Abaddon Abaddon , also known as the Great Devourer , was a Demon and the son of the Beast . He was imprisoned beneath the Cardiff Space - Time Rift on Earth . Powers . Abaddon was known as " the Devourer " for his ability to devour life . His very shadow would kill human s , but his abilities were intended to feed on the Dark . ( TV : " End of Days " , PROSE : " The Twilight Streets " ) Abaddon apparently had no self - control over these powers , and had a limit to how much life he could consume , as Jack Harkness ' exposure to Abaddon ' s life - draining power was fatal for Abaddon due to Jack ' s immortality . ( TV : " End of Days " ) Biography . Abaddon was an ally of the Light , who fought against Pwccm and the Dark . They fought together for centuries , travelling the dimensions until they were caught up in the Cardiff Space - Time Rift . ( PROSE : " The Twilight Streets " ) In 1876 , the Cardiff Rift was opened in Tretarri , where Abaddon and Pwccm fought . Though Abaddon was ultimately imprisoned beneath the Rift and appeared to be defeated , in reality he faked the loss so that he could gain power . He also sent his servant , Bilis Manger , to have the event recorded in a special diary , which would be used later to free him . ( PROSE : " The Twilight Streets " ) In 2008 , Bilis set in motion a series of events designed to manipulate the Torchwood Three team into using their Rift manipulator to open the Rift and release Abaddon . Bilis ' plan succeeded , and Abaddon was freed and rampaged through Cardiff ; killing many with his shadow , until the immortal Jack Harkness stood in his way . The Demon ' s shadow eventually killed Jack , and Abaddon died himself in the process due to the excess life from Jack . ( TV : " End of Days " ) The Xylok Mr Smith knew of Abaddon . ( TV : " Revenge of the Slitheen " ) Following the defeat of Abaddon , the Light was greatly weakened and was forced to fight against the Dark and Pwccm on their own . After Torchwood sealed the Dark away and sent the Light back into the Rift to protect it , Abaddon ' s ashes appeared out of the ground and were recovered by Bilis Manger to be buried outside of Britain . ( PROSE : " The Twilight Streets " ) After Bilis Manger resurfaced as the caretaker of Ritz Tower , Jack described Abaddon to St John Colchester as a " jumbo - sized death demon " . ( AUDIO : " A View to a Kill " ) Behind the scenes . Torchwood website . The series 1 version of the Torchwood website had a letter home ( titled " Aunt Rich ' s letter home " , but signed Aunt Much ) in 1827 Mesopotamia to the writer ' s niece , Lucy . It told of an archaeological dig which was suddenly hit by a " real howler of a sandstorm " that knocked the wall onto several people . As the storm grew and grew , the men at the site awoke suddenly , saying in unison , " He is coming . He will lead us into darkness . " After work resumed , George guided Lucy ' s aunt down to the site of the accident and saw , freshly dug out of the trenches , " a giant carving of a fierce creature , a vengeful demon standing over a powerless city " . George identified the creature as Abaddon , and they walked away . A tarpaulin was placed over the sculpture so that the natives wouldn ' t spot it . Name . In Hebrew , the word for " doom " is " avaddon " ( " אבדון " ) . The letter ב in Hebrew can make both a V or B sound . In The New Testament of the Bible , Abaddon is described as " Destroyer " , and the angel of the abyss . Abaddon is the same name as one of the last " Knights of Hell " , a special type of demon who is almost invincible , from the S " upernatural " series .