Rowena MacLeod/Synopsis

History

Background

Born in Scotland during the 17th century, Rowena was the daughter of a tanner and, according to a confession she made while bound to a witchcatcher, she was a "pale, scared little girl who smelled of filth and death".

Rowena is the mother of Crowley (born Fergus Roderick MacLeod, 1661). Rowena has related two stories regarding how she became pregnant with Fergus. She first said that she had been with many men during a Winter Solstice orgy. The second tale she related was that Fergus' father had been a rich and already-married man. Rowena gave birth to Fergus upon a straw mat in 1661. The married man abandoned her almost immediately after the child's birth.

This was a powerful moment for Rowena, who vowed never to be weak again. She became an abusive parent towards her son. For Fergus (now Crowley) there are no fond memories of their time together.

Rowena claimed to be a "natural" witch and was born with the gift of magic (as opposed to harnessing the power of demons or learning it). Thus she was accepted into the Grand Coven, only to be dismissed by her superiors as a result of her violent and forceful use of magic. Later, Olivette revealed that her having a child with a non-witch also contributed to her expulsion.

Sometime after, Rowena was pursued by an unknown party in a witch hunt (presumably the British Men of Letters) and was forced to flee her hometown and leave her child in a squalid workhouse. She attempted to seek out help from the Loughlin Family and learn druidic magic. However, they cruelly rejected her despite her pleas. Around this time, Rowena fled to Milan, Italy and was tutored by Letitia di Albioni.

Rowena also encountered a Polish family who kindly took care of her. To repay their kindness, she cured the son, Oskar, of his terminal illness and even granted him immortality.

Between this period and the present timeline, Rowena developed many powerful spells. She is immortal given her long life, but she can still be killed by natural means. Rowena created a demon killing spell in the 1800s that only she knows how to perform. Many of the spells that she uses are not easily withstood by humans, and cause them to die shortly after being affected. Even simple spells like the servitude spell eventually burn up the human victims, as do powerful ones such as the Attack Dog Spell.

At some point close to the present day, Rowena was captured by the British Men of Letters. During her captivity, Arthur Ketch made a deal with Rowena where he would help her escape in exchange for a Resurrection Seal for himself. Rowena accepted the deal and cast the spell on Arthur who helped her escape as promised.

Before her reappearance in the present day, Rowena was briefly mentioned by Crowley. He described his mother as "dabbling in witchcraft" and said that she taught him a few things. However, Crowley did not mention her name.

Season 10

Rowena enjoying a book after killing the room service.

Rowena briefly appears at the end of "Soul Survivor" sipping on brandy and reading a book. After some blood drips onto her arm, she wipes it off and looks up, revealing two hotel staff members pinned to the ceiling whom she killed for coming to her for the bill. She smiles and resumes reading her book.

“	Hardly the most appetizing process in the world, but killing demons always makes me hungry.	”
	— Rowena, after killing the demon Raul in Girls, Girls, Girls

When Rowena visits Raul's Girls, a brothel where the demon, Raul, is running a new version of soul collecting by selling sex to men, then reaping their souls, she uses Defigere Et Depurgare, a demon liquefying spell on Raul. This makes Gerald, the other demon flee. She rescues the two girls forced into prostitution by Raul, and takes them to a French restaurant. The head waiter of the restaurant warns Rowena that the outfits of the prostitutes violate the restaurant's dress rule. She uses the Servitude Spell on the waiter, which makes him ignore the dresses and do the best he can for her table. Rowena enlightens the girls about witches and the Grand Coven, and convinces them to learn magic from her. The two girls accept, and the head waiter immediately dies because his brain boiled as an adverse effect of the spell he was under. Rowena and the prostitutes leave.

At a hotel, she teaches the girls some spells and basics of witchcraft. Then tells them to use one on a man who she assumes is coming to her for the bill but later turns out to be someone who the demons use to lure her. The demons seize them and on the way, they face off with the Winchesters who kill them. Rowena uses the Attack Dog Spell on one of the girls, which causes her to fight against the Winchesters, buying some time for her and the other girl to escape the hotel. Caitlin queries Rowena about what she had done to Elle. Rowena tells her that she was not strong enough to harness magic. The girl distrusts Rowena and punches her in the face, after which she runs. Before Rowena can cast a spell on her, Dean incapacitates her by brandishing a gun but was stifled by Cole at the same moment who was after Dean. Rowena escapes but she is later captured by another team of Crowley's demons.

Gerald tortures her in a cell before Crowley comes to meet her. Rowena sarcastically greets the King, who is shocked to discover the witch is in fact his mother.

Rowena befriends a demon, Trish and persuades her son that she left him forever not because she hated him but because she wanted to motivate him in an attempt to escape being captive in Hell's dungeon. Crowley is still exasperated with his mother and makes Gerald throw her back into the dungeon. Rowena devises another ruse which is to expose Gerald being culpable for smuggling demons from Hell onto Earth. Gerald throttles her, but before he could kill her, he was stabbed in the throat with an angel blade by Crowley. He brings Rowena out but she reneges on the promise she made to Trish that if she sided with her as a witness of Gerald's crimes, she would free her if being released by Crowley and leaves Trish behind.

Rowena telling Crowley she is proud of him.

In order to give Crowley a premonitory nightmare depicting Guthrie, one of his minions, along with several other demons, assassinating Crowley with angel blades, Rowena hides a hex bag under Crowley's throne. Rowena is then seen prying around Crowley's palace, which Guthrie tries to get her to stop. When Crowley makes a rendezvous with the Winchesters for a transaction dealing with the First Blade, Rowena watches him by performing astral projection, in order to eavesdrop on their conversation. When she learns that the First Blade is hidden in Crowley's tomb, she threatens Guthrie to purloin the Blade. Guthrie hesitates to hand it to her even though he got it, confirming that he will only give it to Crowley. Rowena stabs him in the chest with an angel blade. When Crowley arrives, she blames Guthrie for stealing the Blade, which Crowley believes for already having the precognitive nightmare in which Guthrie betrays him.

Katja, a witch and member of the Grand Coven, travels from Europe to the United States in pursuit of Rowena as ordered by her superiors in the Coven. Her hunt was thwarted by Sam and Dean when Dean incinerated her in her own flaming kiln, killing her.

Rowena is present as Crowley holds court and scorns a demon for demanding Crowley the credit which equals his work. She then suggests Crowley halve him and pin the bloody pieces to the wall of the court so that no one dares demand anything from Crowley anymore, thus not wasting the king's time, which Crowley complies. Rowena later reveals that Olivette, her rival and superior, the high priestess of the Grand Coven, has just resurfaced and implores Crowley to track down Olivette and coerce her to sanction her practice of magic once again on her behalf. Crowley reluctantly agrees but later, revokes the plan as he has some business with the Winchesters to exterminate Cain. Rowena is disappointed and chastises Crowley, telling him not to go but Crowley rebuffs. When Crowley returns distressed and crestfallen, double crossed by the Winchesters, Rowena is ready to leave but Crowley halts her. She berates him for being their puppet and lap dog and addresses him as "their bitch".

Rowena begins casting a spell to tortures the high priestess witch Olivette

Rowena remains vexed with Crowley and vents her frustration by ruining the court and casting shocking spells to all those who interfere with her; she hexed one of the demons to spawn a rear face. She also rebukes Crowley for denying to help her and for choosing the Winchesters over his own blood. She taunts Crowley about his existence only because of her and again, spoils his palace by casting a spell. Crowley later captures Olivette, and brings her before Rowena, much to her joy. Rowena shackles Olivette and beats her. Olivette reveals she excommunicated Rowena for having a child with a non-witch and that the Grand Coven has already been devastated and weakened thanks to the Men of Letters. She mentions that the Winchesters are the only known Men of Letters. With the assumption that the Grand Coven from which she has been hiding for centuries and which she has been fearfully groveling until now is no longer powerful and authorized, she tortures Olivette and eventually, transforms her into a hamster.

As part of her plan to defeat Dean, Rowena draws sigils and symbols in blood on her body, and appears on Earth. She casts the Attack Dog Spell on a trio of teenagers, and uses them to attack Dean. When Dean successfully beats the teenagers without killing them, Rowena uses a Gaelic spell on Dean which was supposed to rip him apart, but did not since Dean bears the very powerful and ancient Mark of Cain. Dean spares her life for the sake of the hexed trio, as he knows that only Rowena can break the spells cast on them. Overwhelmed by the knowledge that even her mightiest spell cannot overpower Dean, she injures herself and reveals to Crowley that Dean attacked her in the hope of Crowley retaliating against Dean for his mother. However, Crowley ignores her, feeling unconvinced by her love for him, stating that the only reason she is clinging to him is he is being useful to her. Rowena then packs, and leaves her son's palace.

After an encounter with the Styne Family where Sam appeared to destroy the Book of the Damned in a fire, he meets with Rowena in the hope that she can find a way to reverse the Mark of Cain, since she is a very powerful witch. With a smile, she discussed the terms of an agreement with him.

Rowena stipulates that Sam has to kill Crowley in return for her decoding the book, to which Sam agrees. She mentions that an affiliate of the Grand Coven, a witch named Nadia, once wrote a codex which can help interpret the Book of the Damned. Nadia, however, was murdered by the Men of Letters, and her codex was plundered and hidden in a Werther Box which induces hallucinations and delusions to all those who attempt to open it. These illusions manipulate the victims to commit suicide, with 98 percent lethality. When Sam and Dean discover the whereabouts of the Werther Box, the former opens it which causes Dean to have hallucinations of Purgatory, in which he kills a leviathan and confronts Benny.

Benny was trying to persuade Dean into puncturing himself with a shattered glass bottle, killing himself. Meanwhile, Sam is saved from Suzie, who blames him for being responsible for her death by Rowena by using a spell, who, herself, is a hallucination induced by the Werther Box. Rowena and Sam confer how to open the Werther box in order to get Nadia's codex. Rowena uses a spell to reveal the letters etched on the box which read that only by spilling the Men of Letters' blood would the hallucinations cease, and allow the box to open. Sam cuts his arm, and spills his blood into the collection bowl on the box. It doesn't work, however, since more blood is needed.

Being a hallucination that would bring about Sam's death, Rowena encourages Sam into spilling vast amounts of his blood and he almost kills himself by excessive blood loss, but Dean is freed from his hallucination by impaling Benny instead of himself. He seeks out Sam, and spills his blood with Sam, which deactivates the spell on the Werther box, and disperses Rowena. Having successfully opened the Werther box and retrieving Nadia's codex, Sam arranges a rendezvous with Rowena, and hands her the codex. As a precaution to make sure that Rowena neither goes back on her promise and abandons the search for a cure, Sam binds her with iron manacles and chains. Sam tells her to work on the codex and departs, leaving Rowena furious and enraged.

Since Rowena has not found a cure for the Mark, Sam argues with her for procrastinating in deciphering the Book of the Damned using Nadia's codex, to which Rowena replies that she is an, artist and needs time for interpreting the cure for Dean. She also states that her deciphering of the codex could be expedited if she could use magic, since Sam has her in iron shackles. Sam is desperate and demands why she is stalling but Rowena denies, saying that removing the Mark of Cain would insure her life, plus her willingness to have Crowley killed. In addition, Rowena mentions that Nadia also encrypted her own codex so that no one could ever decode it, to Sam's chagrin. When Sam goes to leave, Rowena asks him to go grocery shopping.

He returns with Charlie, who is also there to help find a cure for the Mark, but Rowena is antagonistic toward Charlie, and tells Sam that she does not need an ancillary decoder. Sam retorts by revealing that Charlie wouldn't be her helper, as she would be subordinate to Charlie. Rowena is not impressed by Charlie's confidence in tech, as she has never heard of the school where Charlie learned this magic. Sam tells her that she will find the ancient spells and curses, while Charlie's tech will put it into context. When Castiel is counted in as a member of the team, Rowena is intrigued by him, and taunts that all their discreet and unwilling collaboration must be unbeknownst to Dean, who doesn't even know that Sam didn't destroy the book. Sam, Charlie, and Castiel make a mutual agreement on cooperating for Dean's sake.

Rowena taunts Charlie and her laptop, and Castiel enters with his favorite snack as a human, pork rinds. Charlie asks Rowena about the nun who wrote the Book of the Damned, and Rowena replies that she was a hermit nun, Agnes, and that she was incinerated at the stake by the men of the church. Rowena mentions that her and Charlie are similar, however Rowena believes Charlie has too much trust in the Winchesters. Charlie confesses that the Winchesters are like her brothers, but Rowena tells her that her loyalty would be her undoing. Because Rowena won't leave her alone, and even tried to talk her into witchcraft, Charlie tells Castiel that she has to leave for two hours, or even one, just to get away from Rowena.

When Charlie and Rowena start arguing, Castiel calls Sam to let him know that Charlie wants to leave. Sam says it is too dangerous, however, so Castiel moves Rowena to another room, and chains her there. Rowena felt that Charlie was being the dramatic one, and believed that determining a cure would go faster if Charlie accepted her help. She also mentions that Crowley is her son, which surprised Castiel. Castiel leaves her, and finds out that Charlie has left for a motel, where she is later killed by Eldon Frankenstein.

Following Charlie's death, Sam decides to end the work to remove the Mark and kill Rowena, but changes his mind once he receives an email from Charlie with how to crack the codex. Rowena confirms she can now remove the Mark, but demands that Sam kill Crowley before she will as she doesn't trust him to keep up his end of the deal otherwise. After Sam fails, he calls Rowena to tell her and give her Crowley's warning. While Rowena is left worried, she insists Sam keep trying.

Rowena takes the opportunity to escape with the Book of the Damned and the codex

Following his failure to kill Crowley, Sam tries to threaten Rowena into helping with witch-killing bullets. However, Rowena is not threatened as Sam needs her to crack the Book and to cast the spell. She offers a new deal: her freedom and the codex in exchange for removing the Mark. Sam agrees and Rowena determines the ingredients needed for the spell which includes her sacrificing the person she loves most. Castiel is able to determine it is a young man named Oskar who's family had helped her hundreds of years before and she had grown so fond of she cured him of a terminal disease and made him immortal. Castiel summons Crowley who brings them the ingredients and Oskar. Rowena is happy to see Oskar despite her protests of loving no one and is horrified that she will have to kill him. However, she goes through with it and casts the spell to remove the Mark. She succeeds in removing the Mark, but unwittingly releases Amara at the same time. Rowena takes the opportunity to escape with the Book of the Damned and the codex, casting the Attack Dog Spell on Castiel so he will kill Crowley.

Season 11

Rowena stands before a trio of witches in an abandoned warehouse, at her altar she declares that they shall be known as the "Mega Coven" to the confusion of the trio. When one witch questions why they would join her, Rowena tells them that the Grand Coven is obsolete and falling apart. She tells them of how she compelled an angel to kill her son, the King of Hell. But one witch tells her, she made a deal with Crowley only the day before, she declares Rowena "delusional as ever." As the trio begins to leave, Rowena pulls out the Book of the Damned and performs an incineration spell, killing the trio of witches on the spot.

At a restaurant, Rowena sits with two witches, pitching them to join her new Mega Coven and offering them power they could never get while in the Grand Coven. The witches appear to agree to join, when suddenly a demon-possessed waiter attacks. One witch attempts to fend him off with a spell, but is too late and has her throat slit. Rowena makes her hasty retreat, using a spell to block her exit with furniture.

Rowena, disguised in blonde wig, carrying her suitcases towards a yellow taxi

Sometime later, Rowena comes out of a brick building, disguised in a blonde wig and speaking in an American accent, carrying her suitcases towards a yellow taxi. She quickly realizes that the driver is actually Dean and sends him flying across the alley, pinning him to a wall. Before she can kill Dean, Sam appears from nowhere and places her in iron shackles.

Back at the Bunker's dungeon, Dean is chaining Rowena to the chair while Sam is searching her luggage for the Book of the Damned, but is only able to find Nadya's Codex and Charlie's code breaker. When Sam goes to retrieve Castiel, Dean threatens to call Crowley unless she helps them, Rowena eggs him on, telling him if she is dead, there will be no one to remove the curse from Castiel. A panicked Sam returns to the dungeon, telling Dean Cass has gone missing. The trio pile into the Impala and track Cass down using his phones GPS. Dean parks the Impala in the general vicinity of where Cass' GPS brought them, and tells Sam to take Rowena one way, while he looks another. When Dean tracks Castiel down, Rowena and Sam show up not long after as Castiel starts attacking Dean. With a gun to her head, with witch-killing bullets, Sam orders Rowena to remove the curse. Once done, Sam briefly takes his attention away from Rowena to place her back in shackles, but Rowena is able to use the momentary lapse to her advantage and uses a spell to send Sam's gun flying across the room, along with Sam. Before either Winchester can do anything, Rowena traps them behind a cage and makes her escape.

In O Brother, Where Art Thou?, A hooded and shackled Rowena is brought before Crowley and the Winchesters. She surmises they want her help to deal with the force that was released when the Mark of Cain was removed. Dean tells her everyone in the room holds a piece of the puzzle to stop the Darkness, Rowena is then filled in on Amara being God's sister, and is shocked at learning the truth, as back in her day people would be burned at the stake for merely suggesting God had a sister. Knowing that her decoding the Book of the Damned is pivotal to their plan, she wants to know what would be in it for her, to which Crowley agrees to call off his assassins, until the next time she crosses him. She asks what is in the Cage that is so important, and when they tell her it's Lucifer, Rowena is elated at the prospect of meeting the "Dark Prince".

Rowena in chains while looking for the spell.

With everyone in agreement, Rowena is taken to the Bunker, where she is given Nadia's Codex and Charlie's code breaker. After some studying, Rowena finds the spell necessary to communicate with Lucifer without opening the Cage, and along with Sam and Crowley journeys to Hell to perform the spell.

Crowley leads the trio to "limbo," a desolate area in the furthest reaches of Hell. There Rowena paints warding sigils around a cage, and performs the first part of the spell — which activates the warding sigils, and a ring of holy fire surrounds the cage. The second part of the spell causes the flames to rise high above, once they die down a figure appears in the shadows with glowing red eyes — Lucifer. As Rowena and Crowley watch Sam's conversation with Lucifer from a distance, Rowena becomes enamored by the fallen angel. Eventually, the illuminated spell-work on the cage begins to fade and the fire around the cage begins dying. Crowley looks startled, but Rowena looks intrigued. As Crowley questions why the warding failed, Rowena simply tells him to follow her, and leads him away.

Rowena is revealed to have been working with Lucifer who approached her in her dreams, promising to make her his queen if she helped him get Sam. After she reveals the truth to Crowley, he calls Dean in to help him trap Rowena as she's the only one who can send Lucifer back to the Cage. Rowena catches onto their plan through a hex bag she placed in Crowley's pocket, but Crowley had put something in her tea that stuns her and allows Dean to place a witchcatcher around her neck that forces her to obey Crowley.

Rowena has her neck snapped by Lucifer, who was possessing Castiel

Rowena reluctantly sets up the spell to send Lucifer back to the Cage and casts it in time to save Dean, Sam and Castiel. Afterwards, Crowley has the restrained Rowena remain in Hell with him and asks why she hates him so much. Rowena explains that Crowley reminds her of her life before she was a witch and a member of the Grand Coven when she was just a tanner's daughter and Crowley's father abandoned her. Rowena hates being reminded of her weakness, and sees love as a weakness and therefore she chooses to hate him and won't love him instead. At that moment, Castiel enters the room and is revealed to have said "yes" to Lucifer. Lucifer releases Rowena from the witchcatcher and after checking that she's the only one who can open the Cage again, snaps her neck, killing her.

Rowena tending to Amara's wounds

In Hell's Angel, it is revealed that Rowena was revived through magic and chose to side with Amara, healing her wounds which were sustained from Heaven's smiting. Rowena offers herself up as a useful ally, adding that she can provide useful information and that she wants to get back at Lucifer. However, when Amara displays her powers, Rowena begins to have second thoughts. Once Amara is convinced that Rowena can be useful, Rowena sends a message to Crowley informing him that she is alive.

Rowena joins the Winchesters and Crowley in an attempt to summon Lucifer into a trap and have Castiel expel him from his vessel. Much to Rowena's frustration, the plan fails and Amara ends up following Rowena to their location. She flees the scene for her own safety.

Rowena begins working on a spell but in order to cast it, she needs another witch. Rowena goes to visit Clea and convinces her to help. As they prepare the ingredients, Sam Winchester appears at their location, protected by a powerful charm. He tells them that the witches are needed to take part in a battle against the Darkness. Rowena is distrustful of Sam, but Clea decides to listen and offers to bring more witches to join.

Rowena gazing up at the sun.

Rowena meets up with God, Lucifer, Dean, Sam and Crowley inside a warehouse. She is shocked to actually meet God who in turn greets her rather tensely by stating he did not support her actions but found her amusing, to her joy and the other's disgust. God even assigns Rowena with the task of luring Amara to their location, while pretending that she is betraying God. Amara, however, sees through the ruse but arrives anyway. Rowena then casts a spell upon Amara to weaken her vessel, and while alone she is incapable of hurting her, the other witches assist her and Amara is briefly brought to her knees.

Annoyed, Amara deflects the spell, knocking Rowena to the ground and killing Clea and her companions. The angels then begin their own attack followed by the demons. Rowena remains unconscious for a while, and wakes up to what appears to be the sun, shining brightly.

She goes inside the warehouse and calls them outside. While they all look to the hole the mass-smiting made, she directs them into looking to the sun, shining red in the skies above them. Castiel states the sun is dying and that Amara is destroying it as God teleports them back to the bunker. There, all except Sam become hopeless and decide that Amara has won the battle, as it has no meaning to keep fighting a battle they can't win

Rowena helps God sit down and decides to make him some tea. While they drink tea together, Rowena talks about Crowley in his childhood and God compares him to Adam and Eve, much to Crowley's annoyance. However, Sam arrives, trying to convince them into doing something to fix the problem, but none of them show will into trying something. However, God tells them Amara can be potentially defeated by the light, and that the supernova of ten thousand suns could kill her. Castiel suggests they use souls, as they are living batteries of light and energy, and Rowena tells them that, with sufficient souls, she can make a soul bomb to explode Amara.

She gives Sam and Dean a magic crystal in order for them to collect the souls of the ghosts in Waverly Hills Sanatorium. After they collect the souls, they find it insufficient and, without help from Heaven or Hell, they can't do it. However, Billie appears, wanting to know what they are doing. Rowena is left uneasy by the looks she and Crowley exchanged, and Billie discovers their plan to defeat the Darkness. She states that dead folks are kind of her thing, and raids the Veil, catching the hundreds of thousands of souls they need to build the bomb. When they think about how Dean can carry it, Rowena states that he is going to be the bomb itself

Rowena uses the crystal to transfer the souls to Dean, and tells him that, by pressing the index and middle fingers together, the bomb will explode, and that he must be near Amara when it happens. After Dean goes to meet her, she and the others invade a bar to drink while they wait for their salvation, or for the universe to be destroyed instead. When God is teleported away by Amara, they believe that he had died. Suddenly, the sun is fixed and light returns. They get outside, believing that Dean sacrificed himself and died to kill Amara, and now the universe is saved because the Natural Order is still intact. As she looks into the newly-revived sun, she exclaims that he "bloody did it".

Season 12

Rowena seeks to start her life over again as she no longer wants to have anything to do with the supernatural. However, both Crowley and Lucifer intend to use her because of her vast knowledge and her ability to decipher the Book of the Damned.

Crowley coerces Rowena to do as she's told.

Crowley is the first to reach her, by interrupting her date with a man named Ben. Despite her insistence that she wants to retire, Crowley orders her to help him send Lucifer back to his Cage, if not, then he will expose her true nature to Ben. Rowena reluctantly agrees, and the two set up a trap for the archangel.

When Lucifer confronts Crowley in his throne room, Rowena appears and uses a spell to paralyse Lucifer and enable Crowley to throw acid on him, thus weakening his vessel. However, Lucifer is able to resist Rowena's magic and heal his injuries caused by Crowley.

Seeing no other option, Crowley flees the scene, leaving Rowena behind. Rowena tries to inform Lucifer of her desire to be elsewhere and start a vacation, but Lucifer refuses to let her go since he wants to keep his enemies "close". Rowena is taken prisoner, and she screams in horror.

Rowena tied up in the cabin.

Later on, Lucifer takes Rowena on a short trip to Wendy Vincente's house, whom he promised his vessel to heal of her condition. He then ties up Rowena inside a cabin in the woods. Realizing his vessel is already decaying, Lucifer requests Rowena's help in strengthening it.

Rowena makes up an excuse of not knowing where the Book of the Damned is, but Lucifer is not fooled. Instead, he threatens to snap Rowena's neck clean off if she doesn't obey his orders. Rowena agrees and begins applying a spell on Lucifer's vessel, but soon reveals that she was using a spell that would not improve the vessel's condition, but rather, speed up its decaying process.

Furious, Lucifer tries to threaten her, knowing she cannot destroy him, and while Rowena agrees to this, she banishes both Lucifer along with his rotting vessel to the bottom of the ocean. Just then, Castiel and Crowley arrive, having been searching for her. They find her enjoying a cup of tea.

"Cup of tea?"

As the three leave the cabin, Rowena expresses her regret in having any part in freeing Lucifer, which she why she is willing to help them send Lucifer back to his Cage once they have the archangel cornered. She tells Castiel to call her when the time comes.

Rowena watches as Crowley exploded her lastest fiancé

Rowena is enraged when she discovers that her latest fiancé has run a background check on her and has been lying to, using and cheating on her. While Rowena argues with the man, Crowley comes to get her help in reimprisoning Lucifer and explodes the man, touching Rowena as its the nicest thing Crowley has ever done for her.

Rowena participates in the planning for defeating Lucifer and is skeptical about the idea of using the British Men of Letters hyperbolic pulse generator to exorcise Lucifer out of President Jefferson Rooney. The group is able to use Kelly Kline and Lucifer's child to lure him to their motel where Sam uses a sigil to dampen Lucifer's powers and then the generator to begin exorcising him. As the generator does its work, Dean signals Rowena who begins reciting the spell to send Lucifer back to his Cage. Finally, Lucifer is exorcised from Rooney and Rowena is able to reimprison him in the Cage. Afterwards, both Rowena and Crowley disappear before the Secret Service arrives after Castiel announces that Rooney is still alive.

After Dean is cursed, Sam calls Rowena for help. Rowena, who is using her powers to cheat at poker, suggests that Sam find the witch who cast the curse and kill him. After finding the sigil used in the curse, Sam sends it to Rowena and notifies her that they have found the witch who cast the spell, but he is dead and Dean isn't getting better. Rowena joins the Winchesters and is intrigued by the memory-less Dean. Rowena then tells Sam that the spell is druidic magic belonging to the Loughlin Family. Rowena recognizes the dead witch as Gideon Loughlin and tells Sam that the only way to break the curse before Dean dies is to get her the Black Grimoire. Instead of taking Rowena with him, Sam leaves her to watch over Dean until he can get the Loughlins' to give him the reversal spell. While waiting, Rowena explains her current motives to Dean, knowing he won't remember it. The two then listen over the phone as Catriona and Boyd Loughlin capture Sam.

Rowena at the Loughlin house.

Following Sam's capture, Rowena locates the Impala and uses it to reach the Loughlin house. Rowena leaves an unconscious Dean in the car with a note explaining the current situation, another note to stay and notes in the weapons locker directing him to his gun and the witch-killing bullets. In the house, Rowena confronts Catriona who recognizes Rowena and taunts her about their past. Rowena and Catriona engage in battle, but Rowena is no match for the other witch who prepares to kill Rowena with a shard of glass. Before she can, Dean interrupts and kills Catriona and Boyd with witch-killing bullets. Rowena is then able to use the Black Grimoire to break the curse and save Dean's life.

The next day, Rowena departs in a cab, but not before Sam makes her give him the Black Grimoire. Sam promises that the Winchesters owe Rowena "a small one" for her help however.

In Family Feud, Rowena is summoned by Sam and Dean to help them once again. Rowena does not wish to participate in anything the brothers have installed for her, but they insist and offer her something she really wants in exchange. The brothers ask her to locate someone important, and when Rowena inquires the identity of said person, they reveal to her that it's her grandson, Gavin. 

The trio go to meet Gavin at a bus stop. Gavin initially believes his father is sick, but the brothers tell him they lied and proceed to introduce him to Rowena. Gavin is needed in order to investigate the wreckage of The Star, a trading ship he was supposed to be on but due to Abaddon's intervention, he ended up in the present timeline. When Gavin discovers that his fiancé had boarded the ship and suffered brutal assault from the crewmen, he decides to travel back in time to protect her to ensure she does not become a vengeful spirit.

Rowena agrees with Gavin's decision, and stops Crowley from interfering when he tries to prevent Gavin from going back in time, and to his death. She also modifies the Blood Sigil spell slightly so that it can be used to return Gavin to his own time. In the aftermath, Rowena admits that she saw Gavin as "a lovely boy", but she accepted his death because it would teach Crowley the pain and agony she suffered when she was forced to kill Oskar, a child she loved more than her own son. 

Rowena's corpse

In All Along the Watchtower, Sam calls Rowena so she can send Lucifer back to his cage. However, Lucifer answers the phone and reveals that he has killed Rowena, having "stomped on her face until the white meat showed and set her on fire just in case." Lucifer also calls it "messy and screamy." When Lucifer answers the phone, he is holding a lock of Rowena's hair and her charred corpse can be seen on the floor.

The Winchesters later inform Crowley of her death and show a belief that Rowena is truly dead this time. Crowley's only reaction is disappointment that he didn't get to kill Rowena himself.

Season 13

In War of the Worlds, the Winchesters discover a case of witches being tortured and murdered. They quickly learn that the murders are being done by a man resembling the deceased Arthur Ketch who is searching for Rowena. Though each witch tells the man that Rowena is dead, he refuses to accept it. After being captured by the Winchesters, the man, claiming to be Arthur's twin brother Alexander, claims that he is hunting Rowena simply because she is a witch.

After his deception is exposed, Arthur explains his deal with Rowena for a Resurrection Seal that enabled him to return after Arthur was killed by Mary Winchester. Arthur is still searching for Rowena as he needs her to recharge the spell despite being informed by the Winchesters that she was dead. Arthur implies to the Winchesters that Rowena is not actually dead as they believe.

In Various & Sundry Villains, Rowena suddenly reappears to break a love spell cast on Dean by Jamie Plum. Returning to the bunker, Rowena explains that her Resurrection Seal brought her back again, but the extent of damage Lucifer did to her caused her to take "a very long time" to heal before asking about her son. After the Winchesters reveal Crowley's death to her, Rowena appears to be genuinely distraught by the news and shows a belief that Lucifer will return from the alternate reality that he was trapped in by Crowley. Rowena states that she had placed a tracking spell upon the Black Grimoire and was after it when it was stolen by the Plum sisters.

To the great reluctance of Dean, the Winchesters take Rowena along with them when they chase after the Black Grimoire to Stillwater, Oklahoma. Rowena explains to the Winchesters that she is after a ritual in the book that will remove the magical binding placed upon her by the Grand Coven upon her expulsion. As Dean searches for information from the locals, Rowena privately admits to Sam that when Lucifer last killed her, Lucifer showed Rowena his true face. This has left Rowena terrified of what can happen to her and she wants her full powers back so that she can defend herself. Having also seen Lucifer's true face, Sam sympathizes with Rowena and attempts to give her advice on how to handle her fear.

After Dean returns with Jamie and Jennie's location, Rowena claims to need a minute. After Dean refuses to take Rowena with them, Rowena suddenly tosses a hex bag at the Winchesters' feet and magically immobilizes them. Arriving at the Plum sisters' home, Rowena reveals that she had made a deal with the sisters to steal the Black Grimoire and use it together for their own purposes. However, the sisters have attempted to use the book already to resurrect their mother with their inexperience bringing Mrs. Plum back as a zombie.

Though Rowena offers to help properly complete the resurrection, the sisters refuse due to her rude dismissal of their abilities and send their mother after Rowena. Though Rowena is at first confident as she has faced zombies before, Rowena discovers that Mrs. Plum is immune to magical attacks and is forced to flee into the kitchen where Mrs. Plum breaks in shortly afterwards. The Winchesters arrived but are attacked by the sisters. As Rowena desperately struggles with Mrs. Plum, she yells out to Dean for suggestions as he fights Jaime. Dean orders Rowena to shoot Mrs. Plum in the head and as Rowena struggles with Mrs. Plum, she manages to grab Dean's gun and use it to kill the zombie. With the Plum sisters about to kill the Winchesters, Rowena uses the Attack Dog Spell to force the sisters to kill each other.

Rowena regains her powers

In the aftermath, Dean once again refuses to leave Rowena with the Black Grimoire. Still terrified, Rowena pleads with Sam who takes the book, but leaves Rowena with the page containing the ritual that she needs. That night, Rowena performs the ritual and regains her full powers.

In Funeralia, Rowena is contacted by the Winchesters for help but she ignores their pleas and goes about killing people who had heinous pasts as well as killing the Reapers assigned to them. This gets the Winchester's attention as well as Billie who sends Jessica to aid them. Rowena calls the brothers for a meeting, they question her motives as Rowena revealed she was doing all this to get Death's attention so she would resurrect Crowley for her, as she went onto state it was her fault as to how he turned out. The brothers state it won't be possible and threaten her to stop by revealing that they have learned Sam is always the one to permanently kill her. She is mildly surprised to hear this, though runs with her associate Bernard after leaving an astral projection behind. Sam chases her and tries to get through to her but she refuses to be deterred and dares him to kill her to stop, he reluctantly shoots though she stops it and knocks him out for his actions.

Rowena gets her audience with Billie

Rowena takes Sam to her hideout where she tortures him before Billie shows up. Rowena recognizes her, as Billie brings up their last meeting when she was merely a reaper. Billie tells her to stop but Rowena threatens to kill Sam but Billie is unfazed as Rowena attacks her but she isn't affected. Rowena breaks down as all she wanted was her son back as Billie tells her that there is natural order to things and though it may hurt they all have to accept it. She continues to cry as Dean and Jessica enter, she watches as Billie and Jessica disappear.

Afterwards, Rowena sits with the brothers and is comforted by Sam before she is told Lucifer is back and they may need her help in stopping him, which agrees to, pointing out that she now knows Lucifer won't be the one to ultimately kill her. Both brothers express hope that Rowena can be redeemed and that they can help her change her fate.

In Unfinished Business, Rowena helps the Winchesters and Castiel search for Gabriel by using a tracking spell to narrow down his location. Later, as they wait for Gabriel's grace to recharge, Sam mentions that Rowena is "boning up" on the Demon Tablet, presumably familiarizing herself with its spells for their upcoming mission to Apocalypse World.

Gabriel and Rowena ambush Lucifer

In Beat the Devil, Rowena performs the ritual to open the rift to Apocalypse World using only a small portion of grace donated by Gabriel. However, the rift quickly fizzles out due to the lack of adequate grace. As the Winchesters and Castiel debate what to do, Rowena and Gabriel debate why the ritual didn't work, flirt and end up having sex before they are interrupted when Sam comes up with a plan.

Rowena overpowered by Lucifer

Rowena teams up with Gabriel to capture Lucifer and use him as a continuous power source for the ritual. Together, the two are able to bind Lucifer, shocking Lucifer as he had believed both to be dead at his hands. Rowena is confused by Lucifer begging for death before Gabriel knocks him unconscious. With Lucifer's grace, Rowena is able to open the rift properly and stays behind to guard Lucifer in case something goes wrong. Rowena does her best to ignore Lucifer's antics, but when Lucifer taunts Rowena about her death, she snaps and yells at Lucifer, revealing that his son is in Apocalypse World. Lucifer breaks free of his bonds and strangles Rowena up against a wall, stating that she has revitalized his purpose with her revelation about Jack. As Lucifer tries to kill her again out of gratitude, Rowena magically repels him in a moment of desperation, but inadvertently blasts Lucifer through the rift.

With Lucifer gone, Rowena begins packing her things to flee even though she knows she is the Winchesters only hope of keeping the rift open for their return. Ultimately, Rowena's conscience gets the better of her and she begins searching the Black Grimoire for a solution to keeping the rift open without Lucifer there to power it anymore.

In Exodus, Rowena worriedly watches the closing rift as she struggles to find a solution in the Black Grimoire. As time runs out thirty-one hours later, an exhausted Rowena performs a spell using power from the Black Grimoire to augment the power of the rift and keep it open a few minutes longer. Rowena is able to keep the rift open long enough for the Winchesters to return with people from Apocalypse World. When Arthur Ketch steps through, both are surprised to see each other and give a brief acknowledgment. When Castiel appears, she remarks it was about bloody time before Sam and Dean arrive as well after leaving Lucifer trapped.

Rowena and Charlie share a drink.

As everyone is celebrating, Rowena tells Sam that she couldn't have kept the rift open any longer. Sam congratulates Rowena for holding the rift open long enough to get everyone back. Sam admits that they owe her one and Rowena tells him that she plans to collect on it eventually, but smiles at Sam as she says it. The two clink glasses before Sam moves away. Later, Rowena is seen sharing a drink with the alternate Charlie.

In Let the Good Times Roll, Bobby Singer tells Mary that "Rowena and Charlie are road-tripping it through the Southwest." With a smile, Mary and Bobby joke that "that's trouble."

Season 14

In The Scar, Castiel tells Jack that after he couldn't stop an apparent aging spell affecting Laura with his powers, he called Rowena for advice and she supplied him with a reversal spell. However, the reversal spell fails to work because Laura is not under an aging spell though Jack is able to figure out the problem and save her.

Rowena tends to Jack

During Unhuman Nature, the Winchesters and Castiel contact Rowena who at first is against helping the son of the devil. Rowena then meets Jack and is flattered when Jack talks to her and thanks her for her part in the Exodus from Apocalypse World. Rowena soon does her part and revealed that because Jack's grace is what holds his human and angel halves in balance, it is coming into conflict with each other, since his grace has been diminished causing his body to shut down progressively. Rowena determines the only way to revert that is for the Nephilim to recharge their grace. Later on, she conducts a spell after Castiel met a Shaman who possessed a vial of Gabriel's grace, which they intend to use to recharge Jack's to hasten his recovery. However, Jack's body ultimately rejects it and his condition worsens and it is determined he is dying. Rowena states she can't do anything further to help and tells them to stay by Jack's side until he succumbs.

Rowena possessed by Michael.

In Ouroboros, Rowena is called upon by the Winchesters to help them hunt a monster that is always multiple steps ahead of them. Rowena helps Sam determine that they are facing a gorgon and expresses concern at Jack's mysterious survival, particularly after she is able to sense the nature of the magic keeping Jack alive when she transforms him into a dog as part of her plan to steal anti-venom to create an antidote to gorgon venom. Much later, she is displeased to learn that the gorgon Noah Ophis can see her and the Winchesters with his powers. However, she is relieved to hear that both Jack and Cass can be undetected and surprise him.

After Dean is knocked unconscious and can't be revived, Rowena attempts to find a solution, only to be approached by Michael in Dean's form. Michael attempts to get Rowena to say "yes", threatening to kill her otherwise. However, Rowena is aware, thanks to Billie, that Sam is fated to be the one to kill her, and so refuses. Instead, Michael threatens to get another vessel and kill everyone in the bunker in front of her, knowing that Rowena cares about them whether or not she wants to admit it, and promises to spare everyone if she ascents. Rowena reluctantly agrees with a nod and is possessed by Michael, who then uses her body to slaughter all of the hunters in the bunker.

Jack exorcises Michael from Rowena's body

As Michael uses Rowena to attack the Winchesters and Castiel, Jack faces off with the archangel. Jack manages to exorcise Michael from Rowena and burn him away, killing Michael. Rowena, who survives, regains consciousness in time to witness Jack displaying his wings as proof that Michael's absorbed grace has restored him to full power.

Season 15

In Back and to the Future, Dean calls Rowena for help after God unleashes all of the souls of Hell upon the world.

In The Rupture, Rowena has the Winchesters, Castiel and Belphegor take her back to the crypt so she can cast the Rafforza l'incantesimo spell from the Book of the Damned to strengthen the barrier. Though Rowena expresses confidence that the spell will work, it fails and she becomes convinced that they are all going to die, explaining that the barrier is now too weak and the ghosts too strong for it to work. Rowena warns that together the ghosts are too strong and the barrier will fall and there's no magic on Earth that can stop it. If they are lucky, they have only hours. Dean asks Rowena to create some more Soul Catchers, but she informs him that it wouldn't matter and insists that its over. Rowena suggests that if she had gotten there sooner, she could've tried any number of spells to close the rupture before it got to this point, but it is now too late. As Dean prepares to fight to the end against the ghosts, Rowena looks through the Book of the Damned and Sam questions if there is anything useful in it, but she tells him there's "not a thing," hastily closing the Book of the Damned on the spell she was studying.

When Belphegor suggests a plan to call all of Hell's souls back with Lilith's Crook, Rowena states that she can close the rupture using the Sanetur Acre Vulnus, a healing spell of her own creation. As the rupture is a wound rather than a gateway, she can use the spell to heal the wound, causing the hole to close itself up. Rowena warns that they must time it perfectly and wonders how they will know when to start if Belphegor is in Hell when everything goes down. Belphegor assures Rowena that she will know when the time comes and Rowena states that they will need a few ingredients, nothing too exotic: lavender, myrrh, the skull of an owl, quiet to perform the spell and an assistant. Rowena requests Sam's help, stating that he is the closest thing they have to a seasoned witch amongst the group aside from herself. However, they also need someone close to the edge to serve as a carrier for the spell, someone who will carry it and toss it into the rupture when the time is right. However, whoever performs this duty will be unprotected from the ghosts and can't use salt circles. Dean volunteers for that job, but Belphegor states that he needs protection and Dean volunteers Castiel for help.

Shortly afterwards, Stevie brings Rowena the ingredients for the spell and is annoyed by the witch's lack of a thank you. Stevie warns that most of the ghosts are at the edge of town trying to break down the barrier and asks if they are planning "another magical long shot Hail Mary" which Dean confirms, stating that it hopefully works this time with a pointed look at Rowena. As Sam is distracted wanting to help Dean, Rowena reminds him to keep focused on his role in the plan. After hearing the blowing of the horn and the shaking of the ground caused by the souls returning to Hell, Rowena and Sam perform the spell together. Though the rupture begins to close, Castiel is forced to kill Belphegor before all of the souls are sucked back into Hell which Rowena immediately senses.

As Sam and Dean try to figure out what happened, Rowena grabs a knife and cuts her last Resurrection Seal out of her left shoulder to Sam's shock. Rowena explains that Lilith's Crook and Belphegor sucking the souls into Hell was the Winchesters' only shot, but it wasn't Rowena's only shot: magic can do anything and contain anything, including the vast multitudes of Hell. Rowena can soak the souls up for a time if she pays the price: a spell from the Book of the Damned so simple that it draws its power from its caster and only requires two ingredients. Sam questions why she didn't tell them before and Rowena explains that the ingredients are her own still-coursing blood and her final breath. Rowena can absorb the ghosts and demons and return them to Hell where her body will break down in time and release them back where they belong. Sam realizes that Rowena means she will have to sacrifice herself which she confirms along with the fact that Sam must be the one to kill her. Rowena reminds Sam that her real permanent demise is at his hands according to Death's books, but Sam continues to refuse. Rowena tells Sam that she can't do it herself and it has to be him. Though she wishes there was another way, she doesn't care about anything enough to take her own life, not Sam, not Dean and not even the world. However, Rowena believes in prophecy and magic and they are both there with everything they need to end this. Rowena insists that she knows it in her bones that it has to be this way and demands that Sam kill her.

Rowena sacrifices her life, much to her friends' devastation

Tearfully smiling at Sam, Rowena acknowledges that they have grown quite fond of each other and asks if Sam is willing to let his brother and the world die to save her. Crying, Sam pulls Rowena into a hug while stabbing her in the abdomen with the knife. Rowena tells Sam "that's my boy," before pulling out the knife and casting the spell. Walking towards the rupture, the mortally wounded Rowena draws all the souls and demons that escaped from Hell into herself until she has them all. Stopping at the edge, Rowena looks back at Sam, Dean and Castiel one last time and tells them "goodbye, boys" before throwing herself into the rupture. Rowena's devastated friends watch in horror and sadness as she falls into Hell, the rupture sealing itself behind her.

After Rowena's death, Sam and Dean are left mourning her loss, Sam in particular, compounded by the added news of Arthur Ketch's death. Rowena's death causes Dean to snap and blame Castiel for it, which Castiel did not entirely object to, also feeling guilty and saddened over Rowena's death, only insisting that he had to kill Belphegor as his plan was too dangerous.

In Atomic Monsters, Sam is still reeling from Rowena's death and Dean does his best to comfort him. Dean later lists Rowena as one of the people who have believed in the Winchesters over the years who they need to keep fighting for.

In Golden Time, Jacinda tries to find Rowena's magical stash in the aftermath of her death, only to die from a powerful curse Rowena placed on her apartment to protect it. At the same time, the Winchesters discover that Eileen Leahy's soul escaped from Hell when the rupture was open and as she doesn't want to go back to Hell or go insane, Dean decides to build a new Soul Catcher to contain Eileen. Sam and Eileen visit Rowena's apartment where Eileen locates a hidden room containing Rowena's magical stash, including journals containing Rowena's spellwork from the beginning of her life to the end. Sam is saddened by the reminder of his friend, but discovers a spell that Rowena had been creating to resurrect Mary Winchester before Rowena had learned that Mary was happy in Heaven. As the spell is for making spirits flesh, Sam sees it as an alternative for Eileen if he can finish the spell.

Shortly after leaving the apartment, Sam is attacked by Jacinda's family who seek the spell to bring her back. The Witch Mother tells Sam that Rowena's curse only appears to exclude Sam from being harmed, suggesting that Rowena intended for Sam to inherit her magical stash when she was gone. Rowena also apparently excluded Dean from her protection curse as he is able to enter her apartment unharmed. Sam later uses a spell Rowena taught him to kill the Witch Mother and successfully resurrects Eileen with the spell Rowena created.

Rowena as the new Queen of Hell greeting Dean, Sam, and Castiel

In Our Father, Who Aren't in Heaven, the Winchesters and Castiel travel into Hell using one of Rowena's spells in order to speak to Michael. As the three brawl with demons outside of Lilith's Chamber, they are unexpectedly interrupted by Rowena who reveals herself to be the new Queen of Hell, having taken up the position that was once held by her son. Rowena explains that after sacrificing herself to save the world and dying, she was able to take power in Hell through unknown means despite only existing as a damned soul. Though skeptical of their plans to speak to Michael, Rowena has her demons search Hell for the archangel when the three impress upon her their urgency. While they wait, Sam, Dean and Castiel talk with Rowena in her throne room where Rowena expresses contentment for her new role in the afterlife and reassures a greatly relieved Sam that he did the right thing in killing her. Noticing the broken relationship between Dean and Castiel, Rowena urges the two to repair their bond, listing her own many regrets in life which include her broken relationship with Crowley. However, their conversation is interrupted by a demon who reports that Michael is no longer in Hell, forcing the Winchesters and Castiel to leave empty-handed, though pleased to see Rowena again.

In Destiny's Child, the Winchesters return to Hell seeking the Occultum using the spell Sam got from Rowena's journals. Greeted by the demon Gregor, they ask to see Rowena who they are informed is holding a reception for newly-condemned souls, much to the demon's obvious annoyance. However, it proves to be a trap as Gregor and two other demons are working for Anael to kill them. The Winchesters take out the three demons, learning the truth from Gregor before killing him. The Winchesters then return to Earth without ever appearing to meet with Rowena.

When Jack's soul is restored by the Occultum, one of his flashbacks is of exorcising Michael from Rowena.

In Gimme Shelter, Zack, a Crossroad Demon tells Castiel and Jack that Rowena has forbidden demon deals during her reign as she has a hard "people end up where they belong" philosophy. After hearing the news, Dean is pleased, stating that its about time someone took control. Despite this, Zack appears to defy Rowena's orders at the end of the episode to potentially make a deal with Sylvia.

In Despair, Dean orders Sam to check Rowena's spells to see if he can find something to help Jack. Later, Sam shows Bobby a spell that he found amongst Rowena's Journals that could strengthen the warding for them.

In Inherit the Earth, Rowena appears in the flashback sequence at the end.