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| “ | Lucifer defied our father, and he betrayed me. But still, I don't want this any more than you would want to kill Sam. You know, my brother... I practically raised him; I took care of him in a way most people could never understand, and I still love him. But I am going to kill him because it is right and I have to. | „ |
| ~ Michael to Dean Winchester. |
| “ | It's always been my destiny to serve you. | „ |
| ~ Michael to God, seeing him for the first time in thousands of years. |
Michael is the overarching antagonist of Season 5 and a major character in Season 15 of Supernatural. He is the first, and the most powerful, of the four Archangels, the older brother of Lucifer, Raphael, and Gabriel.
A version of him from an alternate universe who seeks to conquer the main universe appears at Season 13. However, the alternate version is more chaotic and ruthless, even controversially more powerful than the original Michael claimed by Lucifer and eventually he appears as the main antagonist in Seasons 13 and 14.
In Season 15, this version of Michael finally escaped from Lucifer's Cage after God threw open all of the doors in Hell. Having changed from his time in the Cage, Michael loses much of his antagonism and even shares control with his vessel Adam Milligan. He later allies with the Winchesters against God after learning the truth, though he refuses to directly fight his father. After God wipes out all other life on Earth, Michael agrees to help directly, but later betrays the Winchesters in an effort to once more become God's Favorite. Enraged by Michael's earlier betrayal, the archangel is obliterated by his father.
He was portrayed by Matthew Cohen and Jake Abel, the latter of whom also played Luke Castellan in the Percy Jackson films and Derek Mitchell in Malignant.
Personality
Michael sees himself as a good and loyal son to his father, and that matters most to him. Despite his love for Lucifer, Michael insists that he is only serving his father by destroying his brother. He seems to think himself magnanimous when he promises to leave Dean whole and not catatonic, after serving as a vessel and by erasing John and Mary Winchester's memories of their ordeal with Anna.
His insistence that his actions merely serve God is not absolutely true, as he blames Lucifer for the loss of their father and is furious with him. He also becomes furious with anyone who interferes with his destiny, including Anna Milton and Dean at Stull Cemetery. When Lucifer suggested that they refuse to fight and "walk off the chessboard" Michael considered abandoning his destiny for a moment, before staying steadfast in his resolve to fight Lucifer. It is this stubborn insistence on fulfilling his story as written that leads him into imprisonment in the Cage.
Though Michael cares about humanity in general, he was willing to potentially sacrifice half of the population of the world to defeat Lucifer like he believed God wanted. When talking to Zachariah about his final plan to convince Dean to say "yes," Michael showed little care for the humans who died in the bar Zachariah was drinking in as a result of Michael appearing in his true form. However, after a diner full of people witnessed Michael smite Lilith, he simply erased their memories of the incident rather than takes more drastic measures, showing that he is not needlessly cruel nor does he needlessly take a human life if he can avoid it.
Michael's relationship with Lucifer is stated to mirror that of Sam and Dean's. While talking with Dean, Michael professes love for Lucifer, even after all that his brother has done, having raised his younger sibling much like Dean raised Sam and even admits that killing Lucifer would be hard for him. Despite his anger at Lucifer, when they meet again in Stull Cemetery, Michael admits to being genuinely glad to see his brother again in a softer moment before he and Lucifer prepare to engage in battle. The formerly close relationship between the two can be seen by Lucifer's furious reaction to Castiel's subsequent attack on Michael with holy fire. Michael's relationship with Raphael and Gabriel were never explained, although considering the fact that Raphael was Michael's second-in-command and he was loyal to Michael to bring paradise on Earth, it was very obvious that they were on good terms. Michael's relationship with his youngest archangel brother Gabriel could strained as Gabriel didn't agree with Michael's plan to kill Lucifer, despite that it seems Michael didn't order Gabriel to hunt down, implying he was ok with Gabriel being neutral. Despite everything that his brothers have done, he never lost his brotherly love for Raphael, Gabriel, or even Lucifer himself.
However, despite this, at some point, Michael created the Lance of Michael, a weapon he intended to kill Lucifer slowly and painfully. After his escape from Hell, Michael only truly snaps when Castiel accuses Lucifer of being the smarter of the two archangels for knowing that God can't be trusted, using Lucifer against Michael. This results in Michael, who had previously remained relatively calm despite his anger and frustration, physically attacking his younger brother.
After being trapped in the Cage, Michael is stated to have gone insane by both Lucifer and God. After God's betrayal, Dean suspects both were lying and Michael is in fact demonstrated to retain his sanity. Following his escape from the Cage, Michael is left directionless and unsure of his place in the world. However, he remains as stubborn as ever, refusing to accept the truth about his father. When pushed by Adam, Michael admits that if he doubts God, he feels it would be a betrayal of all that he is. Michael's refusal to hear the truth goes so far as Michael behaving like a petulant child and relinquishing control to Adam just so that he didn't have to listen to it. After seeing Castiel's memories of his father and learning that his father was always around masquerading as a Prophet and he is not the only Michael as he had believed, Michael becomes disillusioned with his father and provides the means to trap God. However, he refuses to help further, not wanting to be directly involved in fighting his father.
Due to his time in the Cage alone with Adam Milligan, Michael has developed a unique relationship with his vessel for an angel. Whereas most angels and archangels in particular only view and operate their vessels as tools to manifest on Earth and don't appear to think of them as anything more than that, Michael has begun actively engaging with Adam, even on Earth. Having reached an agreement with each other in the Cage where all they had was each other, Michael is willing to share control with Adam. Michael states an intention to use Adam as a guide in the changing world where they are both adrift, having been gone for so long that neither Adam nor Michael truly knows what to do with themselves anymore. Michael appears to have become protective over his vessel, angry at Dean for abandoning Adam in the Cage while letting Lucifer go free and Michael and Adam even appear to have become friends. Notably, Adam is able to argue with Michael fearlessly who responds back with more sincerity than he showed with anyone else, even opening up to Adam about his fears that doubting God would mean Michael betraying everything he has been and believed in.
Like most angels, Michael has an extremely low view of demons. When encountering Lilith, whom he had in the past worked with to bring about the Apocalypse, Michael is incredulous at the idea that God would send "a speck of infernal bile" to retrieve him and smites Lilith when she gets on his nerves too much.
Powers and Abilities
- Lower Tier Nigh-Omnipotence: As the oldest Archangel and the first angel in general that God ever created, Michael has a tremendously vast supply of supernatural power that is almost unlimited, making him the most powerful celestial being that God created. He made Anna burn from the inside out to death and sent Uriel back to Heaven with a snap of his fingers. By placing two fingers on Sam's forehead, Michael brought him back to life while also, at the same time, heal his wounds and sent him back to the future all at once. It was also suggested that if Michael got his chance to battle Lucifer, their fight alone would destroy a large portion of Earth. He was also capable of creating a weapon called the Lance of Michael that can kill demons and angels, including Archangels, as evidenced with Lucifer. The only beings more powerful than Michael are God, Death, Jack, and the Darkness.
- White Light: Michael can generate an overwhelming white light that is capable of obliterating anything from other living things to entire cities and buildings. With this power, he can destroy a large part of the Earth.
- Angelic 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. Dean Winchester is his true vessel.
- Telepathy: Michael is able to read the thoughts of humans.
- Empathy: Michael is able to read the emotions of humans.
- Regeneration: If his vessel becomes damaged in any way, he is able to heal it instantly and completely. For instance, his vessel Adam was set ablaze by Holy Fire, but upon his return minutes later, he didn't have a scratch either on his skin or even his clothing.
- Apporting: Michael could send angels back to Heaven with a simple snap of his fingers, as he did with the angel Uriel.
- Supernatural Strength: Being the oldest, strongest, and most powerful Archangel, the physical strength that Michael endows his vessel with is immense. His immense strength and powers are only somewhat rivaled by Lucifer's own, as the demon who was possessing Bobby at the time called Michael the "toughest son of a bitch they got."
- Superhuman Stamina: As an Archangel, Michael's stamina is incalculable and, even when in a vessel, needs nothing to maintain strength, to strive or operate, as he is self-sufficient.
- Weather Manipulation: Michael's control over the weather exceeds even his own brothers. Upon arriving on Earth to John Winchester, he caused sudden severe winds.
- Chronokinesis: Michael has complete control over time. He sent Sam and Dean from the past to the present with ease.
- Telekinesis: Michael is a powerful telekinetic, able to move and control objects with his mind effortlessly; he was even able to move objects in areas where he hadn't fully arrived in. He demonstrated this when he closed and locked the door to the beautiful room when Adam tried to escape it.
- Healing: Michael can easily heal others of any injury, wound and disease.
- Resurrection: Michael can resurrect humans with ease.
- Mental Manipulation: Michael can erase, restore, alter and fabricate the memories and perception of a human.
- Sedation: Just like an average angel, Michael can sedate humans by touching their forehead.
- 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, it destroyed the angel and the vessel, turning the latter into nothing but ash.
- Thermokinesis: He made the doorknob to the beautiful room extremely hot to prevent Dean from being able to open it and save Adam.
- Precognition: Michael can see into the future, but not the full picture.
- Supernatural Perception: Michael can sense and see things even if they're naturally invisible.
- Terrakinesis: Michael is able to cause powerful earthquakes by thought or presence alone.
- Nigh-Omniscience: Like his brothers, Michael has a deep understanding of many things, due to him being older than the universe itself.
- Immortality: As the eldest archangel, Michael has an infinitely long lifespan. He is the first angel and has existed before the universe itself, making him well over 13.8 billion years old. The excessive passing of time does not degrade his vessel, like with all celestial beings. His vessel is unaffected by diseases and toxins. He does not tire, and does not require food, water, oxygen, or sleep to sustain his vessel.
- Invulnerability: Michael cannot be killed by any conventional weapon. Even Holy Fire was only able to banish him for a short time.
- Immunity: Michael was resilient to Holy Fire, although he still found it agonizing, damaging and being able to banish him; but unlike other angels, it couldn't kill him.
Quotes
| “ | And you think you know better than my father? One unimportant little man. What makes you think you get to choose? | „ |
| ~ Michael, to Dean after he resists his destiny as Michael's chosen vessel. |
| “ | You know how I know? Think of a million random acts of chance that let John and Mary be born, to meet, to fall in love, to have the two of you. Think of the million random choices that you make, and yet how each and every one of them brings you closer to your destiny. Do you know why that is? Because it's not random; it's not chance. It's a plan that is playing itself out perfectly. Free will's an illusion, Dean. That's why you're going to say yes. | „ |
| ~ Michael, to Dean. |
| “ | Oh, buck up! It could be worse. You know, unlike my brothers, I won't leave you a drooling mess when I'm done wearing you. | „ |
| ~ Michael, to Dean who despairs over his destiny as the former's chosen vessel. |
| “ | You can't fight city hall. | „ |
| ~ Michael, to Dean, before sending him and Sam back to 2010. |
| “ | I'm sorry. I-I can't do that. I'm a good son, and I have my orders. | „ |
| ~ Michael, to Lucifer. |
| “ | You know, you haven't changed a bit, little brother. Always blaming everybody but yourself. We were together. We were happy. But you betrayed me, all of us, and you made our Father leave. | „ |
| ~ Michael, to Lucifer. |
| “ | You're a monster, Lucifer. And I have to kill you. | „ |
| ~ Michael, to Lucifer, before they start to fight. |
| “ | You're no longer the vessel, Dean. You got no right to be here. [...] Adam isn't home right now. [...] You little maggot! You are no longer a part of this story! | „ |
| ~ Michael to Dean when he interrupts his confrontation with Lucifer. |
| “ | Sam! It's not gonna end this way! I have to fight my brother, Sam! Here and now! It's my destiny! | „ |
| ~ Michael, to Sam before he falls into Lucifer's cage. |
| “ | God lied to me. Why? Turns out, I'm not even the only Michael. So, yes I will help | „ |
| ~ Michael, to Dean and Castiel after seeing God's betrayal. |
Gallery
Trivia
- When Zachariah shows Dean a painting of Michael, he is shown in the Catholic style of a blond man in Roman armor, however Michael (and all angels) look incredibly different to this in the show. Angels are said to be the height of tower blocks with three faces, one of which is human and the others animals. This is one reason they possess people to walk the Earth because their true forms are unbearable to humans.
- It remains unknown if Michael actually tortured Sam in the Cage, as Sam only recalls Lucifer torturing him, and the only indications to Michael torturing Sam is Castiel and Balthazar's belief that Michael is lashing out on Sam's soul in the Cage. Michael did comment on Sam looking a lot better than he was on the Cage in a sarcastic manner but Sam tells him it doesn't matter, which completely contrasts Sam's fear and anger at Lucifer for torturing him, still leaving it a mystery whether Michael tortured Sam or not. In addition, Sam cuts Michael off before they can discuss the subject further.
- When Michael returns in season 15, his projection that appears when Adam is in control seemingly is able to interact with the physical world or at least appears to do so to Adam. At one point, Michael picks up one of Adam's French fries while they are talking even though Adam is in control.
- When Michael is in control of someone's body, he uses a noticeably deeper voice than that of his vessels. This is best seen when he and Adam are talking to each other and despite being completely identical down to their clothing, Michael's voice is deeper.
- Prior to his death, Michael was the last remaining archangel in existence. Following his death this rank of angel was left extinct.
- Michael and Lucifer are the only archangels to interact with God on-screen.
External Links
- Michael on the Heroes Wiki
- Michael on the Supernatural Wiki
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