| “ | Mm, pretty much like you'd expect. Larger-than-life, gruff, bit of a sexist. But fair -- eminently fair. | ” |
God, also known as The Creator, The Lord, The Big Guy, The Big Daddy, The Boss (by angels), and The Man Upstairs, is a supremely powerful primordial being who created nearly the entire universe. He exists alongside other deities who serve as gods of their own religions.
Having created nearly everything, God has existed since before the beginning of time, alongside Death, and still exists outside of time and space. God, along with Death, is one of the two most powerful entities in existence.
Notable Creations
While God is the Creator of nearly the entire universe, He also created many notable beings and things, which were specifically created in this order.
Confirmed Creations:
- Heaven: God's divine dominion, for noble and righteous souls, as well as angels.
- Leviathans: The first beasts.
- Purgatory: God's prison for monsters, specifically the Leviathans.
- Archangels: The first and greatest of all celestial beings.
- Angels: Collectively all species under this title that aren't archangels.
- Earth: God's last masterpiece, according to Lucifer.
- Souls: Made for humans.
- Humans: God's most beloved creations.
- Hell: God's prison for evil souls, demons, and Lucifer.
Powers and Abilities
As the most powerful being in the universe and the creator of practically everything that resides in it, God possesses incalculable power. God is a supreme being of divine light and grace. His power and intelligence is superior even to his superhuman angels. It is believed that God Himself, like the Horseman Death, is one of the few people who can enter Lucifer's Cage without the rings of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Castiel has even said that God is “Strong enough to take on Lucifer – strong enough to stop the Apocalypse.” The only being that can possibly match God's infinite power is Death.
- Omnipotence - Being the one of the two most powerful beings, along with Death, in the Supernatural universe, God's power is essentially limitless. As put by Lucifer, "No one makes Dad do anything." Death even once stated that Castiel, powered with 30-40 million souls from Purgatory, was no God. God has the ability to enter Lucifer's Cage without the Four Horsemen rings, as Dean Winchester incorrectly suspected it was God who got Sam Winchester out. God is capable of creating anything, varying from the universe at large to humans. He also is credited as the creator of at least three spiritual realms or worlds. Among these is Heaven, a home for Himself, His angels, and for worthy and noble human souls. In addition, He also created Purgatory and Hell to imprison His most dangerous creations, the Leviathans and Lucifer respectively. When He resurrected Castiel three times, He was able to completely rebuild both him and his vessel despite them being completely obliterated each time. He is infinite in power and abillity. The surface of this has barely been scratched.
- Omniscience - God possesses absolute wisdom and superhuman intelligence like his angels. He has unlimited understanding, knowledge, and awareness of everything, including the future. Joshua once told the Winchesters that, "He knows already -- everything you want to tell Him." God basically knows everything about everything. However, Death claimed that neither he nor God can remember which of them is older than the other or if they are the same age.
- Immortality - God is both ageless, eternal, and cannot die. He is unaffected by all forms of time, disease, fatigue, or hunger. Death once stated that he would reap God at the 'end of time,' although this has never been shown and has yet to be proven.
- Apporting- God is able to teleport anyone anywhere he wants in all of creation. For instance, he teleported Dean and Sam out of Lucifer's presence and onto an airplane.
- Resurrection - God can bring anyone or anything back to life. Due to His lack of interaction or intervention, however, He does not do this often, though He is known to have resurrected Castiel at least three separate times.
- Power Granting - When God resurrected Castiel for the second time, He granted him greater power and promoted him to the rank of a Seraph.
- Healing - God possesses the ability to heal any type of ailment. He displays this power by cleansing Sam of the demon blood that he consumed.
Physical Appearance
God's visage has only been seen by few beings. The Horseman Death has seen God, as he has existed alongside God since the beginning of time. Anna once mentioned that, out of all the Host of Heaven, only four of them have seen God; it is assumed she was referring to the archangels Michael, Lucifer, Raphael, and Gabriel. It is later revealed that Metatron has also seen God, while writing down his Word, and Death has referred to conversations with God while talking to the Winchesters. Metatron also hinted that the angel Gadreel, as God's most trusted angel, has seen God, as Metatron said, "You were God's most trusted. That's why he chose you to protect the garden." It was said that Dean's Amulet can detect God's presence; however, Joshua thought otherwise, as it is believed God can only be found if he wants to. Often when God does intervene, it was done behind the scenes, without physical interaction.
Personality
He was as described as an authoritarian and was gruff over his assembly of angels, but "eminently fair" and just. God was also described as being a bit of a sexist, according to Metatron. He could be looked upon as righteous. Due to being "larger than life," and having transcended beyond all other beings, He does not see any major events as "his problem," including the Apocalypse. Dean sums up his nature as being "Just another deadbeat dad with a bunch of excuses." Despite this, God is not entirely indifferent; he saved Sam and Dean from Lucifer's presence, put them on that plane, resurrected Castiel, purified Sam of the demon blood at the time, and granted both Sam and Dean salvation in Heaven in spite of everything they had done, which was — according to Joshua — "more than he's intervened in a long time." One thing about God has always remained the same ever since he's been first heard of is the fact that, "The Lord works in mysterious ways."
Early history
In the beginning, God existed alongside Death. He created Heaven, a place where He and His angels and noble souls would eventually reside. He then created the first beasts, the Leviathans. However, seeing the potential danger the Leviathans could cause, He decided to lock them away in Purgatory, which He created just for that purpose. God then created the four archangels: Michael, Lucifer, Raphael, and Gabriel, then He created angels. The angels and archangels called God their father, and existed only to glorify Him. He selected Metatron to take down His word in various tablets.
Soon after, God created humans. According to Metatron God assigned Gadreel to protect his cherished creations in the "garden". He then asked all the angels to bow down to humans as His greatest creations and present more compassion towards them than to Him. Lucifer became envious, as he was the favorite son of Heaven, and saw that humans were broken, flawed and murderous (both Death and Gabriel described this as essentially a "great big temper tantrum" as humanity had replaced Lucifer in the foremost of God's affections). Faced with this situation, he became increasingly more prideful, and convinced one-third of Heaven's Host to rebel with him. Lucifer went to Michael and asked him to stand with him, but Michael refused. A great and bloody battle ensued in heaven where angels warred against angels. Michael and Lucifer fought in a cataclysmic battle until eventually, God caused the battle to cease by casting all the rebels, including Lucifer, out of Heaven. Out of anger against God, Lucifer corrupted a human soul, who would later be known as Lilith, into the first demon. Lucifer then slipped past Gadreel into the garden and poisoned the Earth with his own evil, forcing God to lock Gadreel away. God then had Michael personally cast Lucifer into hell, specifically Lucifer's Cage. After the betrayal of Lucifer and the failing of Gadreel, God left Heaven for parts unknown.
God continued to watch over and protect all His creation and children against anything that might hope to corrupt or hurt it, although it is inferred throughout the series that He is both miserable and lonely, as He feels guilty for letting Lucifer be corrupted and that few can sympathize with His feelings, such as the angel Joshua, a fellow gardener. Though when talking to Michael in "Swan Song," Lucifer believes that, since God made everything, "He made me who I am. God wanted the Devil."
Season 4
In "Lazarus Rising," Castiel claimed that God ordered him to rescue Dean from Hell; later comments about the Hierarchy of Heaven suggest that the Archangels gave Castiel his orders and claimed it was the will of God.
In "On The Head Of A Pin," Uriel later expressed disbelief in God, saying "there is no God," among other things.
In "Lucifer Rising," when Dean wondered where God was, Zachariah responded, "God has left the building."
Season 5
In "Sympathy for the Devil," Dean and Sam are trapped in the chapel of St. Mary's Convent while Lucifer is about to emerge from his cage. Suddenly, everything becomes bright, and the brothers find themselves on an airplane simultaneously passing over Ilchester, Maryland. Later, when Dean questions Sam about how he's feeling, Sam notes that it's weird because he's not shaking and doesn't have a fever like he normally does after drinking demon blood. Sam gives the credit to whomever saved them and put them on the plane. After being killed, Castiel suddenly returns and indicates to Zachariah that God resurrected him to stop Zachariah's plans, pointing out that only God could have done it and put Sam and Dean on the plane. Castiel orders Zachariah to fix what he did to Sam and Dean and leave and so scared of the possibility that God intervened, Zachariah complies. Castiel confirms to Sam and Dean that he died but refuses to answer how he returned.
In "Good God, Y'all," Castiel reveals to Sam and Dean his belief that God resurrected him and starts a search for Him using Dean's amulet that burns hot in His presence, believing that He is the only one that can stop the Apocalypse.
In "Free To Be You and Me", Castiel finds out that the Archangel Raphael is walking the earth, and immediately sets out with Dean to question him about God. His original attempt to summon Raphael back to his vessel fails, but the Archangel appears to Dean and Castiel upon their return to the house they were sleeping in. The two are able to trap Raphael in a circle of holy fire and Castiel demands to know where God is. Raphael tells him that God is dead, believing He must be due to His lack of presence and actions in the Apocalypse.
In "Dark Side of the Moon," it is confirmed by Joshua that God put them on the plane, granted both brothers salvation in Heaven, resurrected Castiel, and cured Sam, which Joshua comments on being more than He has done in a long time. God intervenes in Zachariah's attempt to torture a Yes out of Sam and Dean by sending Joshua to intervene. As Zachariah is a higher rank than Joshua, he refuses as Joshua has no authority to order him to stop, but Joshua tells him that God does and that Zachariah should listen as one day God will return "and you know how he is about that whole wrath thing." Cowed, Zachariah leaves. The angel teleports Sam and Dean to Heaven's garden then reveals God has been on Earth for some time and is lonely, but still speaks to him (Joshua) from afar, as he feels that Joshua can sympathize with him "gardener to gardener." Joshua also relates a message from God to the Winchesters: "Back off." God feels that the Apocalypse is not His problem and that He has intervened on their behalf enough for them to solve the problem of the Apocalypse themselves. Joshua also reveals that he intends to let Dean and Sam keep their memories of their time in Heaven at God's order, as God wants them to remember this encounter. Castiel subsequently loses faith in God and goes into a depression while Dean loses all faith and starts considering saying Yes to Michael.
In "Swan Song," once the Apocalypse is averted, Castiel is suddenly resurrected and Dean asks if he's God. Castiel responds with "That's a nice compliment, but no. Though I do believe He brought me back. New and improved." God is revealed to have restored Castiel's angel status when he resurrected him (he was practically human before his death) and significantly upgraded his status and power, making him a Seraph. Castiel's faith in God is restored and he comes to believe that while God may or may not return, taking control of Heaven seems like the right thing to do. Dean is angry at God about the sacrifice of Sam and tells Castiel to tell God Dean is coming after Him next if He returns, but Castiel points out that Dean got exactly what he wanted. Chuck is seen dressed all in white and vanishing at the end of the episode, leading to speculation that Chuck was God (see below).
Season 6
In "The Third Man," Castiel states that God didn't let Sam out of hell, although He obviously has the "muscle." Nobody has any idea where He is, and most of the angels have lost faith. Even Balthazar states "Dad isn't coming back." Raphael later references Him when battling Castiel, stating "Somehow, I don't think God will be bringing you back this time."
In "The Man Who Would Be King," Castiel, desperate and morally ambiguous, tells God the story of how he attempted to free Sam from Lucifer's Cage, made a deal with Crowley to partner up with him to find Purgatory, and started the civil war in Heaven against Raphael. He prays to God to give him a sign, to which he receives no response.
In "The Man Who Knew Too Much," after Castiel absorbs millions of souls from Purgatory to gain power, he claims the souls as his own and is adamant on not surrendering their power. When Sam arrives and stabs Castiel, the Angel Blade doesn't kill him, proving that he is not an ordinary angel anymore. Castiel then proclaims himself as the new God, and gives the Winchesters and Bobby Singer an ultimatum: bow down to him or he will destroy them.
Season 7
In "Meet The New Boss," Castiel enters a church and kills a bigoted, hypocritical pastor by making him choke on his own tongue. Moments after doing this, he hears a voice speaking to him from afar, causing him to pause and grip the side of a pew. Upon hearing the voice, Castiel then looks at a stained glass window depicting Jesus (a physical manifestation of god) for a moment, before continuing onward and replacing the image in the stained glass window with his own. Later, while arguing with Death, Castiel asks Death where god is, but Death does not answer.
Castiel was resurrected a third time when he dies due to his possession by the Leviathans. While its unclear who was responsible for his resurrection, Castiel believes that it was God as a punishment for his actions, forcing him to live with them and try to atone, saying that "I see now: its a punishment resurrection, it gets worse every time." He has come to believe that if he dies again, God will resurrect him again to continue the punishment. However, while God may have resurrected Castiel with all of his powers intact, he apparently did not restore his memories as Castiel had amnesia when Sam and Dean later found him.
Near the end of Season 7, an ancient tablet sought by Dick Roman and subsequently stolen by the Winchesters is revealed to be one of the records of the Word of God, a message left by God himself and dictated by Metatron when Creation was being formed. This particular record acts as an "in case of emergency" message relating to the Leviathans. This message reveals that god left the knowledge of how to destroy the Leviathans on this tablet in the event that they should ever escape from Purgatory, and that the only way to destroy them is with the Bone Of Righteous Mortal Washed In the Three Bloods of Fallen.
Season 8
After escaping Purgatory, Dean says the designer (God) of the "box" didn't want him in there anymore than he did. Benny Lafitte explains to Dean in their first meeting that God put in an "escape hatch" in case a human ever got trapped in Purgatory. Only a human is confirmed to be able to use it, but they can carry the souls of other beings out with them as long as they are inside their bodies.
When Sam and Dean find Metatron, he reveals that God picked him from the secretarial pool to be his scribe before he left Heaven and had Metatron write The Word of God to protect humanity. After it was written, God left Heaven and the archangels at first despaired before deciding to take over the universe in His absence.
Is Chuck God?
- " Well, there's only one explanation. Obviously I'm a god... I'm definitely a god. A cruel, cruel, capricious god." — Chuck to Sam, The Monster at the End of This Book
Chuck disappearing.
After narrating the fifth season finale Swan Song, the prophet Chuck Shurley is seen disappearing after finishing the last book of the Supernatural series, leading some fans to speculate that Chuck had been God all along. Though it is never revisited in the show, both Rob Benedict (who played Chuck) and series creator Eric Kripke have confirmed that Chuck is indeed God, and was acting from behind the scenes in order to preserve free will.
Notes
- Anna Milton claimed that only four angels have seen God's face. This is presumably refering to the Archangels. However Death stated that he knows God, even witnessing the creation of Leviathan. Metatron stated that when writing the tablets, he "sat at God's feet." It is also possible that Gadreel has seen God as he himself assigned Gadreel to protect the garden.
- Of the four times Castiel has died, God himself has resurrected him three times, first from being killed by Raphael, then Lucifer then the Leviathans. Strangely however the time April Kelly killed him, it was Gadreel that ressurected him. However, Gadreel may have possibly brought him back before God was able to, as Castiel was dead for awhile for the first two times at least and for an unknown amount of time the second before being resurrected.
- God isn't actually the creator of everything, as he didn't create any of the Horsemen, demons or reapers.
- In Road Trip it is revealed that God left Heaven due to Gadreel failing his task to protect the Garden of Eden from evil.