Every Lucifer Appearance In Supernatural Ranked

From the Rolling Stones hit "Sympathy for the Devil" to the dreamy Lucifer Morningstar from the popular TV series "Lucifer," there's always been something captivating about the idea of seeing the world through the devil's eyes. And depending on the day in the "Supernatural" universe, the devil's eyes could be the eyes of a rock star, a politician, or even a soccer mom thanks to Lucifer's gift of possession. Like most of the angels and demons of the "Supernatural" world, the notorious fallen angel tends to take on a new form from time to time, especially when that form is well-suited to his most recent scheme.

While it's true that the Good Lord Chuck's most rebellious kid should never be trusted, there's nary a dull moment when he's around, whether he's making a tenuous alliance with the good guys or tormenting Sam Winchester. From the charming and the cunning to the downright disturbed, we're ranking every appearance and vessel of Lucifer in the entire "Supernatural" series.

There's nothing quite like getting dressed up to the nines in a fancy outfit. But when you need something to wear fast sometimes, you've got to go with what's available, which is exactly how Lucifer ends up burning through a whole family's worth of vessels in "Keep Calm and Carry On" (Season 12, Episode 1). The body-hopping shenanigans are a direct continuation of the Season 11 episode "We Happy Few," which finds Lucifer –- in Castiel's vessel -– working with his dad Chuck and various other allies to deal with the "Supernatural" villain Amara.

After the unhinged Amara is attacked by witches, angels, and demons working in concert, Casifer (Misha Collins) uses Lucifer's golden-bladed spear to stab her from behind. Amara reacts violently, going after Chuck and expelling Lucifer from Castiel. After the battle resolves, the gang is left puzzling over where Lucifer ended up, with Crowley soon learning that the drained devil has been burning through normie bodies like wildfire, leaving a houseful of corpses for his minions to clean up. These poor saps are barely given a mention as little more than demonic detritus, easily making them the least interesting of Lucifer's vessels.

In between saving people and hunting things, the Winchester brothers spend an inordinate amount of time dealing with medical fallout from their supernatural adventuring. Over their many years of hunting together, Sam and Dean variously end up shot numerous times, electrocuted, and in comas, just for starters. But the Season 5 episode "Sam, Interrupted" finds the boys checking into Glenwood Springs Psychiatric Hospital voluntarily after the institutionalized former hunter and friend of their dad named Martin (Jon Gries) calls them up about a possible monster infestation on hospital grounds. 

As they often do, things quickly get dodgy, and matters seem to worsen as the Winchesters are forced to confront their personal issues. The psychological toll of the Winchesters' work comes back around again in Season 7's "The Born-Again Identity" when Sam is admitted to Northern Indiana State Hospital while ostensibly suffering from psychosis thanks to Lucifer haunting his dreams. Although Lucifer doesn't physically use him as a vessel, the Morningstar briefly takes the good Dr. Kadinsky's form as a hallucination to torment Sam. Although it's not one of Lucifer's best vessels, the moment features one of his scarier looks in the series.

Although the fallen Angel of Light does end up taking some pretty low-grade vessels as a means to an end when necessary, he prefers to travel in style. After all, why drive a beater when you've got a luxury whip on deck? After rolling in a rock star's body for so long, Lucifer's next vessel would have to be a step up, and that's what he found in the body of billionaire corporate mogul Wallace Parker. 

In Season 12, Episode 8, "LOTUS," the Winchester boys learn that Lucifer's vessel-hopping has most recently found him in possession of Parker, a powerful CEO who's connected to the archbishop of St. Louis. Unfortunately for all parties involved, Lucifer's power tends to leave most vessels burnt out quickly. As the boys survey Parker's corpse in the morgue, it's unclear how long Lucifer spent in the vessel or exactly what he accomplished while in that form. But for most folks, even a few minutes in the life of a billionaire would be the experience of a lifetime, even if they are the son of God. 

Because he's such a wily little bad boy, it's easy to forget that Lucifer is stuck playing by angel rules, which exclude the ability to simply possess someone without their consent. Although he has to have permission to share someone's body, that doesn't mean the sneaky devil can't bend some rules to get what he wants. And as the cunning archangel that he is, Lucifer pulls some dirty tricks to worm his way into willing vessels from time to time. 

When the archangel sets his sights on all-but-washed-up rock star Vince Vincente (Rick Springfield) at the beginning of Season 12, he uses his powers of manipulation to prey on Vince's guilt and grief by appearing as a hallucination of the musician's late girlfriend. While wearing his Dream Jen disguise, Lucifer convinces Vince that he can reunite with his lover if he just gives consent to let her in. Although it's not a true possession, this appearance is one of Lucifer's more despicable human cosplay efforts, and it's a perfect example of why we love to hate the guy.

Although "Supernatural" fans know that some of their favorite characters are really mythical beings possessing the bodies of humans, it's unsettlingly easy to quickly move past the implications of this fact until reminders like Claire Novak come along. Just as Castiel destroys a family in "Supernatural" when he possesses Jimmy Novak, Lucifer's possessions also come with a human cost -– even for those who manage to live through them. 

For Lucifer's primary vessel, Nick, this cost comes in the form of profound shame at how easily he was manipulated by the devil. As with Vince, Lucifer targets Nick in his grief after losing his wife and child. But the archangel's plan for Nick is much more sinister, with Lucifer ordering the demon Abraxas to kill Nick's wife Sarah and their infant son, Teddy. To seal the deal, Lucifer appears as a hallucination of Sarah, explaining who he really is, that he's misunderstood, and that he could give Nick justice. The act proves one of the devil's more purely malevolent ploys, as well as a prelude to Lucifer's most recognizable form.

As ancient beings, the angels and demons with whom Sam and Dean interact in "Supernatural" have been getting up to magical hijinks for millennia. As such, it should come as little surprise that Lucifer was up to his usual tomfoolery way back in 1972. One particular scene set back in the day reveals that Lucifer doesn't need his vessels to invite him in if they're already dead.

Season 4, Episode 22 of "Supernatural," entitled "Lucifer Rising," finds the yellow-eyed demon Azazel hanging out at St. Mary's Convent, which happens to be built above the entrance to Lucifer's cage. Wearing a priest meat suit and monologuing about how unfair life is for a little old demon like himself, Azazel wipes out a small group of nuns and places the body of one on the altar. Using her corpse and a little demonic ingenuity, Yellow Eyes makes a collect call to Lucifer with the dead nun as a conduit. Although her lifeless body is hardly a viable vessel, the old-school horror flick energy of the scene makes this one of Lucifer's more memorable possessions.

No matter how many times you see it, there's just something downright disturbing about the idea of a holy person getting possessed by a demonic or evil force. In the world of Hollywood horror tropes, at least, priests are usually the ones tasked with exorcizing those dark forces, so if the priest gets possessed, it can't be good news for the rest of us.

In the "Supernatural" episode "LOTUS," Lucifer finds a temporary home in the priest friend of his latest victim Wallace Parker, before settling into his new gig as President of the United States of America. As the priest makes his way around the diocese, the crosses in the building flip upside down ominously in honor of the dark lord. Although he doesn't spend long lollygagging in the archbishop outfit, there's just something captivating about the way his red robes bring out the demonic glow of Lucifer's eyes.

Before heading out on the road with his brother Dean, there's a time -– however short –- when college student Sam Winchester believes he may be able to live a normal life with his lovely girlfriend Jessica Moore (Adrianne Palicki). Unfortunately for both parties, Jess gets caught up in the middle of the Winchesters' hunter drama and is targeted by Azazel, who ends her life with the same fiery fate met by Mary Winchester when Sam was just a baby. 

As Sam is Lucifer's original intended vessel, the archangel goes to great lengths to get Sam to let him in, including his favorite strategy of manipulating his target with a vision of a lost love. In Season 5, Episode 3, "Free to Be You and Me," that's Jess. It's a disturbing revelation for Sam when he realizes he's the intended vessel for the devil, and it's a treat to see Lucifer played by Palicki as well. While this appearance by Lucifer is short-lived, it's both memorable and hugely significant to the overarching story.

The tale of Lucifer vessel Jefferson Rooney (David Chisum) is something straight out of a conspiracy theory fever dream. When President Rooney dreams of making America a more spiritual place, he takes a wrong turn prayer-wise and ends up making a deal with the devil that eventually leads to the birth of an angel-human hybrid known as a Nephilim.

Once in possession of Rooney, Lucifer takes full advantage of his situation by using the Secret Service to menace Sam and Dean Winchester and partying like it's 1998. It's all fun and games until the boys use their handy-dandy hyperbolic pulse generator to exorcize him, leaving the memory-zapped Rooney none the wiser with a little help from Castiel. Lucifer's devilish political foray may have been foiled, but the fact that it gave us the sweet and benevolent Jack (Alexander Calvert) makes it one of the better vessels in Lucifer's repertoire.

Of all of the people and creatures the Winchesters meet in their hunting years, from the werewolves and the fairies to the eldritch demons, some of the most interesting are the prophets of God, like Kevin Tran (Osric Chau) and Donatello Redfield (Keith Szarabajka). What makes Donatello particularly fascinating as a prophet is that he's an atheist right up until the point when he learns about his unique heavenly gift. 

A chemistry teacher by trade, Donatello receives his gift of prophecy when his town becomes immersed in Amara's fog. Unable to deny his new knowledge of the supernatural, Donatello comes to accept what he is, which makes it that much more unsettling when he gets the full Lucifer treatment in Season 14, Episode 17 — "Game Night." By teaming up with some demons, Lucifer's former vessel Nick figures out how to hot-wire the prophet and use him as a radio signal to connect with the devil. It's easily one of the most creative appearances of the archangel in "Supernatural," though it's obviously unfortunate for Donatello.

Imagine dedicating your entire life to fighting against dark forces –- a job you inherited from your parents and grandparents before you –- only to learn that you were predestined to be the living vessel of the devil himself. As Lucifer's brother Gabriel reveals in the Season 5 episode "Changing Channels," Sam was always destined to be Lucifer's human body on Earth, which causes a good deal of frustration and heartache for the Winchesters over time. 

Lucifer and Sam's mutual baggage leads to some fantastic acting opportunities on the part of Jared Padalecki, with fans applauding his Lucifer performance as one of the best in the series. One Redditor called Samifer "the most powerful and menacing" of Lucifer's vessels, praising his "understated viciousness," with another fan praising the complexity of Padalecki's performance, noting that Samifer is "angry, together, pleading, confident, giving and composed" all at once. It's certainly a fun twist on the rest of the show, where Sam usually represents the voice of kindness and good intentions. Under Lucifer's possession, he becomes something else entirely.

If the vampire Lestat taught the world nothing else, it's that powerful supernatural bad boys look even better onstage in a pair of tight leather pants. It seems all too fitting that the archangel Lucifer would be drawn to that rock-and-roll lifestyle, which is why it makes perfect sense when the dark lord decided to inhabit former '80s rock star Vince Vincente of Ladyheart. 

Sure, Vince's musical mojo was waning before Lucifer came along, but it was nothing a little Faustian bargain and some well-placed guyliner couldn't fix. And unlike most of Lucifer's vessels, Vince actually gets something good out of the deal. In addition to his demonically juiced-up comeback, the rocker also gets his sister Wendy healed from paralysis in Season 12, Episode 3 — "The Foundry." Given actor and musician Rick Springfield's own real-life backstory as a 1980s rock star, he's perfectly suited for the role of Vincente. In an interview with Billboard, Springfield called the series "really fun" and "well-written," praising the show for its "insane" effects.

In his signature trench coat and blue tie, Misha Collins' Castiel is easily one of the most memorable and beloved characters in "Supernatural," as well as one of the best fictional angels of all time. Collins does an excellent job of distinguishing Castiel as an otherworldly being — a supernatural creature from the starchy heavens where rules and bureaucracy are the order of the day. Besides Castiel's almost robotic delivery, the series gives Collins plenty of opportunities to try on other personas with all of the various possessions and alternate realities the angel finds himself dealing with. These range from Castiel's main vessel Jimmy Novak to much more powerful beings. 

In Season 11, Episode 10, titled "The Devil is in the Details," Castiel willingly becomes Lucifer's vessel after realizing that they may be able to defeat Amara together, despite knowing that he'll probably get more than he bargained for. As Lucifer's host, Collins perfectly captures the duplicitous glimmer that makes Lucifer the most charming of villains, pulling off the character's "Big Bad" energy to stellar effect.

Of all of the hallucinations and vessels used by Lucifer in "Supernatural," one stands out far above the rest, and that's the O.G. himself — Nick. After Nick's family is murdered as part of Lucifer's evil plan to compel him to become the archangel's vessel, Nick finds himself lost, suffering, and vulnerable to the devil's sneaky ways. Although Nick is eventually released from Lucifer's grasp, the experience changes him permanently, transforming him into a sociopathic villain who seems to have picked up Lucifer's traits and mannerisms. 

Without a doubt, Mark Pellegrino's performance as Lucifer is the favorite manifestation of the dark angel among fans. Redditor u/spnnerd praised Pellegrino for his nuanced portrayal, emphasizing, "So many layers to the acting...Scary/evil, hilarious, petulant, burdened and heartbroken." Redditor u/Argo_York noted that Pellegrino's performance is "just the right amount of idle, bored cosmic being that's a bit above everyone's head but is also a child on a temper tantrum." If you're a "Supernatural" fan thinking about Lucifer, you're probably thinking about the version played by Pellegrino.