he was always willing to help Castiel in the war against Raphael.

Power and Abilities
Balthazar was an average angel, possessing the remarkable abilities inherent in all angels, however, used them in an unusual way that gave him
 * Possession - Balthazar, to physically interact on Earth, needs a vessel, and must bear their consent.
 * Super strength - Being an angel, Balthazar is incredibly strong, more so than humans, demons, spirits, and most monsters.
 * Teleportation - Balthazar can be anywhere at a thought, so long as the place isn't sigil-protected.
 * Telekinesis - Balthazar can move objects and people with his mind.
 * Vast knowledge - Balthazar had a good understanding of the universe. He knew many spells and rituals. For instance, he knew a way for Sam to pollute his vessel to the point it would be uninhabitable for his soul, and a spell that sent Sam and Dean to an alternate Earth.
 * Chronokinesis - Balthazar displayed the ability to travel in time and change history.
 * Immortality - As an angel, Balthazar cannot grow old, get sick, and can not be harmed by human conventional weapons.
 * Invulnerability - Like most angels, Balthazar can not be harmed by weapons that would be fatal to humans and other supernatural beings like demons and monsters, but can only be harmed by weapons and objects that can harm angels. Such as an angels' sword, holy fire, Enochian magic, and Archangels.
 * Spell Casting - Balthazar cast the Alternate Reality spell to send Sam and Dean to safety.

Weaknesses
Amara/The Darkness- Existed before time and as powerful as God, maybe even stronger, she can kill him.
 * Angel banishing sigil - Like any angel, Balthazar can be banished by the sigil.
 * Holy Fire - Balthazar can be trapped by holy fire.
 * Angel Blade - Capable of killing angels.
 * Archangel Blade - Stronger version of an angel blade.
 * Archangels - Can easily annihilate angels.
 * Leviathans - Can easily kill angels.
 * Death's Scythe - Can kill anything.
 * The First Blade - Can kill anything

Early life
Balthazar fought alongside Castiel and Uriel. Castiel thought that he had died in battle. In fact, Balthazar faked his death to hide his departure from Heaven, and took a number of powerful artifacts, including the Staff of Moses and Lot's Salt, with him. He has been on Earth enjoying a rather hedonistic lifestyle.

Season 6
Castiel, Sam and Dean infiltrate his residence after reading his angelic signature left on a boy's ribs. Balthazar had made a bargain for Aaron Birch's soul, playing the role of an angelic crossroads dealer. Castiel confronted the angel, in shock that his friend had not died during the Apocalypse like he had thought. As it turned out, Balthazar had faked his own death and stolen several biblical items from Heaven to avoid being killed for real due to the total anarchy "upstairs".

Castiel tried to bargain with his old friend for the release of the weapons, but Raphael and his angels interrupted them before anything could be agreed upon. Balthazar disappeared just as Raphael infiltrated the mansion and left Castiel to fight him alone. Raphael continues to thrash Castiel, but before he could deliver the killing strike, Balthazar returns with a crystal-shaped weapon and turns Raphael's vessel into salt, forcing him to find a new host, adding that "the same thing happened to Lot's wife".

Amazed that he had returned, Castiel stands to thank him, but Sam and Dean arrive and trap him in a circle of holy fire. When they refuse to release him, he calls Dean a "hairless ape" and turns to Castiel for help, who says only that "the hairless ape has the floor." The brothers threaten to kill Balthazar unless he returns the child's soul. The angel agrees and makes void the contract between the boy and himself, but will not return the weapons. Sam threatens to douse him in holy fire, but Castiel releases him before either of the brothers can do anything, saying that his debt to Balthazar, for saving his life, had been cleared.

When Death agrees to return Sam's soul from Lucifer's Cage, Sam summons Balthazar to find a way make his body reject his soul. Balthazar agrees to help Sam, mainly to piss off Dean. He also mentions that he would very much enjoy having Sam in debt to him. Balthazar tells Sam that in addition to a few easily acquired ingredients, he needs to commit an act so vile, that it permanently "scars his vessel". When Sam inquires as to what that is, Balthazar informs Sam that he needs to commit patricide (i.e. killing his father).

Sam immediately states that his father John has been dead for quite some time now, to which Balthazar responds saying "You need the blood of your father, but your father needn't be blood". It is now made obvious to Sam that Balthazar is implying that the death of Bobby will suffice, considering Bobby has been the closest thing to a father for Sam since John's death.

After the return of Sam's soul, Balthazar suddenly appears at Bobby's house and tells Sam and Dean that Raphael intends to kill everyone who ever helped Castiel. He does not explain the situation, but quickly starts gathering Dead Sea brine, lamb's blood, and the bones of a lesser saint, which he uses to draw a sigil on a window. He gives a key to Sam to guard and then Virgil, Raphael's angel assassin, arrives, so Balthazar quickly tosses Sam and Dean through the window, sending them to a different universe.

Later it turns out that sending the Winchesters into a different world with a bogus key was part of Balthazar and Castiel's plan to divert Raphael's attention from what they were really doing. While Virgil and Raphael were focused on hunting down and killing Sam and Dean, Balthazar was able to gather the stolen weapons of Heaven and give them all to Castiel. When Raphael arrives to kill Balthazar, Sam, and Dean, Castiel appears and threatens Raphael with the weapons now in his possession, forcing him to leave.

Several episodes later, Balthazar alters history and unsinks the Titanic. Balthazar asserts that his reason for doing so being that he hated the movie, and that the theme song by Celine Dion made him want to smite himself. With this action, it alters history and creates thousands of new souls. Because of this intervention, Atropos, the sister of fate in charge of "snipping the thread of life" begins to try to undo the mess created by this.

Atropos begins to try and kill Dean and Sam for two reasons, to spite Cas and because them stopping the apocalypse ruined her work and made her obsolete (because now, no one is bound by fate and everyone has freedom). After a brief confrontation between Atropos and Castiel, Balthazar approaches from behind to kill her. In the end, Castiel gives Balthazar orders to cease his attempt to kill the Sister of Fate, and to go back in time and allow the Titanic to sink, setting the events of time back to the way they are supposed to be.

In Let It Bleed, Sam and Dean summon Balthazar for help on finding Lisa and Ben. When summoned, he tells the boys to stop calling him. Sam and Dean reveal to him that Castiel is working with Crowley, but Balthazar already knew that. They then reveal that Castiel plans to open Purgatory, which Balthazar pretends to know about and then disappears. Balthazar later asks Castiel if his plan to open Purgatory is indeed true. Castiel confirms this and asks Balthazar if he's still with Castiel. Balthazar lies and tells Castiel that he is still loyal. Balthazar returns to Sam and Dean, now agreeing to help them. He finds and takes Sam and Dean to the location of Lisa and Ben and vanishes.

Balthazar continues to help them in The Man Who Knew Too Much. He compliments Dean on finally angel proofing the panic room correctly. When Dean first asks Balthazar about Castiel and Crowley's location, he is resistant, describing his conflict on whether or not he should betray his angelic friend and help the brothers. After some slight hesitation, Balthazar eventually gave Dean Castiel and Crowley's location and vanished. Unfortunately, Balthazar has not yet realized that this act of helping Dean and betraying Castiel had already cost him his life.

Castiel summoned Balthazar to his hideout and told Balthazar there is a "Judas" among them. Cas asks Balthazar to go and find the traitor, and Balthazar attempts to play dumb, even trying to direct the blame onto another angel, going as far as to say "I bet it's that bloody Cherub, isn't it?". At this point, Balthazar is not aware that Castiel already knows that he is the traitor in question. Balthazar continues to attempt to alleviate Castiel's concerns by saying "well, you always have little old me". Immediately afterwards, Castiel appears behind Balthazar and stabs him while saying "yes, I'll always have you". Balthazar's last moments are of shock and confusion right before he dies seconds later.

Appearances

 * Season 6
 * The Third Man
 * Appointment In Samarra
 * The French Mistake
 * My Heart Will Go On
 * Let It Bleed
 * The Man Who Knew Too Much


 * Season 7
 * Meet The New Boss (Mentioned only)

Trivia
Balthazar Balthazar
 * Balthazar mentions that the crystal he uses to turn Raphael to a mound of salt was the same weapon used on Lot's wife when she was turned to salt for glancing back at Sodom as she and her family left the decadent city.
 * Balthazar is the first character in all of Season 6 to comment on how valuable and how powerful human souls are.
 * In You Can't Handle The Truth, Castiel mentions that the Horn of Gabriel which makes anyone tell the truth is stolen from Heaven. It is never proven but it is very possible that Balthazar had stolen this along with the other weapons.
 * Balthazar's name on the Titanic, I.P. Freely is a humorous play that is meant to be read as I Pee Freely. (I.P. Freely is actually the name of a children's joke book author).
 * In the CW series The Vampire Diaries, Balthazar's actor Sebastian Roché plays the Vampire Mikael, the father of the "Original Family", the oldest vampire, and thus is the counterpart of the Alpha Vampire in Supernatural.