Battle with Metatron

Battle with Metatron
Location	Lebanon, Kansas Muncie, Indiana Heaven
Result	The angel tablet is shattered Dean Winchester is killed and turned into a demon Metatron loses his deity abilities Metatron is overthrown and imprisoned in Heaven's dungeon Heaven is retaken by the angels Souls can now enter Heaven again
Belligerents
Castiel's Faction
Metatron's Faction
Commanders and leaders
Dean Winchester Castiel
Metatron
Strength
Castiel's Faction Dean Winchester Sam Winchester Castiel Gadreel Hannah (after defection) Other Angels Homeless Angel Metatron's Faction (after defection) Demons Crowley
Metatron's Faction Metatron Asariel Purah Hannah (pre-defection) Ingrid (pre-defection) Neil (pre-defection) The rest of Metatron's Faction (pre-defection) Humans Homeless encampment George
Casualties and losses
Homeless Angel Gadreel Gadreel's vessel Dean Winchester
None

The Battle with Metatron was the final battle in the war to retake Heaven from Metatron.

Background

After the angel and former Scribe of God Metatron learns of the state of Heaven following the Apocalypse, he makes the angels fall and locked Heaven to them in revenge for being forced from Heaven himself millennia earlier.

After getting bored in Heaven by himself, Metatron decides to bring the angels back to Heaven with himself as their new leader and recruited Gadreel as his second-in-command. Gadreel murdered the Prophet Kevin Tran and stole the angel and demon tablets from the Winchesters and delivered them to Metatron. With the tablets in his possession, Metatron linked himself to the angel tablet, giving him deity-like abilities and making him nearly unstoppable. Seeing everything as an epic "story" with himself as the writer of the "masterpiece", Metatron attempted to recruit Castiel to act as the villain of his "story" and lead an angel army against him. While Castiel initially refused, after seeing Metatron's sheer power in how he easily blew out a ring of holy fire, Castiel began gathering a faction of angels to battle Metatron.

When Castiel's faction got to be bigger than Metatron's own, Metatron enacted a successful plan to use angel suicide bombers to turn Castiel's own followers against him. However, while it left only the Winchesters and Castiel standing against Metatron, it turned Gadreel against him as well and he decided to defect to the Winchesters' side to aid them in defeating Metatron.

Battle

Following the loss of Castiel's army, Gadreel appears in the Men of Letters bunker to offer his help in defeating Metatron as he has realized Metatron has gone too far and has to be stopped. Knowing that the Winchesters and Castiel don't trust him due to his actions, Gadreel asks for a chance to prove himself to them, telling the three that he can lead them to Metatron and knows his plans which will allow them to stop him. Dean pretends to agree and approaches Gadreel as if to shake his hand, but in reality uses the opportunity to slash Gadreel across the chest with the First Blade, seriously wounding him. Castiel and Sam restrain Dean before he can kill Gadreel however.

After forcing Dean to drop the First Blade, Sam and Castiel realize that the Mark of Cain is doing something to him and lock him in the bunker's dungeon until they can figure it out despite Dean pointing out that Castiel no longer has an army and Dean is the only one who stands a chance against Metatron. The two return to the bunker's library where they put the First Blade away in a box and Castiel admits that Dean is not wrong about Castiel's army being gone and them needing help. Sam points out that Gadreel told them he could help them and Sam feels that that's an even trade, but they find that Gadreel is gone, having fled in fear of them.

Having reunited all of the angels under his command, Metatron has his assistant Neil set up a device which will broadcast to every angel in existence through angel radio and uses it to welcome the angels back and thank them for accepting him as their new God. Metatron tells the angels that he is going on "a short trip" during which time the portal to Heaven will be closed and he will explain everything upon his return and that "it will be glorious." Metatron then puts on an outfit that he believes will make him look pathetic for the next part of his plan.

Near the bunker, Sam and Castiel find Gadreel's car and the seriously wounded Gadreel collapsed on the ground nearby. Gadreel believes they have come to kill him and promises to leave them alone, but Castiel instead reaches out to heal him. Gadreel tells him not to as using his grace to heal Gadreel will just weaken Castiel, but Castiel heals him anyway, weakening him a bit as Gadreel predicted. Gadreel and Castiel both heard Metatron's message and Castiel asks what Metatron is planning. Gadreel explains that Metatron is now trying to get humanity to worship and follow him like the angels now are.

Noticing that the Mark of Cain is making him sick, Dean summons Crowley for answers. Crowley explains that the Mark of Cain wants Dean to kill and the more he kills, the better he will feel. However, the less he kills, the worse he will feel until he dies. Cain was able to survive not killing as he is a demon, but Dean is human and his body is not built to handle the Mark's power. While Dean wants to get rid of the Mark to save himself, he decides he wants to stop Metatron first and has Crowley help him escape from the dungeon and steal back the First Blade so he can go after Metatron.

Sam, Castiel and Gadreel return to the bunker to find the First Blade and Dean gone and traces of sulfur. Sam realizes that Dean summoned Crowley to help him and tries to contact Dean to get him not to go after Metatron in this fashion, but fails. After Sam informs him that Dean has the Mark of Cain, Gadreel realizes that Dean used the First Blade on him and tells Sam and Castiel that the weapon could be useful to them. Gadreel explains that Metatron is more powerful than ever, but Dean wielding the Mark of Cain and the First Blade could give them their best chance of defeating Metatron. Sam is skeptical at the idea of sending Dean against Metatron, but Castiel insists that they hear Gadreel out. Gadreel tells Sam that they can help Dean win the fight as he believes that Metatron has found a way to tap into the power of the angel tablet and is using its powers to gain power equivalent to God which is what Metatron wants: to be the new God. Sam points out that that level of power makes Metatron basically unstoppable, but Castiel realizes what Gadreel means: if they can break the connection between Metatron and the angel tablet, he will lose all of his extra power and will be a regular angel again at which point he can be easily defeated. Gadreel tells them that the angel tablet is in Metatron's office in Heaven, but he can get them in so they can get at it. Sam is skeptical as if Gadreel, as Metatron's second-in-command, shows up with Castiel, Metatron's biggest enemy, the other angels will realize something is up and stop them. Castiel insists that they still have to try and Sam reluctantly agrees.

Meanwhile, in Muncie, Indiana, a young woman is hit by a car and killed, but Metatron steps up and resurrects her. He then whispers in her ear where he is going next and the story of the "miracle" spreads.

Sitting in a café with Crowley, Dean searches the Internet for things that could lead him to Metatron while Crowley tries to convince him to cut loose and just have fun. Dean is unable to find any biblical omens or smitings that would indicate where Metatron is, but two of Crowley's demons arrive and give him a phone. Crowley shows Dean a YouTube video on the phone of Metatron resurrecting the young woman, calling himself "Marv" and Dean wonders what Metatron told the woman and takes off to find out.

Gadreel leads Castiel to the portal to Heaven which is located in a playground and guarded by Asariel and Purah, two of Metatron's most loyal angels who Gadreel recruited himself. Castiel pulls out a pair of binding handcuffs and reveals that his plan, based on Star Wars, is to pose as Gadreel's prisoner to infiltrate Heaven with him. Asariel and Purah are reluctant to let Gadreel and Castiel pass due to Metatron ordering the portal closed, but Gadreel tells them that Metatron had wanted Castiel, the leader of the rebellion captured and wants him in Heaven to interrogate him. The two angels reluctantly agree and begin opening the portal again. After the portal is open once more, Castiel and Gadreel enter it and are transported to Heaven where they are met by Ingrid and Hannah. The two inform them that Metatron has been notified of Castiel's capture and they can wait for him in his office. Ingrid and Hannah show Castiel and Gadreel into Metatron's office, but its actually a trap and the "office" quickly transforms into Heaven's dungeon, locking them inside. Ingrid reveals that the angels saw through their ruse and welcomes them to Heaven's jail as Gadreel desperately begs to be released.

Dean and Crowley track the woman that Metatron resurrected to an RV park where they find Sam waiting for them. Sam tells Dean that he didn't need a demon's help to track down a clue trail and reached the woman first. The woman is gone, but Sam was able to talk to her and find out what Metatron said to her. Dean tells Sam that whatever kind of intervention he thinks he's pulling won't work, but Sam is angry at Dean's actions, telling him that while Dean is running around with Crowley, his real friends such as Castiel and Gadreel are risking their lives to help him win the fight. Sam also points out that Dean made the fight much harder when he tried to kill Gadreel, the one angel that could actually get them to Metatron. Dean points out that Gadreel possessed Sam and murdered Kevin, but Sam tells him that Dean had let Gadreel possess him in the first place and now Sam has to live with seeing Gadreel use his hands to murder Kevin. However, Sam admits that he also knows that Dean is their best chance to defeat Metatron and agrees to support him. Dean tells Sam he will take his shot at Metatron no matter the consequences which Sam knows, but he insists on helping Dean do it. He tells Dean that Metatron had told the woman where he was going next in the video. While Crowley offers to come with them and help, Dean tells him to go as they don't need his help anymore. Annoyed with this dismissal, Crowley leaves.

At his next destination, a homeless encampment, Metatron is recognized as "Marv" by a woman and led to her friend George who asks if he really performs miracles and asks for some whiskey when he confirms that he does. Metatron heals his diabetes instead and leaves him some whiskey in his flask to celebrate, but is confronted by an angel living in the encampment who calls him a fraud. Pretending not to know what the angel means, Metatron asks how he can be a fraud when he offers nothing but a little love, a little hope, the occasional miracle and nothing else. However, the angel presses on, telling the homeless people that Metatron is not one of them as he'd like them to think but rather Metatron is an angel as is the man speaking. Metatron continues to deny it so the angel asks if he denies that he is the former Scribe of God who the angel describes as "a petty, unliked, unloved angel, driven by the relentless pursuit of power and nothing more, who's already brought the other angels under his iron thumb." Unable to stop the angel, Metatron draws an angel blade, but is stopped from attacking the angel by the homeless woman who greeted Metatron upon his entering the encampment who doesn't believe the angel's words. The woman points out that the angel calls Metatron "pathetic" and "common", but so is everyone in the camp. When the woman asks if the angel has seen what Metatron has done, resurrecting the young woman and healing George's diabetes, the angel tells her if she knew what the angel has seen Metatron do, she'd think of him as an abomination. However, Metatron's powers has so enthralled the homeless people that George sees him as a miracle worker and the woman as a Messiah. Telling the people he is sorry they don't believe him but he must protect them from Metatron, the angel draws his own angel blade and charges Metatron. However, before he can reach Metatron, the homeless encampment turns into a violent mob that attacks the angel and beats him to the ground. Enjoying the sight of the violence committed in his name, Metatron kicks them his angel blade and George uses it to murder the angel who had tried to protect them from Metatron's influence.

That night, Sam and Dean arrive at the homeless encampment where Metatron has pretty much convinced the inhabitants that he's the new Jesus. As the two prepare for the coming fight, Dean apologizes for what he did to Sam and then knocks him out while he's distracted, intending to fight Metatron alone. Dean enters the homeless encampment where the homeless woman recognizes him as Dean Winchester and tells him that Metatron told them he was coming. When Dean asks where Metatron, who the homeless people call Marv is, the woman points him to a nearby building where she tells him that Metatron is praying for their forgiveness for killing the other angel. They let Dean go into the building with Metatron, but attempt to stop Sam when he later tries the same. However, Sam pulls his gun and forces them to back off and direct him to Metatron.

In Heaven, Castiel and Gadreel get Hannah to talk to them and try to convince her of the truth, that Metatron set Castiel up with the suicide bombers to make himself look like the victim and turn the angels against Castiel. Hannah is skeptical and Castiel points out that Gadreel is Metatron's second-in-command and what other reason would he have to turn on Metatron but the truth. However, Hannah continues to doubt, asking how she is supposed to trust Gadreel who has only ever thought of himself since the Garden of Eden and Castiel who had promised that not another angel would die in the fight against Metatron. Castiel insists that he's trying to keep that promise by killing Metatron who is the source of all of their suffering. Hannah continues to refuse to believe him and when Castiel asks her if she'd rather he not try to stop Metatron, she tells him not unless he can prove his story. Castiel pleas with Hannah to let them out so they can prove their story while Gadreel notices some broken rocks from the dungeon wall in his cell. As Castiel continues to uselessly argue with Hannah, Gadreel tells them that for thousands of years, he sat in his cell in Heaven's dungeon thinking nothing of himself and his cause to redeem himself and his good name. Castiel tells Gadreel that he has succeeded with his efforts to help him defeat Metatron, but Gadreel just continues to tell the other two angels that he has come to realize that the most important thing is their mission from God: protect the humans which no angel is more important than. Gadreel tells them that the angels will no longer let their fears and self-absorption keep them from that mission anymore and orders Castiel to the other side of his cell and to keep his head down. Castiel and Hannah realize that something is wrong and Hannah rushes to Gadreel's cell to see that he has used a rock from the dungeon floor to carve the sigil that the suicide bombers used into his chest. Understanding what Gadreel is about to do, Hannah desperately tries to get the right key to unlock Gadreel's cell, but he tells her to run and that he hopes that now his name will no longer be remembered just as the one who let the Serpent into the Garden but as one of the many who gave Heaven a second chance. Seeing she doesn't have time to stop Gadreel, Hannah quickly gets out of the way and Gadreel stabs a sharp piece of rock into his chest in the middle of the sigil, killing himself and releasing his grace in an explosion that blows open his and Castiel's cells. Castiel emerges from his cell and asks a thoroughly horrified Hannah if she believes Gadreel's story now. Gadreel sacrificing himself to stop Metatron finally convinces Hannah of his and Castiel's sincerity and she joins Castiel in his quest to reach the angel tablet.

Dean finds Metatron in the building the homeless woman pointed him to and confronts him. Metatron calls Dean a cynic and tells him that most people aren't cynical but rather want something to believe in and why not him. Dean tells Metatron that he has been working the homeless people for a day and they've already killed somebody in his name, leading to Dean calling Metatron "Bernie Madoff with wings." Metatron admits that he's a fake, but tells Dean that it took a lot of work to get God ready for the things He had to do and He hated it. Metatron claims that humans sensed that so they prayed harder and longer and fought more wars in His name to please him only to die of diseases as God doesn't care about humans. Metatron tells Dean that he does care as he's walked amongst humans and he can save them. However, as Dean points out, Metatron is only willing to do so if the humans worship him as their new God. Metatron doesn't care about what Dean points out, saying that he's giving the people "a brand they can believe in" and asks Dean if he can blame him for that. Dean tells Metatron that he's blaming Metatron for everything, including the murder of Kevin and Metatron stealing Castiel's grace. Dean draws the First Blade and Metatron asks Dean what the world is left with if Dean wins the fight and kills him, telling Dean that all that will be left is "a herd of panty-waisted angels and you? With lord knows what pumping through those veins?" Dean tells Metatron that he only heard the part about Metatron dying and an exasperated Metatron agrees to fight Dean, but informs him that if he's waiting for Castiel and Gadreel to succeed, there's no point as they have been locked up in Heaven, not knowing that Castiel has escaped.

Now free, Castiel makes his way into Metatron's real office with Hannah and they capture Ingrid. Castiel demands to know where the angel tablet is from Ingrid who Hannah holds prisoner with an angel blade. Ingrid refuses to talk so Castiel has Hannah remove her from the room while he continues his search on his own. Finally, Castiel locates the angel tablet in Metatron's typewriter and smashes it to the ground, destroying the angel tablet and stripping Metatron of his extra powers. Castiel then activates Metatron's angel radio broadcasting equipment and waits for Metatron to return to Heaven in his chair.

Having had enough of Metatron, Dean swings at him with the First Blade, but Metatron easily catches the blow, stopping Dean from stabbing him. While Metatron is holding him, Dean hits him in the face, the strength from the Mark of Cain allowing him to harm Metatron slightly with his blow. Metatron signals Dean to begin the fight and Dean charges the super-charged angel. Metatron easily throws Dean against the wall, stopping his charge. When Dean tries again, Metatron flings him against the wall again and kicks the First Blade out of Dean's hand, disarming him. Metatron stands on Dean's wrist and taunts him, saying that Dean killed Abaddon and then figured that with the power of the Mark of Cain and the First Blade, he'd come after Metatron and kill him too. However, Metatron tells Dean that powered by the angel tablet, Metatron is too powerful for even the Mark of Cain and the First Blade to beat. Metatron then beats Dean badly, leaving him nearly unconscious and seriously injured. Using the last of his strength, Dean calls the First Blade into his hand with telekinesis as Sam rushes into the warehouse. However, before Dean can try to stab Metatron with the First Blade again, Metatron stabs Dean in the chest with his angel blade, mortally wounding Dean. Metatron gleefully watches as Sam desperately clings to Dean, but before he can do anymore, Castiel destroys the angel tablet and Metatron's Deity power. Reverted into a regular angel, Metatron flees the scene when Sam swings an angel blade at him as he is now vulnerable to it.

Following Metatron's departure, Sam desperately tries to get Dean to keep pressure on his chest wound, promising to find him a doctor or to do a spell to save him. Dean believes it to be better that he dies due to what the Mark of Cain is doing to him but Sam refuses to give up hope. Dean asks Sam about what he said about being alright with Dean dying and Sam admits he lied about that. Dean, knowing he is near death, has Sam stop carrying him to the warehouse exit. Dean tells Sam that he's proud of them and then dies of his injuries.

Returning to his office, Metatron compliments Castiel, telling him "well played" and believing that Castiel and Gadreel had managed to turn "a few dead-enders" against him. Castiel informs Metatron that Gadreel is dead and Metatron points out that all that Castiel has done- shattering the angel tablet and the sacrifice of Gadreel- were all to save Dean Winchester who Metatron informs a horrified Castiel is now dead. Metatron summons binding handcuffs and handcuffs Castiel to his chair. Castiel tells Metatron he will never get away with what he's doing, but Metatron believes that he can clean up the mess Castiel made by telling a silly story to "a group of less-than-believers" in an hour, but Castiel tells him that Metatron doesn't give the other angels enough credit and they will soon realize that Metatron has played them. Metatron tells Castiel that it doesn't matter if the angels learn the truth as they are "frightened little sheep following my crook wherever it leads" and when Metatron leads the angels back to their "rightful" place over humanity, the angels won't care how they got there. Metatron prepares to kill Castiel with his angel blade, telling Castiel that the reason Castiel couldn't win and now has his grace burning away and his reputation long-extinguished is because Castiel could never tell a good story. Instead of being scared, Castiel smugly tells Metatron "but you can" and shows him that he activated Metatron's angel radio transmitter and thus Metatron transmitted the truth about his actions to all angels in existence.

Before a shocked Metatron can react, his furious followers turn on him and storm his office, led by Ingrid and Hannah. Now a regular angel again, Metatron is no match for the other angels and they easily overpower and capture him. The other angels release Castiel who takes Metatron's angel blade, but chooses not to kill him. Instead, Castiel has Metatron locked in Heaven's dungeon himself.

Aftermath

With Metatron defeated and imprisoned in Heaven's dungeon, the angels reclaim Heaven and are able to reopen it to souls that had been trapped in the Veil and who die on Earth following the reopening of Heaven. While Heaven has been reclaimed, the Gates remain closed and the angels continue to rely on Metatron's portal, which they gain control of, to travel to and from Heaven. While most of the angels return to Heaven following it being reopened, some don't and remain on Earth against the wishes of their siblings. The angels, as Castiel refuses to lead them again, form their own democratic leadership with no one leader anymore. Under the new regime, spearheaded by Hannah, Heaven is run better than it has been since God left millennia before.

Metatron is imprisoned in Heaven's dungeon though he swears that one day he will escape and get his revenge for his defeat and imprisonment. Metatron is eventually taken to the bunker for interrogation on how to remove the Mark of Cain, but returned to Heaven for his own safety when the Mark's influence causes Dean to nearly torture him to death. Sam, Castiel and Bobby Singer later break Metatron out of prison to find out what he knows about the Mark, removing his grace and turning him human to leverage him into giving them what they want. After Metatron admits he doesn't actually know how to remove the Mark of Cain, he manages to finally escape by taking Castiel to where his grace is located and then stunning him and fleeing with the demon tablet. While Castiel eventually recaptures Metatron, he finds him too pitiable to kill anymore and lets him go, knowing that if Metatron, who Castiel takes the demon tablet from, tries to do anything but live a normal human life, the angels will come down on him and kill him for his actions.

Following Metatron's defeat, Castiel declines an offer to become the leader of the angels again and leaves Heaven, his grace rapidly diminishing. Castiel is eventually recruited by Hannah to help track down rogue angels and replenishes his nearly-gone grace with that of Adina with the help of Crowley. Months later, Castiel gets the remnants of his original grace back and is restored to his full health and power as a Seraphim.

After Dean's death, Sam returns him to the bunker where he decides to summon Crowley and make a deal to resurrect him. At the same time Sam attempts to summon Crowley, Crowley visits Dean's body in his room and informs him of Sam's actions. Crowley tells Dean he never lied to him about the Mark of Cain, but he didn't tell him a story about how Cain died as a human: unable to take the chaos he was wreaking under the Mark's influence anymore, Cain turned the First Blade upon himself and killed himself. However, the Mark wouldn't let go of Cain and transformed him into a demon and the first Knight of Hell. Crowley gives Dean the First Blade and he is resurrected as a demon and a Knight of Hell himself. Sam spends six weeks hunting Dean down before finally capturing him with Crowley's help. Sam is eventually able to cure Dean and restore him to being a full human, albeit one with the Mark of Cain.

Trivia

• Similar to when the Winchesters defeated Crowley in Sacrifice, Metatron is captured instead of killed when he is defeated. The angel tablet also plays a role in the defeat and capture of both.
• Ironically, while Metatron believed that he defeated Castiel by depriving him of his army, Castiel effectively defeated him with just the help of the Winchesters, Gadreel and Hannah, showing that Dean's assertion in Stairway to Heaven that they only needed the three of them to defeat Metatron to be true.
• This battle contains one of the rare few times that a human kills an angel. In this case, the homeless man George murders the Homeless Angel who tried to protect the homeless encampment from Metatron's influence. It is also the only time that an angel who is killed by a human isn't killed by a hunter.