| “ | You're wrong, Lucifer defied our father and he betrayed me but still I don't want this anymore than you would want to kill Sam. You know my brother I practically raised him I took care of him in a way that most people could never understand. But I am going to kill him because it is right and I have to. | ” |
— Michael
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Michael is the eldest archangel, which makes him the oldest angel in creation. He was made Viceroy of Heaven in God's absence, and is one of the most powerful beings in the universe. He commanded the Heavenly Host (God's Army of Angels) 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. 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 The 66 Seals.
On Earth, he appears using John Winchester as a vessel to interact with Dean. There, Michael informs him that anyone in the Winchester bloodline is capable of being his vessel, even though he mentions that Dean Winchester is his one true vessel. He eventually occupies Adam's body while confronting Lucifer, who was using Sam as a vessel. When he falls into the Cage, Heaven loses stability and is results in a civil war between Raphael and Castiel, amongst other angels.
Presently, Michael is still trapped in the Cage with Lucifer and Adam.
Personality
Michael is a complicated character, 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 "corrupt" although it wasn't exactly oppressive. Despite this he kept his Brethren in the dark on many important matters, including God's leaving.
With his father however, Michael is fanatically loyal, who blindly follows his father's orders without question. He sees himself as a good and loyal son to his father, and that matters most to him. He loves his father dearly and despite having not seen he in thousands of years never loses his faith in him, or him loving them. Furfilling his fathers orders is all he cares about, and he reveals he doesn't believe in free will, not even for himself, believing everything that occurs is how his father planned.
He also professes his love to 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 as it is his father orders. His love for Lucifer is proven true, as with him, before the fight he acts respectively and civil, also when Lucifer proposes them "stepping of the Chessboard" Michael seriously considers it, but he ultimately refuses. Despite this he does hold some 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.
Michael considers himself a good person, and loyal son, he also seems to think himself magnanimous when he promises to leave Dean whole, not cationic, after serving as a vessel. He was also shown to be a forgiving person, as he forgave both Uriel and Zachariah, even after Zachariah's constant failures, this implies despite being strict and even cruel with them, he does not like killing his own kind.
However he could be wrathful, particularly with anyone who interferes with his destiny, including Dean at Stull Cemetery, and again with Lucifer, when he 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.
When it comes to humans, Michael seems to be neutral, 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, he also seems to consider humans below him, as he refers to Dean as "maggot." Despite this he also doesn't seem to hold any 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 his father’s love for humans being greater than for him, and when asked to bow before them by him, Michael bowed, though this was most likely out of loyalty to his father.
Michael is also 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 prove to his father he was a good son. Something which he never managed to achieve.
Powers and Abilities
As the first archangel, Michael is among the most powerful beings in existence. Castiel describes him as the only being, besides God to be stronger than Lucifer. Only God and Death are known to be stronger than him.
- Nigh-Omnipotence - Michael is one of the most powerful beings in existence. In fact, he is even more powerful than Lucifer, and, as such, can do next to anything. For instance, he killed Anna with a touch, and sent Uriel back to heaven with a snap of his fingers. His fight with Lucifer was described to have torched a third of the earth. After God and Death, Michael is the most powerful being in the universe.
- Immortality - Michael has an indefinitely long lifespan. His form/physique doesn't weaken over time. He is not affected by diseases or toxins. He does not require food, water, sleep, or oxygen to sustain himself.
- 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.
- Precognition - Michael can see into the future, but not the full picture.
- Invulnerability - Michael cannot be killed by any conventional weapon. Even Holy Fire was only able to banish him for a short time. Only God and Death are capable of killing Michael, as well as an archangel blade.
- Super-Strength - Michael's strength is incalculable, as he can overpower and kill anything from demons, monsters, beasts, to angels, gods, higher beings and even his archangel brothers. His powers are only somewhat rivaled by Lucifer's.
- Time Travel - Michael has complete control over time. He sends Sam and Dean from the past to the present with ease.
- Telekinesis - Michael is a powerful telekinetic, able to control objects, even in places he has fully arived in.
- Resurrection - Michael can resurrect humans easily.
- Memory manipulation - Michael can erase, restore, alter, and fabricate memories in a human.
- 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 Milton, it destroyed the angel and the vessel, turning the latter into nothing but ash, suggesting the fire is spiritual as well as physical.
- Banishment - Michael can send an angel back to Heaven. He demonstated this power by sending Uriel back to Heaven after he almost killed Dean.
- Holy White Light - Michael can generate incredible amounts of energy capable of obliterating anything from other living things to entire cities. It's likely he could destroy a large part of Earth.
- Cosmic Awareness - Michael has a tremendous knowledge of the universe. His knowledge exceeds even Lucifer's.
- Terakinesis - Michael is able to cause powerful earthquakes by thought, his mear presence is enough to destroy a building.
Weaknesses
God and Death are more powerful than him. Also, his immediate brethren, the Archangels, can harm to him, like Gabriel did with Lucifer. However, he is significantly stronger than Gabriel and as mentioned by Castiel, much more powerful than Raphael. Lucifer potentially rivals him, although a selection of angels (like Castiel and Zachariah) recognize that if Lucifer fought Michael, Michael would inevitably win. He has even fewer weaknesses than his archangel brethren, as even Holy Fire can't kill him. The Cage can keep him contained.
Early Life
God created Michael, the first archangel, the eldest of four brothers, Lucifer, Raphael, and Gabriel. After the creation of Heaven, its angels, and Earth and its people, God commanded all of the celestial beings to bow before mankind, asking them to love humans more than himself. Lucifer questioned this order, insisting that they are "flawed, murderous beings." Lucifer then sought out his older brother, Michael, for support, but Michael refused to listen. At some point, God left Heaven. Michael assumed command of the angels, and then ran Heaven and Earth (and possibly the entire universe) for millenia.
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. Lesser angels, like Castiel, were not privy to the plan, and were deployed to make it look as though Heaven is fighting the Devil's release.
Season 2
In "Houses of the Holy", Sam notices a painting of Michael killing Lucifer by the renaissance painter Raphael in the Church they visit.
| “ | Father Reynolds: That's right. The archangel Michael, with the flaming sword. The fighter of demons, holy force against evil. Sam: So they're not really the Hallmark card version that everybody thinks? They're fierce, right? Vigilant? |
” |
— {{{author}}}
| ||
Season 4
Zachariah talks to Dean about his destiny.
In "Lucifer Rising", while 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
In "Sympathy for the Devil", 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 first manifests when Sam, Dean and Castiel have traveled back to 1978 to stop Anna Milton from killing John and Mary 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, Mary, if he allows him to take possession of his body. John says "Yes," allowing Michael to inhabit his body.
Michael kills Anna
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.
Michael then turns to Dean and says that this conversation is long overdue. Dean 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 were 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 loved him, he is going to listen to his Father and kill Lucifer. He then explains to Dean that he 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 then tells 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 then sends him back to his own time. Michael then walks to Dean, telling him that he'll see him soon before sending him back to his own time.
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 unshielded archangel kills the bar patrons and 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.
Michael possessing Adam.
Zachariah tortures Sam and Adam in front of Dean, and Dean tells Zachariah he will 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.
Michael so he can fight Lucifer
In "Swan Song", Michael's 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.
Michael burns in Holy Oil.
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 to beat Dean. This continues until Sam reclaims control of his body and opens the portal to Hell.
Sam takes Michael with him as he falls into the Cage.
Michael returns and tells Sam that he can't jump in because he has to fulfill his destiny by killing Lucifer. Sam then pulls Michael with him as he falls into the portal, trapping Adam, Lucifer and Michael in Hell.
Season 6
Subsequently, in Heaven, Raphael informs Castiel that he wants to release Lucifer and Michael so that the Apocalypse can be re-started. 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's soul and Adam's. 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 in Lucifer's Cage.
Family
- God (Father and Boss)
- Lucifer, Raphael, Gabriel (Archangel Brethren)
- Other Angels (Brothers and Sisters)
- Winchester Bloodline (Are all capable of containing Michael)
Appearances
- Season 2
- Houses of the Holy (Mentioned only)
- Season 5
- The Song Remains the Same
- Point of No Return (Doesn't actually appear, but his presence is felt)
- Swan Song
- Season 7
- Meet The New Boss (Mentioned only)
Trivia
- His name means "Who is like God." This may allude to his role as the Viceroy of Heaven.
- Michael is considered the "Viceroy of Heaven," meaning the ruler of Heaven in God's stead.
- 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.
- 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).
- Michael is known as the 'Prince of the Seraphim' (the Seraphim being the highest order of angels).
- 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.
- It is unknown what happens to Michael at the end of Swan Song as he (in Adam's body) fell in with Sam (with Lucifer) into the portal to Lucifer's Cage.
- So far in the series, Michael has used two vessels, John Winchester andAdam Milligan .
- Outside of the series, creator Eric Kripke has stated in : The Official Companion Season 5 that Death is more powerful than Michael.
See Also
- Archangel Michael – for an overview
- Archangel Michael: Roman Catholic traditions and views – includes more relevant info