Michael

## Archangel Michael

> God lied to me. I gave everything for him. I loved him. Why? I'm not even the only Michael.
>
> **Michael**

**Michael** is the first and oldest of the twelve Archangels, making him the very first angel ever created, as well as one of the oldest and most powerful beings in existence. During the War in Heaven in the very 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.

Michael is for so long the only archangel to still believe in God and wait for his return. His will to remain in favour with God leads him straight to the Cage, where he is trapped for years. In result of this, his siblings plot to break him out, thus officially commencing the War of Heaven and Hell.

When God decides to end the world, he opens every door in Hell, including the door to the Cage, giving Michael the opportunity to leave. Though he initially does not take the chance. Due to his father's betrayals, Michael is left disillusioned with him and joins his siblings in a plot to trap God, Michael provides them with the means to trap him.

## History

### Early life

> My father and I have been together for eternity! I exist because he willed it!
>
> Michael to Adam Milligan

Michael is one of the twelve Archangels created by God and Lisette eons ago. They were the very first creations in existence. Although both Lucifer and Amara have hinted at Lucifer being the first archangel, it is later confirmed by both God and Lisette that it was indeed Michael who was created first. Lisette also confirms that although Leviathans are much older than angels, the archangels are also much older than the leviathans.

Before creation could be born, Michael and his siblings fought alongside their father in a war to imprison the Darkness and Evil. The archangels were responsible for weakening their aunt and uncle by using their combined power and attacking them first. This enabled God and Oberon to "just barely" lock them away by creating the Mark of Cain on Lucifer.

Michael told Dean Winchester that he "practically raised" Lucifer, taking care of him "in a way most people could never understand", implying that it was very similar to how Dean dutifully obeyed his frequently-absent father while taking care of Sam. Michael also mentioned that he and his family were happy and together, until the dawn of humankind sparked Lucifer's rebellion after the latter refused God's command that the angels bow to and love humanity more than God.

As Lucifer's rebelliousness continued due to his jealousy of God's love for humans, he went to Michael asking the latter to stand with him, but Michael refused and, according to Lucifer, "called [him] a freak, a monster." Michael was also responsible for casting Lucifer into Hell on God's orders.

### Rule of Heaven

> When God left Heaven, I was certain of his return, so I made sure all the angels and prophets burnished his image on Earth: the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-caring God.
>
> **Michael**

After Lucifer's imprisonment in the Cage and God's later departure from Heaven, the remaining archangels (except Gabriel who had gone into hiding during Lucifer's rebellion) took over command of the angels, keeping the majority of their brethren and likely the universe at large in the dark about God's departure. According to Metatron, the archangels initially wailed ceaselessly, wanting their father back, but then they began to scheme, deciding that if they couldn't have their father then they'd take over the universe for themselves. Unable to achieve this with their own power alone, they ordered Naomi to "debrief" Metatron (namely, extract the secrets God had entrusted to him from his head), but Metatron was a step ahead of them, and fled into hiding on Earth to prevent that from happening. However, according to Michael and his siblings, Metatron's account is faulty. They countered this, stating that they could have taken the universe alone with their power, and that they merely wished to know everything Metatron knew in order to understand why their father had left.

Michael believed that the Apocalypse was destined to happen, and that the battle between him and Lucifer was fated to end with him killing Lucifer. He also expected it to lead to God's return and the ushering of Paradise. When demons such as Azazel and Ruby were plotting to break the 66 Seals so as to free Lucifer from the Cage and begin the Apocalypse, Michael and other high-level angels such as Raphael and Zachariah wanted the Apocalypse to occur so that the written end in which they bring Paradise could come about. To this end, Michael and Lilith were effectively in league, although their endgames differed. Lesser angels such as Castiel and Yuriel were not made privy to their superiors' true intentions until it would be too late to stop the Devil's release, so as to avoid a full-scale rebellion. To this end, the "grunt" angels were deployed to make it look as though the Host of Heaven were fighting to prevent the 66 seals being broken. Those angels that did learn of the upper echelons' true plans were brainwashed into cooperating.

### Background

In a flashback, Sam remembers speaking to a priest about a painting of Michael casting Lucifer down by the Renaissance painter Raphael in the church he and Dean were investigating.

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.

Upon Lucifer's rising from the Cage, Zachariah reveals to Dean that he is Michael's true vessel and they plan for Michael to use Dean Winchester to kill Lucifer once and for all. However, Dean needs to give his consent to be the vessel but the latter refuses and Zachariah's attempt to force him is stopped by Castiel.

### Supernatural: The Apocalypse

Michael manifests when Sam, Dean and Castiel travel 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 his sister by setting her ablaze. Yuriel 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 Yuriel 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 with a touch.

Michael then turns to Dean, remarking on their awaited talk as Dean realized who he was and demanded that Michael heal Sam, but Michael tells him he will after they 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 Dean 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 brother, 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, resurrects 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.

Zachariah has been dismissed from his position and is on Earth where he drinks in a bar, awaiting his destruction, when Michael makes contact. The brilliance and sound of the archangel kills the bar patrons. Zachariah expects Michael to kill him on the spot and doesn't try to resist but Michael instead offers Zachariah one last chance to secure Dean as a vessel. Delighted, Zachariah agrees if he is given back his position which Michael grants and Zachariah puts his plan into action.

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.

### Supernatural: Rise of the Dead

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 retrieve both Sam and Adam's souls. But Death forces him to pick one - Dean picks Sam.

### Supernatural: Heaven, Hell, Purgatory

In *Meet the New Boss*, a super-powered Castiel tells Crowley he's keeping Hell as a place for his enemies, and to keep Michael and Lucifer in Lucifer's Cage.

### Supernatural: The Darkness

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 either 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 is 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 twelve archangels to weaken the Darkness enough for God to lock her away the first time. However, God tells them that their team is five short as Gabriel is dead and God can't resurrect him in a timely manner, Anael and Azrael are missing, Remiel is off-world, and Michael is in no state for battle.

### Supernatural: The Men of Letters

In *Stuck in the Middle (With You)*, Michael and Lucifer appear in a painting which represents their fight during the First Heavenly 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 later 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."

### Supernatural: Apocalypse World

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." The other Michael wasn't amused to hear his counterpart's fate.

In *Various & Sundry Villains*, Lucifer mentions Michael to Castiel by calling him his "dick brother" and compares him to his counterpart by stating that when Michael's mind is set on something, he does it. Lucifer states that the alternate Michael is no different and would not stop in trying to cross over in the main universe.

During *Exodus*, Lucifer tells his son Jack about his family such as his uncle Michael who describes him as a "warrior-type." Jack states while he didn't meet the real Michael, he met his counterpart who tortured him as Lucifer states the latter did the same to him.

As of *Let the Good Times Roll*, Michael is currently the last surviving Archangel of the main universe while his counterpart is loose on Earth possessing Dean, a feat the real version couldn't do.

### Supernatural: The Dark Angel

In *The Spear*, Alternate Michael talks about him and Jack being family but the latter isn't fazed and states his real uncle is trapped in a cage while calling the other Michael a knockoff.

In *Nihilism*, Dean gets confused when he is told that he is possessed by Michael, stating that Michael is in the Cage as he is unaware that Sam and Castiel mean the alternate Michael.

In *Ouroboros*, Alternate Michael is killed by Jack, making Michael the last known archangel alive from any universe.

### Supernatural: The End

In *Back and to the Future*, the demon Belphegor tells Dean that every door in Hell opened when Godstarted the end of the world. Dean realizes that this includes Lucifer's Cage which Belphegor confirms. Dean asks about Michael and Belphegor tells Dean that the last he heard, Michael was just sitting there. However, Belphegor points out that if Michael got out, he might hold a grudge against the Winchesters for trapping him.

In *Our Father, Who Aren't in Heaven*, the Winchesters learn that God has a secret fear that he only shared with his favorite which they realize means Michael. Though both God and Lucifer claimed Michael to be insane, Dean suspects they might have been lying and the Winchesters and Castiel travel into Hell to search for Michael. However, Michael is now gone.

On Earth, Michael allows Adam to have control as his vessel enjoys a burger and a pizza in a diner. Michael manifests as a duplicate of Adam, as they begin to talk. Michael admits that he doesn't know much about food or life down on Earth and will have Adam be his guide. When Adam asks if Michael will return to Heaven, he tells him that he doesn't know what he'll do now that the other archangels dead and God never returned so he is alone. Adam empathizes as he has no family waiting for him either. When Michael points out that he still has Sam and Dean, Adam responds that he only met them once and they left him to rot in Hell. They bond over the fact that they both have had difficult families.

As they discuss what to do next, Lilith arrives looking for Michael on God's orders. Instantly taking control, Michael is surprised to see that the demon is alive. Lilith explains that she had been sent to fetch him and Michael asks who sent her and she replies that it was God. He is immediately skeptical of the demon's claims as he believes his father wouldn't send a demon to get him. She quickly reminds Michael that the two had worked together in the past, to set up the Apocalypse. He then says that was only to bring God back and Lilith says that while it hadn't worked back then, he had come back on his own and wants to speak with him. Michael orders her to leave but she insists that she can't leave without him. He then obliterates her in a flash of white light after Lilith grabs him, leaving nothing but a pile of ash. Noticing that the entire diner witnessed his actions, Michael erases their memories with a snap of his fingers.

After getting rid of Lilith, Michael begins bouncing all over the globe, finally ending up in Cairo, Egypt with Prophet Donatello Redfield sensing his movements. Castiel reaches out to Michael through prayer, asking for him to come, acknowledging their past and the greater war that is taking place against God. Michael agrees to meet with Castiel in a factory, but is not at all pleased to see his brother as Castiel called him assbutt, set him on fire, and then helped send the archangel to Hell. He also refuses to believe Castiel in his claim that God is now his enemy. As Michael speculates if Castiel had really come to beg forgiveness, Castiel surrounds the archangel in a ring of Holy Fire. As the Winchesters enter with the Supernatural Handcuffs, Michael angrily demands to know what Castiel has done.

Taken back to the Men of Letters bunker in handcuffs, Michael calls their actions stupid and starts to comment on how Sam looks compared to the last time Michael saw him in the Cage. Sam cuts Michael off and insists that they need his help. Michael is incredulous that they want him to trust them when Castiel doomed him to Hell and Dean let Lucifer walk free while Adam was trapped in Hell. Sam explains that with what they do, they have gotten too used to losing people and with Adam they said goodbye because they thought they had to but were wrong. Michael tells Sam that he shouldn't be telling him that but Adam, right before he returns control to their brother, surprising the Winchesters that Michael lets Adam have control. Adam explains that he and Michael reached an agreement in the Cage where they only had each other.

Michael quickly retakes control and demands to know why he is there. Castiel starts to explain that they need his help because God did truly return as the Cage didn't "just open on its own". Michael tells them that if God had truly return then he will bring paradise, but Dean counters that he wouldn't as paradise is boring and God only wants to be entertained meaning they are all his puppets, especially Michael. Michael refuses to listen, angrily claiming that they are lying and returns control to Adam who states that Michael isn't listening.

Alone, Adam begins to think that maybe his brothers aren't lying about God. Still refusing to listen, Adam points out to him that Sam and Dean always try to be on the right side of things like when they tried to stop him from saying "Yes" to the archangel. Michael asks if Adam now forgives them and Adam quickly tells him no but that wasn't what this was about. Michael tells him that he has known his father for eternity and won't believe their claims but Adam suggests that Michael might not know his father as well as he thinks as all parents "keep secrets". With more probing, Adam finally gets Michael to admit that he won't consider the truth as it would mean that Michael - the Good Son, the Favorite - doubts his father which is against everything Michael has been and believed in his whole life. Adam questions if Michael really still believes that after God abandoned him in Lucifer's Cage.

When Castiel returns, Michael has retaken control and refuses to betray his father and everything he believes in. Castiel tells the archangel that he never really liked him, even when he was just another angel, as he always thought Michael to be too haughty and "to paraphrase a friend, you had an entire oak tree shoved up your ass.", which Michael did not react to, remaining cold and dismissive, but when Castiel notes he pities Michael as he was never God's favorite but just a tiny part of God's story and figures that at least Lucifer knew that God couldn't be trusted, this is the last straw and Michael furiously attacks Castiel, easily overpowering him despite having the cuffs on. As he swiftly used his cuffed hands to choke the Seraph, Castiel, unable to break free of Michael's fury-driven grip, responds by showing the archangel his memories of God's masquerade as the Prophet Chuck, the war with the Darkness, the murder of his nephew Jack and the Apocalypse World Michael.

Disillusioned, Michael orders his brother out to process his thoughts. He later causes the bunker to shake as he becomes distraught that God lied to him and that he wasn't even the only Michael. He then agrees to help and Michael provides Dean and Castiel with the spell that can lock God away. While they have most of the ingredients he tells them that they will also need the nectar from a Leviathan Blossom which only grows in Purgatory. With a snap of his fingers, Michael opens a twelve-hour rift, but refuses to come with them and help further. Dean removes the handcuffs and at Dean's request, Michael returns control to Adam so that Dean can apologize to his brother before Adam and Michael leave the bunker.

In *Galaxy Brain*, Dean complains that they need archangel grace to open a rift to the Bad Place "and Michael didn't exactly leave a forwarding address".

In *Destiny's Child*, in a flashback, Anael tells Ruby that Michael and Lucifer are circling each other and that when the two archangels clash, nothing will be left. Anael suggests that they hide in the Occultum until the Apocalypse is over as a result.

In *Unity*, Amara reminds the Winchesters that it took the four archangels for Chuck to be able to lock her away the first time and wonders how they intend to do the same with her brother.

In *Despair*, Dean mentions that Michael isn't returning their prayers to him.

In *Inherit the Earth*, Jack leads the Winchesters to a church after sensing another presence. In the church, they find Michael who expresses surprise that they survived. Michael explains that when the Rapture first began, he took refuge in the church, St. Michael's. Michael is sure that Chuck knows he took their side against his father and so avoided using any powers that might attract God's attention. Michael sadly reveals that Adam died with the rest of humanity and wonders how the Winchesters and Jack survived. Dean explains that God thought it would be hilarious to watch the three of them on an empty planet and so spared the Winchesters and Jack.

Noticing the open Bibles, Sam asks if Michael has been doing some reading and the archangel explains that he never spent much time on Earth and so he was curious about the perception of God and Heaven. Michael comments on how the believers amazingly loved God and have for thousands of years. Michael notes that his efforts were more effective than he had hoped, explaining that when God left Heaven, Michael was certain of his return so the archangel made sure that all of the other angels and Prophets burnished his image on Earth, "the all-knowing and all-seeing and all-caring God." Michael huffs a laugh when Dean calls him "Daddy's boy" and Jack asks what Michael intends to do know that he's seen what his father has done. Michael just looks down and Dean reminds him that they reached out to Michael only to have the archangel ignore them. "That was then, this is now. Tell me what you need me to do," states Michael.

The Winchesters and Jack leads Michael back to the bunker where they unveil Chuck's Death Book for the archangel. Dean explains that the book is about God and how to kill them, but Sam adds that as far as they know, only Death can open it. Sam expresses hope that Michael can also open the book and with his eyes and hand glowing, Michael attempts to open the book. However, even Michael can't get the book open.

Later, **Michael** enters the main room, shocked to find a resurrected Lucifer there playing with a stack of cards. Lucifer knocks over the cards and Michael demands if the Winchesters are seriously thinking about trusting his brother. Dean states that they aren't exactly trusting Lucifer and Lucifer insists that he gets his brother's bitterness since Michael got no better from God than Lucifer despite everything that Michael did for their father. Michael insists that he did what he did because it was the right thing to do and not to gain their father's love. Lucifer tells Michael that God had no love to give, not to him, not to Michael and not to humanity and asks if he sees that now.

The conversation is interrupted by Betty who informs them that she has opened the book and all that they want is in there and she knows how God ends. As Betty begins to read the book, Lucifer snaps his fingers and turns her to ash, pulling the book to him with telekinesis. Lucifer then reveals that he's actually working for God and that he's "sort of the new favorite now" and taunts Michael. Lucifer flings the charging Winchesters with telekinesis and teleports away from the enraged Michael's charge. The two fling energy blasts at each other with Lucifer dodging Michael's blast and knocking his brother to the ground. Lucifer offers Jack the chance to join him and God on the winning team, stating that its Jack's only chance as Jack is not strong enough to fight him now. Lucifer realizes that someone's behind him and turns around to find Michael. His eyes glowing red, Lucifer taunts his brother that Michael never learns. Michael stabs Lucifer with an archangel blade, killing him once again. This time, Lucifer blasts into ashes instead of leaving behind remains. Michael then thanks Sam for giving him the archangel blade to kill his brother with.

Dean later finds Michael in the kitchen and asks after the archangel's state. Michael admits that he's a bit winded, having not been in a battle like that in several centuries. Dean tells Michael that he's glad that Michael was there and that Chuck is getting desperate, knowing that something is up and wouldn't take the chance of showing up personally. Michael acknowledges this and is stunned that his father resurrected Lucifer and didn't even reach out to Michael. Dean questions if Michael wanted Chuck to reach out to him and Michael insists that he didn't and that Chuck obviously knows the Death book could be lethal to him, but its useless without Death to read it. Dean tells Michael that its at least open now and Sam recognized some of the symbols and writing as being some form of Enochian. As such, Sam is going to try to use the *Book of the Damned* to try to translate Chuck's Death Book and figure out the End.

Later, Michael enters the library where Dean and Jack are researching with a book and asks if Sam is making any progress. Dean tells Michael that he hopes so since Sam has been busy for a long time and Sam enters. Sam tells the group that he thinks he was able to piece together the spell from the book that can help them which must be done in a particular place at an exact angle from the sun and it will release an unstoppable force that will find Chuck and finish him.

The group travels to the location at a lakeside where Sam performs the spell, sending blue light into the sky that then vanishes. As the Winchesters wonder what went wrong, Chuck appears behind the group and tosses Sam, Dean and Jack aside with telekinesis. Michael and God greet each other for the first time in millennia and Chuck thanks Michael for the heads-up about the Winchesters' plans. Michael states that it has always been his destiny to serve his father. However, Chuck tells Michael that its a bit too late for that and that the Archangel had sided with the Winchesters before and Chuck can't forgive that. Michael desperately tries to defend his actions, but Chuck orders him to save it. Extending his hand at the Archangel, God causes Michael to glow from the inside before exploding in a wave of energy.

After rendering God powerless, the Winchesters reveal that they came up with a plan to use Michael to get at God after seeing how angry Michael was at God using Lucifer to get to the book. As a result, they realized that Michael was desperate to be God's favorite again. In addition, the plan to turn Jack into a bomb to kill Chuck had turned Jack into a sort of power vacuum. When Michael and Lucifer fought and Michael killed Lucifer, Jack absorbed the power coming off of them and was charged up greatly as a result. In addition, Jack absorbed the power given off by Michael's death which, combined with the power given off by God beating on the Winchesters, made Jack unstoppable and capable of taking God's power from him.