The Most Powerful Villains On Supernatural Ranked

Talent and power are hard to assess. There are countless villains on Supernatural bursting at the seams with ambition... who get carved up by Sam and Dean Winchester almost immediately. Others seem utterly nonthreatening, yet give the Winchesters a serious headache. Some, like God (yes, God) begin as some of Supernatural's most memorable good guys, but end up antagonizing the brothers through a shift in story and perspective. One thing is clear: Supernatural suffers no lack of villains, of every possible origin, motivation, and power set. How many other shows manage to menace their heroes with evil Santa and fairies that prey upon LARPers?

Needless to say, assessing power in such a rich, packed-the-gills fantasy world isn't easy. Is a vampire stronger than a werewolf? Are all angels stronger than all demons?  Just like in real life, it depends on the individual, despite how much power an archangel or prince of the underworld appears to have. Here, dear Supernatural lovers, is a look at the most powerful villains on Supernatural.

No matter who Alastair is currently possessing, he is always one of the most powerful demons. Hell's Grand Torturer answers to few, save high-ranking demons like Lilith.

He is tasked with torturing Dean, a process that goes on for 40 years (four months in Earth time), in order to free Lucifer from his God-built cage. Although Dean is, of course, a human, and Alastair has home court advantage in Hell, the thought of any entity having the ability to hold Dean down for that long further proves that Alastair isn't a normal demon.

His biggest claim to fame is playing a role in triggering the apocalypse. Even so, he is no match for Sam wielding the full force of his psychic abilities. After pinning Alastair to the wall, interrogating him as to Lilith's plans, and discovering his lack of knowledge, Sam kills him. So goes one of Hell's absolute nastiest creatures — and one of Supernatural's most memorable villains.

Azazel isn't the most powerful villain of all time, but the yellow-eyed demon is basically the reason John Winchester became a hunter — and thus, the reason he would go on to train his sons in "the family business." Azazel murders Sam and Dean's mother in Supernatural's pilot episode, thus launching the Winchesters' long, complex journeys as hunters of all that goes bump in the night. He is, in a very real sense, the reason for the entire show. 

As a Prince of Hell, one of the first generation of demons created by Lucifer, he's already no average bad guy. Salt and holy water have nothing on him — the Winchesters need a relic to take down Azazel. Enter the Colt, a revolver that could kill virtually anything. On the verge of elimination — because the Winchesters always have their backs up against the wall and routinely find themselves a few moments away from their demise — Dean shoots Azazel with the Colt and it works like a charm. He isn't quite that easy to get rid of, however: He continues to haunt the show long past his demise. A Prince of Hell casts a very long shadow.

Metatron is an angel and the Scribe of God — the only Scribe to ever have existed, in fact. Eons ago, he was responsible for transcribing God's word, gaining universe-shaping information in the process. No wonder he left Heaven to live in hiding among humans, for fear of what the Archangels might do to him in pursuit of that information.

Metatron is the creator of the Angel tablet, which grants immense power to those in contact with it — power he eventually exploits to expel all angels from Heaven. While the Angel tablet makes Metatron unimaginably powerful, his rule is short-lived, and he ends up locked in Heaven's dungeon for his crimes. Still, Metatron is an unforgettable character, in large part because of the actor who played him, Curtis Armstrong. Supernatural is a cult TV series with success to the tune of 15 seasons, but there aren't many performances within it as convincing as his.

Metatron is eventually imploded into nothingness by Amara, but fans won't soon forget him.

The Alpha Vampire, as his name suggests, is the first vampire, and therefore the progenitor of all other vampires. He knows of the ancient leviathans and claims to remember "the continental divide," which gives the Winchesters and the audience an idea of how old and powerful he is. This is a creature who has survived for millions of years as "the thing in the dark" — it would be an understatement to say he is not to be trifled with.

It can be argued that the Alpha Vampire isn't truly villainous, as he mostly just tries to live his best life as a unique creature. But, at the same time, he did create vampires, who have killed countless people. In the end, he falls to the legendary Colt, slayer of entities otherwise invulnerable. Even then, he manages to go out on a complex moral note: Upon realizing the Colt was loaded through a tricky bit of subterfuge, he chuckles, hangs his head, and calls Sam a "clever, clever boy" in a tone of rueful albeit genuine respect.

Abaddon, a Knight of Hell, took down the original Men of Letters... single-handedly. She's the worst kind of villain, at least from the Winchesters' perspective: massively powerful, and absolutely desperate for control. Trained by the biblical Cain, Abaddon is an ancient threat, well-accustomed to blood and mayhem. There is no one she will not possess, slaughter, or maim in order to get what she wants.

After time-traveling to the present day, she decides to pursue her biggest plan yet: become the Queen of Hell and rule demons, humans, and angels. Like so many baddies, she wants to rule the world through vast armies, reserves of power, and iron law. Too bad she comes across Sam and Dean Winchester.

Dean, empowered by the Mark of Cain, eventually kills Abaddon with the First Blade, a relic once described as "the most dangerous weapon on the planet." Thus falls Abaddon: Knight of Hell, ancient evil, aspirant Queen of Hell.

Lilith is the first demon Lucifer ever created. As the first, she is the highest-ranking demon, second only to Lucifer himself — she even outranks the Knights and Princes of Hell. She is also the final seal of the 66 that, when broken, free Lucifer from his cage. That's right — even her death furthers a malicious agenda. How's that for a commitment to evil?

Lilith's villainous resume is long. She commands a demon army, murders Dean with a hellhound, and tortures countless humans. Although she arranges for Sam to kill her, breaking the 66th seal, she is eventually resurrected by God to retrieve the Equalizer, a gun created by God that can kill anything. She destroys the gun and delivers some truly terrible news: God's endgame is for Sam and Dean to kill each other. She is effortlessly killed by the Archangel Michael not long after. A short resurrection indeed, but one that managed to shake the foundations of the Supernatural universe.

Rowena is arguably the most powerful witch in the Supernatural universe, and really, not all that much of a bad guy. She often helps Sam and Dean out, sacrifices herself heroically (though she never stays dead for long), and even leaves her magical possessions to Sam after her demise. All this aside, however, she is season 10's Big Bad. Rowena is power-hungry, in possession of undeniably dark magic, and at times, willing to do anything to benefit herself.

What makes Rowena so powerful? She is unstoppably clever and thinks ten steps ahead of everyone else. For example, when Lucifer kills her, she manages to come back to life thanks to resurrection spells she'd prepared in advance. A later death is orchestrated to drag the damned souls and demons, freed by God, back to Hell. As she's destroyed the magic she'd previously used to bring herself back to life, this death might just be the one to stick. However, it's later revealed that she goes on to become the Queen of Hell, so really, she's not doing too badly in the afterlife. Well played, Rowena. Well played.

Crowley's resume is riddled with good and evil, making him more of an antihero than a true out-and-out bad guy. That said, Crowley is a demon: He's power-hungry, puts himself before all others, and is generally predisposed towards nastiness.

There are more powerful beings than Crowley, but he is uniquely gifted. Son of the canny Rowena, he uses his smarts to outwit other beings, which allows him to survive and outlive more capable demons. And in the real world, it also doesn't hurt that he's a fan favorite — that's the sort of armor that generally tends to keep a character healthy for years, no matter what kinds of shenanigans they get themselves involved in.

Though he's been everything from a human (once upon a time, his name was Fergus) to the King of Hell, Crowley is a demon through and through. However, his final act is heroic: He kills himself with an angelic blade to seal Lucifer in an alternate dimension. Light or dark, in other words, Crowley is truly one of a kind.

Unlike unnamed creatures like the Alpha Vampire, the Mother of All Monsters is named Eve. As her moniker suggests, Eve created the very first iterations of each monster — the Alphas — known to the Supernatural world.

Eve is older than angels and therefore older than Hell itself. She loves her children, despite their monstrous natures, and while she herself cannot claim the highest body count on the show, the amount of destruction and death her children bring to the world is absolutely unfathomable. 

While Eve is only around for one season, she isn't a pushover. There is only one viable way to kill her: phoenix ash. As is the case with all enemies of the Winchesters, Sam and Dean take down Eve, despite the seeming impossibility of finding a phoenix — let alone its ashes. Inevitably, however, they get their hands on the legendary remains. Dean consumes the ash in a shot of liquor, then goads Eve into biting him. Thus she is smote.

Once upon a time, Dick Roman was a billionaire businessman. Then he was murdered and replaced by the leader of the leviathans, creatures so powerful God created Purgatory to lock them away forever. When a billionaire is combined with God's first monsters, the result is one of the most powerful beings on Supernatural.

Leviathan Dick Roman, as we will refer to him, isn't only one of the oldest beings of the series (being even older than angels), he's also considered one of the most powerful. Naturally, it takes a special weapon, the Bone of A Righteous Mortal Washed in the Three Bloods of Fallen, to take him down for good. Without this weapon, the leviathans likely would have taken over the world. No wonder God built Purgatory to keep them contained.

Despite the leviathans' legendary brutality, Leviathan Dick Roman only hangs around for a single season. He might be an ancient figure of menace, but he goes up against Sam and Dean, and eons-old baddies don't tend to fare too well against those indefatigable brothers.

Raphael is an archangel, one of the most powerful creatures ever created within the Supernatural universe. He can summon massive storms, demonstrates something close to omniscience, and can blackout the entire Eastern Seaboard with a blink. Simply put, he is ancient, unknowable, and altogether scary.

Although Raphael's time on Supernatural is fairly short-lived, which tends to be the case once a being crosses Sam and Dean, it can't be hammered home enough that he's one of the most powerful beings on the show. Few things can actually kill an archangel: Other archangels, God, Amara, a handful of ancient weapons. Jack Kline, a Nephilim and the son of Lucifer, might be able to as well if he were to meet his full potential, but that remains to be seen. He is about as untouchable as a creature can get — which makes it all the more impressive that Castiel is able to take him down. Even then, he can only do it when supercharged by all the souls in Purgatory.

Like his brothers Lucifer, Raphael, and Gabriel, Michael is an archangel. However, the Michael of the alternate universe "Apocalypse World" is easily one of the most powerful creations in the series and one of the toughest villains Sam and Dean are ever forced to stop. In his world, one torn apart by the absence of the Winchester brothers, he is a conqueror of unimaginable power — he's often referred to as the "Genghis Khan" of its ruined landscape, to give you a feel for his ruthless brutality and thirst for domination.

As the eldest son of God, alternate Michael is arguably even more powerful than Lucifer himself. Some of the ingredients the Winchesters need in the war against alternate Michael include hunters, Castiel, Rowena, Jack (whose abilities are surrounded by mystery and intrigue), Gabriel (also an archangel and legendary trickster), Lucifer, and countless others. The battle is arduous, but Michael is eventually defeated by Jack, who exploits Michael's hubris. Had that flaw not been there, one wonders if he could have been defeated at all.

The original Death, in theory, is in the top three of the strongest beings on Supernatural. Death has, after all, existed since the beginning of time — until his imminent demise. The original Death, however, wasn't necessarily an evil threat to the Winchesters. The primordial entity was only interested in keeping order.

Eventually, Dean kills Death with his own scythe, and Billie, a reaper killed by Castiel, is reincarnated and promoted as the new Death. Billie, at times, assists the Winchesters in their endeavors and is considered neutral for most of her time as Death. She doesn't become a true villain until late in the series. As the new Death, she inherits powers and is among the most potent entities — in fact, she's the only being that can read God's book, which is significant because it entails how God dies, and knowledge is power. But the Shadow drags her to a place of nothingness known as the Empty, and her reign of terror ends. At the height of her powers, though, Billie was one of the strongest villains on Supernatural — even if she wasn't considered an antagonist for as long as, say, Lucifer.

Lucifer isn't just one of the most powerful villains on Supernatural – he's one of its most powerful beings period. A fallen archangel, he is the original ruler of Hell and the creator of demons. Lilith, the Princes of Hell, the Knights of Hell, and all other manner of dark creatures spring from his power.

Despite his abilities and well-known maliciousness, Lucifer is actually a pretty likable character. Sure, the devil himself is oozing with darkness, but this version of Lucifer is at times laid-back and comical. Okay, you might find yourself thinking, he might be the origin point of all evil, but you could absolutely picture yourself grabbing a beer with the guy.

Had it not been for the Winchesters, Lucifer stood a very real chance of taking over the world. Eventually, he is put down for good by alternate Michael and Dean. His soul then dwells in the Empty, a peaceful void where divine creatures sleep forever. Because living things don't stay dead on Supernatural for long, Lucifer is resurrected by God — but then killed again, once and for all, by Michael with an archangel blade.

The Darkness, also known as Amara, has existed since before the beginning of time — she is God's older sister. God had to create the archangels to fight a war against her, which they eventually won, and sealed her away. She is the primordial origin point of all existence, the "nothingness" that reigned before consciousness and creation. if either she or God is destroyed, reality will cease to exist.

Upon her release as a result of Rowena's magic, Amara goes dark, out for revenge. But in time, she reconciles with God. She was hurting, jealous, and spiteful, she realizes, and the two depart Earth to spend some time together.

Amara is presumably stronger than God, yet God can, with the help of others, stop her. As a pillar of reality itself, she is the most powerful force the Winchesters have ever faced. Luckily for the Winchesters, The Darkness leaves on her own terms. If she hadn't ... well, perhaps it's better to just be thankful that she wanted to make amends with her brother and leave it at that.

But then, of course, Amara completely rewrites history in the final season, claiming that she and God were born simultaneously. She allows God to absorb her, but, luckily, a juiced-up Jack absorbs God's powers and becomes the new Almighty. Amara is also absorbed by Jack, and they live in harmony.

From an aspiring writer to the creator of the Supernatural universe, Chuck has a long and complicated history. Chuck is seen as a good guy, or at least a mutual party to the Winchesters, for a good portion of the series. It's not until the end of Supernatural when he's considered a full-on villain, and, in fact, the Big Bad of the entire series.

For a long time, Amara was the perceived strongest being. But Chuck being revealed as the Big Bad of Supernatural counts for a lot, as he's the final boss that stands in the way of Dean and Sam's happiness. At the height of his powers, Chuck absorbs Amara, making him an unstoppable force — if only Jack were never born — and the most powerful villain ever. But alas, it's short-lived: Jack strips Chuck of his powers, and the creator of the Supernatural universe is left to live out the rest of his days as a mere mortal. The story, to Chuck's dismay, continues without him.